KNOW YOUR ROOF – FAMILY ROOFING

Posted on by David Reid

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At Family Roofing, we take great pride in our experience, expertise, quality and customer service. It is our mission to provide excellent workmanship and complete customer satisfaction from start to completion of a project. Our reputation is based on service, safety and quality, regardless of how large or small the job.

 

KNOW YOUR ROOF

On the surface, a roof looks like a simple layering of tiles, shingles, or slate.   However, it is a complex system composed of multiple layers of different materials designed to withstand forces of nature outside while helping you control humidity and temperature levels inside.  Each roof layer has a specific purpose but they all work together to protect your home and enhance the comfort of those who live beneath it. Let’s take a look at all the layers that go into a roof and their purpose.

Roofing Layers Diagram

Let’s start at the bottom of the deck and work our way up through all the roofing layers until we reach the shingles and above your roof. This roofing layers diagram shows the layers that sit directly under the shingles plus the added protection for the edges of the roof.

  • Framing – includes the roof trusses that sit at the top of your house and support the weight of all the materials used to build your roof. Some materials like ceramic tile and slate are much heavier than asphalt shingles, so the structure must be designed for the materials used.

  • Insulation – in your attic is used to reduce the loss of heated air rising up from your home.  As one of the elements of a roofing system, roof insulation is a barrier material laid between the rafters (beams that support the roof) or the joists (beams along the attic floor).  Proper insulation slows down the transfer of heat between the outside world and your living space, creating a cooler home in summer and a warmer one in winter.  Insulating in and around your roof attic space will help retain energy in your home, reducing heating and cooling loads on your HVAC, improving your home’s energy efficiency rating, and lowering overall utility spending.  Roof insulation also prevents damage from ice damming, which results from the warm air trying to escape through the roof but instead ends up heating the snow unevenly.

  • Ventilation – is critical in attics to rid the space of heat and moisture that enters from the house below.  Your attic is part of your overall roof system.  To protect your roof and get the most from it, you’ll want to make sure that your attic is properly ventilated.  The general purpose of roof ventilation is to encourage natural airflow through the attic space to keep it at a uniform temperature and humidity level.

    Ventilation systems consist of intake and exhaust vents installed at strategic intervals in the roof or attic.  Common types of vents include ridge vents, gable vents, and static vents.  A roof ventilation system lowers the likelihood of ice dams and produces comfortable living conditions, dry insulation, lower energy bills, and prolonged roof lifespan.

  • Roof deck – is the roofing material that sits on top of the roof trusses.  Most roof decking is made from sheets of plywood.   Also called sheathing, the roof deck is the layer installed over the framing and provides the base on which everything else is laid.  The material used for decking varies, but most homes have plywood or OSB sheets.  Other materials, such as corrugated metal, reinforced concrete, polystyrene, and double tee are also used. The roof deck provides a nail bed for the shingles.

  • Underlayment – U is a protective layer installed onto the roof deck.  It offers an extra layer of water resistance against leakage caused by ice dams.  The most common type used is felt, a durable paper saturated with asphalt.  The roof’s underlayment prevents rain from infiltrating under your shingles and also prevents water from reaching the roof deck should the shingles be torn or broken.

  • Ice and Water shield – is the next roofing layer, that creates a water-proof barrier where ice or water can buildup near the roof eaves.  It’s usually a peel and stick product that adheres directly to the roof deck.  A step up from roofing felts is a waterproof membrane, complete with a polymer-modified bitumen adhesive on the back.  Its sticky surface allows the membrane to adhere to the roof deck and forms a watertight seal around nail penetrations.  Covering an entire roof with ice and water shield can prevent water intrusion into your home, especially after high wind conditions blow roofing materials off the roof.

  • Shingle starter strips – are either purchased or created by snapping regular shingles in half.  They’re installed at the eaves, pointing in the opposite direction  to create a first line of defense against wind uplift along the edge of the roof.

  • Roofing material – is where most homeowners focus their attention with hundreds of materials, styles and color to pick from.  The five main types of roofing materials are asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, concrete or ceramic tiles, metal sheets and rubber used for flat roofs.

  • Ridge vents – are at the top of your roof, covered by roofing material but with a gap designed to allow warm, moist air to escape from the attic.  These vents are installed at the peak of a sloped roof and are part of the roof ventilation system.  Ridge vents are built along the spaces on each side of the ridge cap and are generally covered by roofing materials.  This venting allows the hot air in the attic to rise naturally and be released to the outside, providing uniform cooling along the roof deck.  A properly installed ridge vent reduces demand in air conditioning and prolongs the life of your roof.

  • Flashing- is made from sheet metal and used to prevent water from penetrating seams where different materials meet on the roof (and other parts of your home’s exterior). Flashing along the roof eaves are called drip edge, and along chimneys it’s called step flashing. Flashing is also used around skylights, bathroom vents and any other features sticking up through the roof.

Know Your Roof

Knowing the various layers of your roof and their purpose is important as a homeowner.  When it comes time to complete your annual roofing maintenance, understanding the various layers of your roof can help you identify problematic areas.