Salt Lake City & surrounding counties
Asphalt shingle roofs, from the bare deck to the last bundle
Most of the shingle roofs we work on in Herriman are laminated asphalt. How long one of those roofs lasts comes down to what goes on the deck before the shingles, and how carefully the shingles go on over it.
Under the shingles, where the water gets handled
Shingles turn away most of the water that hits them, but some always gets by. That is especially true here, where wind-driven rain shoves water sideways up under a lap. Whatever gets past the shingles lands on the layer underneath, so that layer is where a replacement really starts once the old roof is off and the deck checks out.
We lay synthetic underlayment over the open field. It stays flat when it gets damp, it holds together when a gust grabs it halfway down a slope, and the crew can keep their footing on it on a steep pitch. Felt is still fine for a small patch that has to match an older roof. On a full replacement we leave it on the truck.
Ice-and-water shield goes down first at the eaves, in every valley and around every pipe and vent. It is a self-adhering membrane that seals itself around each nail, and it is what stops winter ice backing up under the shingles from ever reaching the ceiling. At the eave it has to reach up the slope past the line of the interior wall. Any metal or fastener left exposed is galvanized or stainless.
Lines on the deck before the nailer comes out
In this photo a gloved hand is driving a yellow coil nailer across new gray shingles, and the blue chalk lines snapped across the courses are easy to pick out. Those lines go down before anybody fastens a thing. Each shingle then takes six nails, all of them in the nail line, so courses that look straight from the street are also held down the same way.
A course that drifts an inch over the length of a long plane looks fine up close and crooked from the street, and once one row wanders, every row above it follows along. Snapping lines keeps the courses straight and the exposure even from one rake edge to the other. It also keeps the pattern on a laminated shingle from lining up into stripes, which is what happens when the offset between courses gets sloppy.
On a roof with a lot of planes, the lines also tell us where each course has to land so it meets the next plane cleanly at a hip or a valley, instead of finishing in skinny slivers. Nobody notices that on a good roof. You notice it right away on a bad one.
How a replacement day runs
Trailer and chute
Where they go gets settled before the crew arrives, around the slope of the drive, the gas meter, the sprinkler heads and the shortest carry for debris.
Tear-off
The old shingles and underlayment come off down to the bare deck. This is the loud part of the day.
Deck check
We walk the bare sheathing, and dark or soft wood, or rust at the old nail points, gets shown to you before anything covers it.
Membrane and underlayment
Ice-and-water shield at the eaves, valleys and penetrations, then synthetic underlayment over the rest.
Shingles
Lines snapped, courses laid, and bundles mixed together as we work across each plane.
Cleanup
Debris goes in the trailer, and the yard and driveway get gone over for loose nails before we pack up.
Pulling from more than one bundle
This close-up shows gray laminated shingles in several tones meeting a hip line that has already been capped. That mix of light and dark pieces is what gives a laminated roof its depth, and it is also something that can go wrong in a way you can see from the curb.
Shingles out of one bundle tend to run close to the same shade, and one bundle can sit a touch lighter or darker than the next. If a crew empties bundles one at a time across a plane, you can end up with a dark patch here and a pale band over there. We open several bundles and pull from all of them as we go, so the tones mix evenly across the whole roof.
A laminated shingle is also thicker than a three-tab, so it hides the small waves in an older deck. Three-tab still has its place on a rental, a shed or a repair that has to match what is already up there, and we will use it where that makes sense. For a whole house we recommend laminated. If you want to talk over which one fits your place, drop us a note. And if a tear-off turns up sheathing that cannot hold a new roof, our Herriman roof deck replacement page covers that part of the work.
The shingles are the part everybody sees. Most of what keeps the water out is underneath them.
Living in the house while we are on it
A full asphalt replacement on most houses here runs one to two days once we are set up, and chances are you will be home for at least some of it. A tear-off is loud. Scrapers and hammers on the deck carry through every room, and things on a shelf can rattle. If there is a baby who naps, somebody working from a home office, or someone who works nights and sleeps days, let us know when you book. When the roof allows it, we start on the side farthest from that room.
Dust and old nails can shake loose into the attic during a tear-off, so anything stored up there or sitting right under the hatch is worth covering the night before. If the weather pushes the start back a day, we call and tell you.
A full replacement carries our 10-year workmanship warranty. We are a woman-owned, family-run crew in our second generation, with 27 years in the trade, and Herriman is part of our regular Salt Lake County work. If you are building instead of replacing, the first roof on a new house is on our Herriman new construction roofing page. If your roof needs looking after more than it needs replacing, see our Herriman roof maintenance page, and if water is already coming in, start with emergency roof repair for Herriman.
The valley-wide rundown is on our main asphalt shingle roofing page, the town itself is on our Herriman service area page, and finished roofs are in the gallery. Call (801) 382-8898 or use the contact page, and we will come walk the roof with you before we quote anything.
Where Herriman sits on our map
Herriman’s spot at the south end of the valley, up against the Oquirrhs, is part of our Salt Lake County route, and we are on roofs out there often.
How long does an asphalt shingle replacement take?
One to two days for most houses once we are set up. Steeper roofs, extra layers to strip and roofs cut up by lots of valleys run longer, and you will know which group yours falls into before the start date.
Should I choose laminated or three-tab shingles?
For a whole house, laminated. It is thicker, it hides small waves in the deck, and the mix of tones keeps a long plane from looking flat. Three-tab still makes sense on a rental, a shed or a repair that has to match.
What goes under the shingles?
Ice-and-water shield at the eaves, in every valley and around every penetration, then synthetic underlayment over the rest of the deck. Any exposed metal or fasteners are galvanized or stainless.
Do you check the decking during a tear-off?
Yes. Once the old roof is off we walk the bare sheathing. If any of it is dark, soft or rusted at the nail points, we show you before it gets covered and replace what cannot hold a new roof.
Is there a warranty on a new shingle roof?
A full replacement carries our 10-year workmanship warranty, which is our promise on the installation itself. Ask us anything about it when we come out to walk the roof, and you will get a straight answer.
What do you put on the hips and ridge?
Purpose-made hip and ridge cap, every time. Some crews cut three-tab shingles into pieces and fold them over the peak, and those pieces tend to crack along the fold and lift sooner than cap made for the job.
The rest of the Herriman work
Talk to Hancock
Thinking about a new shingle roof?
Plan a replacement with us. We walk the roof first, show you what the deck and the old shingles are telling us, and give you a plain answer on what the house needs.