Roofing

Intake Ventilation for Homes without Soffits

February 17, 2017
Posted in

Some roofs have exposed eves which means that they don’t have soffit.  Without a vented soffit, cool intake ventilation air cannot get into an attic. Ventilation is a 2-part system, intake and exhaust. Most homeowners and some roofers are only familiar with exhaust ventilation.  That is the vents that you can see when looking at…

Read More

For Gardeners Needing A Roof, Timing is Everything

February 14, 2017
Posted in ,

Each year I get customers who want to be assured that their plants won’t get damaged when they put on their new roof.  I’m faced with a dilemma — how do I quickly strip off thousands of pounds of shingles off of their roof, all while guaranteeing that their plants will be fine? The short…

Read More

Hot Houses Needed for Freezing Temperature Installs

December 5, 2016
Posted in

Nobody wants to do a freezing temperature install.  In fact, if you can avoid it, you should.  Your sealants will not activate until a few hot weather days.  Shingles will not lie down as nicely until warm weather allows them to relax. But sometimes there is no way around it.  This is usually because there…

Read More

Manufacturer Lawsuits are the New Norm

September 14, 2016
Posted in ,

Interested in a specific shingle?  Type in the name of that shingle manufacturer on google followed by the word “lawsuit”.  Chances are you’ll find someone who feels they were wronged, or in some cases just want something for nothing. Many of these lawsuits are from homeowners who are realizing that the cost of a roof…

Read More

Multiple Layers with Cedar? Replace Gutters to Prevent Rot

July 14, 2016
Posted in ,

This past spring I had a customer tell me they needed a roof but I was the only contractor who had told them that a new roof would require new gutters. Sometimes we run into situations where the original roof was cedar shake and past homeowners have added additional layers of asphalt shingles over the…

Read More

Multi-faceted New Construction Roofs Create Headaches

May 7, 2016
Posted in

Several times a year I get panicked calls from homeowners in communities that have had a lot of two-story housing built over the past few years.  All of these problems could have been prevented by vigilant building inspection process that would have exercised a little common sense. Slope does matters and despite all the good…

Read More

Anatomy of a Shingle

April 14, 2016
Posted in

Shingles are made from 3 layers.  Each of them plays a role in protecting your home. Matting The matting is the base layer from which all else is built upon.  Think of it like the foundation of a house.  If the foundation is good, a good builder can build up from there.  If not, well,…

Read More

How can you tell if you have a Cedar Roof under your shingles?

April 7, 2016
Posted in ,

Cedar roofs were once the norm prior to the manufacturing of asphalt shingles.  In older parts of the City of Milwaukee we find a lot of cedar hiding under layers of asphalt shingles.  There’s really only one way to verify with any degree of certainty whether your roof has cedar shingles. Look in the attic.…

Read More

Consider Roofing Cost Both Upfront and Long Term

March 14, 2016
Posted in

Considering buying a roof?  There’s a whole lot more than the upfront price that you ought to be looking at.   Homeowners who are doing their due diligence weigh the long term as well as the short term costs of a roof. Consider these facts: Dark colored roofs will not last as long as light colored…

Read More

High Winds Cause Roofing Damage

February 28, 2016
Posted in

When wind storms hit, insurance companies aren’t happy, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t file a claim if your roof is damaged.  Metro Milwaukee was hit by a massive wind storm on February 19th this year (2016).  Wind speeds of 63 mph were recorded at Mitchell International Airport and many homes were affected. Here’s…

Read More