Roofing Repair

If your inspection has turned up an asphalt roof with wide-open bare spots where the mineral granules have worn away, or a wood roof whose shingles have snapped like twigs or crumbled like compost, it's time to reroof. And if that's the case, the next question is whether to do the work yourself or have it done professionally.

There's hardly a home improvement project that, successfully done, doesn't offer both tangible and intangible rewards - and roofing is no exception. Aside from the pleasure that comes from knowing you did the work yourself - and to your own liking - you are also rewarded by the chunk of money saved in labor costs.

The rising cost of labor, in fact, is one reason more and more homeowners are doing their own maintenance and repairs. Labor eats about half the pie in a typical roofing project; eliminate that and you're on your way to bisecting the cost of your roofing project.

Unfortunately, while the idea of a new roof at half price is pretty appealing, you must remember that you will be the one to do the work. And

roofing is characteristically a hot, tiring, and tediously repetitious job with some sizable hazards built into it. You must decide realistically whether or not you are willing and physically able to see the project through to completion.

Do you qualify for the job? If you want to do your own work, you should have some handiness with tools, patience in following instructions to the letter, scrupulous regard for safety procedures, and a willingness to adapt basic procedures to the eccentricities of your own house.

You should also be in good physical condition. Kneeling over a slope all day, nailing shingles in their courses, will tax both your endurance and your backside, not to mention the arm and shoulder that must drive all those nails. And you'll be scooting up and down the ladder and working at roof heights; if you're at all bothered by heights, you're better off turning the project over to a professional.

How suppliers can help. The next time you pass a home improvement or building supply center, drop in and pick up some of the brochures (most are free) put out by roofing manufacturers. They have an abundant range in roofing materials and offer helpful tips for roofing installation and repair. You may also find sure-fire roofing kits, accompanied by complete instructions, that some manufacturers are packaging for the do-it-yourself roofer.

When you need a professional hand

Not all roofing jobs belong to the home craftsperson. You're probably over your head, so to speak, if you're thinking about doing your own work on

- a steeply pitched roof (more than 6 in 12)

- an unusually large surface area

- a house with multiple roofs or more than two stories high

- a roof that requires additional structural bracing

- a roof with numerous dormer windows or other architectural detours away from simple, broad planes.

And, though it's possible to do your own work, you're also likely to strain your skills if you plan to roof with tile. It is heavy, hard to cut (you'll need a carborundum blade on a circular saw), difficult to handle, and slippery underfoot. If you're reroofing with tile, you may be required by code to have a structural engineer evaluate the load-bearing capacity of your house's framework. If the framework can't easily support the extra weight, you'll need to call in a contractor to beef it up.

Flat roofs covered either with layers of roofing felt and hot-mopped asphalt or with polyurethane foam are also beyond the skills of most homeowners, because of the processes and equipment involved. Working with boiling hot asphalt is a dangerous, difficult, and messy business.