modified bitumen really that bad?
Hi,
I know it's late to install a new roof :( that's why we don't have much time to do the study but to make decision rather quick. Like to hear your experience especially about mod bitumen!
Our current tar & gravel roof is causing some minor leaks last year so we want to re-roof before raining season also to improve the insulation for the summer time.
The current options:
1. mod bitumen: contractor available in a week, $9k total cost with 7 yr labor and 25 yr system warranty.
40lb glass base paper with 1 layer of smooth modified bitumen, and 1 layer of granulated modified bitumen.
2. foam: lead time for contractor about 1 month, $15K for now plus recoating cost in 7 yrs. 1 1/4 inch coating will be installed.
The only advantange we see from foam is insulation, but overal trouble and maintenance plus cost is about 2x.
Is it really that bad for the mod. bitumen ? I'm wondering is it in the same range as tar & gravel?
THanks in advance!
Y.O.
Our roofer installed sheets of foam insulation before they put down the T&G. You might check with your T&G contractor for that option.
We had a foam roof put on this spring. I have to say that the house was much cooler this summer and now that it is starting to get cool the house stays warmer. And I see no reason why it would leak, which our old T&G roof did. The cost of the foam roof is expensive, no way around that. But, I belive in the long run it will be worth it.
Good luck on your choice.
Margaret
We have decided to go with foam. It is the same price as tar and gravel but has a lifetime warranty except for the recoating. Our tar and gravel lasted 10 years and the price to replace has tripled! Since we plan to live here a long time I wanted something more permanent. Everyone I talked with loved the foam and the insulation advantages. We had insulation with the tar and gravel but it wasn't enough. Also, no contractor would put another layer of tar and gravel on as a second layer. Warranty issues they said. Every co. I talked to (4) would only remove and replace. Don't know anything about mod. bitumen but I would get references and call them first. I did that with the foam guy. Good luck-I am praying for a dry Nov. since our guy can't do the work until mid-Nov.!
We are seeing much similarity in prices for the different types of Eichler roofs. Tar roofers will add the future re-coat cost to a foam roof and tell you it is more expensive than their roof. This is the wrong way to consider this. A foam roof is the ONLY type of roof that is RENEWABLE. This renewability is the best thing about this Hi-tech roof.
Re-coating is smart, but obviously not required.
25% of our customers have not re-coated their roofs. Eventually the foam roof will get too old to re-coat properly and successfully...around fifteen years. The neglected roof is still waterproof, and will last many more years. We are in our 26th year and have not had to replace a roof because of age or neglect yet. It just makes so much sense to inexpensively take care or something you already own. Parkinson said that roof replacement cost had tripled since their last roof. So many of us know this to be true.
All the roof choices are good, and will work well. Some systems and especially some companies just may provide something that will work better and longer.
REFERENCES: References are good, but are not guaranteed genuine or a fair indicator of what you will get. When I shop for a contractor, I give a lot of weight to Diamond Certified and Valuestar rated service providers. They get a large number of recent customers and call them until they have talked to one hundred customers. Many good companies try to get this designation and fail. This is much more reliable than a list of six past customers with their phone numbers.
Right now it is 69 degrees in my house and 83 degrees outside in the shade. It is just so much more comfortable since we put on the new foam roof that even though we won't make it up in energy cost savings, it was clearly worth the expense. We haven't run the air conditioner since the roof was installed in August.
I have a question along these lines. Our foam roof is about 10 years old. Apparently, the re-coat was not done correctly and the surface is peeling up like burst bubbles. Luckily, we haven't had any leaks! Anyway, what needs to be done in this situation? Do they need to rip the whole thing off and start again? Can a recoat be done over this sort of surface?
