Here is a video of a full roof replacement.
This was a ~1,500 square foot home with long overhangs and a large 2.5 car garage so the total roof area was about 3,000 square feet.
Since we have witnessed hundreds of home inspections we know that roofing is an area where contractors often take short-cuts. In some cases the roof shingle manufacturer won’t warrant the shingles if they are not installed per the manufacturer’s instructions.
We were under contract to purchase a home in Dexter Michigan once where the builder lied multiple times about how the roof was constructed, then the listing agent misrepresented what the county building inspector said all to convince the buyer to accept a defective roof. Our buyer didn’t buy that house, but somebody did.
I also personally witness a home in Canton Michigan where the installers where not using tar paper under the shingles because they know nobody was watching them. (It is a building code requirement.)
On this roof you can see the installers shingle up in a diagonal pattern. This is correct. It can be a bit faster for the roofer to roof up in columns, a process referred to ask “racking”, but that makes the roof more susceptible to leaking and often makes the shingle pattern a bit ugly.
This video shows a quality two layer total tear off and new roof install on an Ann Arbor home.
The contractor (AANA Contracting out of Canton Michigan) was chosen after evaluating bids from a number of different contractors.
As a top Exclusive Buyer’s Agent for the Ann Arbor area I’ve seen hundreds of home inspections and huge variations in quality of work. I’ve become a bit opinionated and picky on roofing quality.
This contractor used quality materials and expert labor, and took the time to do a quality job.