Relief in the form of federal aid is now available for Utah communities devastated by the December 1 wind storms.  On Wednesday, February 1, President Obama signed the disaster declaration that makes Utah communities eligible to apply for emergency federal funding to help pay for the recovery efforts.  Damage to public infrastructure has been estimated at more than $4 million.  Private property also sustained millions of dollars in damage due to the high winds.

Winds clocked over 100 mph wreaked havoc on the area, especially in the Davis County communities of Bountiful, Centerville, Layton, Kaysville and Farmington.  Homeowners in this area have been working with insurance adjusters and contractors to repair homes damaged by the storm.

Roofing crews have been working long hours replacing hundreds of storm damaged roofs, but there are many storm damaged roofs that still need to be repaired or replaced.  Homeowners in this area are advised to have their roof inspected for wind damage, even if no obvious damage can be seen from the ground.

Some wind damage such as missing shingles is obvious, but other wind damage is harder to detect.  A trained roof inspector or good local roofing contractor has the training and skills to identify wind damage.

If wind damage is identified on your roof, contact your homeowner’s insurance company right away.  Most roof wind damage is covered by insurance and your insurance carrier will want to verify the damage by sending an adjuster to your home for a follow up inspection.  Once your claim is approved, your roofing contractor will schedule the roof repairs or roof replacement if needed.

Roof replacements are expensive and it’s a good practice to compare quotes from several roofing contractors before signing a re-roofing contract.  However, you should avoid the natural inclination to simply choose the contractor who submits the lowest bid.  Sometimes the low bidder is the right choice, but choosing a roofing contractor based solely on price is not a good idea.

The real value in the quote process is that it gives you the opportunity to talk to various contractors about your roof.  You will learn about roofing options available for your roof and have the chance to evaluate whether you are comfortable with each contractor.  You will also be able to get a very good idea of what a good quality roof should cost.

The reality is that most quotes by reputable, experienced roofing contractors for the same quality roof should be similar.  A quote that is much lower than competing quotes should be evaluated with a critical eye.  First, make sure the quote covers the entire job including removal of the old roofing materials, waste disposal and any necessary permits.  You will also want to make sure that the contractor is licensed and carries liability and worker’s compensation insurance.

Then compare the quantity and quality of the materials with the competing bids.  It is possible that the contractor has underestimated the amount of materials needed or specified lower quality shingles. Labor costs should be about the same if the roofer is using experienced roofers.  Unusually low labor costs could indicate that the contractor is using inexperienced roofing crews.

When it is time to replace your asphalt shingle roof or metal roof, it is an excellent practice to obtain three or four roofing estimates from reputable local roofing contractors before choosing the contractor to handle the job. Obtaining estimates gives you a chance to evaluate the contractor and make sure you are paying a fair price for your new roof.

When comparing competing roofing quotes, make sure each quote is for the same amount of materials including shingles or metal roofing, underlayment, nails, flashing, ice and water shield, and vents.   The materials costs in a roofing estimate will be quoted by the number of “squares”.  A square is 100 square feet of roofing material.

Dividing the area of the roof by 100 gives the number of squares of roofing material.  Roofing contractors will generally add an additional 10% to allow for wasted material.  For example, if the area of your roof is 3,450 square feet, add 345 square feet for waste to get 3,795 and divide by 100 to get 37.95 which is rounded up to 38 squares of material needed for your roof.

If you have obtained estimates from three reputable roofing contractors with material costs for 38 squares and one quote based on 35 squares, further investigation is needed. The contractor that provided the quote for 35 squares might have incorrectly measured the roof or underestimated the allowance for wasted material.

In either event, that contractor will likely be asking for more money before the roofing job is completed to cover the additional cost of materials so you will need to adjust that quote to the right amount of materials.  Once you have made that adjustment, you can compare that quote with the competing estimates.

If you are one of the many Utah residents affected by the December wind storms that swept through the area, be careful about allowing any out of state, unlicensed roofer to inspect your roof.  The Utah Department of Commerce has received reports of unscrupulous contractors trying to take advantage of local homeowners and one popular scam following any major weather event involves offering unsuspecting homeowners a “free roof inspection”.

Once the homeowner agrees to allow the contractor on their roof, the scam works in various ways.  In some cases, the scam artist creates new damage to the roof or does additional damage to a moderately damaged roof and tries to pass it off as wind or storm damage.  In other cases, the homeowner is told to file a claim with their homeowner’s insurance even when there is no damage in the hopes that the claim is approved anyway.

Often, the con artist will ask for cash up front or after the job has been partially completed by tearing off the old roof.  In many cases, the unscrupulous contractor will insist that the homeowner sign over the insurance settlement check.  Then the contractor disappears with the homeowner’s money and leaves them with an unprotected roof deck.

You can avoid all these problems by working with a reputable local contractor like Jasper Contractors.  Most reputable local roofers offer free roof inspections too, but unlike these fraudsters, they will be up front with you about whether your roof needs to be repaired or replaced.  Before you sign a roofing contract or let any roof inspector on your roof, be sure they have a local office and are fully licensed and insured.

When it’s time to replace your roof due to hail damage, wind damage, other weather damage or just plain old age, a prudent homeowner will get quotes from three or four reputable local roofing contractors.  One of the largest cost items in these quotes will invariably be materials and most of that cost will be for the shingles, so it’s important to pay close attention to the materials cost.

Be sure to compare the quality of the materials specified in each estimate. The manufacturer’s warranty is a good way to be sure you are comparing similar shingles.  In general, the warranty offered by the major manufacturers such as Certainteed, Owens Corning, GAF or Elk will be similar for similar quality shingles.  For example, a 20 year Certainteed shingle will be similar in quality, wind rating and impact resistance as a 20 year shingle offered by Owens Corning.

Your roofing contractor is an excellent source of information if you have questions about the shingles and other materials in the contractor’s quote. An experienced contractor will be up to date on the shingles currently available in the market and will have plenty of insight into which shingles perform best in your area or are a good buy in a particular market segment.

Keep in mind that most local roofing contractors buy from the same suppliers and will have similar costs for similar shingles.  Busy roofers like Jasper Contractors who buy roofing materials by the truckload sometimes get a discount for buying in quantity and may be able to quote a lower cost for similar quality shingles, but you should generally expect to pay about the same amount for similar quality shingles and other materials.  A quote with an unusually low materials cost is cause for further investigation.

In the wake of the December 2011 wind storms that caused millions of dollars of damage to homes and businesses throughout Davis and Weber counties, reports of shady contractors have surfaced.  The Utah Department of Commerce has cautioned area residents to be careful when dealing with contractors for wind damage repairs.

Many of these unlicensed contractors are little more than con artists who try to take advantage of residents by offering a great deal on wind damage repairs if the homeowner pays cash up front.  They then either do shoddy work or simply disappear with the homeowner’s money.

The windstorms that struck Utah in December with gusts of over 100 mph damaged roofs on homes and businesses throughout the area.  Especially hard hit were homes between Bountiful and Layton including Centerville and Kaysville.

If your roof suffered wind damage, protect yourself by working with a licensed local roofing contractor.  Many out of state roofing contractors (often referred to as “storm chasers” ) are working in the area.  Some of these are legitimate roofers, but it can be very difficult to tell the difference between the good roofers and the scam artists.  When you use an unlicensed, out of state roofer you run a significant risk of winding up with a poorly installed, low quality roof or worse, simply being scammed out of your money by an unscrupulous contractor.

Before you sign any roofing contract, verify that the roofer is a licensed local roofing contractor like Jasper Contractors.  Ask to see the contractor’s license and proof of insurance.  A reputable local contractor will also have a permanent local office and will be around to handle any warranty work.

Composition asphalt shingles come in two basic varieties:  Three tab shingles and architectural shingles (also called dimensional shingles).  So which one is better?  The answer is “it depends.”  There are advantages and disadvantages of each type and the right one for each homeowner depends on that homeowner’s situation.

Three tab shingles have been the industry standard for decades.  They can be found on millions of homes throughout the United States and although they are slowly losing market share to architectural shingles and other roofing materials such as metal roofing, they are still the most commonly used residential roofing material today.

Three tab shingles can be easily identified by their uniform rectangular tabs and the flat appearance of the roof.  Three tab shingles have historically gotten a bad rap due to poor shingle quality and shoddy installation techniques.  These days, the quality of three tab shingles has greatly improved and most reputable local roofing contractors understand and follow best industry practices, resulting in a good quality roof at an affordable price.

Architectural shingles are thicker and heavier than three tab shingles and are manufactured to provide a non-uniform, textured look to the roof that resembles cedar shakes.  They were initially marketed for high end homes and continue to be of generally higher quality than all but the best three tab shingles.  Architectural shingles also have higher wind and impact resistance ratings and carry warranties of at least 25 years.  Some manufacturers offer lifetime warranties on their architectural shingles.

As you might expect, architectural shingles are more expensive than three tab shingles.  Expect to pay about 30% more for high quality architectural shingles than you would for good three tab shingles.

Many homeowners who need a roof replacement are concerned about how much their new roof will cost.  This is a very valid concern and also one that is very difficult to answer because the price of a new roof varies widely depending on many different factors including the size and shape of the roof, the type of roofing materials used and the area of the country the home is located.

Relatively speaking an asphalt shingle roof using common three tab shingles is the least expensive roof.  Expect to pay about thirty to fifty percent more for high end architectural shingles.  A metal roof will cost roughly twice as much as a three tab asphalt shingle roof.  A wood shake roof typically costs somewhere between an architectural shingle roof and a metal roof.  Tile roofs are a little more expensive than comparable metal roofs and slate roofs are even more expensive yet.  Keep in mind that an asphalt shingle roof will only last half as long or less than these other types of roofing materials.

No matter what type or size roof you need or where your home is located, a new roof is one of the most expensive repairs most homeowners will do to a home.  At the same time, the roof is a very important component.  It protects the entire home and your family from the elements.  The point here is that even though a roof replacement will be expensive, it is important not to put it off just because of the cost.

If the roof is nearing the end of its lifespan, replacing it before it fails allows you to schedule the replacement when it is convenient for you rather than when the roof fails, which could be a very inconvenient time.  If the roof has already failed, it needs to be replaced immediately.  The longer the delay, the worse the damage will be and the more costly the roof replacement.

If your roof has been damaged due to severe weather such as hail damage or wind damage, or if the roof has failed and has begun to leak or show other signs of damage, you should be aware of the various types of warranties that may provide coverage for your roof.

The longest warranty on your roof is usually the roofing materials manufacturer’s warranty.  Whether your roof is covered by asphalt shingles, metal roofing, tile, wood shakes or other roofing material, the manufacturer’s warranty typically covers the materials against defects for a period of years.

For asphalt shingles, this could be anywhere from 15 to 30 years although there are a few high end architectural shingles that carry 40 year or even lifetime warranties.  Metal roofing, wood shakes, tile and slate roofing typically have warranties of 40 to 50 years or more.  Manufacturer’s warranties have many exclusions including storm damage and improper installation and may not be transferrable to a new owner.

The roofing contractor who installed the roof generally provides a warranty on the workmanship and labor.  These warranties are all over the board and can be anywhere from a year to ten years.  Contractor’s warranties are only as good as the contractor.  If the roofing contractor has gone out of business or left the area, the contractor’s warranty is pretty much worthless. You can protect yourself by having your roof installed by a reputable local contractor who will likely still be in business if you need warranty coverage.

Finally, if you recently purchased your home, the roof may be covered by a new home warranty or a home warranty purchased at closing if you your home was a resale.

One of the most important decisions a homeowner has to make with regard to a residential reroofing project is what type of shingles to use.  The other major decision is choosing a good roofing contractor.  When choosing shingles, cost is an important consideration, but not the only or even the most important consideration.   No matter how low the price, if you use poor quality shingles you will end up with a poor quality roof.

Reroofing is expensive and a big chunk of the cost is labor.  A properly installed roof using good quality three tab asphalt shingles can last 25 to 30 years but if you use cheap shingles, you will have to have the roof replaced at least once and maybe twice in that same time period.  Why pay for labor two or three times to have several cheap roofs installed when you can pay for labor once and enjoy the security and protection afforded by a high quality roof?

Roofing shingles are priced by the “square” which is enough roofing material to cover 100 square feet of roof.  Asphalt shingles range in price from as low as $75 per square to over $200 per square.  At the low end you are typically getting the most basic three tab shingles with a 60 mph wind resistance rating and a 15 year manufacturer’s warranty.  For around $100 per square you can find good quality three tab shingles with a 30 year warranty and a 70 mph wind resistance rating.

At the high end you will find top quality laminated shingles with lifetime warranties and wind resistance ratings of 120 mph and higher.  Your roofing contractor can help you decide on the best shingles for your home that will meet your needs and fit your budget.