6 Home Improvement Ideas When Reroofing

Jan 9, 2012 by Frank Scherer

If you own a home then eventually you’re going to have to get your roof replaced. It starts off with a few annoying leaks that you can patch but over time the leaks become bigger as they increase in number until the battle is over. So that’s when it’s time time for you to call in a contractor and have the entire roof replaced.

Now if you’re like most people out there, reroofing will be as far as it goes because after dealing with the leaks, the patching and watching your roof die a slow lingering death you simply want to get a new one put on, and be done with it.

What you may not realize though, is that once you’re old roof is torn off the door is “thrown wide open” for you to do some fast and affordable home improvement ideas before the new one is put on.

You need to keep one thing in mind before you start working on your home improvement wish list though, and that is that your contractor will have his job to do. So what this means is that you need to come to some sort of agreement with him with regards to the “time-frame” that you have to work in between when he tears your old roof off, and then begins to lay down the new one.

You see, for one thing, having your home completely exposed to the elements is definitely not a good thing, so you for sure want to get your projects done and the roof put back on as quick as possible so you aren’t stuck betting against mother nature coming in with a freak rainstorm that could really do some serious damage to your home.

Attic Insulation Pays For Itself

While it’s been around for longer than you might think, cellulose insulation is starting to become more and more popular for homeowners who are looking for an alternative to traditional fiberglass.

So a real quick job you can have done in between the tearoff and reroofing, is getting a nice thick extra layer of cellulose insulation blown into your attic.

Now you may already have full access to your entire attic through the access hatchway in your home. However, this isn’t always the case, particularly in homes with a low pitched roof that also has HVAC ducting running around up in their attic.

So if this is your case, once the roof is torn off and the bare deck is exposed, it’s a snap to pull the nails on some plywood roof sheeting to give you direct roof top access to all the far reaches of your attic. Access that finally allows you to get your home “properly insulated”.

Facia Boards Bring a Decorative Upscale Look

Adding facia boards to the eave tails can also add value to your home as it also gives it a more upscale look, and this is also something that you can finally do when the roof is torn off for reroofing. Now if you don’t have rain gutters running along your eaves then you may want to consider also having a seamless gutter contractor come in, and put new gutters on as well.

Now if you plan on having fascias installed you’re going to have to move strategically so you can have the entire project done in a day to a day and a half. So for sure make a point of pre-painting your fascia boards with a coat of primer that you allow to dry well, and then apply a coat or two of exterior topcoat. This way all you have to do is cut and attach the fascia boards, and do a little touch-up around the splices.

Attic Vents Take Only Minutes to Install

Number three on the list of home improvement ideas is roof vents that are also a snap to have installed on your deck once the old roof is torn off of for reroofing. Just one vent alone can make a huge difference in the comfort level of your home, and on your utility bills if your attic is not currently properly vented. You see, if there isn’t adequate air-flow it will function as a giant solar heater directly above your head.

So take a look at what’s available in the way of modern roof vents, particularly new solar models that use a fan to more effectively rid your attic of hot air. Not only are they now cost-efficient, in that the money you spend on them is more than recouped over there service life in terms of savings on your utility bills but they’re also super easy to install.

In fact all you have to do is buy them because you roofing contractor will most likely installed them for free because all it takes is for him to take a skill saw and cut an 8” x 8” hole in the deck for the vent to go over when the roof goes on.

Going Solar is Easier Than You Might Think

Then if you’ve been kicking around the idea of going solar, at least to a small scale then a reroofing project is the perfect time to put your plan into action.

You see, after your new roof is on it will be pretty much off-limits because getting up there and cutting into it in any way to adapt anything is just asking for trouble.

Now if you’re having a composition shingle roof put on then for sure new easy and affordable solar composition shingles are well worth taking look at. What they are, is composition shingles that have been adapted with individual solar collectors that are applied right along with the rest of the composition shingles.

They go on flat on the deck, and look just like any normal composition roofing shingle. Each one has a wire that runs out the back that’s ran through a small hole drilled through the roof deck as it’s applied. Then a main wire is ran along the underside of the roof deck inside the attic to connect them all up after the reroofing job is done.

Now the real big plus here, and the major selling point for a lot of folks who are interested in solar power but aren’t interested in jumping in over their heads financially, is that these new composition shingle solar units are affordable. Buy as many or as few as you like, and have them installed wherever you like on your roof.

New Gutters to Protect Your Home From Water Damage

Having rain gutters installed is another option that opens up when you’re reroofing. Now there are companies that will tell you over the phone that they can install new rain gutters even with the roof on but don’t believe it. Of course they can hang them up by “angling in” a screw in here and there on the connection tab’s.

Tearing off an old roof doesn’t take a lot of special skill. Basically, you just pry up the shingles using a pitchfork or shovel. Before you begin a tear off, protect trees and plants near the house by leaning up plywood sheets. You may even want to build a temporary chute to funnel shingles into the container. If you’re using a pickup or trailer, be careful not to overload it.

However, to get a solid problem free connection on a set of rain gutters, and then a good solid direct connection on the leaf screens that you’ll want have installed over them requires a “clear shot” at the exposed roof deck.That means that the old roof must be removed before you install your rain gutters.

Now you can do this project yourself by picking up the rain gutter sections, and components at your local Home Depot but be aware of one thing before you buy them.

That is that you’re going to need an extra set of hands to install your system, and that also means another ladder, so you’ll need two good tall ladders for the job.

Or the other option is to simply call in a contractor, and if you go that route the next thing you have to decide on, is what type of gutter system you’re going to have installed. Seamless gutters a very popular now because they don’t leak. Their rolled out in one long strip, and then formed right on the job site, so there’s no connection seems other than at the corners of the building where the gutter runs meet.

Kick Up Your Curb Appeal With a Dormer

Then if you’ve been try to come up with a way to add more dimension to your roof and give your home a more upscale look a dormer may be  just what you’ve been looking for. Dormers can be built in several styles, so you’ll have no trouble finding a design that fits your home, and they’re not near as difficult to build as they look to appear. Dormers are light too, so you most likely won’t have to add to the structural underpinning to support the weight either.

They also make great skylights too if you’re up to the added finish carpentry and sheetrock work that it takes to install the light channel down into your home.

Or if you’re only looking for outward curb appeal, it’s a much easier job to build one that just attaches to the roof.

Take a little time to research them online, and also talk to your roofing contractor to see if he does this type of custom carpentry work for clients.

If he doesn’t though, odds are that he knows a local contractor or handyman who can do the work for you. Do keep in mind though that the extra labor that it takes to roof on and around a dormer is going to add to the cost of the reroofing job.

In the end, if you go back over the above listed home improvement ideas, one thing that you’ll notice that they all have in common, is that each one requires a little bit of planning and forethought. That is that if you wait for the roofer to start the reroofing job before you begin act it’s too late. So by all means make sure to do all your research, buying, and preparation well ahead of time. You can also set your own schedule by doing your own tear off.