Facing a challenging roof design, this architect asked for guidance on ensuring roof performance in an unothrodox scenario.

Florida architect Armando, encountered dificulty waterproofing and including appropriate attic ventilation on a zero eave design, and asked: 

I need understanding / details of how I can waterproof a zero eave as well as provide attic ventilation for a roof with zero eave, since there will be no soffit provided to allow intake air. Please advise.

Roofing expert Mary Stout from Go Roof Tune Up™ had this to say in response: 

How you address this may depend on where in Florida you are designing for. Zero overhang requires building wrap to carry all the way to the top of the wall at the roof edge. The edge metal must be larger than normal (4"X6"). And the roof material must have overhang at the edge metal. 

For the eave, or lower, intake venting a number of ventilation manufacturers make vents that can be installed at the lower areas of the roof to provide the needed intake for the passive system. 

Check with the local building department to confirm requirements.  

Continue the conversation in our Forum! 

Going from one roof type to another can feel like a big change, some advice from the experts can make that transition easier.

A Floridian homeonwer, Desiree, reached out to learn about what to expect frm their first concrete tile roof. They asked:

I am going to a shingle roof from a concrete tile one. No one mentioned anything about the attic and what will be needed there. I have a radiant barrier now which seems to be coming down due to all the contractors looking for leaks. I want to make sure my electric bills don't go up a lot because of the shingle roof. I appreciate all the help you can give me on this topic. If I need installation in the attic, what would you suggest?

A couple of our experts had answers for Desiree, starting with Andy Stofleth from V.C. Veterans Contracting LLC: 

That is an excellent question, and I'm glad you're thinking about the attic before the roof is installed.

Many homeowners assume their electric bill is determined by one thing alone, but the reality is that several systems play a role in keeping your home comfortable and energy efficient. Concrete tile roofs naturally create an air space beneath the tile that helps reduce heat transfer into the attic. When converting from tile to asphalt shingles, it is important to evaluate a few things:

• The condition of your attic insulation
• Your attic ventilation system (net free ventilating area or passive venting)
• The color of your asphalt shingles (hint: darker colors absorb more heat)

Since you mentioned that your radiant barrier is beginning to sag or come loose, I would recommend having it evaluated as part of the roofing project. In Florida's hot climate, radiant barriers can be very effective because they reflect heat away from the attic before it enters the living space. Studies cited by the U.S. Department of Energy have shown cooling cost reductions of approximately 5% to 10% in warm, sunny climates when radiant barriers are properly installed.

I would also ask your contractor to inspect the attic insulation depth and verify that your ventilation system is balanced and functioning properly. In many Florida homes, adequate insulation and ventilation provide as much or more energy benefit than the roofing material itself.

If your existing insulation levels are low, adding attic insulation during the reroof process may provide one of the best returns on investment for energy savings and comfort.

My recommendation would be:

1. Verify attic insulation levels meet current recommendations.
2. Confirm proper intake and exhaust ventilation.
3. Consider a lighter-colored or energy-efficient shingle if appearance and budget allow.

A properly ventilated and insulated attic with a lighter colored shingle can help ensure that moving from concrete tile to asphalt shingles does not result in a significant increase in your cooling costs. I would encourage you to ask your roofing contractor specifically about insulation and ventilation calculations so the entire roof system is evaluated rather than just the shingles.

Marty Stout from Go Roof Tune Up also chimed in, saying:

The type of roofing material will not affect your "electric bills." You will want to be sure that the ventilation is in accordance with the local code requirements. Check with the City and or County Building Department to confirm. Radiant barrier is very good and should be replaced if removed for repair. As far as a recommendation on insulation, again check with the Building department to confirm what is required and you should be fine. That said checking with a trusted expert in that field of construction would be wise.  

Continue the conversation in our Forum.

A homeowner recently got some work done on their roof and noticed a gap that made them wonder what was going on.

Sylvia, a homeowner in California noticed a gap by their skylight after a roofer had come out to perform maintenance on the roof. They asked: 

There is a large noticeable gap between skylight and roof tiles after roofer finished replacing broken tiles for maintenance work. The roofer says it's fine because there is flashing underneath but I disagree. What can it be done?

Below is what our roofing expert Martin Stout with Go Roof Tune Up had to say in response to their question

Properly installed skylights have flashings around the roof to curb connection. Head flashing at the bottom of the skylight that goes on of the top of the tile below, Pan flashing that go along both sides of the skylight under the tiles and Saddle flashing that goes at the top of the skylight and under the tile above. This creates a cascading for the water to stay on top of the tile.  The photo appears to show a factory made skylight/curb unit. These types of skylight normally have the flashing detail built in to factory curb. 

The gap left will allow water to flow and help keep debris from building up. Photos of the bottom of the skylight would help confirm proper installation. 

Another one of our roofing experts, Carlos Rodriguez at Mr. Roofing, also responded, saying:

If the flashing was installed correctly, the skylight and roof should be watertight. From the picture you shared, it appears to be a Velux deck-mounted skylight. Proper underlayment and flashing should integrate the skylight with the existing roof system.  

The gap mentioned is due to the deck-mounted skylight being flush with the roof substrate, while the tiles sit on a batten system. The other penetrations on the roof should have similar gaps where the flashing for those penetrations interface with the tile. If there is any uncertainty, seeking a second opinion from a roofing professional can provide additional assurance.

A homeowner recently got some work done on their roof and noticed a gap that made them wonder what was going on.

Sylvia, a homeowner in California noticed a gap by their skylight after a roofer had come out to perform maintenance on the roof. They asked: 

There is a large noticeable gap between skylight and roof tiles after roofer finished replacing broken tiles for maintenance work. The roofer says it's fine because there is flashing underneath but I disagree. What can it be done?

Below is what our roofing expert Martin Stout with Go Roof Tune Up had to say in response to their question

Properly installed skylights have flashings around the roof to curb connection. Head flashing at the bottom of the skylight that goes on of the top of the tile below, Pan flashing that go along both sides of the skylight under the tiles and Saddle flashing that goes at the top of the skylight and under the tile above. This creates a cascading for the water to stay on top of the tile. The photo appears to show a factory made skylight/curb unit. These types of skylight normally have the flashing detail built in to factory curb. 

The gap left will allow water to flow and help keep debris from building up. Photos of the bottom of the skylight would help confirm proper installation. 

Another one of our roofing experts, Carlos Rodriguez at Mr. Roofing, also responded, saying:

If the flashing was installed correctly, the skylight and roof should be watertight. From the picture you shared, it appears to be a Velux deck-mounted skylight. Proper underlayment and flashing should integrate the skylight with the existing roof system.  

The gap mentioned is due to the deck-mounted skylight being flush with the roof substrate, while the tiles sit on a batten system. The other penetrations on the roof should have similar gaps where the flashing for those penetrations interface with the tile. If there is any uncertainty, seeking a second opinion from a roofing professional can provide additional assurance.

Continue the conversation in our Forum! 

By Hannah Ford.

Understand the ins and outs of roofing warranties and some of the common misconceptions.

In this AskARoofer® Podcast episode, Lauren White visits with Marty Stout from Go Roof Tune-Up to discuss roofing warranties. 

There are several types of roofing warranties, and each has different benefits. “The most common warranty you're going to see on a residential roof is a material warranty. A manufacturer will warranty a specific shingle or tile. Every manufacturer has their own system and their own combination of how they get to a specific age on each warranty,” Marty said. “Most manufacturer material warranties come in a category of five-year increments, starting at 10 years and going up to 25 or 30. And then once they get to 30, they jump up to 50. Typically, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and if it goes beyond 30, it's pretty much 50 years.” 

“I was just talking with a homeowner today, in fact. She has a material on her roof that has a 50-year warranty, and she was really excited about having this roof that she knows is going to last for 50 years,” Marty said. “She found out though that that means that the material will not fail or fall apart in the course of 50 years. If it does, the manufacturer will honor their warranty. It doesn't mean that the roof is not going to leak if the roofer didn't install it correctly.” Make sure to read your roof warranty to understand what it does and does not cover. In the event of damage or leakage, your warranty may not solve the problem. 

“The biggest misconception is that if I buy a lifetime-warrantied shingle, that I have a lifetime warranty on the performance of my roof. We think it applies to everything, and it doesn't. It just applies to the performance of the shingle or whatever the material is. Typically, people think it covers everything, but it just covers the material mostly,” Marty explained. “If they really want a warranty that has some teeth in it, they need to make sure that it covers the material, it covers the workmanship and it's not prorated.”  

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about different types of roof warranties and ensure your roof is protected. 

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Marty Stout of Go Roof Tune Up. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the AskARoofer Podcast. I am Lauren White, and I am here with Marty Stout with Go Roof Tune-Up. Marty, it's so good to see you.

Marty Stout: It's nice to be here. Thank you very much for including me.

Lauren White: Yeah, thank you. We're so excited to have you on the podcast and talk about all things roof warranties. And just to get us started, why don't you introduce yourself and Go Roof Tune-Up and what you do?

Marty Stout: So Go Roof Tune-Up specializes in roof inspections. Primarily, we do residential single-family home roof inspections. We give people a report of the condition of their roof and we recommend repairs if at all possible. And big part of our program is the tune-up, which includes a warranty, which you're going to talk to me about and we're active in doing those inspections and repairs in 30 states around the country.

Lauren White: So diving into warranties, what are some of the common types of warranties homeowners should be aware of and what do those warranties cover?

Marty Stout: So the most common warranty that comes with a residential roof, and this has some application to commercial as well, but the most common warranty you're going to see on a residential roof is a material warranty. So for example, a shingle manufacturer will say, "This shingle will last forever," and that means that the material won't fail for an extended period of time. And we'll probably get into this later, we have to define what forever is. But most of the time, that's the most common warranty people talk about. We used to say this is a 30-year shingle or a 20-year shingle. That referenced the manufacturer warranty period of time. Manufacturers have gotten away from putting a life on them. They just basically say, "Lifetime," which has some questions as we go along. And then the next area of warranty that's a little less common is workmanship warranty and performance warranties. Those are a little different and a little more complicated.

Lauren White: And so those, just in the name. The workmanship warranty, that's the warranty of the work being done on the roof. Correct?

Marty Stout: I think your next question is going to be, "What's the difference?"

Lauren White: Yeah. Yes. So how do these warranties differ, especially like a material workmanship and then you mentioned performance warranty, right?

Marty Stout: Yeah, so as I said, a manufacturer will warranty a specific shingle or tile or whatever it might be, let's just call it 50 years. I was just dealing with a homeowner today, in fact. She has a material on her roof that has a 50-year warranty, and she was really excited about having this roof that she knows is going to last for 50 years. And then as she dug into it, she has a little issue and as she dug into it, she found out that that means that the material will not fail or fall apart in the course of 50 years. If it does, the manufacturer will honor their warranty. It doesn't mean that the roof is not going to leak if the roofer didn't install it correctly. And so a workmanship warranty means that whoever installed it is standing behind their work, "This roof will not leak for X period of time, and if it does, I'll come back and take care of it." And so that's the primary difference between a material warranty and a workmanship warranty.

Lauren White: And so we've thrown some numbers around lifetime. Around how long do typical roof warranties last, and maybe its material warranties?

Marty Stout: So most manufacturer material warranties come in a category of five-year increments, starting at 10 years and going up to 25 or 30. And then once they get to 30, they jump up to 50. And so typically 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and if it goes beyond 30, it's pretty much 50 years. Those are just saying that the material won't fail in that specific given period of time. Most workmanship warranties are 10 years.

Lauren White: And with the materials, are there different warranty lengths of time depending on the roof material that's being installed?

Marty Stout: Yes. So every manufacturer has their own warranty program. And for example, if you have a house with a flat roof and you want to do a coating on it to extend the life of that roof, which is a very popular thing now in most markets, you can get a warranty based on how much coating you install on the roof. You have to install it correctly, that's the side point, but if you put two gallons per 100 square feet or three gallons per 100 square feet, then those two warranties are going to be different. Obviously, two gallons not as good a warranty as three gallons. Other manufacturers of flat roofing material for houses, if you put a base layer down and what they call an inner ply and then a cap sheet or a top ply on top of that, that has a different warranty than just a base and a top cap. So one could be 15 years, one could be 25 years. Every manufacturer has their own system and their own combination of how they get to a specific age on each warranty.

Lauren White: Wow. Got to read that fine print, huh?

Marty Stout: Exactly, yeah.

Lauren White: So if a homeowner sells their property, does the roof warranty transfer with that sale?

Marty Stout: It can, but it doesn't always. And so most warranties are written by big corporations who have really smart lawyers and most of the time, the warranty says, "This warranty is good for 30 years," pick a number. That's the simple language that there's a warranty, and then there's three pages of what's not covered in the warranty and how you might not be able to get what you think is a warranty. But just to keep it somewhat simple, if you put a roof on your house and you sell it to me, most of the time, if I register that with the manufacturer, I go online and register that I now own that house, most of the time, that warranty transfers to me.

If I sell that house to another person, oftentimes it won't go to the third owner. They'll let it go to the second owner. The bigger problem is even with the second owner, most of the time, we don't register it. So you have it registered because you bought the roof, and I probably won't register it because I don't think about it. And then when I have a problem, I don't have a warranty.

Lauren White: Right. Interesting. Didn't know there was so many nuances in that.

Marty Stout: Yeah. Well, and I don't mean to be negative against manufacturers, but that's one of the reasons why they are willing to offer lifetime warranties, because most of the time, people don't remember. They don't remember even who their shingle manufacturer was after 30 years, let alone, "Where's my warranty?" And so it's not like you have a car emblem on your roof that tells you, a brand-specific emblem badging that tells you what shingle it is.

Lauren White: Right. Yeah, that's a good point. So for homeowners looking to select a roof warranty, what are some of the things that they should be looking out for?

Marty Stout: So if they really want a warranty that has some teeth in it, they need to make sure that it covers the material, it covers the workmanship and it's not prorated. So here's what happens oftentimes with the most common residential roofing warranty issue, and we'll go back to, we'll call it 30 years. I think I have a 30-year warranty on my shingle roof, and in 20 years, my shingles fail. And I kept the paperwork, I have everything I need. So I contact the manufacturer, they send a rep out. They look at it and say, "Yep, your shingles have failed.

We failed you. So the shingles cost today, let's use round numbers, $150 a square. Shingles cost $150 a square, and this roof lasted..." Did I say I was at year 20? I did. So I'm at year 20, so we're two-thirds into this. "So we owe you one-third. So here's $50 a square, you have 10 squares on your roof, so here's $500. We're done." Well, my roof has still failed and I can't fix it for $500. So that's a prorated warranty and it only covers the material.

I still need to roof my house early, so a good warranty... And there's a couple of manufacturers that have really, really good warranties that say if that roof fails in 20 years, they will replace it now. And the difference is they're vetting the roofer, the roofer is approved in their system and if the roof fails, they're going to lean on that roofer to help them fix your roof. And if the roofer is not there to help, then they get someone else to help you, but they're going to guarantee the workmanship, the performance and the material. Now the downside for that is that installation originally is going to be a lot more expensive than just going to Home Depot and buying the shingles and having your brother-in-law put them on. So you're going to pay more going in, but you definitely have a better warranty coming out. And so what you need to look for is what you really want, ultimately and if you really want the, I hate to be brand-specific, but if you really want the Cadillac or Rolls-Royce warranty, you're going to pay for it, but they do exist.

Lauren White: Yeah, that's so important to know. And for people buying, whether it's their first home or their second roof in their lifetime, it's a lot of information.

Marty Stout: Roofs is not something that we buy a lot of. It's, you buy a house and if you live in that house for a long time, you might roof it one time. And if you do roof a house one time, chances are you're not going to live in that house for the second roof. And you might roof two or three houses over the course of your life, but you're never going to deal with them through the complete cycle. So yeah, it's not something that we're used to doing often.

Lauren White: Yeah. So what are some common misconceptions homeowners might have about roof warranties?

Marty Stout: The biggest misconception is that if I buy a lifetime-warrantied shingle, that I have a lifetime warranty on the performance of my roof. We think it applies to everything, and it doesn't. It just applies to the performance of the shingle or whatever the material is. Typically, people think it covers everything, but it just covers the material mostly.

Lauren White: Yeah, I had no idea that there were so many... And I'm even in the industry. I didn't know there were so many different warranties that you need to be on the lookout for with your roof.

Marty Stout: Yeah, it's a crazy field. And I don't want to say that they purposely play the game, but I'll say that they know that most of the warranty items, people aren't going to keep the paperwork. It's not going to happen, so they just... Which is probably going to take me to the next question.

Lauren White: Yeah. So if there is an issue and a homeowner needs to make a warranty claim, what are some of those steps that they need to take?

Marty Stout: So most typically, you would start your claim with the roofing contractor that installed your roof. If you have that documentation, that would be the best place to start. The problem with that is, usually... Well, let's just say you have a roofing issue. Your roof is leaking and your roof was installed six months ago. That's a warranty issue too. So you call your roofing contractor and he comes out and figures out why it's leaking, and 99 times out of 100, he takes care of it, apologizes and you're down the road. Let's go 15 years forward and now you have a problem with that same roof, and the granules are falling off or the coating's peeling off or whatever. The sad reality is that that roofer is probably not in business anymore. And in some cases, he was Jack Smith Roofing. [inaudible 00:15:14] just not because I'm picking on anybody named Jack Smith, but generic Jack Smith Roofing and it might be that now it's Jack Jr. Roofing.

And now if Jack Smith and Jack Jr. are honorable straight-up guys, you call them 15 years later and they're probably going to come out and if it's something simple that they did wrong, they'll stand behind it, but they don't typically have a legal responsibility to after 15 years. But if your shingles are failing and you thought it was a 30-year shingle, the next step would be to contact the manufacturer and say, "I have this roof and I got a problem. The granules are falling off and I'm worried, and I need you to come and look at it." So you would need to know who the manufacturer was in order to contact them, and all contractors have a warranty claims department or something online where you can start that process. The key is you got to know who they are, and so you would need Jack Smith's paperwork from 15 years ago in order to do that.

Lauren White: So, save your paperwork. All of the papers that come with, keep them in a safe spot.

Marty Stout: If you've got some paperwork, make sure you keep it and pass it on.

Lauren White: Yeah. Yeah, don't get rid of it. Well, are there any reasons why a warranty claim might be denied? Or maybe common reasons? You don't have the paperwork?

Marty Stout: Well, yeah. Lack of paperwork or lack of... In the scenario that I said earlier where you have a roof done and you sell the house to me and I don't register it with them, that's going to get denied, usually. If there's weather, no warranties cover what we consider acts of God. So if there's been a bad hailstorm, that's not going to be covered by a warranty, unless of course it's a specific material that's written in the detail of the warranty.

Remember I said the warranty says it's good for this long, and then here's all the reasons why it's not? The things in that, the reasons why it's not are the reasons why they're denied. In our warranty, we cover the whole house for leaks, but we don't cover falling projectiles. So if a bullet hits your roof, we don't cover that. So those are the kinds of things that you have to know when you call somebody out. They're going to look at it and they're going to say, for whatever reason, wind, hail, something like that is not going to be covered. Paperwork is probably the biggest one though.

Lauren White: Yeah, that's good to know because so many different class ratings for hail and wind and everything, so making sure whatever region you live in, that your shingle that you're getting installed is going to protect against that and then reading the fine print of the warranty too. Yeah, yeah. So we talk about regular roof maintenance a lot on this podcast and on AskARoofer, is there any connection between regular roof maintenance and a roof warranty?

Marty Stout: Yes, there is. In fact, for example, if you have a roof with two planes of the roof that come together or two facets of the roof coming together, there's a joint there that's called a valley. So typically, a ranch-style house will have a garage coming out the front and the roof line will be a little bit of an L shape. On the inside of that L, there's a valley and if you have a lot of trees and debris around or not debris, a lot of trees around your house and the debris builds up in that valley and causes, over time, rot, because that that will prematurely expose your roof to damage, that's not going to be covered by a warranty.

So you got to keep the debris off, you got to keep the water flowing. If you have a flat roof, for example, that has some scuppers, same situation. You have trees around there, you need to make sure you keep that off. Oftentimes if you have a flat roof that has coating on it and if you have ponding water, that can be a cause for a warranty to be voided, if there's ponding water and debris. So if you have debris that backs up the drain, then over time, that could void your warranty. Foot traffic, if it's predominant, that can void your warranty. Yeah, maintenance on everything has its place and it's important.

Lauren White: Yeah, definitely. Is there anything else you think homeowners should know about roof warranties?

Marty Stout: Well, just in general, make sure you understand what is included in the warranty that you're paying for and make sure that you are comfortable with the limitations. And like I said, the biggest mistake people make is assuming that a 50-year shingle warranty is a 50-year roof performance warranty. So just understand what buying, and make sure you're buying it from a reputable contractor who's backed up by a long-standing reputable manufacturer.

Lauren White: Yeah, definitely. Do your homework, save your paperwork.

Marty Stout: Yeah, absolutely.

Lauren White: Yeah. Well, great. Well, Marty, this was wonderful. I learned so much from you, and I know that's just the tip of the iceberg, but we appreciate you so much and can't wait for the next episode. Thank you so much.

Marty Stout: Thanks for including me. I appreciate it.

Lauren White: Yeah. We'll see you on the next one.

Marty Stout: All right, take care.

Outro: Wow. Marty is such a wealth of knowledge about warranties and roofing as well, but I learned so much from him. There's not just roof warranties, there are workmanship warranties, performance warranties and material warranties and we dive into all of that and learn a lot more about misconceptions, what homeowners should be aware of when they're reading that fine print of your warranties. And the biggest thing, save your paperwork. It's so easy to throw it away, get rid of it, clear up space. With your roof, it's such a long time that you might not even need to replace it or have issues with it, but for it to last 30, 40, 50 years and you're going to need that paperwork at some point if something happens. Like he said in the podcast, your roof doesn't have an emblem on it like a car does to tell you who the manufacturer was, who made the shingles. So that's my biggest takeaway, save your paperwork. And yeah, what a great episode. We'll see you on the next one.
 

Wanting to add copper strips to their roof, this homeowner turned to the experts for guideance.

Nikki, a homeowner in Los Angeles, California had this to ask about the possibility of adding copper roof strips:

Is my 18-year-old asphalt roof a good candidate for copper roof strips? If so, can I get estimates from roofers in my area?

Roofing expert Marty Stout from Go Roof Tune Up had this to say in response:

Your roof could be a candidate for a copper strip. The age of the shingle is not the primary point of consideration. What is the condition of the roof. Have tree branches rubbed on it? Does it have equipment on it? Etc.? You can have a qualified contractor, one that is listed on RoofersCoffeeShop, look at it and provide you a report.

I would suggest before you install the copper strips looking into the claims made related to copper extending the life of the shingles. Someone should be able to demonstrate why or how copper extends the life of shingles. As a side note, Asphalt is not the primary ingredient in what we call asphalt shingles.

Continue the conversation on our Forum!

After being warned about the nails on their roof being exposed, a homeowner came looking for some clarification.

Debi in California has a relatively new roof, but was told that something is wrong with the nailing, here's what she asked:

Hello, we had a new roof done in October 2023. We are having some squirrel issues, but my question is, Clark Pest Control came out and went on our roof. They took photos of exposed nails/screws on the roof caps and stated this was wrong. Could you please give me your opinion on this. I have attached a photo. We live in Graeagle, California and get a lot of rain and snow in the winter. Thank you, Debi

Below is what our roofing expert Marty Stout from Go Roof Tune Up had to say in response to your question:

The exposed Nails/screws on the ridge shingles (roof caps) are installed to help protect the roof from Wind damage. It is often called “pin nailing.” While it is not usually listed in a manufactures specifications without some kind if sealant it is a good idea in high wind-prone areas. Some municipalities recommend it but require they be sealed with caulking some do not.

From the photo provided the installation looks good and I would recommend trusting the roofer that installed the roof to have done this to provide you a long lasting roof. As a side note the installation may keep the squirrels from damaging the ridge shingles.

This homeowner reached out to the AskARoofer experts to help them make sure their attic ventilation is set up properly.

Paul, a homeowner from Pennsylvania, reached out having discovered black mold in their attic. They asked:

I noticed I'm getting black mold on the sheathing in my attic. I have ridge vents, soffit vents an gable vent. The problem is only on the rear of the house the north side. I have baffles at the bottom of each bay.

One of our roofing experts, Marty from Go Roof Tune Up responded:

Paul, You don’t have proper ventilation. 1/150 is the recommended ratio of square feet of vent area to square feet of attic space. 50% low 50% high. Also sometimes gable vents and ridge vents work against each other, however, it looks like your problem is at the lower area of your roof. Still good to check.

Double-check the area of the venting in the soffits and double-check that the baffles are clear.

Additionally, John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group shared:

Different methods can be used to remove the mold growth, but the mold growth will return if the underlying moisture issues are not addressed. Typically, this involves increasing the roof ventilation and air-sealing the top floor's ceiling. Even with vents in place, the airflow might not be sufficient to remove all moisture. It's important to ensure that soffit vents are not blocked by insulation and that the baffles are properly installed to maintain an air passage. Sometimes, additional venting or better placement of existing vents is necessary. Consulting with a mold remediation expert who can visit your home can provide specific advice tailored to your home's unique situation.

Continue the conversation in our Forum!

By Dani Sheehan. 

Celebrate the top content from 2023 and see what topics are top of mind for home and building owners like you! 

When you have questions, we find the answers! No matter the topic, we strive to connect roofing contractors with homeowners and building owners to provide education and build relationships. We wanted to take a moment to celebrate the hard work by our industry partners and Coffee Shop crew in the amazing content we shared last year.  

Top articles 

Top AskARoofer article - “IKO Introduces Summit Grey – A new Color in its Line of Performance Shingles” 

The North American mountains inspired the addition of Summit Grey to IKO’s Dynasty® and Nordic™ Performance-class shingle lines. Offering homeowners exquisite curb appeal, these shingles also have a strong impact resistance rating and protect against wind uplift, so they are well suited for any climate. 

Top innovative product article - “Owens Corning Expands Algae Resistance Warranty Coverage” 

This article shows Owens Corning’s commitment to investing in the longevity of a roof’s curb appeal. Increased from ten years to 25 years, their Algae Resistance Limited Warranty provides long-term protection against blue-green algae thanks to advanced granule technology. Our innovative products’ page helps keep you up to date on new products, technologies and innovations designed to better protect your home. 

Top Q&A article - “Q&A – Advice on Flashing a Chimney” 

Our resident expert roofer, John Stout with Go Roof Tune Up™ helps a homeowner from Minnesota with a question about how high to run the flashing for their chimney. Don’t miss answers to all your roofing questions – submit your own question or read about other common problems and how to solve them! 

Top podcast episodes 

AskARoofer podcast - “How Cool is Your Roof?” 

Listen to industry experts from the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) explain how important it is for your roof to help manage the temperature of your home. In this exhilarating episode around sustainability, you’ll see why we think roofs are cool and how to take advantage of a cool roof for your home too! Catch more episodes from AskARoofer during your commute to work or while you’re cooking dinner and wow your friends and family with cool facts about all things roofing. 

Understanding Roof Restoration podcast - “Hail Damage and Fluid Applied Reinforced Roofing” 

Join Greg and Hal from Western Colloid as they discuss how fluid-applied reinforced roofing is an excellent way to remediate hail damage. If you’re a building owner, this episode is for you! They talk about how to identify hail damage on commercial roofs, which substrates are more susceptible to damage and how to talk to insurance adjusters about alternative solutions for repairs. Whether you’re looking to get into roof restorations yourself or just like learning about roofing systems, our Understanding Roof Restoration podcast provides answers to questions you submit each month. 

Social media posts 

Join our community of homeowners when you follow us on Instagram and TikTok and hear industry experts answer important questions about your roof. Some days it’s all business, and other days the crew is sure to have you rolling on the floor laughing and sending posts to all your friends. 

TikTok – In this video, homeowner Jack wants to know how long their multi-layered roof will last. Watch the video to find the answer you need! 

Instagram reel – Even working in the industry, I still call my dad when I’m having issues with my roof! This Instagram reel captures the sentiment all too well. Who do you call first?