I thought this post looked familiar, so I looked it up. I'm just shaking my head, because you've been posting questions for 2 years about the roof.

I really don't think anyone is going to remove the shakes by hand vs the conventional tear-off method around the valleys. That is unless you pay a premium price with absolutely no guarantees the copper could be reused.

I believe I said skip sheathing was a common practice for shakes. Although I have seen them installed on regular ply and OSB.

Yes, ice/water shield should be installed b4 the valley goes down.

I'm not familiar with the synthetic felts. But have heard they are a vapor barrier where as felt is not. I wouldn't hang my hat on 30lb felt for being the best. Back when I was in the business, I switched to a felt by Certainteed, which was called Roofers Select. It was a fiberglass felt (still organic), but would not wrinkle like normal 15 or 30 lb organic. It was a 15lb, and I swore by it over 30lb. It came in a 4 sq roll vs the 2 sq roll of 30 lb, and the cost was very close to the 30 lb, Normally you see the wrinkles in the morning, then the sun/heat stretches it back tight. The Roofers Select wouldn't wrinkle. Of course we attempted to cover everything tore off and felted, but sometimes it would have to be buttoned up over night with just felt.

I think the more you keep looking, the more confused you may get. Ask the roofers for jobs at least 5 years old, and prepare to talk with the owners of the jobs. If there were any problems, ask how they were addressed and if they were addressed promptly.

This post was edited by Roof35 on Wed, Dec 31, 14 at 20:15

this might seem like a dumb question..
but if the cedar shakes aren't leaking why replace? in most cases they'll last longer than shingles

if you going to replace..are you going to remove all way to the sheathing?
ok..

if so
what's the pitch?
are you installing a solid sheathing? cedar shake can be installed on 1x4 with spacing..something like 1x4 between..not so the any type of shingles

back to the pitch..
the lower the pitch 3:12..vs 12:12..1 ft rise for 3 ft run..or 12 ft for 12 ft run
put another way 3:12 - easy to walk on..or 12:12..got a rope?
if its close to 3:12 or less??? 30lb over lap 19in or more every layer...
12:12..15lbs 3-4inch over lap..

or go with a metal roof..

-dkenny

Okay, I see you've wanted to do this for a while. Question is, why do you want to replace a roof that's not leaking? I'm guessing that you don't like the look of it anymore - and you're seeing other roofs being done in your area that are really cool looking, with new colors and designer shingles.

The fact is: Cedar is the best roofing material out there. Well, barring a metal roof, cedar shingle does the absolute best job. Proof of the pudding is that you have no leaks!
You may not get any leaks in the foreseeable future - that means, your roof could stand up to 50 more years - just replace cracked shingles, and maintain your gutters, and you will probably do well.

Pros of the new asphalt shingles? Well they look great. They can last up to 50 years. You'll have to do maintenance every two years to replace broken or cracked shingles, and if you have other features, getting them inspected every 2 years will help. Regular gutter maintenance is essential, too.

Cons of ripping up your existing roof? You may disturb the flashing (copper) ruin your decking (plywood) and potentially create new problems. Imagine, the plywood that was used back when the roof was installed is probably pretty thick! To replace that, you'll have to pay much more than they did back in the day. You'll go for thinner, cheaper plywood, and that will cost a lot to replace all of it to keep the roof smooth and tidy.
Ripping the cedar, the decking, and replacing it will undoubtedly cost a bundle. And there's no knowing if there's another roof beneath that. 2-layer rips cost real money.

So question: Do you have $10,000 lying around to spend on your roof? Hmmmm.

I actually like the look but have been told by more than one roofer that my roof is about worn out and that the primary protection from leaks is the underlay. Figure I should replace before I do have a leak and additional damage. Although I don't plan to move I am certain that should I decide to sell, I would have to replace or give credit for a replacement. Another reason is that when I looked at changing insurance companies none would accept due to the composition and age. I am on hold till spring now anyway.