Roofing in Penn Township Pennsylvania

In need of Roofing in Penn Township Pennsylvania?

The roofers at The Roofing Company will lay out the parts of a roof system in plain terms, along with what a job looks like from start to finish

Phone 412-858-8858 to talk through your roof

What Makes Up a Roof System

A roof seems simple when it is seen from the street, though the visible part is one piece of many, and each of them has a job to do. Roofing is the work of building or restoring every layer, working upward from the rafters to the top layer; the order of the layers matters as much as the materials. Think of the roof as a sandwich, where one layer sheds rain and another handles meltwater; the deck sits in the middle and the framing below it.

Start at the attic and move upward, and the picture gets clear: rafters or trusses first, then the deck laid across them, and the finish layers depend on it staying flat and dry.

The Sheathing, Out of Sight but Vital

Every covering is fastened to a deck of wood sheathing, and shingle nails only grip well in solid wood. Soft spots are a common find, and the fix is simple once the boards are exposed.

Pre-war houses frequently have plank decks rather than panels, which can shrink and loosen as they age, and a roofer will mark boards that need attention while Roofing is under way. Boards laid with spaces were meant to let a roof breathe, though a roofer has to plan around them; the right answer depends on the condition of the boards.

The Water Barrier Layers: Why Eaves and Valleys Get Extra

Over the deck goes a sheet of underlayment, and it acts as a backup if wind pushes rain under the shingles. In every valley, the same sticky sheet runs full length, since a plain sheet cannot seal around the nails.

Snow melting off a warm roof refreezes at the cold edge, and a plain felt layer does not seal the way it does; good Roofing puts that membrane in before the first shingle is nailed. Not every membrane is the same, and the lap rules matter as much as the product; wrinkles and fish-mouths are worth fixing before shingles go on.

Asphalt, Metal, Slate and More: What Faces the Sky

Asphalt shingles cover most homes in the Pittsburgh area, because they are light, familiar and quick to install; road salt thrown up from busy streets can add to the weathering. Not all shingles are alike, and a shaded north face wears differently from a sunny south one; a second layer is sometimes stripped before new work starts.

Natural slate lasts a very long time on the old homes it was built for, but each of these materials asks for its own installation method; the right Roofing choice depends on pitch, age of the house and what the framing can carry.

The Sheet Metal Work: Chimneys, Walls and Valleys

Wherever a roof meets a wall, a chimney or a pipe, sheet metal turns the water aside, and those joints are among the first places to fail; valleys carry the greatest volume of runoff and need clean metal. Chimneys are the most common leak spot on older houses, so the flashing around it needs close attention; counter flashing is cut into the mortar and sealed.

Reusing tired flashing under new shingles is a common shortcut in Roofing, since freeze-thaw cycles pry at old seams.

Keeping the Attic Cold: Moving Air Out and Keeping Heat In

A roof breathes through vents at the eaves and near the ridge, which helps the deck stay dry through the winter; sealed gaps around lights and hatches stop warm air from rising in. People often blame the covering for ice at the eaves, and fixing the cause beats chipping the ice; watch where water stains show up inside.

Roofing done well asks what is happening on the attic side, as a new surface sitting on a warm attic will still shed snow unevenly. Look into the attic on a cold morning, and photos of it make the conversation easier.

Snow, Ice and Thaw Versus the System: How a Good System Copes

A Pittsburgh winter leans on a roof from every direction, and the swings between freezing and melting do the most damage; the framing carries the load and the deck spreads it.

Freeze-thaw cycling is harder on shingles than steady cold, and the damage shows as a brown stain after a thaw. The ice barrier, the flashing and the airflow work as a team, and nothing about Roofing makes sense one layer at a time. After a heavy snow starts to melt, water finds whatever route is open, and a stain can appear well downhill of the source; a tarp is only a short-term answer.

Road salt, wet leaves in valleys and shaded north slopes keep roofs damp longer, and these are all things Roofing takes into account; look for lifted tabs after a windy day.

Older Homes and Tricky Roofs: What Changes

Victorians, rowhouses and hillside homes bring their own roofing puzzles, and the materials may need to be matched to what is there; chimney and wall flashing on tall houses faces heavy wind and snow.

Roofing on a house with slate, wood or clay takes a different approach, and it is worth asking how the crew plans to handle your roofline, and any special material should be ordered early. Moss holds water against the surface and lifts the edges, and trimming back branches helps most of all; a soft wash done by hand is kinder to the surface.

A Project From First Look to Cleanup: Nothing Skipped

The shape of a roofing job is fairly predictable, and each step has a reason. A repair uses fewer of them, and the order seldom changes. Cold snaps and wind can pause work for a day, so winter jobs need extra care; a flexible start date makes everything easier.

• The roofer photographs what is found and notes the condition of each layer, and shows you the problem areas
• The materials and the plan are chosen with you, and the delivery date is matched to the forecast
• On the day, old material is torn off and the deck is checked, and debris is dropped into a trailer or onto tarps
• Membranes, metal and shingles are installed from the eave to the ridge, and the work is checked as it goes
• The yard is swept and the roof is checked one last time, and you get a clear sense of how to care for the roof

How to Judge a Roofing Plan: Getting the Facts First

Compare plans by looking at what each one does under the covering, so ask what is included and what is not. Ask whether the eaves and valleys get an ice barrier, and a good roofer will welcome the question. A written summary keeps everyone on the same page, and the details should match the conversation; compare the lines one at a time.

Start With a Call From Penn Township Pennsylvania, and Ask Whatever You Like

If the winter left you wondering about the roof, Roofing is the place to begin, and we are glad to talk about Penn Township Pennsylvania roofs of any age. Reach us at 412-858-8858 and we will take it from there, and have a photo of the trouble spot handy if you can.