New Roof Installation in Utica, NY

A shingle roof works like overlapping scales. Every layer laps over the one below it so water is always carried down and out, never back toward the house.

The order the parts go on matters as much as the parts themselves, and most of the problems that show up years later can be traced to a layer that was skipped or put on in the wrong sequence.

Everything starts with the deck, the sheathing boards fastened to the rafters. It has to be flat, dry and solid enough to hold nails, because a shingle is only as secure as the wood it is nailed into. Soft or uneven sheathing gets dealt with before anything else goes down.

The waterproof layers

Along the eaves and up through the valleys we install ice and water shield. It is a rubberized membrane that sticks to the deck and seals itself around every nail driven through it. In a place that gets heavy lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario, this is what keeps meltwater trapped behind an ice dam from reaching the wood.

The rest of the deck is covered with synthetic underlayment, a second line of defense if wind ever drives rain past the shingles.

Drip edge goes along the eaves and rakes so water drops into the gutter instead of wicking back onto the fascia, and a starter course along the bottom edge gives the first row of shingles something to seal to.

Flashing, shingles and the ridge

Anywhere the roof meets something else, metal flashing directs the water. Step flashing is woven in piece by piece where a roof slope runs into a wall, chimneys get layered flashing tied into the masonry, and plumbing vents get new boots. These joints are where roofs leak, so they get the most care.

The field of the roof is covered with architectural asphalt shingles. They are made of laminated layers, so they are thicker than the flat three-tab shingles found on many older homes, they stand up better to wind, and they give the roof more depth.

Each one is nailed in the manufacturer's nailing zone so it holds when the wind comes across the valley.

At the top, a ridge vent works with intake vents at the eaves so air flows in low and out high. That steady airflow keeps the attic close to outdoor temperature in winter, which slows ice dams, and lets summer heat and household moisture escape instead of soaking into the deck.