We have a flat roof and a very large piece of the roll-out shingle has been blown off from a storm and the roof is leaking in the bathroom, and now today, it is also leaking in my son’s room. We got a load of rain today here in SE Pennsylvania.

My husband says we have to wait to redo the roof until its hot enough out for the tar, but by then, our ceilings in our bathroom and my son’s room will have collapsed!!! The plaster is already cracked and every time it rains, it gets worse. But my husband seems to think that there is nothing we can do but sit around with buckets and towels every time it rains until summer time and I refuse to believe that there is nothing that can be done in the mean time. I plan on calling a roofer tomorrow (while he’s at work) and seeing what they say. I just wanted to know if anyone here on Y!A had some suggestions.
What kind of roof? All I know is that its flat and there is roll-out shingle on it with a huge hunk of it missing. I’ve never seen it. My husband went out the attic window the other day to take a look and saw the huge bald spot. But, its flat with roll-out shingle, and its leaking and of course, its rains ALL the time here in PA lately.
We didn’t build this house so we had nothing to do with the fact that it has a flat roof over the back portion of the house. We bought it from our landlord because he gave us such a great deal, and wh knew that the flat roof needed to be done and our landlord had actually offered to help repair it when we were ready. Well, he has sicne relocated to New Jersey and I do still keep in touch with him, but we bought the house over 2 years ago, and it seems a little late to ask him for help now.

I would love to put a pitch on the roof, but we are not the Rockafellers so this needs to be done on a budget. I don’t know why they put a flat roof but all the house next to us has the same problem, and so do our neighbors two doors down.
I talked to my husband last night…its not a totally flat roof apparently…LOL It has a 1/12th grade? Does that make sense? Its *almost* flat. He told me to call the roofers today and talk to someone about coming out for an estimate.

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We are about to have our 1 1/2 story, nearly 100 year old house re-shingled. I am wondering which option to go with regarding the chimney. We can have the roofers re-flash it and keep it or they can remove it.

We wouldn’t have it removed all the way to the basement though. They would remove the brick to below the level of the roof, then stuff the chimney with insulation, patch the roof deck and shingle overtop.

We live in Manitoba, Canada with cold winters and lot’s of snow. Is there a benefit (or a downside) to either option in terms of energy savings through less heat loss. Any other benefits or downsides (moisture issues, maybe)?

The chimney is no longer required as the hot water is electric and the furnace is high-efficiency. I guess I lose the option of a hot water tank ever going back to natural gas without a chimney.

Has anyone ever had this done before? What do people recommend?
There is no fireplace. The chimney is currently not used. The furnace vents out the side of the house and the hot water tank is electric.

Also the chimney is not on the side of the house. It comes up through the middle of the roof.

I don’t think lack of support under a re-sheeted section would be a problem as it is at most 2 square feet. The new boards would be supported by the nearest rafters.

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When it comes to replacing and repairing tiles and shingles, many homeowners want to save the cost of hiring a professional roofer and attempt to repair it themselves. This is never advisable due to the fact that it can be very dangerous to climb on your roof. Only experienced roofing contractors should climb on roofs as they are used to the various angles that many roofs have and can handle repairing and replacing tiles and shingles safely.

Additionally, a professional roofer can let you know if it is worth repairing shingles or whether you should just replace the roof. Most local roofers will give you a free estimate regarding the cost of the job and give you all of your options as well. It is always wise to contact a professional roofing contractor first.

Many times, homeowners do not have matching shingles or tiles on hand to make needed repairs. The roofing contractor can help you find the correct shingles needed and ensure that the project will be completed with matching materials.

However, if you have experience and want to tackle the project yourself, you will need to remove each shingle or tile before replacing them with new ones. You will need to use a hammer pry bar and a utility knife to carefully pry the old nails and remove the shingles or tiles. You will need to remove the first row of nails and then pry the damaged shingle up. Once it is removed you will then replace it with a new shingle. If you find that the existing shingles are very dry or brittle, the remaining shingles may ***** or tear if you try to remove them. In these cases, it is best to hire a professional contractor who can repair and replace shingles and tiles without damaging the other remaining shingles.

If you have damaged shingles or your roof is just leaking, you may also have damage to the underlayment of your roof. This is an additional reason why hiring an experienced roofing contractor will get the job done right the first time and reduce the amount of damage that can occur from letting this type of problem persist.

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This contractor comes with good references (our neighbors for one), and has offered to do our roof for a good price. However, he warned us that he does not have liability insurance.

What does this mean? If a shingle falls on a passer-by, we could be liable and not the roofer? Or does it not cover damage done to our roof by the contractor?

Does anyone have any advice/experience with this?

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