The Benefits of Having Seamless Gutters

The type of gutters you have on your home can really determine how well your home is kept safe and dry. In order to preserve the integrity of your roof, you need to make sure you have the right kind of rainspouts on it. The better quality materials and products you use, the better drainage and water runoff you will have. If you want to invest in the best type product, you are going to need seamless gutters.

You don't ever want any type of obstructions in your drainage tubes, because this can create a very expensive and dangerous problem. It can cause water to flood into your home and help aid the development of mold, which can be toxic to your household. With the advancement of technology, design and the development of better construction materials, it is now possible to prevent leaking, flooding and the development of structural issues that are related to an excess of standing water on your roof and around your foundation.

Keep in mind that if you have used traditional style gutters in the past, one of the most common concerns that many homeowners ignored is leaking. Leaking may not seem like a big deal, but when it is not addressed, it can some very big problems when it comes to your home's structure. Leaking can erode your home's exterior; eat away at the supports that secure the drainage system to the house and cause rotting of your roof and other structures. You don't want your home to become unsafe or a hazard for anyone to be in or around. You need to invest in jointless tubing because they minimize your risk for leaks and remain structurally sound for many years.

One way to increase the value of your home is to have your seamless gutters installed by the professionals. These devices are designed in such a way that they consist of a single piece of material. There aren't any joints or other elements that will deteriorate and allow contaminants into the system at a later date.

You don't need to have as much maintenance visits or repairs as their traditional counterparts. You can get more consistent usage than you would use the older versions, which have more parts and joints. Seamless gutters can be installed more efficiently and securely than any other kind of drainage tubing. They are also structurally incompatible with rodents that like to make their home in them. Chipmunks, birds and squirrels who all contribute the damage of your home's drainage systems are less likely to make their way into your new seamless gutters.

Something you need to consider is if you decide to invest in seamless gutters, they are not something you can install on your own. You will need a professional installation company to secure them to your home. Because of the need for professional installation, the cost of this type of tubing is a bit more than others.


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Common Types of Roof Damage

Your roof can last up to 20 years if it is built well or regularly maintained. One of the biggest reasons a roof can fail is by lack of maintenance. You can help your roof last longer by using the proper measures to check for repairs needed and to ensure you are doing what you need to do for the type of roof that you have.

A well-built roof is built by the proper materials that will withstand the adverse weather conditions for your area.

The signs of a damaged roof are different and vary by the type of roof you have. The list below are some popular types of damage your roof can have.

1. Cracks or Tears - Roofs with tiling or shingles may crack with age. Cracks can cause potential leaks in the attic or crawlspace. Cracks may not always be seen from the ground. Some cracks can be too thin to spot without close inspection.

2. Hail Damage - When a storm hits your neighborhood, it can be difficult to see the hail damage done to your roof. There are ways to detect whether there is actual damage to your roof without having to physically climb on top your house. Check your gutters for dings and dents. If hail damaged your gutters, chances are, there is hail damage to your roof. You can also look at the drain spouts of your home. Roof damage will show black mineral deposits around the downspouts.

3. Wind Damage - The stress levels of wind are higher on the corners of the roof. Wind can loosen the materials at the corners and once loose, wind can go underneath and push the roof up, exposing the underside. Rain and hail can creep in and the looser the roof, the more the wind can grasp on to it to tear it off. Other forms of wind damage to a roof is flying debris. This type of debris can accumulate or block drain pipes causing flooding.

4. Debris - Accumulated debris can cause damage to all parts of the roof's drainage system, from the gutters and downspouts to the drain openings. Organic debris such as leaves can create fungal growth or dark brown to black stains on your roof. This type of debris can cause moss to grow which can shorten a roofs life by holding moisture in concentrated areas of the roof. Also, depending on the climate your house is in, this moisture can freeze.


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Asphalt Roofing Shingles - Economical And Popular

The most popular residential roofing in North America is asphalt roofing shingles. All across US and Canada homeowners opt for this versatile and economical roofing option. The shingles are waterproof, long-lasting, tough and durable. Most important of all they are very inexpensive and very easy to install. Asphalt shingles are manufactured by a process where asphalt is used to bind together ceramic granules. This helps keep the granules in place and also increase the strength and longevity of the shingles.

To explore asphalt roofing shingles in details let's take a look at strip asphalt. This is very similar to slate roofing and is made of single layer of asphalt that is integrated with the base material of the shingles. Asphalt serves as the binding agent for the additives like ceramic and keeps them in place.

The best quality roofing shingles are those with lamination which gives completely different look to the roof. The roof gets the look and feel of an old world home that is made of slate or cedar shake shingles. When you consider functionality too these premium quality shingles provide a lot more wind resistance and insulation to the building.

Cost wise asphalt roofing shingles provide the best bet. They can be installed in short period of time and quite easily. Many homeowners prefer asphalt as they can install the roof themselves with little effort. In addition to that these roofs are durable, have plenty of color choices and quite easy to maintain. They have a life of around 20 years which is long enough for many homeowners. They are much in demand even though they are prone to tearing, breakages and leakages. But, since it is easy to replace them it is not such a big deal breaker.

Manufacturers offer longer guarantees for asphalt roofing shingles as they are known for their toughness. They last the lifetime of the roof. The warranty will cover splitting due to sudden heat variation and loss of ceramic granules from shingles. The warranty also covers any damage due to curling or cupping. But, the warranty does not cover labor cost of changing or replacing the shingles. It is important for the homeowners to go through the clauses in the warranty to know what is covered and what is not. Asphalt roofing shingles are good investment if you inspect and maintain the roofs on a schedule and fix any problems that arise as soon as possible.


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Residential Roof Shingles - Weighing Your Options

In a perfect world residential roof shingles would be cheap, affordable, will last a life-time or more and require absolutely no repairs or after-care. Since, we don't live in a perfect world and since, most roofs would not last more than two decades we need to make our choices with care and try to make our investment last as long as possible with minimum fuss in terms of maintenance.

Making the right choice in terms of residential roofing material helps us to reduce our roofing costs in the long-term, use less of the nature's resources, use less of landfill and overall be better citizens of the planet. Choose lighter shades in hot climates and darker shades in colder areas to further reduce your impact on nature. These colors help to keep the home naturally comfortable with lesser need for cooling and heating.

Today, more than ever we have huge array of choices when it comes to roofing materials. Pick from dried grass, stone or plastic. Fiberglass based products, asphalt based products, concrete, wood and clay are just few example of this choice. Advances in technology are helping these products to be more eco-friendly, less stressful on homeowners and environment and meet strict building code requirements.

Point to note - cost does not equate to quality nor do all types of roofing materials suit all kinds of requirements. Certain materials work well in certain conditions and it is best to choose the right ones for the local climate and needs. Key to the long life of your roof is proper maintenance, right installation and choosing of right residential roofing shingles.

Here we will take a look at a two popular residential roof shingles. Popularity does not mean that these shingles are best for you. It is just that majority of the population picks it for whatever reason. It can be economic or even aesthetic.

Asphalt or Composition shingles

These are the most widely used residential roof shingles in the United States. They are popular because of their neat and clean looks, their affordable cost and long-life. Also, the better quality roof shingles have higher recycled content making them eco-friendly too. Another advantage of composition shingles is their availability at every price point. A wide array of brands, colors, sizes, types and designs make choosing a roofing material pleasant and easy task. Not only that the installation is also pretty easy and the product is light-weight and easy to handle. Maintenance is not a problem and you even walk on it without damaging it. They come with fire and impact protection. They are not the best in high-wind situations.

Wood - Wood shake is natural, offers character to the roof, wide choice in terms of color, thickness, size and type of wood. It is a great insulator, allows the roof to breathe and keeps home comfortable. It needs proper maintenance for long-life. Insects might burrow holes in the roof. Mold and rot are real problems on roofs not cared for properly. Fire retardants are a must for wood. Installation is complex and look, feel and life of the roofs depends a lot on the installation ability of roof contractor.


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Roof Repair You Shouldn't Do On Your Own

Some types of roof repair you can do on your own. For example, if one of the gutters begins to come down, you can nail it back into place and not have any lasting problems as a result. In other cases, the problems are more complex. It is often best to turn to a professional roofer to have most repairs done. That's because these professionals can help to safeguard the overall structural integrity of your home. If you do not do the job correctly yourself, on the other hand, you could risk putting your home's structure at risk.

When to Call a Professional

There are times when you can handle the roof repair on your own without any major complications. A good example of this is replacing an individual shingle that blows off. By just climbing up to the structure and handling the job, you can get the same basic outcome. The shingle is in place and there is nothing further to do. In other cases, it is necessary to call a professional. Not doing so could put your home at risk.

- Are you experiencing leaks within the home or the attic space? If that is the case, not only is there a hole of some type on the roofing structure, but there may also be damage to the interior portion of the home. This includes the insulation and the ceilings.

- Do you have substantial rotting occurring of the gutter or the backboard against the house that the gutters nail into on most homes? If so, you may need to take the entire system down and replace all of the rotting material to get a secure foundation again.

- Do you have damage to the wooden structure or a large quantity of the shingles on the roofing structure? If so, you need a professional to help you with these repairs. They may require replacement within a new system themselves, or they may require extensive repair to the pieces of plywood underneath. Without any experience in this area, you may not be able to do enough of the repair work on your own.

Without a roofing system that is strong and durable, the entire home is at risk. The best way to prevent this problem is to address any type of roof repair right away. The longer you put it off, the worse the outcome and the more extensive the damage will be. It is up to you to find the right professional to do the job for you. Once done, you can be more confident in the outcome that it creates for your home for years to come.


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Don't Forget About The Vacaville Kid Fest, Sat, Oct 6th in Andrews Park. For The Child In All Of Us!

Vacaville Kid Fest was started in 1999, when an idea was born to create a "Children's Festival", a place where families could come and have a day of activities with their children at very little or no cost, and also have the opportunity to learn about many of the services and resources that were available to children and families. We adopted the theme "For the Child in all of us".

A group of City of Vacaville representatives, ranging from business owners and managers, nonprofit groups and media people were approached with the idea and met it with enthusiasm. And thus, Kid Fest was born.

The first Kid Fest Core Committee consisted of Shauna Manina, Meaghan O'Neill from Vacaville Police Dept., Linnea Dischinger from Vacaville Fire Dept., Todd Grames and Suzanne Green from Community Services Dept., and Reggie Hubbard from Housing & Redevelopment Dept. Other business people from The Reporter, Downtown Vacaville Business Improvement District, and others all committed to the vision of a day of low cost or no cost activities, free resources, and fun.

Our first event in 1999 had 1 stage and 40 booths, with everything from food, crafters and merchandise vendors, a wide range of social service and community nonprofit groups, free children's games and entertainment, bounce houses, and a very strong focus on child safety and health. From the beginning, a large component of the event has been the presence of Vacaville Fire and Police Depts., with their equipment displays, children's fire muster, and safety information.

By 2001, there were 2 stages of entertainment and over 120 booths participating in the event. The committee members have changed over the years, but the event has continued, and become part of the fabric of what makes Vacaville a family oriented community. The focus remains on child and family safety and health.

See more about this wonderful organization at www.VacavilleKidFest.org

See you there!

Looking for Signs of a Leaking Roof

A leaking roof often causes significant inconvenience. In the dry, summer months the roof rarely gets a look in. As any potential problem often goes noticeable until the weather turns and it starts to get wet outside. Leaking roofs, if un-repaired for a period of time can result in quite noticeable damage to the structure of the property, as well as the interior fittings. Hence it is therefore vital to take the right steps to carry out roof maintenance at regular intervals to help with avoiding serious, on-going defects.

Here are some of the steps that can be taken to spot signs of a potentially leaking roof -

Internal Damp - a quick and easy way to detect signs of a leaking roof is to inspect the ceilings upstairs for dripping or water marks. A leaking roof is often the most common reason to have a damp patch appear on the ceiling. Also, look for signs of cracks, which could mean that a roof has been leaking for some time.

Soaking a Roof - a quite efficient step to self-detecting leaks is by soaking a roof with either a sprinkler system or garden hose. This should easily show up possible leaks and can also let you know if a ceiling crack is related to water damage. Other procedures can be used to detect leaks, although these two options are quite easy for the typical homeowner.

Missing Tiles - keep a regular eye out of missing tiles or shingles, especially after extremely gusty weather conditions outside. If lose or missing tiles becomes a significant problem it might well be worth talking to a roofing company about what might be done. In some areas where it is often wet, it might benefit to have a roof replaced with new.

Damp or Mold - look out for possible signs of damp and mold near such places as a skylight, vent or chimney, which could be an early indication of a roof starting to leak. Roofs are often exposed to leaking where the tiles overlap and therefore makes it important to check the joints as careful as possible.

Professional Check-up - for a complete novice to DIY related tasks it can be quite difficult to expose all signs of leaks, and therefore it might well benefit to call on the services of the experts. A professional roof company would be able to do an in-depth inspection for leaks, and if any are found, they can give advice on what action might be necessary to put the roof back to its prior watertight condition.


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