Sometimes spending a bit more upfront saves headaches (and cash) later.
That’s been my experience too. I get the appeal of just slapping another layer on—cheaper, less mess, and you don’t have to deal with a bare roof if the weather turns. But when I finally tore off my old shingles, I found a couple of spots where water had been sneaking in for years. The decking looked fine from the attic, but up top it was soft as a sponge in places. Ended up replacing more wood than I’d budgeted for.
Not saying overlays are always a bad call—if your roof’s still solid and you’re not planning to stay in the house forever, it can buy you time. But if you want peace of mind or plan to stick around, that full tear-off is worth considering. It’s one of those “pay now or pay later” deals. Either way, good on you for weighing both sides instead of just going with what’s cheapest upfront. Too many folks skip that step and regret it down the line.
That’s a good point about attic inspections not always telling the whole story. I’ve seen plenty of cases where the decking looked fine from below, but once the shingles came off, there were hidden soft spots or even mold that just didn’t show up until the tear-off. Overlaying can definitely mask those issues for a while, but like you said, it’s a gamble if you’re planning to stay put.
One thing I’ve wondered about is how much local climate factors into this decision. In areas with heavy snow or big temperature swings, I’ve noticed overlays sometimes lead to more ice damming or ventilation problems. Anyone else run into that? I’m curious if folks in milder climates have better luck with overlays holding up long-term, or if the risks are pretty much the same everywhere.
I’m in the Midwest and just bought my first place last year, so this is all new to me. My inspector said the roof looked “fine,” but now I’m second-guessing whether that means the decking’s actually solid or just looks okay from below. I’ve got asphalt shingles and we get a lot of freeze-thaw cycles here. Does anyone know if those cycles make overlays more likely to fail, or is it more about how well the attic breathes? I keep hearing mixed things about ventilation vs. climate being the bigger issue.
I’ve wondered the same thing, honestly. My place is about 40 years old and I’ve got those Midwest winters too. From what I’ve read (and what a roofer told me), freeze-thaw cycles can mess with overlays more because any trapped moisture under that extra layer has nowhere to go. But then again, poor attic ventilation just makes everything worse—ice dams, mold, you name it. I’m leaning toward a full tear-off next time just for peace of mind, but it’s not cheap. Anyone else had overlays hold up in this kind of climate?
I’ve seen overlays last a decent while, but it’s always a gamble in our weather. My uncle did an overlay on his ‘70s ranch, and the first few years were fine. Then a brutal winter hit and he started getting leaks around the chimney—turns out ice was backing up under both layers. The roofer said trapped moisture was part of it, but also the old shingles underneath had curled more than anyone realized. Full tear-off is pricier, but you get to check the decking and fix any rot, which might save headaches down the road. Still, I get why folks go for overlays when budgets are tight.
