Is Roofing a DIY job – Experience considerations

Alright, if the story in the last blog post in this series didn’t deter your from DIY, at least you have learned to avoid a pitfall.  You aren’t going to fall into that trap and focusing solely on lowest delivered price.  You are certainly not going to shop at DIY-friendly big box stores, but you know you need to research where the professional roofing contractors shop and ordering your materials appropriately.  You might pay a little bit more, you might pay a little bit less, but delivery to your roof => when you aren’t carrying it up the ladder this is priceless.
 
Next up, roofing looks pretty simple.  And if you got the Taunton Press Books I recommended, you have a Standard Operating Procedure of sorts.  And these are widely considered some of the best source materials for DIY, so it isn’t me trying to mislead you.
 
However let me ask you a couple of questions about your profession.  I will first assume you are an expert in your field.  If I ask you, and five (5) other experts in your field the same question, am I likely to get the same answer?  I have a friend who is a Civil Engineer, and he tells me that if you ask five (5) Civil Engineers the same question you are likely to get ten (10) different answers.  He will also tell you engineers are pretty dysfunctional like that though.
 
My point is, you read that Taunton Press Book that was the compilation from Fine Homebuilding Magazine.  The authors are all experts in their field, these articles are edited for quality, accuracy, and value to the readers of Fine Homebuilding.  And yet in that book, there are at least four (4) ways delineated as “best method” to flash a valley.  All published at different times, and all published from different geographic areas.  So what is different?  Different experiences, perhaps due to different timing of learning or due to geographic considerations?  If you are a DIY-capable homeowner, you wouldn’t be expected to be an expert in the field.  You are researching to save money, get better quality, pride in your work, or maybe a bit of all three (3).  What you don’t have are lessons from experience.
 
For the record, in my service area (southern Jackson County Missouri) you will find that most roofing professional contractors use an open-valley technique with factory paint finished aluminum flashing.  Thicker is better (up to a point), but aluminum is soft, easy to form, and holds its shape so is a DIY-friendly material.  Make sure you lap it correctly, and use high quality caulk where necessary.  There are exceptions though, and these exceptions are based on specific roofs.
 
And if we can’t agree on even basic roof valleys, just imagine how our disagreements escalate when talking about more complex roofing details.
 
A roof is your first line of defense for your most valuable asset.  What are the ramifications of not understanding the different potential solutions to a common roof detail such as a valley?  Roof leaks?  This isn’t the same as mixing your joint compound too thick and having to spend extra time sanding your new sheetrock wall in your man cave, or having to use an extra coat of paint to get good paint coverage.  The consequences here are much greater than time or labor.

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