REPLACE THE ROOF ✓ – ALL THE DETAILS ON OUR NEW SHINGLES

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We have a new roof over our heads! Three cheers for no more leaks and crossing one project off our summer project list!! 

Replacing the shingles wasn’t originally on our to-do list…that is until we had a hail storm that damaged our roof, gutters, downspouts, and some siding. Thank goodness for homeowners insurance! It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we always assumed our shingles were gray, but after looking closer we realized they were in fact brown. I don’t mind brown, but this would have definitely limited our color palette options for the siding. Thanks to the hail storm, we had the opportunity to pick a new shingle color that’s more neutral! 

Our contractor sent us some shingle color samples to look at and since we don’t have a siding color selected yet, we had to pick our shingles based off of a hypothetical color we thought we might paint our siding…cue us taping paint swatches to the shingles to compare color combos. It’s risky business my friends. We decided on the “Charcoal Grey” shingles in the Cambridge collection from IKO. The color varies from charcoal to medium gray and it (fingers crossed) will allow us to pick whatever siding color we want!

I gotta say, it was the weirdest/best feeling to hire a crew to do the roof for us! I can see why so many prefer to hire work out! 🙂

I should also mention that before they replaced the roof, Chris and I scrambled to rip off the old fascia (it was rotting and chipping) and we replaced it all with new, freshly painted boards. Very few people will notice this change but it cleaned up the exterior immensely in our eyes! Simple things that like can make such a big difference!

The gutters and downspouts have also been replaced (not shown in photos) and we’re thankful for that unexpected upgrade.

Now I need to be honest with you, I knew very little roofing terminology before this project started and I needed quick rundown from Chris (and google) to get up to speed. Here are a few terms I learned that drastically helped me understand what our contractor was talking about –  

• Fascia – The trim boards that line the edge of the entire roof.

• Ice + Water Shield – A waterproof underlayment that prevents damage from ice dams and wind driven rain.

• Underlayment – A water resistant barrier that’s installed under the shingles.

• Ridge Cap – The shingles that cover the peak of your roof.

• Flashing – A thin sheet of metal that is used to direct water away. It’s installed anywhere that the roof meets a vertical surface such as a wall or chimney.

• Drip Edge – A thin sheet of metal that’s installed along the entire edge of the roof. It drapes over the top of the fascia to direct water away from the roof and fascia.

• Soffit – The underside of where your roof overhangs.

Next on the docket – siding. We’ve always had plans to replace some of the siding. Portions of the metal siding are rusting and other portions are bent pretty bad. Most of the siding that needs to be replaced is on the back of the house – the same area of the home that was also damaged from hail. So again, this hail storm really helped us out! We’ve been going back and forth with a company on what our best options are and I think we’ve come to a decision. If you’re curious to see what our game plan is – check out this post!