Is there water in those valleys? While a river can be beautiful, when that river is running down your roof, it can be problematic. Make sure that the water that falls on your home successfully moves into your gutters and downspouts rather than sitting in your roof’s valleys. Here’s how to shingle your roof to protect those valleys and ensure that water flows.

What Is a Roof Valley?

A valley is an area on your roof where slopes meet. For instance, if you have a higher-sloped area that slides down to an area with a lower slope, that’s a valley. If you have a dormer window, that creates valleys as well. Unless you have a very simple roof, you likely have some roofing valleys with which to work. These valleys can develop problems over time if water pools in them. Water that pools can seep under your shingles, leading to rot.

Shingling a Roof Valley

If you’re working with a professional to shingle your home, you will likely see one of several possible methods used to shingle your roof valleys.

• Weaving shingles together uses fewer materials and gives the roof a consistent look in the valley area. According to Fine Homebuilding, “interlocking weave provides double coverage, which makes it the most weather- and wind-resistant choice.”
• The shingles need to be pushed into the valley. and you can’t nail close to the valley center. There are drawbacks to this method, however. It is slow to complete, and the two sides of the roof need to merge at the same time. There is a danger that if it is not done properly, there can be spaces underneath the shingles. If there is a shingle repair in the future, the weaving can be difficult to redo, and the roofing contractor needs to remove many shingles to get to the ones that need to be replaced.
• Closed-cut methods place one shingle under the other, and the shingles cross in the valley. It looks like the shingles have been cut in a line down the middle of the roofing valley. This method does not create hollow spaces under the shingles. However, it still means that shingles are the only way that your roofing valley is protected. One benefit of this method is that the two sides don’t need to be shingled at the same time.

Using Flashing on the Roof Valley

A third method of roofing the valleys of your home involves adding flashing to the roof valleys. After the shingles go onto the roof, the contractor adds flashing in the area where the shingles connect. This metal flashing is very durable. Adding flashing to the valleys prevents water from moving into the roof in the valley area. Some people enjoy the look of flashing and may use colors that complement the roofing color to highlight the topography of the roof. Other people don’t like to have the roofing valleys be so visible.

At Lednor Home Solutions, we’re focused on helping you create a strong, durable home for your family. Whether you need a roof installation or a new gutter, we’re here to help.  Schedule a free estimate today.