Roof & Skylight Replacement with GAF Armorshield Shingles on Oakdale Pl in Boulder, Colorado

The Problem

Wayne's home on Oakdale Pl in North Boulder, CO had a roof original to the house, the home was built in 1983, and the roof had reached the end of its useful life. Active leaks around three skylights and a woodstove chimney, along with condensation damage to the decking beneath a cathedral (vaulted) ceiling. The roof decking was soft and unstable. A full replacement was the only way to address the deteriorated sheathing and stop the water intrusion for good.

Why It Needed Replacing

With decking damage spread across multiple areas and active leaks at three skylights and the chimney, targeted repairs would have addressed symptoms without fixing the underlying deterioration. At over 40 years old, the roof had simply run its course, and patching it further would have been throwing good money after bad.

What We Did

Wayne chose GAF ArmorShield II Class 4 Impact Resistant Shingles in Weathered Wood for its top-tier hail resistance and the strong warranty that comes with it, both important considerations for a home that had already seen its share of weather damage over four decades. The roof covered y 2,391 square feet and include installation of new Cobra SnowCountry Advanced ridge vent along the full ridge and Cobra IntakePro intake vent at the eaves, providing balanced ventilation that meets Boulder's building code requirements and shingle manufacturer specifications for a cathedral ceiling assembly. Basically, roof ventilation on vaulted ceilings is not easy, it takes experience, math, and creativity. Roofing the right way takes some brain power.

As part of the project, we replaced all three original skylights with VELUX curb-mounted units, including one large custom-dimensioned skylight over the garage. Because no standard flashing kit existed for the custom unit, we fabricated custom skylight flashing on site. Large sections of deteriorated 1/2" CDX Plywood sheathing around the skylight openings were replaced before the new units were set. We also completed some oinor interior trim work on the large skylight opening, finishing the new wood curb with Sherwin-Williams Sher Wood satin stain. A small section of leaf guard on the back of the house that was disturbed during installation was repaired with matching material. Before closing out the project, a VELUX field representative visited the home, inspected the skylight installations, and confirmed that WestPro's skylight installation work met VELUX's specifications, giving Wayne direct reassurance on his warranty coverage.

Project Details

The roof covers approximately 2,391 square feet across a steep-slope, cathedral-ceiling structure built in 1983. Three skylights were replaced, including one large custom-dimensioned unit that required fabricated flashing. Significant sheathing replacement was also part of the scope, with 76 sheets of OSB installed to address condensation damage that was particularly concentrated around the skylight openings. When the old plywood sheathing was removed, we installed baffles on top of the existing insulation to allow air flow from the new intake and exhaust, which was critical to our roof ventilation design working properly. After new OSB sheathing was installed, we cut in our intake vent and ridge vent, applied 2 courses of GAF Leak Barrier (aka Ice & Water Shield), GAF Tiger Paw Underlayment, tackled the skylight installations, and completed the shingle installation. For a "typical" size roof, this was actually a pretty big job and was more than what we encounter in an average roof replacement. However we have done many projects like this and they are more common on homes with vaulted or cathedral ceilings. Normally, a roof replacement of this size would be a 1 day job, but due to the complexity, the roof replacement took 2 full days, with some additional days to coordinate interior finishes and adjustment for skylights and trim work. Quite a few small details to handled before our final roof inspection with the City of Boulder Building Department could be passed.

Materials Used

GAF Snow Country Advanced Vent for Roof Ridge

GAF Cobra IntakePro® Rooftop Intake Vent

GAF WeatherWatch Leak Barrier

GAF Tiger Paw Premium Roof Deck Protection Underlayment

GAF Seal-A-Ridge® AS SBS-Modified IR Ridge Cap Shingles

GAF Pro Start

Owens Corning Raft-R-Mate 22 1/2" x 4 ft. Rafter Baffles

The Result

This project was completed by WestPro Home Exteriors in the late winter of 2026. Wayne was detail-oriented throughout, and the team worked hard to meet his high standards, from the custom skylight fabrication to the interior trim finish and the on-site VELUX visit. It was a complex job, and we are quite proud to say that Wayne was happy with the final result. Thanks Wayne!