The central New Jersey area is flooded with roofers. Hamilton, Lawrenceville, Ewing, Trenton, Princeton, as well other areas throughout Mercer County contain dozens of roofing companies. Some companies have built up reputations throughout many years of service while some are just fly by companies that are here one day and gone the next. Many of our clients often ask us "Why are you adamant on a full roof replacement when "reputable roofer" company or "unknown roofer" company gave us a quote to re-roof over our existing shingles and it is considerably less than your quote of a full roof replacement." The quote you received is actually cheaper initially, but down the road, the advice "reputable roofer" company or "unknown roofer" company gave you will prove incorrect and much costlier than our initial quote for a full roof replacement.

Why a full roof replacement is the way to go

The biggest problem for a roof are leaks. If you do not remove your existing shingles, you are not able to check the condition of the decking, condition of the flashing, or if there is moisture underneath the shingles.

• If decking is rotted, then nails will not properly hold newly installed roofing shingles in place. Unfortunately, without removing your existing shingles, your roofer is unable to full check the condition of the decking.
  
• The same goes for flashing. Without a full tear off, you are unable to check the condition of your flashing. Damaged flashing will lead to leaks in the future, especially if you live in an area with considerable amounts of precipitation.
  
• Shingles installed on top of existing shingles will never lay completely flat. You will always see bumps and curves on your roof.
• Chances are that your roofer will not install your new roofing shingles over your old roofing shingles with the proper roofing nails, thus making them more prone to damage or being ripped off during higher wind gusts.
  
• Adding a second layer of shingles doubles the weight on your roof. Whether it is structural or added weight to your roof decking, your home was not designed to handle this weight along with the potential of carrying snow in the winter.
• Proper roof ventilation. When a roofer advises you to install a second layer of shingles then surely he is not taking your home's ventilation process into consideration. Roofing ventilation is one of the most important factors when determining how long your roof will last. Adding a second layer of shingles will shorten your roof's lifespan, thus requiring you to replace your roof much quicker than anticipated.
  
• Material Warranty. Most manufacturers will not honor their warranty if a portion of the roofing materials fail if there is a second layer of roofing installed.
  
• Costs. Though initially you are saving money due to less labor and no need for trash removal, down the road, you will pay much more - and quicker than anticipated too. All of the factors listed above will lead you to need another roofing job sooner than you think - materials and labor pricing fluctuates often. It is common for the costs of materials to rise twice, even three times per year. When you will come to the point that you need another roofing replacement prematurely due to having 2 layers of shingles on your roof, you will be forced to a tear off and haul away of two layers of shingles as you are not allowed to have three layers of shingles of your roof (building code).
  

At Brothers Roofing , we offer quality materials and fairly priced labor to our customers along with quality installs. We also offer a 10 Year Labor Warranty on roof replacements to offer our customers a peace of mind. Please contact Brothers Roofing at (609)508-3416 for any roofing, siding, or gutter services you may require.