How to Guide for Choosing Roofing in Louisiana

2020 and 2021 were record natural disaster years for Louisiana; hurricanes, a winter freeze, flooding, and tornadoes left many homeowners scrambling for roofing in Louisiana.  Couple the natural disasters with pandemic business closures that led to material shortages – sent construction cost, including roofing in Louisiana, through the roof. These factors led many homeowners in disaster-stricken areas to research roofing material options.

When you’ve been hit by a hurricane, you can’t afford to wait until the market stabilizes.  Aside from an addition to the home (adding a room), roofing is generally the most expensive home improvement an owner undertakes. The cost of a new roof is based on the size of your roof, architectural design, number of stories, roof material, underlayment chosen, complexity of the installation, difficulty of removal and disposal of the previous roof, warranties, and the contractor.

​In a hurricane-stricken area roof repair is fairly obvious. But aside from visibly damaged roofs, roof repair or replacement starts with a leak that appears as ceiling stain.  Ceiling stains are preferable to a drip or leak that can increase the area that needs repair, due to horizontal water movement.  Ceiling stains can be relatively inexpensive to fix if you don’t wait.

​Occasionally you can find the leaking roof source yourself, it is especially easy if your attic is unfinished.  Still, we recommend calling a roofing company in New Orleans to help locate and prevent further damage.  If the leak is isolated to a small section of your roof and your roof is new, a simple repair in the way of caulking the crack or replacing a section of shingles could do the trick.  However, if your home is approaching or past 20 years old, and you are experiencing recurring leaks, it may be time to consider a new roof with a new warranty.

While asphalt shingles, for their ease of installation and cost, remain the dominate choice for homeowners, which shingle roofing should you choose? With the plethora of vendors, and variety of architectural styles and colors, shingles are a natural choice; we recommend speaking with a few contactors to help you determine the right product for your project. In addition, metal, slate and tile are excellent options as well.  HOA’s may have a say in which type of product you are allowed to use. Before you start shopping, check with your HOA.

Tile is a popular product in dryer southern dryer states for its reflective qualities and Mediterranean style, while slate roofing is a more dominate pick the Northeast where historic Victorian homes are common.
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Metal roofing is found across the United States.  Metal performance greatly depends on the type of metal and contactor skill. Metal roofing can outlast a 30-year shingle roof by 20 years (50 years), while slate requires upkeep, it can double the life of a metal roof (think 100 years). ​

​Lifetime warranties are commonly promoted with asphalt shingles and while this may sound impressive, in roofing vernacular, a lifetime isn’t exactly a lifetime.  Generally, a lifetime is the around 10 years. The warranty may read 20, 30, 35, or 50 years, but there is a defined period that manufacturers will pay the original owners in full to replace a defective roof (full replacement period). At some determined point (usually 10 years) the warranty is paid on depreciating value starting after year 10, 15, or 20 and declines as more years pass.

Shingle roof warranties come with stipulations and include a great deal of fine print. We recommend finding a product specific contractor to install your chosen roofing.  Hiring an Atlas or Owens Corning professional contactor helps ensure your roof is installed correctly and in compliance with their training.  Cutting corners to save money when replacing a roof is the quickest way to negate your warranty.  Manufacturers typically do not cover natural disasters or acts of God, such as hurricane strength winds, tornadoes, or hail; these do however fall under homeowners’ insurance claims – ask your insurance agent about your natural disaster coverage and deductibles.

Given the variables with warranties, we suggest you focus on strong wind ratings and the New Orleans Roofing company you choose to install your roof.  If you plan to sell your home in the near future, you will want to know if the roof warranty is transferable with title, as that has value to potential buyers

​With the push for wind and solar energy solutions, you might be considering installing solar panels later, check with your roofing contactor to ensure solar-panel installation doesn’t void your roofing warranty.

​While replacing a roof cost more than purchasing the shingles, estimating the cost of shingles from the manufacturer could prove helpful when comparing roofing companies.  Shingles are priced by the square.  A square is equal to roughly 100-square-foot area.  If you want to estimate how much roofing you will need, measure each section of your roof in feet (remember to add 10% for waste), take your total and divide it by 100 to estimate the number of squares you’ll need to purchase.  We also recommend keeping a bundle or two on hand for future roof repairs.

If you have chosen a product line, check the manufacturers website for roofing contractor recommendations, you may find you have an existing relationship with one of their professionals, and simply needed a reminder to jog your memory (how often do you need a new roof). The roofers on their website will be trained in installation of their products. A manufacturer’s list of qualified contractors is a great place to start but finding a trusted roofing company in your community could prove more beneficial.  Experience counts in roofing, so look for a contractor that has years of experience and a good reputation. Look at their rating with the Better Business Bureau and check your local Chamber of Commerce to see if they have a good standing in their community.

Are you looking for roofing in New Orleans Louisiana?  Call Allied Xteriors Roofing and Waterproofing Systems for a roof inspection or quote.