Roof Shingle Repair
A few Roof shingles fell off. DIY job or call professionals with fall arrest?
Roof Shingle Repair
- Last Updated:
- Feb 25th, 2018 6:51 pm
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- SCORE
- yellowlight18 [OP]
- Deal Addict
- Oct 12, 2014
- 1002 posts
- 181 upvotes
- Ajax
10 replies
- fieldhousehandyman
- Deal Addict
- Jan 19, 2011
- 3170 posts
- 1491 upvotes
Looks like you more than likely have GAF timberline shingles. But what happened? If they actually are GAF timberline, you have to figure out what messed up, because they tend to not fail like that on their own. Maybe they are a cheaper quality architectural shingle which may explain things
Looking carefully at the photo, it first looks like a pretty good job, but on closer inspection, some tab edges overlap too much, some overlap too little, and there are a couple of shingles that are heaving, making it look barely half decent. Additionally, the shingles were not installed according to manufactures instructions, as the shingle offset on your roof is (roughly) 6 inches left-right-left-right in a brick pattern stagger, instead of a 6, 11, 17 inch cascading stagger either all left or all right. With that many issues on the roof, it begs the question were the proper number of nails used, and in the right location? I do see one nail head in the proper location, but maybe that's just luck. I kind of doubt that you have all the nails necessary in exactly the correct position on the shingle.
If the shingles are over 10 years, and you have the budget, I would consider calling a top notch company to do the whole roof properly.
Looking carefully at the photo, it first looks like a pretty good job, but on closer inspection, some tab edges overlap too much, some overlap too little, and there are a couple of shingles that are heaving, making it look barely half decent. Additionally, the shingles were not installed according to manufactures instructions, as the shingle offset on your roof is (roughly) 6 inches left-right-left-right in a brick pattern stagger, instead of a 6, 11, 17 inch cascading stagger either all left or all right. With that many issues on the roof, it begs the question were the proper number of nails used, and in the right location? I do see one nail head in the proper location, but maybe that's just luck. I kind of doubt that you have all the nails necessary in exactly the correct position on the shingle.
If the shingles are over 10 years, and you have the budget, I would consider calling a top notch company to do the whole roof properly.
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is."
Just a guy who dabbles in lots of stuff learning along the way. I do have opinions, and readily share them!
Just a guy who dabbles in lots of stuff learning along the way. I do have opinions, and readily share them!
- engineered
- Deal Expert
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- Feb 11, 2007
- 20909 posts
- 25048 upvotes
- GTA
Did you just find the broken shingle there? Or were you doing something?
It looks like a relatively new roof. If so, who installed it? They should warranty their work.
Agree with fieldhouse, doesn't look like the best installation.
It looks like a relatively new roof. If so, who installed it? They should warranty their work.
Agree with fieldhouse, doesn't look like the best installation.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
- adblink182
- Deal Addict
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- Jul 30, 2005
- 3850 posts
- 1030 upvotes
- Hamilton
But to answer the original question, 100% replacing one or two shingles is DIY. I have done it a few times already. Some great DIY videos on YouTube will help you.
- RoofGuttersCo
- Newbie
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- Feb 6, 2018
- 27 posts
- 8 upvotes
- Cambridge, On
Considering you are up on the roof taking photos, you can fix this yourself. Usually these shingles don't tear off like this, how old is this roof and when was it shingled (season)? Aside from the amateur install as fieldhouse pointed out, I would walk around (where you deem is safe of course) and see if there are areas where the bottoms of the shingles can lift with your finger. If there are several areas like this, it means the roof has not sealed itself as it was probably installed in cold temps otherwise its not completely uncommon to experience this in high wind areas.
- yellowlight18 [OP]
- Deal Addict
- Oct 12, 2014
- 1002 posts
- 181 upvotes
- Ajax
Yes just found it there. It was installed 2 years ago by a contractor. What's the typical warranty for roofs? 5 years?engineered wrote: ↑ Did you just find the broken shingle there? Or were you doing something?
It looks like a relatively new roof. If so, who installed it? They should warranty their work.
Agree with fieldhouse, doesn't look like the best installation.
I call the contractor in and they said it was racoon damage not covered by warranty. I think this is BS and they should cover fixing it....
- fieldhousehandyman
- Deal Addict
- Jan 19, 2011
- 3170 posts
- 1491 upvotes
you might want to take a closer look at your roof installation, and perhaps document all the little issues that make it a far from professional installation, If you post some better angle and resolution shots I can probably point out the myriad of issues for you. After that, I would be asking why the contractor permitted such sloppy work in the first place.
It is possible it is animal damage such as racoon, and less likely to be wind damage, as more shingles would have been taken off.
But honestly, if you are handy, I would likely undertake the repair yourself, rather than trust an already sloppy contractor to do the work.
It is possible it is animal damage such as racoon, and less likely to be wind damage, as more shingles would have been taken off.
But honestly, if you are handy, I would likely undertake the repair yourself, rather than trust an already sloppy contractor to do the work.
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is."
Just a guy who dabbles in lots of stuff learning along the way. I do have opinions, and readily share them!
Just a guy who dabbles in lots of stuff learning along the way. I do have opinions, and readily share them!
- Exp315
- Deal Addict
- Jul 3, 2017
- 3859 posts
- 2813 upvotes
Not BS, highly likely. That was my first thought seeing the photos - it looks like raccoon damage. The shingles are clearly torn, which takes a lot of force - they didn't just fall out. The damage is in several small isolated spots, and you can even see what looks like gouging in the wood underneath one spot. You'll find that raccoon damage is explicitly excluded from warranties and insurance because it's so common.yellowlight18 wrote: ↑ I call the contractor in and they said it was racoon damage not covered by warranty. I think this is BS and they should cover fixing it....
Unfortunately raccoons are very persistent. They will come back and tear up your shingles over and over again until you stop them. They are agile climbers, so it's quite difficult to identify and block how they are getting up onto the roof, but look for nearby trees or sheds, low spots on the roof etc.. You may need to have them professionally trapped and removed to stop the damage.
It looks like you have a cheap roofing job using shingles with no underlay, so at least you don't have to worry about doing a quality job on the repair.
- yellowlight18 [OP]
- Deal Addict
- Oct 12, 2014
- 1002 posts
- 181 upvotes
- Ajax
Any recommendations for preventing racoons climbing up?
Would spraying cayenne powder solution in the gutters help?
Would spraying cayenne powder solution in the gutters help?
- fieldhousehandyman
- Deal Addict
- Jan 19, 2011
- 3170 posts
- 1491 upvotes
Your going to have to google that, I have never come across racoons taking chunks out of roofs in all my existence. I have heard of racoons in attics, racoons in garages, racoons under porches, but racoons just ambling across a shingled roof and randomly tearing chunks out? no. Not saying it is not a thing, tho.yellowlight18 wrote: ↑ Any recommendations for preventing racoons climbing up?
Would spraying cayenne powder solution in the gutters help?
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is."
Just a guy who dabbles in lots of stuff learning along the way. I do have opinions, and readily share them!
Just a guy who dabbles in lots of stuff learning along the way. I do have opinions, and readily share them!
- Exp315
- Deal Addict
- Jul 3, 2017
- 3859 posts
- 2813 upvotes
No, cayenne powder won't help.yellowlight18 wrote: ↑ Any recommendations for preventing racoons climbing up?
Would spraying cayenne powder solution in the gutters help?
Raccoons are really good climbers. I've seen video of them climbing up metal drainpipes with no problem. The best you can do is to remove any obvious path: trim tree branches within 20 feet of the house, Put up wire mesh blocking any obvious climbing path. I've had lots of issues with raccoons on my roof over the years, and I've seen them make amazing leaps to and from nearby trees. Back when I had a cedar shake roof, they used to go nuts tearing up the shakes, but they haven't torn up the asphalt shingles on the replacement roof so far, perhaps because the plywood deck and synthetic underlay blocks them from sensing the potential den space underneath. Whenever I get a raccoon on the roof, I put out the cage trap for it with some food bait, and it usually catches the rascal within a few days. Then he's off on a long journey to distant parts of the world. That's really the only effective counter-measure.
