Roof Replacement in Iredell and Rowan County: Rotted Decking

What we found under the shingles

This roof came off an older brick home in our Iredell and Rowan County service area. It had plank decking, the wide boards builders used before plywood came along, and a chimney running through the roof. Once the old shingles were off, the eave told the story. The ends of the planks were dark and soft. Two rafter ends had gone the same way. From the driveway that roof looked tired but ordinary. With the decking opened up, it was clear the wood had been taking on water for a long time.

Why plank decking rots at the edge

Water usually does not get in through the middle of a roof. It gets in at the edges. Old drip edge, packed gutters, and worn underlayment let water sit at the bottom of the deck instead of running off the roof. Plank decking soaks it up. Board by board it goes soft, and the rafter tails right under it follow. On a house that never had good attic venting, trapped moisture speeds the whole thing along.

• ▸Gutters that hold leaves and water through the fall
• ▸Drip edge that is missing or set wrong
• ▸Underlayment that has aged past its service life
• ▸Attic venting that never moved enough air

How we replaced it

We cut the rotted plank ends out and put new lumber in. The bad rafter ends came out the same way and were framed back with solid wood. Once the framing was sound, we ran an OSB overlay across the entire deck. That gives a flat, consistent nailing surface over the old planks, so every shingle nail holds the way it is supposed to. Only then did the underlayment and the new shingle roof go down. The chimney on this house was part of the same tear off. We are a GAF certified installer, so the new roof goes on as a system, not as a pile of parts.

What this does to roof replacement cost

This is the honest answer to how much is a new roof. Decking repair is not always in the first number, because nobody can see under the shingles until the tear off starts. A licensed and insured roofer should tell you the price per sheet or per board up front, show you the rot in photos, and replace only what is bad. What you do not want is a crew that lays new shingles over soft wood to protect a quote. Financing is available if the repair pushes the job past what you had planned for.

Fall is the season to look

September is when this catches up with people. Summer storms and hurricane remnants push wind and rain into the edges of a roof. Then the leaves drop and fill the gutters. Insurance claim windows on summer storm damage do not stay open forever. A free on site inspection now costs you nothing and tells you what you are working with before winter.