That patchwork look is definitely a thing around here. I used to think it looked kind of sloppy, but after my first winter in this house, I get it. We had a couple shingles blow off during a windstorm, and I just patched them with whatever I could find at the hardware store. Doesn’t match, but it’s holding up. Honestly, I’d rather have a mismatched roof than deal with another round of paperwork and adjusters. Those “fancy” shingles are nice until the Midwest weather chews them up anyway.
I get what you mean about the patchwork look—function over fashion, especially after a storm. But I’m curious, did you notice any leaks or issues where you patched with the mismatched shingles? I’ve seen some folks just slap on whatever’s handy, but sometimes the overlap isn’t quite right and water sneaks in. Did you have to mess with underlayment or just stick the new shingles on top?
That patchwork look always catches my eye on inspections, especially when the color’s off by a mile. I get why folks do it after a storm—just trying to keep water out—but I’ve seen way too many leaks where the shingle edges didn’t line up right or the underlayment got skipped. Did you actually lift the old shingles and check the felt underneath, or just nail the new ones over? Sometimes that shortcut leads to rot you won’t spot till it’s way worse. Ever notice any soft spots when you walk the roof after a patch job?
Did you actually lift the old shingles and check the felt underneath, or just nail the new ones over?
You nailed it—skipping that step is asking for trouble. I always check the underlayment, especially after storms. It’s wild how many times I’ve found soggy felt or even a little mushroom farm growing under there. Ever see nails rusted right through from trapped moisture? That patchwork can hide a lot more than just bad color matches...
That patchwork can hide a lot more than just bad color matches...
Honestly, that’s what freaked me out when I started pulling up my old shingles. I thought, “How bad could it be?” Turns out, pretty bad—one spot had felt that crumbled like burnt toast. I’m in the Midwest, so we get the whole snow-melt-freeze cycle. I learned (the hard way) that even if the shingle layer *looks* okay, water sneaks in and just hangs out underneath, especially if you’ve got a low slope.
My process: I pried up a few shingles in different spots—edges, valleys, and around the vent pipes. Used a flat bar and tried not to destroy what was left. If the felt was dry and still held together, I left it. But where it was soft or moldy, I cut it out and patched with new underlayment. It’s kind of tedious, but way better than dealing with hidden leaks later.
Didn’t find mushrooms (thankfully), but there were some gnarly black stains. Makes you wonder what’s growing in there... Anyway, I wouldn’t skip checking underneath, no matter how tempting it is to just layer over.