Not every roof replacement starts with a hailstorm or an insurance claim. Sometimes a homeowner is simply making a substantial investment in an existing house and wants the roof to be part of that improvement.
That was the situation on this project in Melshire Estates, near Preston Road and Forest Lane in North Dallas (75230).
The homeowner was renovating the property inside and out. Bert Roofing was hired to replace the roofs on both the main house and the detached garage, a significant part of the exterior improvements.
The homeowner had found our name through Nextdoor and contacted us about the work. This was a straightforward retail roofing project, with no storm-damage insurance claim involved.
A New Roof for the House and Detached Garage
The property is a traditional single-story brick home surrounded by mature trees, typical of many houses in Melshire Estates.
For the replacement, we installed Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration shingles in Estate Gray on the house and detached garage.
Duration is an architectural asphalt shingle with a Class 3 impact-resistance rating. That rating comes from standardized laboratory testing and provides an additional measure of impact resistance, although no asphalt shingle is hail-proof.
Estate Gray was a good choice for this property. Its neutral gray tones work with the existing brick and give the roof a clean, consistent appearance across both structures.
With a larger renovation underway, the roof was one of the most visible improvements to the exterior.
Correcting Drainage Behind a Large Chimney
One detail that deserved particular attention was the home’s unusually large masonry chimney.
A wide chimney creates an obstruction on a sloped roof. Rainwater flowing downhill meets the back of the chimney and must find its way around either side.
On this project, we added a chimney cricket, sometimes called a saddle, on the uphill side of the chimney. Section R1003.20 of the International Residential Code (IRC) requires a cricket behind chimneys more than 30 inches wide, measured parallel to the roof ridge, unless the chimney intersects the ridge itself. Dallas has adopted the 2021 IRC. The cricket directs rainwater around the chimney rather than allowing it to collect against the masonry.
A cricket is a small, peaked roof structure that redirects water around an obstruction rather than allowing it to collect against the back of the masonry.
This is especially important with larger chimneys, where the width of the structure can interrupt a substantial amount of roof drainage.
It’s also the kind of detail most homeowners will never notice from the ground. Nevertheless, proper drainage and flashing around chimneys are important parts of a reliable roofing installation.
Removing the Old Roofing to Inspect the Deck
We removed the existing shingles and old underlayment rather than covering the previous roofing materials.
With the roof stripped down, we could examine the wood decking directly.
We found a couple of damaged sections that needed replacement. Those areas were repaired before the new roofing materials were installed.
Removing the old underlayment is an important part of this process. Decking problems are not always visible from the attic, and covering an existing roof can conceal deterioration that should be addressed.
On this house, the repairs were limited, but replacing those damaged sections ensured that the new roof was installed over sound wood.
An Owens Corning Class 3 Roof for a North Dallas Home
The completed roof uses Owens Corning Duration shingles in Estate Gray, a practical architectural shingle choice for Dallas homeowners who want a traditional appearance with improved impact resistance.
Bert Roofing is an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, and Duration is one of the shingle lines we regularly install throughout Dallas.
This project represents a substantial part of our everyday work: replacing residential roofs, paying attention to the decking and drainage details, and leaving homeowners with a properly installed roofing system.
The work wasn’t driven by an insurance settlement or an emergency. It was simply part of a homeowner’s larger investment in the property.
Bert Roofing has served Dallas since 1988, including Melshire Estates, nearby Preston Hollow, and surrounding North Dallas neighborhoods.
If you’re planning a renovation or considering a roof replacement, we can inspect your existing roof and provide a no-obligation estimate for the work.
