Roof replacement in Warminster, PA

Old shingles at the end of their life

The shingles on this Warminster house had simply worn out. It's a familiar picture in town: a lot of Warminster's ranchers, Capes, splits and colonials went up in the same post-war decades, and their roofs are coming due around the same time.

This roof wasn't one simple slope. There was the main house plus a separate roofline over the rear covered porch, and a chimney coming through. More sections and more joints mean more places for water to get in, so the homeowner went with a full tear-off and replacement rather than patching.

Original plank decking under the shingles

When the old roof came off, every section was stripped down to the original wood plank decking, as the tear-off photos show. That's the boards the house was built with, not plywood. Plank decks can be perfectly sound, but they have gaps and the occasional split or soft board, and you only find those with the roof open.

Each board was looked at before any new material went on. Debris went straight into a dump trailer parked in the driveway, which keeps shingles and nails out of the lawn and the beds.

A GAF system, built up in order

1. Tear-off to bare wood. Every section, including the porch roof, stripped and inspected.
2. GAF WeatherWatch at the leak-prone spots. A self-sealing ice and water membrane where ice dams and wind-driven rain cause most leaks.
3. GAF Deck-Armor across the field. The blue printed synthetic underlayment you can see in the photos. It sheds water from above and lets moisture escape from below.
4. GAF Pro-Start starter strip. Along the eaves and rakes so the first course seals down at the edges.
5. Timberline HDZ in Charcoal. Bundles were staged along the slopes and Seal-A-Ridge caps at the ridges, so shingles go straight from bundle to deck.
6. New chimney flashing. Cut and fitted piece by piece at the chimney base on the finished roof. We replaced it rather than reusing the old metal.
7. Seal-A-Ridge caps and cleanup. Purpose-made caps on the hips and ridge, then debris hauled off in the trailer.

Do not let anyone reuse your chimney flashing

If there's one thing to take from this job, it's the chimney. Flashing is the metal that seals the joint between the roof and the brick, and it's where roofs leak most often. Reusing old flashing under a brand-new roof saves the roofer an hour and leaves you with the oldest part of the roof sitting in its most leak-prone spot.

• Ask in writing whether chimney, wall and vent flashing will be replaced or reused.
• Look for roof cement smeared around your chimney from the ground with binoculars. Tar over flashing usually means someone patched a leak instead of fixing it.
• Ask about the porch and any low sections. Small roofs over porches and additions get skipped or rushed. Make sure they are on the estimate.
• Ask what happens if they find bad decking, and what each board or sheet costs to replace.

Warminster homeowners: If your house is from the same era as this one, chances are your roof is on a similar clock. A free inspection with photos will tell you whether it needs replacing now or has a few years left.

Warminster is just north of our shop in Horsham. See our Warminster page for what we see on roofs around town, our work across Bucks County, or how a roof replacement works from start to finish.

What it usually costs

A 22 square roof is close to an average house. Multiple sections, a chimney to reflash and any decking boards that need replacing move it up within the range.

• Roof Replacement: $6,500 – $18,000
• Shingle Roof Installation: $6,500 – $16,000

Questions we get asked

Why tear a roof off to the decking instead of roofing over it?

Tearing off is the only way to see the decking. On this Warminster job it showed original plank boards that we could check one by one before anything new went on. An overlay hides problems, adds weight and gives the new shingles an uneven base.

What is the difference between ice and water shield and underlayment?

Ice and water shield is a sticky, self-sealing membrane that bonds to the deck and seals around nails. It goes where leaks are most likely, like the eaves, valleys and around the chimney. Underlayment such as Deck-Armor covers the rest of the roof as a second layer of protection under the shingles.

Should chimney flashing be replaced with a new roof?

In almost every case, yes. Flashing is where roofs leak most often, and old metal that gets bent back into place under new shingles rarely seals like new. We replaced the chimney flashing on this job rather than reusing it.

Can a roof with plank decking get new shingles?

Yes, as long as the boards are solid. We check every board after tear-off and replace any that are split, soft or rotted. If the gaps or condition are bad enough, covering the planks with new sheathing is an option we would price for you.

How long does a roof replacement in Warminster take?

Most re-roofs on an average house take a day or two, weather permitting. A house with several sections and a chimney, like this one, sits at the longer end. You get the schedule with your written estimate.

How much does a roof replacement cost in Warminster?

Our typical range for a roof replacement is $6,500 to $18,000. Roof size, pitch, the number of sections and any decking or flashing work set where your house lands. We give you a free written, line-item estimate before any work starts.

Related pages

• Roof Replacement: Full tear-off and new roof when repairs stop making sense. Written, line-item estimate before anything starts.
• Shingle Roofing: Architectural asphalt shingle repair and installation, the roof on most homes around here.
• Roof Inspection: A free, top-to-bottom look at your roof with photos, so you know what you actually need before you spend anything.
• Roof Repair: Leaks, missing shingles, flashing and vents. We fix the problem and tell you honestly how much life the roof has left.
• Warminster: Our neighbor to the north; lots of 1950s-70s ranchers and splits.
• Bucks County: Warminster, Doylestown, Newtown, Yardley, Chalfont and everywhere in between.
• Hatboro: Borough homes and older twins right next door to Horsham.
• Horsham: Home base. Our shop is here.
• Roof Replacement in Hatboro, PA: Full roof replacement in Hatboro.
• Roof Replacement in Bensalem, PA: Full roof replacement in Bensalem.
• Roof Replacement in Hatfield, PA: Full tear-off and new architectural shingle roof.