Determining When A Roofing Contractor Is Needed

Some helpful tips to help you determine when a roofing contractor is needed are: 

• Repairs - Generally with repairs needed for your roof, a roofing contractor may be necessary to help you not only determine the extent of damages and repairs necessary, as some may be hard to detect, but to ensure that the repairs are done properly, and in a timely manner. They are informed and knowledgeable on the types of repairs necessary, as well as how to follow proper safety techniques leaving injuries and work damages out of the question, and are properly ensured in the event of these instances should they happen.


• Installations - In the event you are looking to have a new roof installed, whether residential or commercial, having a skilled professional roofing company can help you come to the conclusion regarding the right roofing materials for you, as well as proper design and construction of your roof, that can be done efficiently and timely.


• Area Specifications - Certain geographical areas have different types of weather, causing different types of damages. For instance, in Arizona, extreme heat and sun damage can cause warping and fading, and in the monsoon season, if your roof is poorly constructed, or damages have already been made, leaks and standing water can occur, eventually entering the home, which can also create mold, as well as weaken the whole roofing structure. They are skilled in this type of knowledge and can help you determine the types of weather damages specific to your specific area.


• Insured - One of the best ways to help you determine when a roofing contractor is needed, would be to consider coverage or insurance. The everyday individual, homeowner's and business owners alike, typically do not possess the insurance coverage necessary to perform roofing installations and repairs, as they would have to pay large costs out-of-pocket for any personal damage, bodily injury or other liabilities than come with roofing, and roofing contractors almost always possess the full amounts of coverage necessary to protect themselves as well as you and your home from these risks.

Take this useful information into thoughtful consideration when trying to determine when a roofing contractor is needed, when the roof need be replaced or simply just in need of repair. You also can use this to consider the benefits having a professional and insured roofing contractor work on your home, as opposed to any potential cost saving from doing the roof repair yourself.

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Regular Roofing Inspections

Your roof is one of the most important aspects of your home. If you neglect it, chances are that it can literally come down over your head. Experts believe that you need to get your roof inspected at least twice a year. The main idea is to check for seasonal stress and any other damage that your roof may have been subjected to. The best times to check are in spring and in fall.

When you get in the experts to check your roof, here is what you can expect them to do. They will first look at the inside of your home. They will look for spots where your roof may be sagging in a bit. They will also look for any sign of water damage or excessive leakage. Tell tale signs will be dark spots on your walls or trails. If there any place where outdoor light in visible through the roof, then this will be looked into.

Next the experts will get onto the roof and check it from the outside. They will look for flashing that is damaged, shingles that may be missing, tiles that maybe curling or blistering or any part of the roof that seems like it is buckling under the weight. They will also check for growth of algae or any signs of rotting.

When a check is being conducted on the outside, all the extra fittings such as that of chimneys, vents as well as drain pipes will be inspected for any damage, leak or clogging. They will look at your gutters and check for excessive shingle dust that can result in clogging. With such clogging the growth of water-borne mold and fungus too is pretty high.

All of these inspections can be a do-it-yourself job too if you like. Once you know the condition of your roof, you can call in the experts to help you with dealing with it. If you are doing this for the first time, then make sure that the expert you call in is of good reputation. Check with friends and family and work on the basis of recommendations. Once you have the contact of a reliable roofing contractor, then you can call them in to discuss what work you need done.

Getting your roof examined on a regular basis ensures that you are not suddenly faced with a massive roofing repair job. It can be really expensive and the last thing you would want is a crunch in funds.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6911176

How Seamless Gutters Are Superior to Traditional Rain Gutters

In order to understand why seamless gutters are superior to a standard type gutter, we need to examine how the traditional style is made. With a traditional gutter system, there are many joints or seams along the stretch or span of your roof line. These are typically at 10 feet, unless of course you have a shorter span that requires less length than that. Let's say they are 10 foot spans at their max, in most cases.

At each of these joints, there needs to be a way of connecting one segment of gutter to another. With metal gutters, like aluminum being the most common, there are either folds and sometimes sealants used at the seams. With vinyl gutters a sealer is used as well. For the most part, they are pieced together and then fastened along until a corner or joint is met.

With each seam, joint and fastener that is made, there is a potential for failure. By failure, I mean leak. With a gutter leak, this can mean serious damage to many aspects of your homes structure. Your roof may be affected, your walls, foundation or even landscaping. If you have an outdoor patio that is freestanding, pooling water with poor drainage can mean a tilting patio cover and possible shorter life span for that structure. Proper water drainage is essential for a gutter system to be considered beneficial and successful. After all, this is their sole purpose.

Now, consider how much of these problems could be avoided by using a seamless gutter system. Not only can you find these types of gutters in the same materials, aluminum, copper, steel and vinyl, but they will last longer as well. One reason for this is because there are less pieces. A seamless system uses a specific machine that folds a continuous roll of metal or vinyl to create your gutter profile to the exact length needed. Therefore, the only seams are where corners or downspouts are installed.

This obviously decreases the places where a leak can occur. With snow and ice being a problem for many homeowners, the constant thawing and freezing causes excessive wear and tear on a traditional segmented gutter system. This weakens it and shortens its life span. A seamless gutter has no such problem.

Additionally, a continuous gutter is much stronger because of its uniformity. With multiple pieces there is the chance that any one of them will fail causing the whole unit to be at risk. One straight length of continuous gutter is stronger. On top of that, a continuous run is also more pleasing to the eye. For these reasons, if you are in the market for new gutters, consider seamless gutters. You'll be glad you did.


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Help! My Roof Is Leaking

Bet that is one phone call you don't want to be making. Do you? But never fear help is at hand. Making regular inspections of your roof and getting the appropriate assistance from an expert roofer can save you a lot of money, time and heartache down the line.

So how can you tell that there's a problem with your roof?

Internal inspection of your rooms

Whether you have a town house or a bungalow the rooms below your roof will also be able to tell you if you have a problem.

The tell-tale signs that you have a problem include:

• Damp /wet walls
• Mold on the walls
• Puddles of water on the floor

Loft / roof space inspection

Here's a little tip, you may want to take a torch, and some chalk with you. Why? I guess you can work out the torch yourself? But the chalk is to mark any possible dark or damp patches or suspect areas you may want to re-inspect later. Doing an inspection either during or after heavy rain may also make it easier for you to spot any damp patches or leaks.

Once you've checked inside the roof space turn out the light. You can then look for chinks of light from outside, shining through. If you find any holes use a nail or piece of wire in the hole to visibly mark them from the outside.

What to look for out on the roof.
Well it depends what kind of roof you have?

Slate or tiled roofs:

• Are they in good condition?
• Are the tiles the same shape, size and texture?
• Are any broken, or chipped?
• Check for straight lines, if any of the rows appear to be bowing it's unlikely to be completely weatherproof.

Flat roof: a flat roof may leak for many reasons:

• Felt: may become softened, ripped or torn
• GRP/Fibreglass: may become cracked or damaged
• The boards on which the roof is placed may have become soft or water damaged.

If you notice anything that you think looks irregular, or you think that this is really too much for you to do yourself. Then please take no chances, get on the phone and call in a professional roofer. They are more experienced, the job that might take you hours to prepare for and do, can be carried out quickly and efficiently and they might even see things you would have missed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6906668

Why We Need Roofing Contractors

Why it is important to hire roofing contractors?

Many of us are not aware of the role of roofing contractors. Here in this article, we will throw light on the important role played by them in keeping our roofs in a good condition always.

The roof is one of the most important structures of a property that demands timely care and maintenance. It is the most important structural aspect of a property as it protects you and your home from harsh elements of nature including excessive heat, snow, rainfall, etc. Even a slight harm caused to it can affect you directly. That is why, it is significant to have a properly constructed and maintained roof that is not possible without the support of quality roofing contractors.

As far as the task of roofing contractors is concerned, they look after different kinds of roof construction, maintenance, repair and replacement related requirements of the customers. Let us explain all in detail.

Construction

First and the foremost task performed by professionals is that of construction. Construction not only means putting down of shingles in a systematic way but it also involves a number of other important tasks. Quality of materials selected, solid framing, use of advanced tools and equipment, etc. are other major things that should be considered while constructing a strong and durable roof. Hiring experts in this regard can help you get desired results out of your construction project.

Repair

No doubt, the stability of a roof has a direct impact on the stability of the house. So, it should be maintained in a proper way. In case this structure develops cracks and fissures, it can cause leakage. This in turn results in loads of damage to the furniture inside the house. Thus, getting it revamped on time is a very crucial task that can save you from a number of dangers. In addition to this, moisture and wetness also result in bacteria and mold growth. These elements can cause health troubles also.

Replacement

Depending on the nature of damage caused to the roof, the roofing contractors suggest whether it needs repair or replacement. They provide a better suggestion on the repair and replacement issue.

Maintenance

Apart from construction, repair and replacement, maintenance task is also carried out by them to ensure that these structures remain in a better condition always. If you are searching for high quality contractors, you can take help from websites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6346695

ABOVE ALL ROOFING CO. is a family owned and operated contractor located in Vacaville, California; serving the surrounding counties and the Bay Area. We are here for all your roofing needs.  We have extensive knowledge, with 37 years of experience in many types of roofing systems. Our goal is to provide you with quality workmanship, timely service and fair pricing. Our estimates are always free. We are licensed, bonded and insured and a member of the Better Business Bureau.

707-446-8819

When Is It Time To Replace Your Roof?

A home's roof keeps the structure underneath in good condition and everything inside of it protected. That is why the condition of your roof is so important. A roof replacement, when needed, should take top billing over any other home improvement project you have on your to do list. When is a simple repair no longer possible? How do you know it is necessary to replace your roof? Your local roofing companies can provide you with information to help you make this decision. They may consider a number of things.

Take into consideration how old your roof is. The average life span of a roof ranges from 12 to 20 years. Depending on both the maintenance and upkeep of your roof. After this many years leaks and torn flashings start happening more regularly no matter what type of roof you have.

The condition of interior walls that touch the roof is also an important factor. Warning signs can be seen clearly on interior walls when a roof needs to be replaced. Watch for these signs! If you have missing or peeling paint on interior walls you may have a new roof in your future. Moisture marks on your walls is a sign of water seeping down and a sign of big trouble.

Being hit by snow, hail, rain storms, and direct sunlight again and again are major reasons for a roof to break down. Where do you live? If you are effected by more than one of these things it may shorten the overall life span of your roof. If severe weather has exposed part of your home a roof replacement may also be necessary. With this much damage a simple repair is no longer makes sense.

The number of missing or torn shingles can factor in as well. When you have a big number of missing tiles and shingles on your house replacing the roof is the best decision, instead of choosing to repair it.

Keep an eye on your electric or gas bill. A swing in your heating or cooling bills could signify trouble with your existing roof. If your attic is well insulated damaged shingles could be the cause of this.

A roof that is leaking and has several layers might need to be replaced. Roofing companies refer to this as a "complete tear-off." When you have a complete tear off all the existing layers are taken off of the roof. The new wood roof framing is installed next. Following that new shingles are installed on the entire roof. Most places city codes are extremely strict about how many of roof layers are allowed. Three layers is the max umber in many places. Your local roofing companies will know about the roofing codes in your city. They will know the answers to your roof layer questions.

On top of all of these things the roof you had installed initially will affect when you need to put in a replacement. A bad design or starting with the wrong materials during the construction of your roof will result in it not lasting as long as you expected it to. Make sure your new roof is quality by shopping Minneapolis roofing companies for the companies that will do the best job for you and your home.

Proper care and maintenance in addition to keeping your roof clean will put off the need for a new roof. However all roofs will need to be replaced eventually. Are you ready to take the step of replacing your roof? Call your local roofing companies many offer a no obligation free estimates.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6269466

What Do Roofing Contractors Think About GAF Shingles & Roof Systems?

We asked several roofers what they think about using GAF shingles & Roofing Systems - here's what they had to say!