Checking your Roofing Contractors Ratings
Checking your Roofing Contractors Ratings
Most homeowners know that it’s a good practice to obtain and compare proposals from several roofing contractors before hiring one to repair or replace your roof. In addition, you should make sure that the contractor has the proper state contractor’s license and carries general liability and workman’s compensation insurance. Most good contractors are also happy to provide prospective clients with a list of references.
However, one problem with obtaining references from the contractor is that they will naturally only give you the names of satisfied customers. No contractor that wants to stay in business very long is going to give out lists of unsatisfied clients to prospective clients.
The place to turn for that information is the internet. There are all sorts of ratings websites out there that let you rate everything from the service you received at your local coffee shop to your college professor. A few minutes of searching the internet should turn up a few sites that review roofing contractors in your area.
These rating sites can be useful but you have to be very careful when relying on the information in them. For one thing, consider the source – anyone can post on these sites including disgruntled employees, competitors, and of course unhappy customers. If a negative review seems very, very negative, it’s probably suspect. The same is true for glowing reviews, especially if they are all posted around the same time.
The contractor can post a great review about themselves and with a little creativity can post several great reviews using more than one email address and relying on friends, family members and employees. It is also possible to hire people to write good reviews about your business.
Read all reviews carefully and ask yourself if it sounds like a genuine, unbiased review by a customer. What you are looking for is a consensus among what appear to be genuine customers. When used carefully, these online review sites can help you narrow down the list of potential contractors.
Choose Your Roofing Contractor Wisely
Choose Your Roofing Contractor Wisely
Whether you need a residential roof replacement or are putting the first roof on a new home, one of the most important choices you need to make is which roofing contractor to use. The right roofing contractor makes a big difference in the quality and durability of the roof and whether you will be able to get warranty work done in the event of any problems.
Unfortunately, the roofing industry is full of fly-by-night contractors who may not have the skill, experience or even the motivation to get the job done right. These contractors range from out-of-state “storm chasers” who move around the country following hail storms and other severe weather to out-of-work construction workers trying to make a few dollars while they are looking for a regular job.
The quality of the roofing work these types of roofing contractors provide ranges from pretty good to awful and it can be very difficult for a homeowner to tell the difference until the roof starts leaking. By then the roofer has moved on to another area or has found a steady construction job and the homeowner is on their own to get the roof fixed.
In addition, some smaller local contractors who are actually committed to doing quality work may not have the financial stability necessary to stay in business through the ups and downs throughout the year and from year to year. In the residential roofing industry, it’s often feast or famine – you are either really busy or there is no work to be found. These contractors often do good work, but you can never be too sure if they will still be in business next year or next month.
To protect yourself, stick with an established roofing contractor with a permanent local address and the size and financial stability necessary to stay in business for the long haul. You will get top quality work and can depend on them to be around in the future if you need them.
Exciting New Asphalt Shingle Choices
Exciting New Asphalt Shingle Choices
Composition asphalt shingles have long held the lion’s share of the residential roofing market. It is estimated that the market share for asphalt shingles is around eighty percent. However, until recently most asphalt shingles were not considered the most desirable roofing material. Their popularity stemmed from their affordability rather than their quality.
The three tab asphalt shingles that were installed on millions of homes were usually only good for about 15 to 20 years before they had to be replaced. In addition, they had low impact resistance and were easily damaged by hail and winds in excess of 60 mph. About the best thing that could be said for these shingles is that they were affordable. There were a few laminated shingles on the market but they were very expensive.
The next available option for most homeowners who desired a better quality roof was metal roofing which was two to three times more expensive than even a good asphalt shingle roof. This big jump in costs prevented most homeowners from upgrading to metal roofing. They just accepted the fact that their roof would need replacing periodically and depended on their homeowner’s insurance to cover hail and wind damage losses.
Fortunately, the situation is much improved these days because manufacturers have recently expanded their lines of high quality laminated asphalt shingles. These offer an excellent roofing option that fills between three tab shingles and high end roofing materials like metal roofing, tile and slate. Laminated asphalt shingles are thicker and heavier than three tab shingles and have much better resistance to wind and hail damage. Most manufacturers are so confident in their laminated asphalt shingles that they are offering warranties ranging from 40 years to lifetime. Ask your roofing contractor about high quality laminated asphalt shingles.
Cool White Roofs
Cool White Roofs
A New York City study comparing the surface temperatures of white roofs with typical black roofs during the summer of 2011 has found that the average peak temperature of the white roofs were 43 degrees lower than the typical dark colored roof. The study was carried out in an effort to find ways to reduce energy usage, curb greenhouse gasses and minimize the “urban heat island” effect where urban areas are several degrees warmer than the surrounding area.
As part of the project, several roofs were covered with white membranes or painted with white paint and temperatures of these roofs were compared with the temperatures of similar dark colored roofs. The observations confirm that white roofing significantly reduces the surface temperature of the roof.
Before you run out and buy some white paint for your roof, keep in mind that the study only covered a single summer. The study will continue for several years to assess how well the materials hold up and perform over time. However, the information obtained from the study confirms that “cool roofing” materials can make a big difference in the surface temperature of your roof.
Lower roof temperatures have many benefits including lower energy costs for air conditioning, extended roof life due to reduced thermal shock and reduced urban heat island effect. Many roofing materials available in the residential roofing market are “cool roofing” materials including specially formulated composition asphalt shingles and metal roofing with high-tech heat reflective coating.
When you are installing a new roof or replacing an existing roof, consider the long term benefits of cool roofing. Your roofing contractor will be able to help you choose the best cool roofing material for your home.
Watch Out For Roofing Liens
Watch Out For Roofing Liens
Your new roof is installed, the contractor has cleaned up the area and you paid for the job in full. Your roofing job is done, right? Not quite. Many homeowners receive an unpleasant surprise a few weeks after their roof replacement in the form of a lien on their property. The lien is usually from the roofing materials supplier or a subcontractor who did not get paid.
Even if you paid the roofing contractor in full, it’s possible that he has not paid the roofing supplier’s materials bills for the shingles and other materials used on your home or has failed to pay his subcontractors. Some roofers are operating on a shoestring budget and can get behind on their bills, especially since the collapse of the housing industry. When this happens, the materials supplier and any subcontractors not only have the right to go after the roofing contractor but they can also put a lien on your home.
If you get a notice of a lien on your home, don’t panic. The practical effect is that you will be unable to sell your home until the lien is satisfied so unless you are planning on selling soon, you have some time to work with. The only way to have a valid perfected lien on your home removed is to get it paid so a call to the contractor is in order. Insist that they bring their accounts up to date.
If you cannot find the roofing contractor or they have gone out of business, you may end up stuck with paying the bills yourself. This is a great reason for dealing only with established local roofing contractors. There is no guarantee, but they are much less likely to leave town or go out of business and leave you holding the bag. You can avoid lien issues by insisting that your roofing contractor provide you with a lien release from the materials supplier and any subcontractors before you make final payment.
Laminated Asphalt Shingle Roof Installation
Laminated Asphalt Shingle Roof Installation
Composition asphalt shingles have long been one of the most popular roofing materials for residential roofing. Asphalt shingles have a low initial cost, are relatively easy to install and provide good protection from the elements. In the past, most asphalt shingle roofs were constructed using three tab shingles, but these days laminated asphalt shingles are commonly used for new home construction and roof replacements.
Laminated asphalt shingles carry on the tradition of affordability, but provide much better protection than standard three tab shingles. Installation of laminated shingles is essentially the same as three tab shingles. Just like three tab shingles, the quality of the installation matters as much if not more than the quality of the shingles.
A laminated asphalt shingle roof installed by an experienced, professional roofing contractor can be expected to provide excellent protection against the elements for up to 40 years. On the other hand, an improperly installed laminated asphalt shingle roof will fail within a few years and require expensive repairs.
A good roofing contractor will begin by removing your existing shingles and the underlayment so that the roof deck can be inspected. After ensuring that the roof deck is clean, dry and flat, the deck will be covered with tar paper or a synthetic underlayment and/or water shield. Flashing will be installed around pipes, chimneys and other roof features and along valleys and other areas of intersecting roof planes. The shingles will be installed on top of the underlayment beginning at the lower edge of the roof and working toward the peak. Finally, vents such as ridge vents will be installed to ensure the roof is properly ventilated.
How Big Does Hail Need To Be to Cause Roof Damage?
How Big Does Hail Need To Be to Cause Roof Damage?
Most homeowners are aware that hail can cause damage to an asphalt shingle roof, but not all hail will cause more than cosmetic damage. Whether or not a hailstorm causes damage to a roof depends on many factors including the size of the hail, the age and condition of the roof, the roof slope, and wind speed and direction.
As far as hail size goes, most hail that is less than an inch will not cause more than cosmetic damage to an asphalt shingle roof that is in good condition. However, if the roof is brittle from age or neglect, even this smaller hail can cause damage. In addition, if the roof has a low slope or if strong winds added force to the hail, there could be some damage to a roof from small hail.
Golf ball sized hail and larger generally causes serious damage to an asphalt shingle roof. This kind of damage is usually pretty obvious and includes pits and bruises, cracked and split shingles, and frayed edges. A roof with this kind of hail damage will probably leak and needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
Medium sized hail falls between these two and typically causes damage by dislodging the protective ceramic granules. This kind of roof hail damage can be hard to spot and it’s a good idea to have the roof inspected by an experienced roofing contractor. If a sufficient amount of the protective granules are knocked loose by the hail, the asphalt base of the shingle will be exposed to the sun and will soon dry out. The roof will become brittle and will soon fail. The roof will usually not start leaking immediately after the hail storm and the roof replacement can be scheduled at the homeowner’s convenience.
Asphalt Shingle Choices
Asphalt Shingle Choices
Asphalt shingles continue to dominate the roofing materials market, especially for residential roofing. For decades, composition asphalt shingles have been the choice of homeowners nationwide due to their wide range of colors, ease of installation, low maintenance and affordability. Recent innovations in the asphalt shingle industry mean that there is a lot more to consider when selecting the right asphalt shingles than you might think.
Your roofing contractor will be able to help you select a great shingle for your home, but in general you will find three different types of asphalt shingles to choose from. Three tab shingles have been a staple of the industry for decades. In fact until recently, three tab shingles were pretty much the only choice other than a few expensive laminated shingles on the market. Three tab shingles continue to be a popular choice for homeowners looking for the most economical roofing solution. They provide basic protection at the lowest cost of all the asphalt shingle alternatives.
Laminated shingles (often called architectural shingles) are quickly becoming the preferred type of asphalt shingle for the majority of homeowners. These shingles are thicker, heavier and much more durable than three tab shingles. They have better resistance to wind and hail damage and carry warranties of 40 years or longer. If the sharp spike in sales of laminated shingles is any indication, most homeowners have concluded that the higher quality is well worth the modest cost premium associated with laminated shingles.
Finally, at the high end of the asphalt shingle range you will find luxury shingles. These are sometimes referred to as “dragon tooth” or “pumpkin tooth” shingles due to their distinctive look that closely resembles cedar shakes. These shingles are a type of heavy laminated shingle that add even more depth and character to a roof than a standard laminated shingle.
Avoiding Roofing Scams Part Five
Avoiding Roofing Scams Part Five
In addition to the outright scams that we have previously talked about, there are a few tricks or shortcuts that unscrupulous roofers might engage in to cheat homeowners out of a few hundred dollars. Storm chasers and fly-by-night roofers are more likely to engage in some of these tactics than local roofing contractors because they are usually long gone before anyone catches on.
Substitution of cheaper materials than specified in the job proposal is a common tactic. Make sure that the materials going on your roof are the ones you actually paid for. Some shady roofers have been known to charge for premium quality shingles, but only put standard quality shingles on the roof.
If you can be present when the job is started, check out the wrappers on the bundles of shingles and make sure that they are the right ones. While you’re at it, check the color before the roofer starts installing them. The wrong color could have been ordered or there may have been a mix up in the delivery.
Using unskilled labor is another way that roofing contractors will try to cut corners. This is important because a high quality roof installation is necessary for a high quality asphalt shingle roof. The best roofing contractors use highly trained and experienced roofing crews which results in a superior quality roof.
Some roofing contractors will try to get by without liability insurance or worker’s compensation insurance. A good roofing contractor will protect his customers by carrying both types of insurance and will be happy to provide proof of coverage. Don’t use uninsured roofing contractors. You don’t want to have to deal with a claim against your homeowner’s insurance policy in the event of an accident.
Avoiding Roofing Scams Part Four
Avoiding Roofing Scams Part Four
One more way that a homeowner can get burned by an unscrupulous out of town roofing contractor is when the contractor leaves town after the job is completed with full payment for the reroofing, but does not pay the subcontractors or the roofing materials yard. Here is how it works:
A roofing contractor moves into an area that has been hard hit by hail that damaged hundreds of roofs. The roofing contractor signs up some customers and then subcontracts the work out to independent roofers and buys the materials on credit at the local building supply company.
After the work is complete, the customers pay the contractor in full but the contractor does not pay the subcontractors or the materials yard. Instead the contractor pulls a fast one and leaves town. The subcontractors and the materials yard file liens on the house and homeowner has no choice but to pay the amounts due to the subcontractors and the materials yard.
The homeowner ends up paying for the roof twice and if anything goes wrong with the roof the homeowner will have to pay a local roofer to fix it. The homeowner certainly cannot depend on the original roofing contractor to honor any warranty claims.
The homeowner could avoid both of these problems by dealing with an established, reputable local roofing contractor who can’t afford to treat customers this way. They would quickly be out of business if they did. In addition, a local contractor is easy to find in the event of a dispute.
