All roofers are not the same. Some are not committed to quality roofing; some are willing to cut corners to get the job; others just might not know what they are doing. For whatever reason, we are on roofs every day that have serious damage due to inferior roofing practice. Defective roofing costs homeowners millions of dollars every year.
We want you to have the information you need to make sure you are not buying a roofing problem that you will get to pay for later. Quality roofing is much more that the roof not leaking when it rains. We see roof problems every day that were created when the roof was installed. Defects allow leaks that can destroy roof decking and allow the proliferation of mold but these same defects might never accumulate enough water to expose a leak in the interior.
Quality is the result of experienced and expert crews who are dedicated to their craft and have years of experience doing roofing work right. Summit Exteriors has a methodical and systematic approach to creating a near-to-perfect roof as is possible.
Each step in the roofing process must conform to the specifications of the roofing material manufacturer and the Uniform Building Codes. Our crews have seen every kind of situation and know the proper solution to solve any roofing problem. We are thorough. We bid the job to be thorough.
We will not undersell your roofing project just to get the work. We have great confidence in and take great pride in our ability to get roofing projects done right the first time. We are interested in the long-term good relationship with clients. This is much more important than a single sale. We would like to win all our bids now, but many we have to win later after the prospect's roofing choice has turned into a problem.
1. The Key Ingredients of a Quality Roof
Every aspect of the roofing system, roof decking; chimney flashings, stack vent flashings; skylights- all components of your roofing assembly beyond the simple installation of roofing materials are carefully considered and all defects removed during our systematic roofing process.
2. Roofing Safety Concerns Must be Paramount
Our crews pay careful attention to roofing safety. They don't want to be hurt and we don't want them hurt. Proper safety helps prevent injuries to workers and workman. Inquiries are not a pleasant experience for anyone- contractor, employees or the homeowner.
3. Protection of Your Property
Replacing a roof has a big impact on your home. It is a massive and noisy undertaking. The roofing material on your home can often weigh 10 tons. The old roof is well attached to the deck. It needs to come off. This is not only noisy but the process must be carefully controlled to not damage your home or your landscaping.
The protection of your property has our undivided attention. We have systems to insure that your property is returned to your just as it was except with beautiful new roofing. Let us reassure you as to how our home protection system will protect your property.
Thousands of fasteners hold your new roof in place. These can be lost in the grass and lost in the landscaping. We have a bright eyed young man with a knack for detail work to insure the nails are found and your home is returned to you in the same state as when Summit Exteriors first arrived.
4. How to Pick out the Right Contractor
Nothing is more important than picking out a trustworthy contractor. In Colorado, there is no such thing as state licensing for roofers. Any registration of roofers is completely voluntary. It is up to you, the consumer, to find a reputable roofer. Big storm comes and people get up the next morning and they are roofers because they say they are roofers. Here are some important ways to pick out a good roofing contractor. There are many of our roofing colleagues who do very good work. You can do much worse. We want to help you avoid the worse. How can you do this?
- Find out if your prospective contractor is a member of the Better Business Bureau. Not all quality roofers are a member of the BBB, but shoddy roofers cannot stand this much heat or are not around long enough to get involved.
- Is the company you are considering financial stable? What if something bad happens while they are working on your home? Do they have the financial wherewithal to withstand all possible perils? How can you discern these qualities? Make sure your chosen contractor provides you with a "hold harmless" affidavit. If you have any concerns about Summit Exteriors, please give us a call. We are proud to answer any questions that might concern you.
- By all means check references. Look around and find your own references for a company. Summit Exteriors has thousands of references and many are right in your neighborhood. Contact us and we will get you as many as you want. Roofing the home of local celebrities does not make you a good roofer, but we are sure proud of the many local sports and television celebrities who have put their trust in us. We do good work. We don't have to be concerned about doing a lousy job and everybody in the area hearing about it from a local celebrity. Some of the other roofing contractor choices you can make just might shudder at the thought of roofing the home of a celebrity.
- Just because someone might claim to be a roofer, works to get a job totaled with your insurance company, does not qualify them to install a roof. First you need to find out if they are a roofing company or a re-contractor. For example, are they a fencing company, but now after a hail storm are they talking to people about roofing. Are they getting a contract from you and then finding someone to put on roofing materials afterwards. Don't go here. This is a recipe for disaster. Do you really want a roofing crew on your roof who last week might have been mowing lawns or installing fencing? Did you just hire the very lowest rung of roofer or middle of the road roofer, or did you just hire the best crews available in the marketplace. Our crews are as good as roofers can be. They have put roofing down for years to exacting specifications. They don't get in a hurry, they just get it done right. They are practiced and experienced teams of professionals that take great pride in their work. Now what kind of people do you want working on your roof?
- Did your prospective roofer just come to town when our community has experienced storm damage? We admire initiative but where will you be when you call your roofer and you can't find him because he left town after the work was done. It is very unpleasant to discover that your new roof was not properly installed because your roofer was greedy or incompetent.
- Make sure you head is not turned by glib, compelling personalities. There is a plethora of smooth talkers in this industry. High dollar claims bring out the gypsy salesmen who are professionals at getting you to listen to their flowery promises. If what they are saying is not tempered by reality or just sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do yourself a favor, just relax a little bit, you don't have to make a decision now, get a referral from a neighbor that has used a roofer that they liked and trusted. Feel free to call us. We would be happy to show you a reassuring pile of testimonials for a long time.
5. There are a multitude of ways to make a mess of a roof
Roofing systems keep homes dry and waterproof. It takes more than just roofing tile or roofing shingles to protect a home from water damage. Pipes and skylights and vents and chimneys; roof valleys and roof edges all must be properly detailed or the roofing system does not work. All too often structural defects are the result of the rush to get roofing and building construction done. It requires a steadfast dedication to quality to not cut corners to increase profits on a job. It takes integrity to help a homeowner choose the bid that is a little more expensive but does solve all the defects on the roof. We have seen hundreds of ways corners are cut with the result being defective roofing.
6. Proper roof ventilation is essential to protecting your home and your roof
Proper Ventilation to Protect Your Home and Save Money
It is extremely important that roof structures are properly ventilated. Ventilation has often been an afterthought by builders who are more concerned with cosmetic appearance and maximizing profits. It is left to the smart homeowner to insure their home is protected from excess moisture and resulting mold and mite propagation, by proper ventilation.
Proper ventilation is critical to your home
Proper ventilation is critical for keeping moisture out of your home. Good Ventilation also exhausts the build up of summer heat in your attic. The wrong combinations of moisture and heat destroy wood structures, create attractive environments for the growth of molds and the breeding of mites. Poor ventilation will raise your cooling bills and make your home uncomfortable.
Your new roofing warranty requires proper ventilation.
Your new roofing warranty also requires proper ventilation. Without good ventilation, your new roofing materials and your wood structure are in harms way and will not last like they should. Poor ventilation can and will destroy roof decks and create problems with roofing materials. Good ventilation is the answer and any roofer chosen must be accounting for good ventilation.
All portions of the roof structure need an air intake at the eave and an air exhaust at the ridge of the roof. These vents must be sized properly to allow the right volume of air to move through the attic to pick up the moisture that is entering the attic from the interior.
These air intakes must be properly located for your attic to properly exchange air. As part of our roof estimate, we analyze your need for ventilation to make you aware of any problem you might have. Roof work is the perfect time to deal with ventilation problems and we will alert you to any potential problems you have. If you have any questions or concerns about ventilation; please contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
Concerns with Ventilation occur during 2 Seasons.
Summer:
Colorado gets hot in the summer and the attics get even hotter. This heat is hard on building materials. Attic temperatures can soar to 150 degrees in a poorly ventilated attic. This adds stress to your plywood deck and roofing materials. Stress shortens the life of materials.
A poorly insulated attic in summer transports heat to the interior of your home by radiation and conduction of energy. You are paying hard cash for extra cooling to overcome this heat gain and you still might feel uncomfortable because the ceiling is radiating your head with extra warmth.
Most homes have HVAC ductwork in the attic. This ductwork often leaks. Negative air pressure inside the duct can draw this superheated attic air into your conditioned air cooling your home. This condition makes your HVAC system work harder which creates more wear and tear on the equipment besides raising your heating bills.
Proper ventilation can therefore save you money in summer and make you feel better too.
Winter:
Moisture is the villain in winter. Colorado roofs are usually well insulated. This means that the warm interior is well separated from the cool attic space EXCEPT where the warm heated air in your home leaks into the attic space around light fixtures and bathroom venting ducts. At these small micro-locations moist warm air from cooking, laundry, and shower activities rises and penetrates through air gaps into the attic space. Air leakage is a money loser. Here we are concerned with this air leakage creating moisture problems unless your home has proper ventilation.
Warm, moist interior air mixing with the cold air in the attic allows the formation of a dew point. This moisture collects on insulation, rafters, roof sheathing- on anything where the dew point is reached. To prevent reaching dew point in your attic there must be a free exchange of dryer air from the outside environment. Good Ventilation creates this free exchange and thus prevents moisture problems.
We are Always Ready to Help
Summit Exteriors will be glad to help you understand whether you have a roofing ventilation problem. Proper ventilation is critical to the health of your home and to the life span of your roof structure. Contact us if you have any further questions or concerns. |
