Your roofing company will probably alert you to everything they need, but some other actions you can take will help you protect your property, and maintain the safety of your family.
The short answer is, the winter. It might be a bit inconvenient for you, living in the house, but because roofing companies are less busy over the inclement seasons, they are more likely to offer a seasonal discount. Most home service companies are in a similar position. They like to retain their staff year to year, so simply breaking even over the winter is often enough of an incentive to take on a new project.
Every home is unique, but there are guidelines that apply to almost all buildings on the planet. In the Pacific Northwest, there are particular concerns, and most of them are related to the level of moisture we can expect for most of the year. In addition, because of the latitude of Seattle compared to, say, southern California, the angle of the sun’s rays means algae and other living things on the roof of your home may not always be killed off by lethal ultraviolet light.
This is a great question, as most houses roof infrastructure lasts for as long as the house lasts. You’ll notice that often, ‘replacing a roof’ means the replacement of the tiles (or that layer that is visible), the water proof layer under it, but usually not much more. Under those two layers, however, there is a lot more of the roof structure. You have the roof’s rafter and joist structure. That’s that part that looks like – from afar, at least – it is made of matchsticks, all neatly secured together, but certainly not enough to protect your house on their own.
There are a number of reasons, any one of which means it’s time to make the change.
There is a bit of a myth going around that by doing a re-roofing project yourself – the homeowner – you could save some money. Well, there is certainly some truth in that. Putting a roof on a house is certainly not as difficult as, say, remodeling your kitchen, but even a seemingly small mistake could result in a far bigger and more costly problem than simply having to replace a few roof tiles.
Most homes in Bothell are fairly new. Those that are old are more like rural dwellings because Bothell was, for the longest time, a country town of sorts. It was not an expensive area, and houses had a disproportionate amount of land, certainly compared to further south inside the Seattle area. Today, land is at a premium price, so new homes tend to be bigger and also sit on an ever decreasing piece of land. Why is this important? Well, firstly, many of those older homes were relatively cheaply made.
The short answer is, two or three days. It might take longer if the roof on your home is on a big house, is very steep, or is complex. Most homes in the Bothell area – particularly in an older home, because it is likely at least a few decades old if it needs its roof replaced – most homes will only take two or three days.
Some roofing companies work with smaller project teams. If two people are working on your roof, it might take sever days, but if a half dozen experienced workers are on the job the whole time, it may get done in a single day.
The first thing to consider when answering this question is, are you comfortable doing the actual work yourself? Although replacing a roof is relatively straightforward – certainly compared to, say, rewiring your house – but when you make a small mistake, you may create a small leak that grows into a big, expensive problem later on. it’s the small leaks that are the worst because, you might not notice them until they have had a year or two of doing damage, by which time the repair of that damage involves a lot of work and money.
I am assuming you don’t plan to replace the roof of your home as a DIY project. Although replacing a roof could be described as a straightforward project, if you do make a mistake, it might go unnoticed until several months have passed, and a small leak has done considerable damage. Unless you are specifically experienced in replacing a roof, you should really opt for getting the roof replaced by a licensed, bonded, insured and experienced roofer.
What happens when a roof is “replaced” on your house?
