Need help on shingled siding

10 years ago

Hi all. I just had my
roof replaced. It’s a long story, but
the flashing was failing in many spots, so I decided to have pretty much all
the flashing between the roof and sides replaced as well. So I got bids, had conversations, and chose a
roofer. The new roof seems great. Very happy with it. But the house has shingled siding and they
had to remove and replace a lot of siding in order to replace the
flashing. I need some
opinion/perspective on the quality of the siding work they did. The painter arrived today and is telling me it is bad. I am attaching photos. The dark gray is the original shingles, the
white-ish ones are new. The spacing
between the new shingles is mostly non-existent (they are butted right up
against each other). The old shingles
have a pretty consistent spacing of about ¼ inch between them. I think this contrast in spacing will look
pretty bad once they paint the new shingles. The painter also said that the shingles need room to expand and contract, or they
will eventually buckle and fail. I have
looked at some shingle manufacturer installation guidelines, and they all recommend
1/8, 1/4 or even 3/8 inch spacing. Can
anyone take a look and tell me if this looks like poor quality work? I did not go with the lowest bid, and paid quite
a lot of money for this work. I am
wondering if I need to push to have it re-done.
Thanks for any help.

left side is new; right side is old:

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all new work; very few gaps between shingles, and split shingles under left corner:

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original gray shingles up top; new white below left:

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same:

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side of dormer - no gaps, uneven lines:

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all new shingles - very little gap/spacing?

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Featured Answer

millworkman

10 years ago

The crooked shingles look like he grabbed them from the bundle and nailed them right no, no planing or squaring.

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Comments (11)

randy427
10 years ago
ISTM the shingles should have been painted before being installed, and yes, the spacing is a problem.
User
10 years ago
The VERY FIRST thing you is look at your contract with the roofer. What exactly does it say about the shingles?
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aztec123
Original Author
10 years ago
The contract does not say anything about the shingled siding. It only refers to the roof shingles.
aztec123
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi. The roofer is saying it was humid when they installed the cedar shingles, so they left no gaps so they can shrink over time and create gaps. I don't know what to think of this response - if they are going to shrink that much, won't the shingles crack where the nails are?

Thanks for any advice.
sambah006
10 years ago
The shingles will shrink.

I'd be more concerned with the lines being crooked.
aztec123
Original Author
10 years ago
Does anyone have perspective on if they take the shingles down and re-do the job, can they use the same shingles? Or are shingles a one-shot deal? They're expensive!
Tim Walker
10 years ago
Talk to the company that makes the shingles. Ask them what kind of shrinkage and recommended install method in your climate.
aztec123
Original Author
10 years ago
Great idea! I called them. They said there needs to be a gap no matter how humid the weather is when installing.

I'm doing a walk-thru with the contractor later this week. I'm going to ask to have the shingles taken down and redone. I am willing to kick in a few $$ to try and compromise.

I'm going to focus him on proper spacing, as well as getting them straight(!). If anyone else sees anything I should mention, feel free to comment.

Thanks for the help.
Pines Everywhere
10 years ago
Similar to what sambah006 said ... they will shrink (more than expand) .. and over time some will crack. Cracking can be fixed by caulking or replacing a shingle here-n-there (it is easy). One thing you might check ... is what the original grey shingles looked like when installed (original home owner ???) -- point is if you increase the spacing too much then your gaps will be really big over time. Then they will be a real pain to paint. Believe me ... spray and back-brushing brush needed.

The crooked rows are bad in one of your sections. Good luck! 2/3rds of my home is cedar shake ... living the dream .. living the dream. LOL
Catherine
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Why do you have to pay for their mistake ? I am tired of these people who do shoddy workmanship and the homeowner has to pay. If you do not know what you are doing then DO NOT DO IT.