Adding Curb Appeal to Your Home With a Unique Roof in North Carolina
Roofing Repairs & More – How To Find a Contractor in North Carolina
As a homeowner, you are responsible for a lot. Upkeep of property can be costly, stressful and time-consuming. Regular maintenance can help you to avoid large repairs down the road. Exterior maintenance is particularly important as this can mean the difference of staying warm and dry or being stuck in a leaky home. Making sure that the caulking is in good shape around windows and doors ensures that drafts stay out. Checking your roofing for leaks and worn areas will prevent water from infiltrating your home. Calling a professional for repairs may be a little more costly upfront than doing it yourself would be, but remember to think about the payoff in the long run.
By hiring a pro to maintain the exterior of your home, you are ensuring the use of top of the line products and expert service. If you notice a draft coming from around the bay window in the living room, you would want to call in a caulking specialist. He will use a caulk that holds up through varying weather conditions and stays flexible through shrinkage and expansion.
If you suspect roofing damage, you certainly want to call a licensed (in states where required) and insured roofer in. Using a handyman service to make repairs to a roof can be a costly mistake. First of all, if he does not do the work properly, you end up paying a pro to come in and do the job a second time anyway. Another consideration is liability insurance. What happens is a contractor falls off of your roof? If he is not insured, you (being the property owner) can be sued.
How do I Choose the Best Person for the Job?
You will want to hire someone who is knowledgeable in his field. It does not hurt to do a little research on the issue at hand prior to having an estimate done. While the contractor is there giving you a quote, ask questions. Get a feel for his level of expertise. A skilled tradesman should be able to answer questions directly-no stalling involved. If you are not comfortable with the answers, simply thank him and move on to the next company.
Get Proof
Always ask for a certificate of liability insurance. Follow up by calling the insurance company to make sure the policy is current. Check into the validity of the business license number provided. Also, ask for the names of at least two references. Call the people referenced and ask a few questions such as: Did they feel the company was professional? Did they leave the job clean? How did the materials/repairs hold up? If this was a roofing job, did the leak stop and how is it doing now?
This may seem like quite a process to go through in order to get repairs done on your home, but when you are talking about time and money, it is best to do it right the first time. Whether you need siding, roofing, window or caulking repairs done, do your homework before you hire.
After meeting with your North Carolina roofing contractor, you will see that The Roof Maker, INC is the perfect choice.
Selecting a North Carolina Roofing Contractor
When you’re looking for a North Carolina roofer for your commercial roofing project you need to find a contractor who understands the special needs of a commercial roofing project. For example it can be harder to work on a business during business hours so either the business has to be shut down for the repair or replacement or the job has to be done after conventional business hours. Is the roofer you are considering for the job willing and able to work around your schedule constrictions which might involve working weekends or evenings?
When you begin your search for a roofing contractor not only do you need to answer those questions but you also want to find someone that will do a high quality job without a lot of time delays. Going about finding someone can seem like an obstacle in itself but there are some ways to make the search easier.
Ask friends and family for referrals and try to find at least three contractors to give you written bids on your job. Before you go any further you need to make sure that the contractors you are considering are fully licensed and bonded. A simple search with the state contractor’s board will verify if your roofer is licensed and if there are any past judgments or claims against their license.
Once you select three or four roofers to place bids, you should prepare yourself for the bids to be widely varied. Roofers will have brand preferences that will vary and may factor in more or less than the next guy for a labor estimate. The more detailed a written bid is the more helpful it will be for you to see where the cost are going to be incurred. Don’t, however, select a roofer based solely on the bid price. Any low ball bids may be tempting to take, but if they are low because of poor quality workman ship it may not be worth it in the end.
As the saying goes, you generally get what you pay for, so if you can afford a mid-priced bid it’s always a good idea to go up in your price range rather than down. You also should select your roofer based on how professional they were and how comfortable you anticipate you will be working with them.
Finally your cost will vary based on what type of roofing material you choose as well as the cost to haul your old roof to the landfill. If you are looking for places to cut corners on your roof, instead of cutting labor cost you might want to ask about a metal roof option. Metal roofs can be cost effective and energy efficient making them overall money savers for the long run, and on commercial buildings they can be very low maintenance. Plus since they can be placed on top of an existing roof, you don’t need to have the old one removed and hauled away, which can make a big impact on your cost.
What Happens When a Roof Doesn’t Have Proper Ventilation?
One of the most important aspects of the way your North Carolina roof is designed and built is proper ventilation. You simply cannot over-estimate its importance. What happens when a roof doesn’t have proper ventilation? Improper ventilation allows formation of condensation, moisture accumulation, and damage to the roof deck and, eventually, to the stability of the roof. Improper roof ventilation can also affect the health of your family.
The industry standard for roof ventilation to provide 1 square foot of intake ventilation and 1 square foot of exhaust or outflow ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic space, provided the area is insulated with a vapor barrier. If the area is insulated without a vapor barrier, the requirement doubles.
Proper ventilation of the roof and attic of a home achieves several important functions:
It makes the attic space cooler
It makes the home more energy efficient
It prevents condensation and accumulation of moisture on the inside of the roof deck, and prevents rotting of the roof deck
It reduces the risk of fire
Several types of vents can be used to properly ventilate the roof of your home. Roof ridge vents are placed along the ridge line of the roof. Ridge vents are used for exhaust or outflow of moisture, heat, and stale air. Soffit vents and Eaves are placed at the lower extremes of the roof and provide the intake ventilation. If you live in an older home, your roof might not be constructed for roof ridge or soffit vents. Older homes were not built with the tight seals of today’s houses. There were cracks and openings around windows and doors, chimneys and other openings. These cracks and openings allowed fresh air to flow into the house. On the principle that hot air rises, the accumulated heat and moisture would rise to the attic and out the roof vents.
Without adequate ventilation, moisture rises with the hot air and forms condensation on the inside of the roof deck. This moisture is released into the air inside the house from bathing, cooking, plants, laundry and other causes. When the condensation forms on the roof deck, it begins to rot the wood. This introduces mold spores into the air, as well as damaging the wood. The result, if the problem is not noticed and repaired, can be destruction of all or part of the roof deck and creation of unhealthy air inside the house.
In our increasingly airtight homes, the importance of proper ventilation in roof construction cannot be over-emphasized. It is important to take the time and do the research to understand the ventilation needs for your North Carolina and how best to meet those needs.
Benefits of Roof Inspection
Whether you already own your Southport home or are looking into buying one, one task to consider for proper house care is a thorough inspection of the roof. The roof is what keeps the rest of the home secure and protected from the elements. Having a professional check the current state of a roof can help you save money and headaches, depending on your situation.
Why get your roof inspected? As a homeowner or potential buyer, it’s important to know everything you can about the place you live.
Prevention: Regular roof evaluation – it is recommended to have a professional examine your house top every two or three years – can help determine if minor problems and leaks stand to become major issues in the future. These checks can spot damage by weather or rodents or other elements and allow you plan for timely repairs that may not cost you as much now as a larger fix would have down the road.
Value: If ever you think of selling your North Carolina house, a buyer is going to want to know the condition of the roof. As it is the objective of the buyer to choose a home that doesn’t require extensive repair, should your roof require great attention it can make selling a challenge. Regular inspections can alert you to repairs necessary before you put your home on the market, and they can help evaluate the selling price.
Renovation: Say you wish to remodel your home and have an addition built. Even if you don’t plan to add a story to your house, a new room will require extension of your roof, and you want to be certain the structure matches your present one. Regular inspections can help you figure out what needs to be done to ensure the roof is even and strong.
Just a small payment for inspection can save you larger bills for repairs if you leave roof problems unnoticed and unattended.