Q. We are having plans made up for an extension to our house the kitchen and spare room. We are unsure whether to go for a flat roof or a tiled roof. Which is the preferred option or will be longer lasting?

A. A tile roof will last longer and have less maintenance. You have several options with a flat roof, and depending on the company that installs it and for both the climate you are in, it can last for years, or be a perpetual headache. Single ply membranes (like a rubber roof) typically last 10 years or so before they need maintenance. What happens is the rubber will shrink, creating tears at seams, or at the termination strip around your roof perimeter.

Depending on the design, a properly installed hot-mop roof (another type of flat roof system) will last 15-25 years. Both these designs call for rock aggregate over the top. This rock is used to help protect the under lying material from the weather.

Q. I'm thinking of changing from white/gray asphalt shingles to a light brown. Someone told me the brown would absorb more heat and raise my cost of air conditioning. Is there a rating for heat absorbency?

A. Actually, it's a bit more complex than that. It also depends on how well your roof is vented. Plus darker shingles help keep the house warmer in the winter. You need to weigh all the needs, not focus on a single season. The white/gray are called frost, the light tan are usually called autumn. The absorbency rate between the two is not very much.

Q. I noticed a bulge about 2 feet long and 6 to 8 inches wide in my roof. Upon going onto the roof I have found that there is no evidence of anything hitting the roof, and the shingles are all intact, but it feels like the bottom of one of the pieces of plywood sheeting has buckled upward several inches.

My house is only two years old, and my wife works for the homebuilder, so getting the roofers to repair it cheap or free is not a problem. But I was just curious if anyone had any idea what would cause this. While I was up there I inspected the rest of the roof and all seems fine.

A. How about the possibility that the decking was never completely nailed off during original construction? One problem with new construction is that a lot of the roofs are only warranted for a year In fact, even the smallest area of unnailed decking has a tendency to "poof" and buckle up if allowed to do so.


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Q. I have noticed two rafter tails near the valley of my roof starting to deteriorate from water damage. With a new roof, the source of the damage is taken care of, but what is the best way to take care of the rafter tails now?

A. It depends how bad the "deterioration" is. If it's only on the surface, sand down to solid wood with 60-grit sandpaper, then prime and paint. If it's bad, and you just want to improve the appearance, someone with a metal break could cover them with aluminum trim coil.

Q. What is G.A.F rubber roof? How it last long? Is it good for flat roofs? How do you maintain it?

A. GAF rubber roofs are rubber roofs made by the GAF corp. They have 14 types of Ruberoid Roofs, 6 types of Ruberoid Heat Weld Roofs, 2 Ruberoid Granular roofs, and 6 Everguard Rubber roofs. You have a lot to choose from. You need to have the correct roof for your situation. It is not easy to install. Most of the time, it must be installed by pros. It must be double glued, and the black glue comes in 5-gallon pails. The rubber is terribly heavy. You must be sure your roof can hold it, and the list goes on.

Q. I just had a garage built, and want to install the roof underlayment. Once installed, will it matter if it rains on this material? Do I need to install the shingles right away?

A. Either way, it won't matter so long as you plan on installing shingles in the very near future. If you're using standard tar paper and it gets rained on, you will notice it wants to buckle/wrinkle, which can be a pain to deal with. So if you're planning on shingling within a week, I wouldn't even bother installing tar paper until that time. A big misconception is that rain will hurt roof sheeting. Over a period it will - just as it would with wall sheeting - but many newly built homes are left sitting for a few weeks with exposed sheeting and deal with all the elements with no ill effects. Just get it shingled as soon as you can.

Q. My flashing around my chimney was rusting and left a rust stain on my roof. How do I remove the stain without damaging the shingles?

A. Obscure the discoloration with sparsely applied spray paint.

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