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How do you know it's time for a new roof system?
VENTILATION IS KEY
As the snow begins to melt in many parts of the country, now is the time to clean up for spring. Winter weather can be a shingle’s enemy (especially in areas that had to deal with so many storms), so it’s important for contractors to reach out to homeowners to help them with their roof’s spring-cleaning and inspection. Not only will this make a home look better, it can also extend the life of the roof. Here are some tips to share with your customers on what to look for during spring cleaning. Tree limbs. Make sure tree limbs don’t touch a roof. If they do, they can easily scrape over the shingles and loosen the protective granules. This will severely reduce the life of a roof. Trim trees close to the house to avoid any limbs touching the roof surface. Leaves and pine needles. A little leaf or a few pine needles are fine, but if they collect and are deep enough to hold moisture, they need to be taken off the roof. Anything that traps moisture will cause mildew to form, block gutters, or cause extra weight on the roof. A rake or air blower can be used to clear the roof, but take care not to damage the shingles. Moss. Cutting back trees and removing leaves will reduce moss growth, as it will allow sunlight to dry up the moisture that moss thrives on. While there are chemicals available on the market to get rid of moss, the runoff can cause damage to plants. Another solution is to nail zinc or copper strips to the ridgeline; as rain washes across, it creates an environment where moss cannot grow. Mold. Discolored streaks on a roof indicate there is mold, algae, or fungus, which can eat away at the roofing material and, ultimately, cause leaks. A treatment of chlorine bleach or copper sulfate solution applied with a garden sprayer can kill the mold. GAF manufactures algae-resistant shingles that have a specially formulated granule that inhibits algae growth, in addition to shingles with StainGuard® Protection. Finally, do not power wash shingles! It can dislodge granules and cause premature shingle failure. Gutter damage. Heavy snow from the winter season can result in gutter damage while leftover fall leaves and debris can lead to clogged gutters. Before the springtime rain, check to make sure water can flow easily through the gutters and fix any loose nails that are preventing the gutters from sitting tightly along the roof line. Missing shingles, chimney, and flashing. A complete inspection by a contractor can uncover issues with missing shingles, chimney damage, or flashing around chimneys, vents, or other bends in the roof. Dealing with these potential issues in a timely manner will allow your roof to stand strong through the next season of weather challenges—and for many years to come.
Both contractors and homeowners are looking for sustainable, durable solutions to not only protect the home but also to increase curb appeal.
Repair or replace? If your roof isn’t very old and you spot a few loose or damaged shingles, you may be able to just replace them. But for broader or more extensive damage, it may be time for a new roof. The key is a regular roof inspection so you know what’s going on up there. What roof damage looks like Roof damage comes in all forms. Know what to look for.
"We always think of our customers as 'Suppliers' first. We work closely with them so they can 'supply us' with information we need to 'supply them' with the right products and services." Susie Marthaller hit the nail on the head.
There are two sides to every story—but what some homeowners may not realize is that there are also two sides to most roofs, too. Beyond the professionally installed roofing system that protects your house from water on the outside, an attic ventilation system works from the inside to protect your home from heat and moisture. How Does an Attic Ventilation System Work? Hot air rises naturally, so intake vents located at the bottom of your roof under the soffits allow cool air from outside to enter the attic. This fresh air keeps flowing through the attic before escaping back outside through the hot air exhaust vents, which are located on the top of the roof. This is a natural process called passive ventilation—one of the most common and effective ways to achieve a balanced attic ventilation system. The amount of exhaust ventilation at or near the roof ridge should never exceed the amount of intake ventilation at or near the roof's soffit. Why Is Attic Ventilation Important? If your attic is not properly ventilated, the space can reach more than 160 degrees Fahrenheit, particularly in the summer heat. Those high temperatures risk overloading your home's air conditioning system. Without adequate ventilation, a buildup of heat and moisture in the attic can cause your roof system components and structural supports to degrade over time, potentially reducing their service life. It's crucial to release that excess heat. During the winter months, the hot, moist air in your attic along with the sun, can heat up your roof and melt the snow that accumulates on it. When that running water then refreezes as temperatures dip, ice dams can form on the colder roof edges under the eaves. These ice dams can also cause water to work its way back up under your shingles, damaging the roof and potentially leading to leaks inside your house. Here are a couple of more reasons why ventilation is so important. It Reduces Excess Moisture As we go about our daily activities, such as cooking, showering, and even breathing, we emit gallons of water into the air. That moisture can make its way up into your attic. Once that moist air hits a cooler surface, such as the underside of your roof deck, condensation forms. As this condensation accumulates, it can promote mold, mildew, and even wood rot. Your roof's insulation can also absorb humidity, reducing its effectiveness. Proper ventilation for your attic helps remove this water vapor from your home all year round. It Cuts Energy Costs A properly ventilated attic can also help lower energy costs. Improving air circulation in the summer removes hot air, keeping your ductwork and inside air cooler. This allows colder air to flow through your HVAC system, preventing strain on your air conditioning and cutting cooling costs. Your new roof system is about much more than just its shingles. Full protection both outside and inside your home stems from proper ventilation, which helps reduce damaging moisture, lower the temperature in the attic space and decrease the risk of harmful ice dams. Ensuring your attic is ventilated helps extend the life of your roof, so it can take on any season for years to come. If you're looking to discuss attic ventilation in your home, you can reach out to a contractor certified by GAF*. Tony's Mountain Construction llc 732-566-0944
U nderstanding the cost of your roof When preparing your estimate, roofing contractors consider many variables that are specific to your roof, your preferences, your budget and goals, and even where you live. How roof costs are determined While you ultimately need to know the overall price of your new roof, roofing contractors get to that estimate by adding up several factors. To deliver accurate cost estimate, roofing contractors do the following: 1. Measure the roof - Most measurements are obtained digitally, using satellite imagery or drone technology, and include the slope, peaks and overall complexity of the roof. 2. Do an inspection - With a thorough roof inspection, contractors are able to assess the condition of your roof and determine the project scope. 3. Recommend products - Next, your contractor will outline the best roofing system materials for your project (shingles, ventilation and accessories) and warranty options. 4. Calculate costs - With the information above, your contractor can bring all the costs together: labor, materials, warranty, and applicable fees and services (permits, preparation, clean up). key factors that impact roof quotes Size The size of your roof is the most significant cost factor. Divide the square footage by 100 to get the approximate roofing square number for your estimate. A cost “per square” usually includes both materials and installation. According to the U.S. Census, the average residential roof in the United States is 17 squares, or approximately 1700 square feet. Materials Asphalt shingles are the most popular and least expensive type of residential roofing material. A metal roof, or roofs made with wood, slate, clay or solar tiles typically cost more. Roofs made from these other materials may have other benefits, like providing solar power to your home for example, but there are other trade-offs you will want to consider. Complexity Steeper roofs require more need for staging, safety precautions and will likely take longer to install. The pitch also determines the type of underlayment needed for the highest level of fire safety. Roofing contractors also calculate features like chimneys, skylights and ventilation pipes that they need to work around, and complexities like the number of facets–or faces–the roof has. Location You can expect to pay a different amount for a roof replacement depending on where you live in the U.S. Cost fluctuations may reflect the general cost of living differences in each region, and possibly the different material needs, or local code requirements, based on varying climates and other factors
Looks can be deceiving. For instance, there are few things as lovely as icicles hanging from roof eaves and gutters. In some regions, they dangle for months, like crystal jewels, sparkling in the sunshine. And yet, in many cases, they signal that the roof may have a problem with ice dams that needs attention before water seeps into the house. Ice dams — literal dams made of ice — usually form at eaves and gutters and prevent snow- and ice-melt from leaving the roof. They’re often caused by a temperature imbalance in the attic. As heat rises in the house and makes its way into the attic, the upper portion of the roof may warm faster than the lower portion at the eaves. If the upper portion becomes warm enough to melt snow (above 32°F) while the lower portion remains below 32°F, snow will melt, flow down the roof, and refreeze before it can flow off the edge. This can also be compounded by naturally rising ambient temperatures during the day and falling temperatures at night. What results is a dam, which will hold the remaining water, snow, and ice on the roof. There are two main causes of this kind of temperature imbalance: > Poor attic insulation. Insufficient or deteriorated attic insulation can allow warm air to move from the heated areas of the house to the attic space. > Lack of proper attic ventilation. Properly balanced attic ventilation helps slow snow melting by allowing cold air to enter the attic space, in turn driving out warmer air. This reduction in warm attic air helps decrease the chance of snow melting on the roof. Why are ice dams a problem? Almost all roofing materials are designed to shed water. As ice melts and refreezes, it can damage the shingles and other parts of the roof system. And when a growing ice dam pushes water back up the roof slope, that water may flow under the shingles and penetrate into the roof system or house below. That’s why GAF factory-certified roofers will always recommend a layer of strong protection like WeatherWatch® or StormGuard® Leak Barrier. These products help prevent leaks due to water backing up in your gutters, wind-driven rain, and, of course, damaging ice dams. They are self-adhering membranes that seal around fasteners and other protrusions in the roof, helping to protect the most vulnerable areas of your roof against leaks. What can I do about ice dams? Here are 3 steps you can take to prevent ice damming this winter: 1. Remove snow from the roof. Depending on the size and accessibility of your roof, you can use an extendable snow roof rake to (carefully) pull fresh snow off the roof before the melt-and-freeze cycle even begins. Snow and ice removal can be dangerous work, though, and if done improperly you might risk injury to your shingles – or more importantly – yourself! We strongly encourage you to engage the services of a professional to assist with snow and ice removal. To find a GAF factory-certified contractor in your area who may be able to help, search here. 2. Ventilate. Ensure you have a properly-balanced attic ventilation system that allows fresh air to continuously move through the attic space under your roof. To find out how much ventilation you should have, use our ventilation calculator 3. Insulate. Proper attic insulation will do more than prevent ice dams; it can also help reduce your heating costs by keeping warm air in your living space, where it belongs.