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If you are familiar with this 2014 song by Meghan Trainor, she wasn’t singing about that base, but rather that bass. However, if your having a new roof installed, then the current base to be concerned with is correctly listed above in the title.

Installing a new roof is often centered around which quality of roofing product you choose to install. It is assumed that if you select a 30 Year Roofing product than all you need to do is find someone to install it for you. In a perfect world, one without rot, sags, inferior products, poor workmanship and just plain old man time, that would be the case. But generally speaking, installing the roofing product is the last and often  easiest part of the roof installation.

Let me explain. The majority of roofs that leak and fail are not due to the fact that the roofing product is completely worn out. Often times the problem originates below the surface of the roofing shingles at the roofing deck. Rotted wood that can’t hold nails, decking that is warped and lifting, sags that send the water sideways and even areas of the roof that are unsafe and poorly constructed.

There is also another reason to make sure your roof deck is addressed: aesthetics. So maybe your sagging overhangs just look like there’re going to fall off, or your garage roof only appears ready to drop on your cars. We often judge the soundness of a house by the appearance of the roof. Generally speaking, you can’t fix all the ills that time has brought, but it important to consider which ones may make your house more sellable or pleasing to your eyes.

Once the new roof is installed, it’s too late. Before you even begin considering shingle styles and colors, that’s when it’s time to discuss the roof deck. Start with making sure all the rot and functionality issues are addressed first. Then consider addressing those area that may improve the look and soundness of your house. If you choose the best roofing products and install them over a inferior base, you may as well select the cheapest roofing material since the deck problems will surface long before the roof material wears out.

So what is a homeowner supposed to do? Any company can throw a new roof covering on a house. Well – that’s not true either – you need to hire a professional roof installer to do the job correctly. But, what really separates the pros is their ability to address the base. Cascade Roofing has been doing this in the Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, and Milwaukie area since1959.

Let it be known, it is easier on the installer and the customer’s wallet not to address the base. But also let it be known that only works for so long, before trouble appears. As the song says, it’s all about the Base.