# Tamko Heritage 30, or is it 50?



## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

I do a real lot of Cape Cods in the Elgin and Dundee Area in the NW suburbs.

You are already wrong about your ventilation observation, if they have 7 static air mushroom style vents in conjunction with continuous ridge vents.

Typically, on most Cape Cod style homes, there is a knee wall and a small crawl in space to the exterior of those upper rooms.

The rooms themselves typically have a vaulted/cathedral ceiling feature for the additional head room.

The insulation is commonly installed butted up the the bottom side of the Plank Board, solidly butted or Tongue and Groove Decking boards.

The static air mushroom vents are useless, since they are now preventing the air flowage from reaching the optimum height of the Ridge Vents.

Unless you have a full continuous Fresh Air Intake Ventilation System, which could be a continuous soffit vent along the overhangs, if your home has one, or a continuous Shingle Over Style Intake Vent System, such as the Smart Vent from DCI Products or the Edge Intake Vent from Air Vent Corporation.

Without the Intake Ventilation, their is no flowage. Just a minor amount of thermal buoyancy effective, but dramatically reduced.

Additionally, since the insulation is packed tightly to the bottom side of the decking boards, their is no "Minimally Required" 1 1/2" to 2" path for the lower fresh air to rise through each and every one of the individual rafter bays and be expelled at the Ridge Vent location.

You would need to install Insulation Baffle Vents, sometimes called Chutes, on the top side of all of the insulation.

What town do you live in?

Ed


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Oh, by the way.....

*I would choose the Tamko Heritage 50 Year Shingle for a a steeper pitched roof, such as a Cape Cod.*

The Natural Timber is my favorite color for common color schemes on homes and looks very nice when done, especially if the other flashings and gutters and detail work is color co-ordinated to match them.

We get the special touch up paint, to make all pentrations, such as Plumbing vent pipe soil stack flashings, damper vents and antennae tri-pod leg stands are all color cohesive for the entire roof.

Also, we would use Brown step and counter flashings where required to blend in cosmetically so no rustly galvanized tin step flashings are evident and exposed.

Ed


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## Slyfox (Jun 13, 2008)

I agree with Ed as usual,
but he may be jumpin the gun on the ventilation issue.
If there are "two pieces" of ridge vent, on the front ridges of the home (viewable from the street), and pot vents on the back of the home (not veiwable from the street), it very well may be that the ventilation issue was allready addressed,
both types of vents can be used on the same roof, so long as they are not installed side by side or rather one over top the other.

Make sure to ask your roofing contractor to specificly look at the ventilation issue for it is a determining factor in your roofs life span.

If it fits your budget, I would suggest the 50's, but the 30's properly installed, vented and detailed (flashings), on a steep slope roof should easily last 20 years or so before problems will begin to occurr.


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## thor (Jun 30, 2008)

Thanks SlyFox. Thanks Ed.

To Ed's questions:

We live in Woodridge, near I-53 & Hobson
From above, this Cape Cod home form's a capital "T" shape, rotated 90 degrees and parallel to the street. Protruding toward the street is the attached garage roof; protruding into the back yard is the sun room (these form the "top" of the "T"). These separate roofs each have ridge vents, and a total of 9 intake vents (5 for garage; 4 for sun room). The main line of the "T" is actually two roofs; one with 5 mushroom vents and 8 intake vents, and the other with two mushroom vents and 4 intake vents.
The knee wall is sealed, but it appears that crawl space can vent around the dormers to the 6 mushroom vents.
However, to Ed's point 3 of the 5 rooms on the second floor are vaulted. The foyer and living room are also vaulted. It might be that 20% of the roof has no real rafters beneath.
Also to Ed's point, the rafter bays are stuffed with insulation.
The original asphalt roof has lasted 18 years, and we're told it might last another 5-7 years more. This makes me think that the venting might be good enough. The roof is being replaced because four dormers are covered with cooper barrel roofs that have failed due to improper installation, and replacing that cooper roof requires removing shingles. In turn, this leads to replacing the entire roof, as well as wishing we had bought a town home.

Sorry for the life story. Thanks for the feedback. Let me know if you have other thoughts.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Sorry I was away when you last responded.

I guess that the current Ridge Vents are working okay then, so don't worry too much about the other uprading of the ventilation, unless it is a minimal add on, then do it.

Ed


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## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

The two best colors in the 30year or 50 year in the brown family in my oppion is aged wood or natural timber However seeing how you talking the 50 year i say go with the Heritage XL ar 40 year in weathered stone. Which is very esthetic pleasing.

Seeing how you live in woodridge on 53 if you don't personally know that roofer your thinking about going with. I would ask ed for a bid. Thats within his area of roofing.


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## thor (Jun 30, 2008)

747, thanks for the recommendation. I had the same thought when I first found this site and read a few of Ed's postings. His knowledge and attention to detail is clear, as well as his experience with Tamko products. However, the roofer for this project is operating under a general, who is also coordinating carpentry, siding, drywall, and windows. Essentially we’re replacing a significant portion of the front elevation, as well as the roof – cooper and asphalt. This is a big project with a lot of interrelated pieces, and I need the general to own the team. I begin to loose that if I try to define his team. With these posts I've been trying to sanity-check what I'm hearing about the asphalt roof. If this was “only” about the roof, we would have considered other options, and we would have been lucky if Ed was available to consider.


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

the roof is the most important part of the structure,as it protects everything below it,what`s necessary is that the job is performed properly,not so much that a GC can make a profit from someone`s work,my opinion is that it`s your,and the "general`s" loss not to consider ED as Riteway roofing is the premier outfit in that location,you only get covered under a warranty if the work is performed to the manufacturers specs-best of luck


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Thanks for the affirmations from all 3 of you guys, but I agree that it is best to work with the GC's chosen Subs due to familiarity.

It's appreciated though.

Ed


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