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Roofing · Check it yourself

Wood shingle under the asphalt

Some houses of this era had asphalt laid over the original cedar. You can usually spot it yourself at the roof edge. Establish it before anyone prices the job, because it changes the tear-off scope.

More on pre-1940 roofs
Quick answerSome houses of this era had asphalt laid over the original cedar. If the roof edge shows a thick sandwich at the rake, that is likely what you have. It changes the tear-off scope substantially and should be established before pricing. You can handle this one yourself. No call needed: a look at the rake edge and the attic usually tells you.

This is most common in homes built before about 1940. Wood shingles were the original roof on many pre-war houses. When asphalt came along, it was often nailed straight over them instead of tearing them off.

Close view of a wood shingled roof
A wood shingled roof. On many older houses, a layer like this is still under the asphalt. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.

1Why it matters

  • More to tear off. Wood shingle is extra material to strip and dispose of, on top of the asphalt layers.
  • What’s under the wood. Wood shingles were often laid on spaced boards, which then need new sheathing before asphalt can go on.
  • Quotes that don’t match. If one contractor knows about the wood and another doesn’t, their prices aren’t comparable.

2How to check it yourself

  1. Look at the rake edgeAt a gable end, look at the edge of the roof from a ladder or from an upstairs window. A thick sandwich with a wood layer at the bottom is the sign.
  2. Look up from the atticSpaced boards with the back of wood shingles visible between them means the original wood roof is still there.
  3. Check any old roof paperworkInspection reports and old permits sometimes mention it.
  4. Write it down for every quoteTell each contractor what you found so they all price the same tear-off and decking.
Doing it yourself

All of this is looking, not roof work. Use a ladder set properly at the gable, keep three points of contact, and don’t walk on the roof. In the attic, step only on joists.

3What to do with what you find

Do it yourself

  • Confirm the wood layer at the rake and in the attic
  • Photograph it
  • Ask for the wood tear-off and any new sheathing to be priced up front

Leave to the roofing crew

  • The actual tear-off and disposal
  • New sheathing over spaced boards
  • Everything done on the roof surface

4What drives the cost

A wood layer adds tear-off labor and disposal, and spaced boards underneath usually mean new sheathing over the whole roof. Knowing this before you get quotes keeps it out of change orders.

Roofing cost

5Questions

Can new shingles go over the wood?

On a roof that already has asphalt over wood, the next roof should come off down to the deck. Another layer hides the deck and adds weight.

Is wood under the asphalt a fire or safety problem?

It’s mainly a scope and cost question for the next reroof. The point is to know about it before the job is priced.

Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.