Roofers try to be efficient and tidy during the roofing repair or installation process. They know the homeowners don’t like to be disturbed by loud noise or have litter strewn about their yard. There is one part of the roofing process that will be the messiest and loudest and that has to be the roof tear off. So what is the roof tear off? Roofcorp takes a look at this necessary part of the process so you can get an idea of what your roofers are doing during this seemingly chaotic time.
What is the Roof Tear Off?
To put it simply the tear off is the part of the roof installation process where workers literally tear off all old materials to make way for new ones. The amount of materials to be removed depends on your particular roof, in most cases the contractor will remove the actual roofing material, such as shingles, flashing, underlayment and any other features to leave a clean roofing deck to begin working on again. They tend to dispose of these materials in appropriate trash and recycling receptacles.
The roof tear off, despite how it may look, is a systematic process. There is method to the madness! Most roofers begin on top of the roof with the ridge cap shingles and work their way down to the eaves, the opposite of the roof installation. They may use a specialized tools such as a shingle remover, modified pitchforks and just plain shovels. Once they have made their way all the way down the roof they can begin removing flashing. Flashing are strips of metal around penetrations in the roof, such as your chimney, that help block water from flowing underneath the materials. The roofer may choose to leave certain parts of flashing depending on their materials but most of it will not be reused.
Now all that’s left is any installed underlayments. The roofer simply tears these out before cleaning off the deck area. Cleaning can include sweeping away debris, removing nails and any other obstacles left over. Now your roofing deck is clean and ready for the new roofing materials!
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