Keeping a Roof Repaired
Wet Areas Showing Up In Your Ceiling? Check The Tiles On Your Completely Flat Roof
If you notice large, wet spots showing up in your ceiling, and you can’t find any visible leaks in the material, check the tiles on your completely flat roof. Flat roofs may develop leaks and other issues over time. The problems usually happen when water or melting snow puddles or ponds on the surface of the roof. The water eventually seeps through your roof’s substrate and into the ceiling. Here are things to know about puddling water and what you can do to stop it. What’s Ponding Water? Your completely flat roof doesn’t have enough slope, or pitch, to allow water to drain from its surface, which leads to ponding. Ponding is a term used to describe water that doesn’t dry up within a certain amount of time. The water forms large puddles instead. When ponding occurs on flat roofs, the water generally takes two days or more to dry up. If it rains during that time period, the puddles increase in depth and size. Puddling water has a tendency to seep beneath roofing tiles and shingles, which can place your roof and the structures beneath it at risk for sagging, deterioration and other problems. If you stand out in the yard and examine the top of the home from different angles, you might notice that it sags in places, appears uneven or somewhat lopsided. The wet tiles and puddling water may weigh down your roof, which creates hazardous conditions if it collapses. The best way to avoid or stop the issues above is to prevent water from ponding on the roof in the first place. How Can You Keep Water From...Best And Worst Roofing Materials For A Saltbox Roof On A Freestanding Garage
A saltbox garage roof offers a bit of extra space in the upper areas for a loft or extra storage but is more durable than the roomier gable roof style. Saltbox roofs have a short front segment that gently slopes upwards towards a peak. After the peak, a steeper and longer section slopes downwards towards the back of the garage. If you have or are considering a saltbox garage roof style and need new roofing materials, there are a few materials in particular that are better or worse matches for this roof shape. Here are a few options you can discuss with your roofing company. Best: Asphalt Saltbox roofs have large surface areas that typically aren’t visible to someone standing facing your house. This factor makes it wise to choose a roofing material that is both cost-efficient and durable more than attractive. Asphalt shingles fit the bill. Asphalt shingles aren’t unattractive since the shingles can be fabricated in numerous colors and to resemble different building materials like brick or stone. Asphalt is a bit more artificial looking than the real alternative materials, but that might not be a major issue for you since the roof won’t be that visible. You do want to be careful using asphalt if there are no windbreaks behind the garage. That steeply sloping rear segment can become a wind magnet and the gusts can loosen or remove the lightweight asphalt shingles. Best: Metal Saltbox roofs are a great shape for natural water and snow drainage. But the presence of windowed dormers out of the top of the roof can pose a waterproofing concern. The...Busy Business Owner: 5 Tips For Keeping Your Commercial Roof In Great Shape
If you own your own business, one of the last things on your mind most days is probably your roof. However, if you want your building to stay in great shape, you need to stay on top of taking care of your roof. Here are the three areas of your roof that you need to either inspect yourself, or have inspected once a business quarter. #1 Clean Your Gutters You need to clean your gutters on a seasonal basis. During the fall, you need to have your gutters cleaned out even more frequently due to the large amounts of leaves that tend to build up in gutters. If you fail to clean out the debris from your gutters, they will get backed up and will not drain properly. This can lead to water building up on your roof, which can damage your roof tiles and lead to more expensive repairs in the future. #2 Clean Your Scuppers Commercial roofs are designed a little differently than residential roofs. Most commercial roofs also have scuppers on top of them. These are specific areas that are designed specifically to funnel the water off of your roof. You need to check your scuppers on at least a seasonal basis and make sure that no debris is blocking the openings. If it is, you just need to remove it to get your scuppers in good working order again. #3 Check Your Corner Flashing One of the weakest areas of your roof where leaks most often develop is the corner flashings. The corner flashings are the specific material that goes all the corners of your...What You Need To Know About Your Roofing Warranty
There are a lot of things to think about when you’re ready to have your roof replaced. You need to decide what style of roof you want and what materials you want used. You have to choose the right contractor and plan the timing of the roofing work so that it’s convenient. With all of that going on, it’s easy to overlook a bit of paperwork – but one of the most important things you need to do is find out what kind of warranty you’re being offered, and make sure that you understand the terms. Take a look at some things that you need to know about your roofing warranty. Manufacturer Warranties There are two types of warranties that could possibly apply to your new roof. The first type is the manufacturer warranty. This warranty concerns the materials that your roof is made from, whether that’s shingles, tiles, metal panels, or something else. The makers of the roofing material usually provide a warranty promising to replace these materials if they’re defective, or develop problems within a specific time frame. It’s important to remember that manufacturer warranties usually only cover materials. That means that if you need to have the materials replaced, you will still have to pay for the labor involved to replace them, even if it was the manufacturer’s fault that the materials needed to be replaced. Workmanship Warranties The second type of warranty that you’ll come across when you’re planning a new roof is a workmanship warranty. This is a warranty offered by the contractor, guaranteeing the workmanship that goes into putting your roof together. Not...Three Ideas To Help You Choose The Right Siding Design For Home Renovations
If you are renovating your home, you may be considering many different improvements. This can include a new exterior with siding. There are many different choices of materials, designs and styles when it comes to siding for your home. You may want to have an affordable siding with materials like vinyl, or combine different styles and trims for a custom look. Here are some ideas that will help you choose the best siding for your home renovations: 1. Adding Trim To Vinyl Siding For A More Detailed Look Vinyl siding can be very plain, especially if it is a common lap-siding style. To give your siding more of a custom look, consider adding more trim details to your siding. This can be done by doing things like adding wide corner boards and other details to highlight the lines of the structure. It can be something as simple as using a 1×4 corner board or other materials that many manufacturers now make. You can also do this for the windows and doors in your home to give them a custom look. 2. Combining Different Siding Styles For A Custom Exterior Lap-siding is one of the most common materials installed on homes. It can be a good choice, but may be too plain if you want a custom look for your home. Today, there are many other styles of siding available, such as shake and board-and-batten. If you want a unique look for your siding, consider combining different siding materials. This can be done by doing things like installing shakes for roof features like gables, or using board-and-batten for areas like...How To Strip The Shingles From Your Roof
If the shingles on your roof need to be removed, you can save yourself a little money on getting a roof by stripping the shingles yourself. Prep Work Before Removing Your Shingles Before you begin removing the shingles, you need to do a little bit of prep work. You are going to want to call up your local waste management company and rent a dumpster to throw all the old shingles in. You are also going to want to put tarps or plastic sheets over any area where you will be throwing shingles down to the ground so the debris does not end up damaging your flower beds. If you can’t get the dumpster close to your house, you’ll want to lay down a tarp to throw the shingles on. If your roof is really steep, you may want to install roof jacks. Roof jacks are fastened to your roof where your rafters are located. They can be used to support a long board in place in order to provide you with scaffolding while working on your roof. The Shingle Removal Process You should start working at the side of your roof that is farther away from your trash container, and work your way closer to your trash container as you progress with your roof. Start at the top, or peak, of your roof. You can either use metal garden fork if you have one lying around. Or you can purchase a special roofing shovel for the job. If you can afford it, the roofing shovel is the best of the two options as it allows you to pull...4 Signs Your Shingles Are Completely Worn Out
You don’t necessarily have to call up a roofing contractor to inspect your roof in order to determine if your shingles are worn out. Here are a few easy ways to tell on your own if your shingles are getting worn out and need to be replaced soon. Your Shingles Are Getting Old Your roof is not made to last forever. Eventually, your shingles are going to start wearing out. Different roofing materials have different life expectancies based on average estimated weather conditions over multiple years. Most asphalt shingles are designed to last between fifteen to eighteen years and architectural asphalt shingles are designed to last between twenty-four to thirty years. If you are starting to hit those time spans, you need to start paying closer attention to your roof. Remember, these are just averages. If you have had really mild weather in your area, your roof may last longer than average. If you have been hit with a lot of severe weather over the years, your shingles may wear out more quickly. Sometimes, the shingles on your roof with age unevenly. If part of your roof faces directly to the south, all that extra sunlight can break down your shingles on the south side of your house faster than the other sides of your house. Your Shingles Are Changing Shape As your shingles start to get worn out, they change shape. If your edges of your shingles are starting to curl up, or are already curled up all over your roof, you are not getting the same level of protection you once were. Once your shingles start to...Looking For The Point Of Entry Of A Roof Leak
If you have experienced an area within your home where water is leaking, you will want to take the necessary steps in finding out exactly where it is getting through your roof. Finding the exact spot to make a repair can be a bit tricky if you have a sloped roof. Water can enter above the area where it penetrates through to your home’s interior. Here are some steps you can take in finding the exact location of the water’s point of entry so you can make the appropriate repairs. Check Your Attic You may be able to better pinpoint the area where a roof is leaking by taking a look at the ceiling inside your attic. Look for areas where the wood appears dark due to standing water on the opposite side. This will give you an idea of where to start searching for deteriorating shingles on the roof opposite the leak. Empty Your Gutters If there is standing water inside your gutter system, it can make its way underneath the bottom layer of shingles directly above it. This may cause water to drip along the wall inside your home. Remove any debris inside your gutters and redirect the standing water to the downspout. Peel back the bottom layer of shingles and check that the roofing paper underneath is dry. If you notice wet portions, allow them to dry in the sun then evaluate to make sure there are no pin holes or cracks in the paper or shingles. Replace if necessary. Clean Off The Surface If debris sits on top of a rooftop for an extended period, it will contribute to shingle damage. Sticks, leaves, or other debris will allow...About Me
After I realized that my roof was leaking, I knew that I needed to act fast. Instead of ignoring the problem, I started calling places right away to get a bid for repairs. It was incredible to see how quickly the right business came out. They evaluated the problem and recommended repairs. When they were finished re-shingling my roof, they explained their warranty to me so that I didn’t worry. This blog is all about working with roofers and getting your roof repaired so that you can keep your home dry and damage free for many, many years to come.