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Archive for 'Roof Maintenance'

Your roof is your shield against harsh weather conditions and you want to take good care of it so that it protects your home from external adversities. In winters snow and ice can turn out to be real menace because if proper care is not taken, they may end up spoiling your roof and home interiors. Getting the right roof is the first step in the attempt to safeguard your home in winters. So how do you know what is right for you? The safest bet in this regard would be to engage a professional roofing NJ contractor. He is the one person who can guide you through selecting the right roofing material for your home and help you base your choice on some strong factors. He will make suggestions according to where you live, what your personal preferences are and what is the budget that you are looking at.

Roofing does not end with installing the roof and forgetting about it. If you stay in Montgomery County then by now you should have faced chilling winters where your entire house gets buried under snow. All the snow must have caused a lot of inconvenience especially if you are away from home and cannot do anything to get the situation under control. Talking to a roofing Montgomery County PA contractor can help you to a great extent. With roofing knowledge and good experience, he would be in a better position to advice on what kind of actions should be implemented when you are facing serious problems because of merciless winters.

The state of Pennsylvania being in the north faces extreme winter conditions. Heavy snowfall is not new to this state and if you don’t take proactive measures to tackle the situation, you may end up paying a lot in getting a new roof installed. Hiring the right roofing Bucks county PA contractor can save you a lot of money in the long run. As he knows how winters can damage a house roof, he will install the roof preparing it to face winter at its peak. Before getting the roof installed, it is always advisable to talk to the contractor in person as he will understand what your concerns are and you will understand how he plans to address those concerns using his skill, team of workers and knowledge about roofs.

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Gutter maintenance made easy for you

Every place where people dwell needs regular cleaning and keeping the surroundings clean is mandatory. After all, you wouldn’t want to get affected with various air-borne and water-borne diseases which can make you terribly sick. The gutter and water flushing system especially should be flawless and should be free of debris and slush. Sometimes heavy rain can fill up your gutter with water and the entire gutter over flows and can make your home look very shabby. It becomes a good breeding place for mosquitoes and other insects. If you wish to avoid all this and keep your home free from diseases, then gutter maintenance is quite important. Many people do not come forward to clean their gutters and they might handover the job to gutter maintenance and cleaning services. But those who wish to save money and ensure that their gutters are free of debris can use simple techniques that save time yet wash away filth.

Usually dry leaves from trees fall into gutters and they block the water from running down into the main drain. These leaves are great hurdles and they lead to water stagnation and gutter cleaning becomes a herculean task. That slush can release a filthy smell and you just cannot tolerate it. You can use a long pressure washer that forces the leaves down into the gutter and then you can collect the debris in a sack. If gutter cleaning is neglected, you might have to look at gutter replacement options which will make you shell out money. If you have a small gutter it is all the more easy to clean and you can scoop up the debris from it. To prevent further clogging of your gutters, use gutter screens and keep them clean from leaves and dirt.

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Many home owners wait until something goes wrong with the roof during the winter season to get the repair done. This can be avoided with a few things kept in mind and a little bit of care. It is always advisable to start the roof inspection during the autumn season before the winter arrives to avoid all the unnecessary complications. By performing the pre-winter maintenance required by the roof, one can save lots of money that is further spent in the roof repair during the winter season.

The first step would be the removal of all the debris from the roof. This can be easily done with the help of leaf blower. Once you complete the debris removal, perform a thorough roof inspection to find out if there are any minor cracks or damages as these would cause a great deal of damage in the future. This will also help to alleviate the need for expensive repairs as one can notice all the small problems at an earlier stage and can avoid unnecessary complications. Many number of times when home owners notice some leakage problem, they mistake it for plumbing problems whereas the fault lies with the roof itself. Once you complete the inspection, it is the time that you fill in the cracks that are identified. This can be done with the help of mastic. One has to make sure that they fill the cracks completely with the mastic from the starting point of the crack to the ending point to avoid any further leaks. However, if you feel that the repair is just getting too much, then it is advisable to go for the installation of a new roof.

Before one performs all these actions, one should not forget to prepare a perfect roofing estimate for the things to go well. Finally when all the cracks are sealed, one has to check the ridges and valleys of the home. Once you find any cracks, ensure that you fill them with mastic by ensuring that you do not clog the roofing tabs. With these few roofing tips before winter, one need not bother about the maintenance of the roof and can happily enjoy your winter season to the fullest.

To make sure that your roof fully qualifies for the incoming winter, schedule a professional roof inspection with our company.

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Your roof after heavy weather conditions

Trenton ChimneyThis winter brought unusually heavy snows to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, setting the stage for roofing jobs. Chris Szymkiewicz, president of Total Roofing & Siding says there are three main reasons his company gets a lot of calls. Ice damming is on the top of the list. Ice damming  appear where snow or ice blocks gutters and downspouts, causing water to pool or back up and very often find its way inside the building.  The best defense against ice damming, says Chris, is to install an ice and water guard. In another words you need a self-sticking waterproof membrane running up under the roof as much as 2 feet over the heated area of the shingles. “We also recommend our clients to increase roof insulation and ventilation to the attic area,” Chris says, because escaping heat can cause snow to melt. Calls sometimes also involve skylights problems. Proper flashing while roofing installation forestalls such complaints, except when rain leaks through the frame or around glass. Skylights are problematic, Chris says, but homeowners get used to daylight and are afraid to get rid of them. Where leaks develop as a result of a worn or faulty skylight unit, Total Roofing & Siding offers a skylight replacement. The third major reason of calls is improperly flashed chimneys, or chimneys needing re-pointing or other masonry work. But still, hidden leaks, are still the biggest problem with most leaks the result of improper flashing and nailing.

Trust only the best. Call Total Roofing & Siding today and ask for a free estimate. Total R&S is a local New Jersey roofing company serving roofing & siding services in NJ and PA.

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Hiring the right roofer

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New tile roof

There are many ways to not succeed a roof installation, but only one way to do it is right. We will present you most of the common mistakes and how to avoid them. Read these carefully:

  1. The first step and one of the most overlooked one is to only build in the right weather conditions. Roofing job should not be attempted under 35 degrees Fahrenheit. This is mostly due to safety reasons. You always need a dry working area, otherwise it can get very slippery. Always look at the roof before going up. Roofing in NJ is especially limited by the weather where dominate low temperatures and rain.  If it looks moist, stay away from it. If you find this to be harsh, try doing something else in the meantime, bring your roofing supplies closer, analyze what has been done so far, do some measurements, re-size the materials if needed. Only a part from a roof installation is actually done on the roof.
  2. Avoid walking on a fresh installed roof. This is critical when it comes to tile roofs or slate roofs. A professional roofer will avoid this at almost any cost, and will always have an escape route, which doesn’t affect the already installed portions of roof. This is a very good way to detect inexperienced roofers.  Even with metallic sheet roofs, this should be avoided, because although they are very unlikely to break, they can bend and can remain that way.
  3. Use a professional roof consultant. The amount you will pay, will probably be one of the best investments you ever made in your home improvement history. There are many hidden dangers that can affect the quality of your new roof. Getting your facts and priorities has proven time and time again an invaluable factor. Making an informed choice and getting a glimpse in what your future roof should look like is sometimes the best choice available and can save you the cost of many mistakes.
  4. Get the flashing right. Flashing is an important part in regards to a roof’s durability. A poorly made job can screw up an entire roof. This is not the most difficult task at hand, but it is crucial to get it right. First make sure you get the right supplies as the flashing metal must come in an appropriate size. Typically there are two ways of acquiring flashing overlapping and soldering. Soldering is the most difficult one to properly get it installed correctly. It is usually used for chimneys and low slopes. Get those corners right and make sure that water can’t leak from the chimney. If by any chance a contractor puts a strong emphasis on the underlayment you should have all the alarm bells ringing. A good roof may actually require no underlayment at all. It is a sign that the builder is not very confident in its own work. So please make sure that the overlapping is positive and that soldering jobs are done with the thermal contraction and expansion in mind. This also means that you should always do your flashing consistently, meaning that you should use the same metal on all the roof.
  5. Get the right roofing materials meaning that all the materials you buy should have just about the same durability. If you are building a slate roof designed to last 200 years, it is not very wise to use plywood which will stay for 20 years. On the other hand, if your intention is to build a roof with small durability as a temporary solution, plywood will do just fine. Nails are also very important. They can be easily overlooked and are seen by the contractors as a mean to cut costs. The problem is that you will get what you pay for. Go the extra mile and buy some decent nails or at least make sure that the contractor does.
  6. When dealing with New Jersey roofing contractors make sure that everything is specified in the contract. The type of material used down to every single detail, the time required and the payment options. Look carefully before you sign anything. This is extremely important as one you sign that contract you engage yourself in a very long and possible hard ride. Be careful and read everything.
  7. Stay away from inexperienced contractors. This is critical. Before you actually choose a contractor ask for a portfolio and some proof of their qualification, friends can be priceless as their advice based on experience can help you to quickly locate a good contractor. Total Roofing & Siding  is an expert in New Jersey roofing & siding installation. Call our toll free number 1-888-ROOF-908 or fill out the form to get a  free roofing or siding estimate or to discuss some roofing options. We install all types of roofing serving customers in New Jersey and Bucks County PA.
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Roof ventilation & insulation

Why do you need a professional roofer to get your roof installed? There are few major reasons. Don’t trust anybody who offers you the roof installation for half price than the others or less. Always ask your roofer for a valid license and liability insurance. You don’t want to pay for any accidents caused by the roofer on your property.

When we think about a roof system we imagine something on the top of our house. In fact it is something more complicated than that.

Roof Insulation

This is the most important if we want our house to be more energy efficient. It means that if we get our roof system insulation done in the right way we may decrease our energy bills and even reduce the sizing requirements for the heating and cooling equipment. The right insulation brings also another benefit for our building. If it’s done right it keeps the water vapor from entering the attic area and keeps from damaging the roof. Insulation must be integrated with a good attic ventilation to keep the environment dry all the time.

Roof Ventilation

Ventilation of the building attic is important for two reasons. During the summer, excess heat that builds up in the attic during the day results in high energy costs for cooling. Also, moisture produced within the home may move into the attic if ceiling vapor barriers are not used. If this moisture is not exhausted from the building attic it can condense and cause insulation and construction materials to deteriorate. Therefore, temperature and moisture control are the major reasons for providing attic ventilation so don’t forget to ask you roofing constructor for his ventilation

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