If you are looking for information about garage roofing, you are probably in one of two situations:
1: You are building a new garage and are stuck for ideas for the roof
2: Your old garage needs a new roof.
Either way, you should do some planning before diving into it. Let us start by assuming you are replacing an old roof. Maybe you have been eyeing that roof for a long time, thinking it looked kind of worn down. But have you done a thorough inspection of it? What seems to be wrong with it? Is it leaking like crazy, or only in a few spots? Does it look ugly and unattractive – algae growth, lichen and blemishes? Why am I asking you this? Well, I don’t want you to spend your time and money on fixing what isn’t broken. If you have a few leaks, try to isolate where they are. Maybe it is a Flashing Siding To Roof matter of replacing only a few roofing shingles or sheets. If your gripes are purely with the cosmetics of the roof, be aware that many roofing materials can be cleaned. In fact, if you have large trees growing close to the garage, you may see a lot of algae growth or a lot of dead leaves on the roof. If that is the case, clean your roof once every spring. Get up there with a garden hose and a broom, or get a high pressure water cleaner – the kind that is made for cleaning roofs, patios, etc. Have your questions been answered? Then stop reading and go implement! If not – read on.
Suppose you have assured yourself that your roof needs more than just water and elbow grease. You may need to replace a few shingles, or to get rid of everything right down to the trusses. Now you need a plan. But also need to decide a few things first:
Can you do part or all of the work yourself?
Can the work be commenced and concluded in one day, or will it take longer?
Will you need to empty the garage to do the work?
Can the work be done safely without any special precautions?
The first three points all relate to the time-frame and the complexity of the task at hand. If the job is as simple as replacing two or three sheets of corrugated plastic, then you can probably do it yourself in an afternoon, and without having to move stuff out of your garage. If on the other hand, you are dealing with slate shingles and your trusses are in bad shape, Roof Cement Price you may be looking at hiring a professional. It may be necessary to put up scaffolding for safety reasons (hence number 4), and you might want to relocate valuable belongings from your garage, in case something heavy or dirty falls down. If the work takes several days, it could be a good idea to have some large tarpaulins ready, in case it starts raining or the like.
You are now ready to think about choosing roofing materials for your garage, which I will cover in part 2 of this series. Don’t miss it!