You nailed it about the hidden deck damage—when we did our tear-off last year (Houston area), we found a couple of soft spots that would’ve just kept getting worse under another layer. The mess and noise were a pain, but honestly, knowing the structure was solid made it worth it. We also swapped in recycled cellulose insulation while everything was open, and our AC bills dropped a bit after that.
I get why folks lean toward overlays for the upfront savings, especially if they’re not planning to stay long-term. But I always wonder about the environmental side—those old shingles have to go somewhere eventually. Has anyone here tried recycling their old roofing materials during a tear-off? Curious if it’s actually doable or just more hassle than it’s worth...
That’s a really good point about what happens to the old shingles. I’ve managed a few tear-offs over the years (mostly in Texas too), and the amount of debris is wild—those dumpsters fill up fast. The recycling question is tricky. In some places, you can actually find facilities that’ll take asphalt shingles and turn them into road material, but honestly, it’s not as common or as easy as I’d like. Last time we tried, our roofer had to call around to find a recycler, and there was an extra fee plus the hassle of separating out nails and underlayment. Most folks just send it all to the landfill because it’s simpler.
Still, I think it’s worth at least asking about with your contractor or waste company. Even if only part of the load gets recycled, that’s better than nothing. It does feel a bit wasteful tossing all those shingles, especially when you see how much comes off even a small roof.
On the deck damage—totally agree. I’ve seen overlays hide a lot of nasty surprises. One rental I managed had two layers and nobody realized half the plywood was rotted until we finally bit the bullet and tore everything off. Cost more upfront but saved us from bigger headaches down the line.
Overlay might make sense for a quick flip, but if you’re sticking around or care about what’s under there, tear-off just gives way more peace of mind. Plus, like you said, it’s a chance to improve insulation or ventilation while everything’s exposed.
Long story short: recycling shingles is possible but not always practical depending on where you live. Still, worth looking into if it matters to you. And yeah, the mess is brutal for a week or so, but having a solid roof (and lower AC bills) makes up for it in my book.
Overlay might make sense for a quick flip, but if you’re sticking around or care about what’s under there, tear-off just gives way more peace of mind.
Couldn’t agree more with this. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve peeled off that top layer and found rotten decking or even mold—stuff you’d never know was there if you just slapped new shingles on. Still, I get why folks want to avoid the mess and cost. Curious if anyone here has actually had luck with shingle recycling in smaller towns? In my area, it’s landfill or nothing, which is a shame.
Curious if anyone here has actually had luck with shingle recycling in smaller towns? In my area, it’s landfill or nothing, which is a shame.
Honestly, that's one of my biggest gripes with tear-offs—so much waste. Overlay isn’t perfect, but at least you’re not dumping another whole roof into the landfill right away. I get the peace of mind argument, but sometimes the “greenest” option is just making what you have last a bit longer, especially if your decking’s still solid. Not popular, I know, but worth thinking about.
sometimes the “greenest” option is just making what you have last a bit longer, especially if your decking’s still solid.
I get where you’re coming from, but I went the overlay route once and kinda regretted it. The old shingles hid some soft spots in the decking that I didn’t catch until later—ended up costing more to fix down the road. If you’re on a tight budget, overlay can work, but I’d say really check for hidden damage first. Sometimes spending a bit more upfront saves headaches (and cash) later.