When replacing your roof you can either choose an overlay where your roofing contractor places another layer of shingles over your current shingles or have the existing roof torn off before putting on the new layer.
Tear off roof or overlay.
Tear off the old one and start from scratch or overlay a new roof one on top of the old one.
If you don t take your roof down to the sheathing you will never know if you have proper underlayment or are experiencing sheathing rot or ice or water damage.
Many people are attracted by the idea of overlaying existing asphalt shingles especially if the price quoted is lower and the contractor seems confident you don t need to tear off your old roof.
As you can no doubt guess an overlay is less work for your contractor which means it can save you money in the short term.
The tear off roof is just like it sounds.
Although most people will assume that the second option is best why keep the old and damaged shingles overlaying provides several benefits as well.
Which method is best for you depends on your priorities and future plans so knowing the costs and benefits can help you make this important decision.
There are pros and cons to each of the method in which you re going to learn in this article.
When the roofing company you hire tears off your existing roof and then puts on an entirely new roof.
It is a complete removal of the old roof.
Roof overlay vs tear off approach your roof is one of the most critical components of your home.
If you re planning on completely replacing your roof within the next five to 10 years an overlay is a practical way to enjoy the look of a new roof in the meantime.
This option is almost always the one that your roofing contractor will offer.
This is because you basically get a better quality the better value of the roof and overall it makes your roof last much longer.
When it comes to deciding between the cheaper and faster roof overlay option or the more durable and value producing tear off method we almost always recommend the tear off method if your budget allows.
Shorter work timeline an overlay can be finished days sooner than a tearoff.
However the truth is so many variables have to be just right in order to make it work that it s much more likely to cost you money in the end.
It s good to know that you can only choose this option if your roof has not been overlaid previously.
The tear off method is exactly what it sounds like.
1 overlaying the new roof over the existing layer of shingles or 2 tearing off the old shingles before installing the new roof.
Just be aware that the extra layer of shingles will add to the cost of your next roof replacement.
An overlay roof occurs when keep your existing roof as is choosing instead to shingle on top of it.
Typically your builder will provide two options.
In a nutshell however roof tear off method is much better compared to overlay.
You can t examine the decking to determine if there is any damage that needs repaired.
You can choose to either shingle over your old roofs or tear off the original roofs and start over.
In general it is not a good roofing practice to overlay a traditional asphalt shingle roof versus a complete tear off and replacement with a new roof for the very reason you stated.