Planning Roof Replacement Close to Denver Metro Area?
APC Roofing takes aging coverings down to bare sheathing and fits fresh flashing, membrane and vents throughout.
Call 720-902-6940 and we will come out and take measurements.
One Roof on Top of Another: What a Second Pass Hides
Many local codes permit a single re-cover on a house with one layer, and it saves the mess of removal. Shingling over the top puts the sheathing and the metal out of reach, and any damage down there keeps spreading.
A second set of tabs takes the shape of the worn set under it, and the added mass holds heat against the mat. A proper reroof clears each slope down to the boards, because wood that can be seen can be repaired.
Under the Old Covering – Rot and Open Gaps
After the worn layers are removed, every panel and plank can be walked and checked. Spongy areas come out and fresh wood goes in, and edges lifting at the seams are secured again.
Some decks from earlier decades are spaced planks with open gaps, and that kind of deck gets plywood laid over it. Fasteners driven into punky wood do not hold, which is how a new roof starts shedding tabs.
A Barrier on the Wood: Lapped Downhill
A lightweight woven fabric is stretched over the field, and it sheds water on its own where a piece goes missing. Older felt paper absorbed humidity and rippled, while current products lie flat through summer heat.
Every horizontal seam is lapped with the higher piece on top, and the spacing of the capped nails matches the label. What goes under the covering is worth knowing, since what shows from the yard says nothing about this part.
Peel-and-Stick Protection: Sealed Around the Nails
A rubber-and-asphalt layer sticks directly to the sheathing, so it moves with the boards through the seasons. The compound seals around the shank of every roofing nail, so moisture that gets under a shingle has no path into the house.
At the colder end of our territory, the protected zone is made much wider near the bottom, since ice dams back melted snow up under the courses. Some specifications call for every sheathing seam to be taped, which shields the interior if wind blows shingles off.
The Edge Metal – Missing on Many Older Houses
A bent flange of sheet steel caps the outline of every plane, and it sheds runoff clear of the trim. Down at the eave, the underlayment laps over the metal, whereas the rakes take the opposite order.
Plenty of houses from past decades were built with no drip flashing at all, so the board carrying the gutter is frequently soft. A new roof is the time to add formed metal on every side, with ruined lumber cut out and replaced.
What Keeps the Edge Row On: Built for Wind
Along the eave goes a product made for that spot, with a tar band near its lip, and it extends a little beyond the drip metal. A homemade version made from reversed stock puts the sticky line out of position, and a hard blow can then unzip the lowest row.
Every piece has a nail zone set out by its maker, since that is where the pieces overlap and double up. A head that goes in tilted or buried breaks the surface, so a strong wind lifts the shingle off.
The Vent System: What Trapped Heat Costs
Cooler outdoor currents should enter along the eaves and escape up top, and the inlet area equals the outlet area. Bottom vents blocked by insulation starve the attic of supply, and the exhaust openings then drag air from the house instead.
Steady circulation under the deck keeps the sheathing from overheating, and the shingles on top age more slowly. At the colder end of our territory, a cold attic means snow melts only in sunshine, so ice ridges rarely build along the gutters.
Fan Duct Runs – Rerouted During the Tear-Off
Some range hoods and shower vents were never carried through the roof, so warm, humid breath settles on chilly boards. Wet nail tips and black staining on the decking are the marks, and eventually the sheets fail.
With the old roof stripped, each duct is easy to get at, so each one can receive a cap of its own. A disconnected vent hose gets reconnected and clamped, and a wrapped jacket prevents drips forming in cold weather.
Flashing Along the Siding – New Pieces Every Time
An angled plate goes in with every row that stops against the house, while the upright leg sits under the trim above. Old step flashing is creased, corroded and perforated, and every scrap is swapped for fresh stock.
The bottom end of a wall run gets a kickout that throws water clear, as a missing one lets rain pour in behind the trim. A great many older homes went up with no such piece, and the harm appears as peeling paint and spongy wood low on the exterior.
Chimney Flashing – and the Cricket Behind
An apron lines the lower face of the flue and stepped pieces run up its sides, and counterflashing set into the joints laps down over them. Wide chimneys get a cricket on the uphill end, so rain divides and flows past instead of pooling.
A peaked diverter can be added to a stack that never had one, since the plywood there is off or exposed. Brick that flakes or mortar that crumbles up top is masonry work, because fresh counterflashing grips only sound material.
Skylights in the Slope: While the Deck Is Open
The frame gets the matching package of pieces its manufacturer sells, and the parts overlap the adjoining courses like shingles. A skylight with fogged panes or rot around it is worth replacing during the job, because reopening fresh work later doubles the disruption.
An unwanted glazed opening overhead can be removed for good, and the hole is framed, decked and shingled over. Moisture that runs down the sash on cold mornings is often vapor meeting cold glass, which is a question of room humidity rather than flashing.
The Inside Corners – the Finish Down the Center
Where neighboring planes join, their runoff gathers into a single channel, and the whole thing is torn out and redone during a replacement. Self-adhering membrane is rolled from the eave to the top, with a metal liner or shingle courses installed over it.
An open channel shows bare steel between neat margins, whereas a closed-cut job sweeps tabs over from one side and trims the second side neatly. The sensible pick depends on the manufacturer's instructions and the house, and both drain well when built by the book.
What Pokes Through – Old Brackets Removed
A fresh flashing unit goes on every drain riser, while each exhaust outlet is swapped. Abandoned stacks, old antenna mounts and dish brackets come off, with their openings closed by new sheathing.
Sealant smeared at the base of a boot is not the defense, as the shingles lapped over the flange do the sealing. Flashing units in lead or silicone stand up to sun far better than standard neoprene, and they suit a covering meant to go for decades.
The Flatter Parts – Why Shingles Fail There
Many a sunroom, carport or rear room is topped almost horizontally, and asphalt was often nailed across it regardless. Overlapping units shed rain only when it moves off briskly, so a gentle grade lets it linger and seep under the edges.
During a re-roof, the section gets a membrane made for it, such as modified bitumen, with its top margin slipped under the shingles higher up. A transition piece joins the flat part to the shingles, since runoff slows and turns where the roof flattens.
The Surface Material – Weight, Wind and Looks
How steep the roof is narrows the options, as each system sets a floor on rise. Asphalt architectural shingles are the usual answer for a home, metal copes with strong wind, and tile belongs on a structure engineered to support it.
How the roof looks from the street matters too, and lighter shades reflect more summer heat. We tell you what we would install and explain it, and the homeowner has the last word.
Built for the Local Weather: Fasteners and Toughness
At the colder end of our territory, big hail is the threat that matters, so an impact-rated product is worth considering. A grade is assigned in a lab by dropping steel balls onto samples, which speaks to toughness and promises nothing.
At the coastal end of our territory, wind is the force the roof is built against, which calls for shingles made for severe uplift. The fastener count per piece rises to the maker's enhanced pattern, while the rakes and eaves are sealed down with cement.
Where the Planes Meet Up High – Sized for Airflow
The apex and every outside corner are covered with factory-bent shingles, since ordinary field stock cracks at the crease. Along a ridge that exhausts air, the decking is cut away on each side, and the vent goes on over it with caps nailed through.
The open ends at the gables are plugged, so wind-driven rain cannot blow in sideways. The product sheet gives the width to follow, since a narrow cut chokes the airflow and a wide one admits weather.
The Yard and Driveway – Where the Old Roof Lands
Anything growing or sitting against the walls deserves a tarp, and the cooling unit and nearby windows need a sturdy shield. A dumpster or trailer is ideally parked where the tear-off can fall straight in, and a pad under it spares the pavement.
The troughs fill with granules and small pieces of shingle, so a clean-out before the next storm matters. A nail left in the grass can puncture a tire or a bare foot, and a slow pass over the ground pays off.
The Sequence: Boards, Membrane, Courses
Workers clear one area at a time, so rain that arrives early finds little open decking. Bad spots get fixed, and the membrane and underlayment follow, with the rake metal and starter set once the sheets are down.
New courses go on working uphill, and the vent and caps come at the end. The tar strips grip the shingle beneath once they heat up, so the covering holds better after a few sunny days.
Around the House – What to Move Beforehand
Tool strikes on the decking ring through the frame, and anything hung high on a wall can come down. The attic catches whatever sifts through the sheathing seams, so boxes kept up there are worth covering.
Cars do better parked away from the driveway, because a dumpster and material deliveries use that stretch. Pets that dislike racket settle in a far room or elsewhere, and youngsters should stay out of the drop zone until the tear-off is over.
Building Permits – Who Applies
Local authorities usually require sign-off for a complete tear-off, and an official looks the roof over when the job is finished. A permit is normally taken out by the roofer, not the owner, because that document ties the work to the business doing it.
Someone who suggests going without official approval prefers no oversight, which is a good reason to keep looking. An inspection on file reassures whoever buys the house next, and it keeps a sale from stalling over paperwork.
Years of Use: More Than the Label
Dimensional asphalt is built to work for decades, while metal and tile can carry on beyond that. Real-world results hinge on the edge and flashing details, along with the storms a home sees.
Houses side by side under the same shingle can give out far apart, since one breathes and the other bakes. A visit every year after the rough months spots issues early, and prompt fixes stretch the life of the covering.
Clues From the Yard and the Attic – Worth a Closer Look
- Tabs that have curled at the corners – on every face, not just one.
- The black mat showing through – and granules at the downspouts.
- Repairs that do not hold – closer together each season.
- A low spot between rafters, seen against the sky.
- Pinpoints of light in the attic – across the field, not at a vent.
- Shingles breaking at the nail line – which makes repairs hard.
- Moss thick enough to raise the edges, on a top layer that is already tired.
- A second layer on the house, meaning a strip to the deck next time.
APC Roofing and Roof Replacement in Denver Metro Area: In Plain Terms
Our inspection opens with a walk over every slope, and after that someone checks the attic with a light. Our notes turn into a written proposal, and it spells out the layers, the metal and the vents.
We photograph the repaired sheathing and the flashing before they vanish from view, which shows what sits under the covering.
Roof Replacement Around Denver Metro Area: More Than New Shingles
Phone 720-902-6940 and ask for a measurement of every slope.
The Gutter Line: What We Look At
The troughs catch whatever rain the shingles send down, with the drip metal setting where it enters. Dips, leaking joints and loose brackets are all noted, as a weak spot can tear free in high wind.
A trough taken down during the tear-off goes back up pitched toward its downspout, with fresh fasteners driven into solid wood. At the colder end of our territory, ice in a clogged gutter builds up over the edge, so guards or larger leaders can help there.
Where Roofing Stops: Who Handles What
A bowed ridge board or broken rafter calls for a carpenter's fix, and that happens before shingling. Too little insulation above the ceilings remains too little, and rooms that overheat in summer still do.
Loose or scorched wiring in the attic is work for an electrician, which we say plainly. Before anything is torn off, you know what the project addresses, and what stays as it is.
When you are ready for Roof Replacement in Denver Metro Area, give APC Roofing a call at 720-902-6940. Every slope gets measured and the details written down, and the roof goes on as agreed.
