Roof removal is no easy task. Perhaps one of the most difficult and possibly dangerous do it yourself home projects is to remove roof and replace it. However, if you are motivated, dedicated and want to save some money, you should be able to accomplish it. Read this basic guide on roof removal and replacement to learn more.
When Roof Replacement is Important
Usually, if you live in the more temperate regions of the country, where the winters are harsh and such, your roofs can really take quite a beating. In this regions, roof will usually need to be replaced after around 15 to 20 years.
There is another scenario. If your roof shingles are also heavily damaged or cracked, it's been a long time since you've done any roof cleaning, and there's too much damage for simple roof repair and individual replacement, you should also consider roof removal.
Tools to Remove Roof
* Ladder
* Scaffolding, or safety harness
* Rubber shoes
* Hat and gloves (optional)
* Roofer's shovel
* Replacement shingles
Preparing For Removal
First of all, make sure that you have enough time. Roof removal for an average-sized house will usually take up your whole weekend, so make sure you don't have other plans for that weekend.
Once you schedule a day, make sure you rent a dumpster or a dump truck from a rental company that specializes on roof cleaning and removal, as you will need a big container to place all the broken shingles and roofing material.
On the day itself, before going up the roof, make sure that all safety precautions have been done so as to avoid any accidents you might encounter on top of the roof. Make sure that your ladders are sturdy and working perfectly, and can carry your weight. Rubber-soled shoes provide great traction and keeps you from falling on the slope. You could also wear work gloves and a hat if you want. But possibly the most important stuff to get is some basic scaffolding, or at the very least, a safety harness for yourself.
Removing the Roof
Remove roof using a roofer's shovel, which looks like an ordinary shovel except for the cutting edge, which has teeth that are designed to slide under the shingles. To remove a shingle, slide the roofer's shovel under the shingle, then with one smooth motion, pull up the shingle along with the roofer's nails. Work one row at a time, then continue upwards. Carefully throw the removed shingles out of the roof's edge and into the dumpster.
Finish up the roof removal by taking out any protruding roof nails on the roof.
Cleaning Up
Roof cleaning, while seemingly easy, is actually a pretty tedious task. It involves picking up the remaining pieces of the shingle scattered on the roof as well as around the house. At this point, you will still need to wear your gloves, just to make sure that you won't be cut or hurt by the roof nails.
A nifty trick to pick up any nails that you might not see or detect is by using a medium-powered magnet drag it all over the grounds at your house just to make sure that any stray nails that couldn't be detected are picked up by the magnet, and therefore not leaving any nails that may hurt you and your family members.
Reinforce the sub-roof and secure it to prepare it for the installation of the new roof and roof shingles. Before you install the new roof shingles, you first need to apply the building paper, which is actually a rough, wool-like black sheet that is thin and goes onto the sub-roof. While this is a relatively quick and easy process, this is actually a crucial step, in that it can help prevent water or moisture from entering the interior of the roof.
Once you have done all of these and that you can rest assured that the roof has been completely removed and that any remaining debris have been cleared, you can start the daunting task of roof replacement, by installing new shingles on your roof. This will take the second half of your whole weekend, but once you see the finished output, you will feel accomplished and satisfied that you have completely removed the old roof and replaced it with new shingles.
Treat your new roof with care and always do routine maintenance check-ups just to make sure that your new roof is still working well and that no leaks are reaching the interior of your house.
While it may be a daunting and time-consuming task, if you have the proper skills and knowledge to do it, then why not. You could also visit www.handycanadian.com for more resources, or if you want assistance from friendly and professional companies and roofing services in your neighborhood.
Posted by: TrustedProsSuggested Reading For You
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