Every roofing project has a deadline, but some deadlines carry a little more weight than others.
We recently completed a roof replacement in Far North Dallas near Hillcrest Road and Belt Line Road. The homeowner was preparing to host a particularly important event at the house: her 100th birthday celebration.
The roof needed to be completed, the gutters installed, and the exterior repairs finished before family and friends arrived. We had a firm timetable and very little room for delays.
We completed the project on schedule, and the birthday celebration went forward as planned.
A Referral From a Previous Lake Highlands Customer
This project came to us through a good friend whose home we had previously roofed on Landshire Drive in Lake Highlands.
Referrals remain one of the most important sources of business for Bert Roofing. A homeowner can read reviews, study websites, and compare estimates, but a recommendation from someone they already know carries a different level of credibility.
The person making the referral has already seen how we handle communication, scheduling, installation, cleanup, and any unexpected issues that arise during the work. They are putting their own reputation behind the recommendation.
We take that seriously.
In this case, the referral brought us from our traditional East Dallas and Lake Highlands service areas into the 75248 area of North Dallas. The location was somewhat farther north than many of our projects, but it was still well within the part of Dallas we regularly serve.
Measuring a Roof the Old-Fashioned Way
Roofers have become somewhat spoiled when it comes to measuring roofs.
Today, most residential roofs can be measured using aerial or satellite imagery. We enter the address, order a report, and receive measurements for the roof area, ridges, hips, valleys, rakes, and eaves. The process is fast, and on a clearly visible house, it is generally very accurate.
That did not work particularly well on this project.
The house is surrounded by large evergreen live oak trees. The tree canopy obscured too much of the roof for us to obtain a dependable aerial measurement. Portions of the roof were either hidden or difficult to distinguish, especially where the different roof sections connected.
That meant going back to the old-fashioned method: a tape measure, a ladder, a notepad, and some math.
This was not a simple rectangular roof. It had multiple sections, hips, valleys, intersections, and smaller roof planes. Measuring a roof like this requires more than recording the length and width of the house. Each individual plane has to be identified, measured, and included in the final calculation.
It took a while.
Fortunately, I had not lost the touch. When the project was completed, the original hand measurements and material calculations proved to be very accurate.
Satellite measurements are convenient, but they do not replace understanding how a roof is constructed. There are still situations where a roofer needs to be able to measure the actual roof rather than rely entirely on a computer-generated report.
Choosing GAF Timberline HDZ Class 3 Shingles
For the new roof, we installed GAF Timberline HDZ architectural shingles in Weathered Wood.
Timberline HDZ is a laminated architectural shingle rather than a traditional three-tab shingle. Architectural shingles have more depth and variation, which generally gives the roof a more substantial appearance.
The shingles used on this project carry a Class 3 impact-resistance rating. Impact-resistant shingles are designed to perform better against hail and other impacts than a standard roofing shingle. They do not make a roof hail-proof, but they can provide an additional level of protection in North Texas, where hail is a recurring concern.
Weathered Wood was also a good fit for the house. It is a neutral blend that works well with the light-colored brick and the mature landscaping surrounding the property. The color has enough variation to keep the roof from looking flat without becoming the dominant visual feature of the house.
Using Enhanced-Profile Z-Ridge
One of the upgrades we used was enhanced-profile Z-Ridge along the hips and ridges.
The ridge cap is the finished shingle installed over the peaks and outside angles of the roof. Standard ridge shingles perform the basic waterproofing function, but a higher-profile ridge cap creates a more pronounced line.
That additional thickness matters most on roofs with numerous hips and ridges. The roof design on this house had many different facets, so the ridge lines were an important part of its appearance.
The enhanced ridge cap gave those lines better definition and made the finished roof look more substantial. It is a relatively small detail compared with the overall roof system, but it can make a noticeable difference when viewing the house from the street.
Replacing Damaged Roof Decking
Once the old roofing materials were removed, we found areas of roof decking that needed to be replaced.
The roof deck is the wood surface beneath the shingles and underlayment. It provides the structural base to which the roofing system is attached. New shingles should not be installed over decking that is deteriorated, damaged, or no longer capable of holding fasteners properly.
Approximately 224 square feet of decking was replaced during this project.
Decking repairs cannot always be determined in advance. We can identify obvious soft areas during an inspection, but some deterioration remains concealed until the old shingles and underlayment have been removed.
This is one reason a roofing estimate should explain how unforeseen decking replacement will be handled. Discovering damaged decking is not unusual on an older roof. The important issue is making the repair properly rather than covering the problem with new shingles.
Fascia Repairs Before the New Gutters
The project also included replacement of the existing gutters and the installation of gutter screens.
Before the new gutters could be installed, however, we found that portions of the fascia needed attention.
Fascia is the vertical board along the roof edge where the gutters are typically attached. If the fascia is deteriorated, damaged, or loose, installing a new gutter directly over it does not solve the underlying problem. The gutter system needs a sound attachment surface.
We repaired the affected fascia and completed the necessary painting before moving forward with the gutter installation.
This added an extra step to the project and required some coordination because of the birthday deadline. However, it would not have made sense to install new gutters over damaged wood merely to stay on the original schedule.
The fascia repairs were completed, the painted surfaces were allowed to dry, and the new K-style gutters and gutter screens were then installed.
Coordinating the Work Around a Firm Deadline
A roof replacement of this size involves more than the roofing crew.
Materials had to be ordered and delivered in stages. The roofing work had to be completed first. Decking repairs had to be addressed as they were uncovered. The fascia work and painting needed to be finished before the gutter contractor could install the new gutter system.
Each step affected the next one.
The large trees also required additional care during material delivery, roof access, debris removal, and cleanup. Mature landscaping is one of the best features of many established North Dallas neighborhoods, but it can make a roofing project more complicated.
Despite the additional repairs and scheduling requirements, we completed the roof, exterior repairs, and gutter work in time for the homeowner’s celebration.
Most roofing deadlines involve an approaching storm, a pending home sale, or an insurance claim. Finishing a roof in time for someone’s 100th birthday was a first for us.
It was also a deadline we were particularly pleased to meet.
Roof Replacement in North Dallas and ZIP Code 75248
Bert Roofing has served Dallas homeowners since 1988. Much of our work has traditionally been concentrated in East Dallas, Lakewood, Casa Linda, Lake Highlands, and the surrounding neighborhoods, but we also provide roof replacement and roof repair throughout North Dallas.
Homes in the 75248 area often share several characteristics with this project: mature trees, established landscaping, complex roof designs, aging decking, and gutter or fascia issues that need to be coordinated with the roof replacement.
Those details are not always apparent from an aerial measurement or a quick inspection from the ground.
A good roofing plan should account for the entire roof system, including the shingles, underlayment, valleys, ventilation, roof decking, ridge caps, flashing, fascia, and gutters. The visible shingles are only one part of the finished job.
For this North Dallas homeowner, the project included a new GAF Timberline HDZ Class 3 roofing system, enhanced-profile ridge cap, decking replacement, fascia repairs, painting, new gutters, and gutter screens.
More importantly, it was completed before the guests arrived.
