Roofing terms

A measure of roof area. 1 square = 100 square feet of roof surface. An average three-bedroom house has between 1,600 and 1,800 square feet of roof space

A bundle of shingles. It takes three bundles of asphalt shingles to cover 100 square feet of roof area.

A sheeting installed under the shingles as an inexpensive  secondary covering. No. 15 felt is asphalt-saturated.

The area where two sloping roof sides meet to form a V-shape

This is a neoprene covering that seals gaps around the plumbing vent pipe as it pokes through the roof.

A roof-mounted, covered opening designed to draw warm, moist air out of the attic.

Duraflo type air vents are the standard square mushroom vents (1 foot x 1 foot).

Ridge vents, available in 8 and 10 foot lengths, run along the peak of a roof.

Turbine vents spin when windy to pull warm air out of an attic.

Venmar/Maxi vents also pull air from an attic but have no turbine to maintain. Like a turbine vent, this vent is 18 inches high and is unlikely to be buried by snow.

Flashing is galvanized sheet metal (sometimes pre-painted) applied at joint of the roof with chimneys, walls, dormers and valleys. The metal sheet prevents joint leaks.

Drip Edge is installed where the roof surface meets the fascia, and directs water into eaves troughs and helps prevent shingles from curling at the roof edge.