RicodJour wrote:

Choreboy wrote:
I was amazed to discover only wood under the shingles of my house, which
was redone about fifteen years ago.

A neighbor said several roofers have told him that's the best way to do
it, and he intends to nail his shingles directly to his planks in the
future. Roofers have told him roofing felt shortens the life of
shingles by causing them to get hotter in the day.

I don't believe the felt makes shingles hotter, but I wonder about
moisture. Is it possible that in some circumstances, the layer of felt
can make shingles more hospital to fungi?

Has anyone else heard the theory that it's better to skip the felt?

I've also heard the theory that the world is flat.

The NY State Residential Code, based on the IRC with some minor
revisions, requires underlayment. The manufacturers of every roofing
shingle I've ever run across require underlayment.

Who exactly are these roofers that know more than the manufacturers and
feel they can ignore code?

R

I inherited the house my parents had inherited from my grandparents.
Fifteen years ago they hired the roofer my grandfather had once hired.
I think the roofer once had a good reputation, and his family still does.

The first time it snowed, my parents had leaking and found that he had
violated the building code. He would not make repairs until they hired
a lawyer.

Ever since, there have been occasional leaks in several rooms. They're
hard to trace because they happen only under certain conditions
(presumably wind direction and speed).

A week ago I discovered a hole in my roof. That's when I discovered the
roofer had not used felt. Near the peak, between the chimney and the
eave, the roofer had put in short planks without nailing them. They had
fallen against the soffit, leaving enough of a dip for the shingles to
leak. Down at the valley, the water from that leak had for fifteen
years been rotting planks, rafters, and shingles.

I can't complain to the roofer. He ended up driving a taxi. He was
murdered one night. The killer was assumed to be a robber. Maybe he
was a homeowner.

When I mentioned the lack of felt to my never-wrong neighbor, he told me
many roofers have told him that's the best way to do it. Should I ask
his wife to tape a shingle over his mouth?

My roof has a 6-in-12 pitch. I plan to reroof myself. Does roofing
felt provide decent footing? (Shingles with loose grit underfoot can
make a guy a little uneasy.)