Welcome to the Home Services Home Show — Episode 12
Welcome to the Home Services Home Show, where you’ll learn a lot you need to know — and a whole lot you don’t. It’s been a little while since our last episode, but not because we’ve been slacking. Quite the opposite — we’ve been busy helping homeowners, which is exactly what we’re here to talk about.
I’m Andrew Larson from Larson Home Services, and normally I’m joined by Joshua Keeney from Keeney Home Services. But today, Josh is out — and I’ve brought in a real expert to fill the seat (just kidding, kind of). Meet John Schmidt, our sales manager, who’s been with Larson Home Services since 2015.
“I’d like to think I know a few things,” John says, joking that some of his family thinks he knows a little too much. But nine seasons of roofing experience speaks for itself.
Before we dive into today’s topic, let’s briefly cover the state of Wisconsin sports. Not a whole lot going on, but the NHL playoffs are heating up — even if Wisconsin doesn’t have a team. Vegas and Florida in the finals? Not exactly traditional hockey towns. And over in the NBA, the Heat pulled off a wild series against Boston. Gotta love Jimmy Butler.
Roofing Myths: Let’s Bust a Few
Today’s main topic: Roofing myths. We’re busting through the common misconceptions homeowners have when it comes to roofing and ice dams. Some of these myths come from questions we’ve gotten from customers, and some are just things we hear all the time out in the field.
Let’s start with this one:
Do Dark-Colored Shingles Raise Your Energy Bills?
Short answer: Not if your home is insulated properly.
Your attic should be an isolated environment. If it’s air-sealed and insulated to R-60, the shingle color on your roof won’t make a bit of difference when it comes to your energy bills.
Whether your shingles are black or gray, they’re going to be hot on a 90-degree day. Open your attic hatch and feel that wave of heat hit you — even if you have “cooler-colored” shingles.
The real concern isn’t color — it’s insulation and ventilation. A poorly insulated attic can let heat transfer down into your home, especially on shallow-pitch roofs. But with proper air sealing and insulation, the temperature in the attic stays where it belongs — up top and out of the living space.
What About Ventilation?
People often assume attic ventilation is about cooling things down, but that’s not exactly true. It’s more about moisture control than temperature. Without good ventilation, warm moist air from your home can rise into the attic, condense on wood surfaces, and lead to mold or rot. That’s the real danger.
Can You Install New Shingles Over Old Ones?
Some cities actually allow it by code. But should you do it? Absolutely not.
There’s no way to know what’s under those existing shingles without tearing them off. There could be rotted wood, mold, poor ventilation, or worse. Installing new shingles over old ones is just masking a potential problem.
When we install a new roof, we want a clean canvas — just like a painter. That’s why we always look in the attic before a job. Sometimes, you can even see daylight coming through the roof deck — not good!
And when you install over existing shingles, you can’t redo essential components like leak barriers, pipe flashings, and roof-to-wall flashing. That means you’re risking leaks, voided warranties, and long-term damage to your home. It’s not worth saving a few bucks.
Aren’t All Roofing Materials Basically the Same?
That’s another myth. Roofing materials vary dramatically in quality. You get what you pay for.
At Larson, we offer a 50-year non-prorated warranty backed by GAF — the largest shingle manufacturer in the world. But we only get that level of warranty because we use high-quality materials: synthetic underlayments, proper flashing, and impact-resistant shingles.
Cheap felt paper? That stuff tears like construction paper in kindergarten. It won’t last. And while it may save money upfront, it often leads to leaks — which then leads to another roof replacement way too soon.
We want to do it once and do it right.
Can You Repair a Roof Yourself?
Sure… you can. But should you?
Unless you’re a professional roofer, you’re probably reaching for blackjack or Flex Seal — and that’s a temporary fix at best. Most of the DIY repairs we see are around chimneys and pipe boots, where someone just slathers on caulk.
We call our repair service roof restoration, because we’re not just patching — we’re fixing the root cause. And often, the shingles themselves aren’t even the issue. The problem is with flashing, underlayment, or installation shortcuts. DIY work usually doesn’t address those.
A Metal Roof Will Make Your Home Warmer
This one goes back to something we’ve already touched on—it’s not really about the material of the roof; it’s about insulation. People think, “Oh, a metal roof is going to make my house hotter,” but that’s just not the case if your home is insulated properly.
You could have a black steel roof, and sure, it’s going to get hot—but if your attic is sealed and insulated correctly, that heat isn’t going to make its way into your living space. It’s the same idea as an oven. My wife, Natalie, used to work with Wolf appliances, and if you think about it, without proper insulation, your oven would burn you on the outside. It’s insulation that keeps the heat where it’s supposed to be.
In fact, attic insulation might be even more important on days like today—when it’s 90 degrees out—because your attic can hit 140 to 150 degrees. And if you don’t have that barrier, it basically turns your ceiling into a radiant heater.
Now, could it be a problem? Yes, if you’ve got poor insulation or something like cathedral ceilings without an attic buffer. But in most cases, no—it’s not the metal roof that’s the issue. It’s all about the insulation.
Ventilation Isn’t That Important
This one’s definitely a myth. A lot of people believe ventilation doesn’t matter—or worse, that shingles will “bake from the inside out” without it. That’s not true.
Ventilation is mainly about managing moisture, not heat. Even with good ventilation, your attic will still get hot in the summer. The real issue is moisture buildup—if you don’t have the right air sealing and ventilation combo, you can end up with condensation, mold, and all kinds of issues.
We’ve learned a lot doing this kind of work. Every house is different, and we see new things all the time. I remember this one 800-square-foot house we worked on last winter. We sealed it up super tight and re-insulated it. A few days later, the homeowners called because they had water dripping from the ceiling. They thought it was a roof leak—but I knew it wasn’t. We had done the roof, and it was a simple A-frame. No way.
Turns out, they were plant lovers with tons of houseplants. Their relative humidity inside was around 90%. All that moisture, now trapped in a tightly sealed house, started condensing—especially in the cold corners. It wasn’t a leak—it was condensation.
We had to go back and install a bathroom-style exhaust fan in their hallway just to bring that humidity down. Because yeah—your lifestyle plays a big role in how your house performs. That’s why, when we come out, we ask questions like how many people live in the home, how often you shower, do you cook a lot—all that affects moisture levels.
Even in our own house, I’m always reminding my wife to let the bathroom fan run for at least an hour after a shower. Otherwise, that moisture just sits and can lead to mold.
Wrapping Up
So yeah, we busted some myths—and some were kind of “half-truths.” But that’s the nature of this work. It’s not just gutters and roofs—it’s building science. When it comes to roofing and energy efficiency, it’s all about understanding thermodynamics, airflow, and moisture control.
We actually just interviewed a guy who’s been teaching physics and engineering for 20 years. The moment we mentioned Dr. Energy Saver, he lit up—talking about conduction, convection, radiant heat transfer. It’s fun when you meet someone who really gets the science behind what we do.
Because we’re not just blowing in insulation—we’re making homes healthier, safer, and more efficient. Done wrong, this kind of work can actually put someone in danger. So we take it seriously.
Final Thoughts
It’s been awesome being on here today. I’ve wanted to join the podcast for a while now, and I’m glad I finally got to chat with you guys.
If you’re in Wisconsin and you’ve got issues with your gutters or roof, or maybe you’re not sure if you need a new roof or just a repair—reach out to us. A lot of contractors want to jump straight to replacing your roof, but sometimes we can restore it and extend its life, especially if it’s under 10 years old.
Check us out at larsonkeeneyhomeservices.com. You’ll also find a lot of helpful info and videos on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Thanks for tuning in—we’ll see you next time!
