Land Roofing OKC

In Oklahoma, replacing your roof seems to happen following a hail storm.  In the past few years we have had some big hail storms making it easier to know whether or not you need a new roof.  Unless you have an impact resistant shingle or another type of system like metal roofing most composition shingles in Oklahoma will last about 10-12 years without a severe storm.  What if there isn’t a hail storm, do you know the tell tale signs of needing a new roof?

Most professionals recommend examining your roof once per year.  This can be done from the ground so you don’t have to worry about climbing any ladders.  Simply use a pair of binoculars or your neighbors yard to get a good look.  Once you have found a good vantage point start looking for missing shingles, rust on flashing, cracked or curled shingles, moss growth, peeling paint on the eaves or any discoloration.  If there are any tree branches touching your roof they should be trimmed.  With the Oklahoma winds the branches will wear down the shingle and can even lift them off of the roof.  Lastly, check your gutters, if there is sediment from the shingles that is another good sign that your roof system is starting to fail. After the inspection on the outside, go inside your home and look for any spots on your ceiling or walls.  Check for moisture as that may be a sign your roof has a leak.

If you find any of these signs then it is highly recommended that you call a professional roofing company to inspect your roof.  A simple repair like replacing a shingle or two will cost around $100.00.  If the roof system is failing then it is time to replace the roof.  Any competent (and registered with the Oklahoma Constructions and Industries Board) roofer can offer you advice about whether or not a claim needs to be filed with your home owners insurance.   Understanding the type of insurance you have will help make a determination about what if any amount of money your insurance company will pay for a new roof.  Always have a professional examine your property before filing a claim to save you from an unnecessary claim causing you increased premiums down the road.

If all of this sounds over whelming or you are just too busy, Land Enterprises Roofing has a roof maintenance program for residential homes as well as commercial properties.  Our main purpose for creating this program was to help homeowners maintain their roof so it can live out it’s intended life span.  For more information regarding Land Enterprises Roof Maintenance program call our office today at (405) 359-3951 or check our website http://www.landroofingokc.com/roof-maintenance-program

 A roof leak can happen to even the best homes and should be handled immediately to reduce your risk of losing precious possessions and paying huge repair bills.  Sometimes leaks are easy to find and sometimes they are not.  Here is what you need to look for and a simple test to locate the pesky leak.

If you are a do-it-yourself repairman start looking for the leak based on where you see the water coming into your home.  It may not be the spot of penetration, but it is a good starting point.  Once on the roof look in the most obvious places  like the valleys and the flashing around the vent pipes and chimney.  Look for missing caulking, split or missing shingles.  If there is not an obvious sign of damage, you can use a hose to spray water onto the roof.  (Use this technique only on warm days and make sure you have solid footing on the roof).  Work with a partner who can watch for the water coming through the spot on the inside of your home to help you identify the troubled spot on the roof.   Focus on the areas like the chimney and valleys.  Continue moving around to different areas of the roof until you find your leak.  If you were not able to find it with this method there may be another reason.

Occasionally there is the leak that seems almost impossible to locate causing mounds of frustration and worry for you.  The reason some leaks remain elusive is that they may not be a roof leak at all.  Water can come into your home in many ways.  It could be a window, siding, a window’s drip edge or even missing caulking.  Look around your house for any missing siding or drip edge.  Check your gutters and remove any debris. 

If you are not a DIY enthusiast or still can’t find it, call a roofing contractor (like us) for a free inspection.  Sometimes having an experienced professional on the job is the best route to go!

For more information about this topic and to see a video about the water test check out this link; http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/simple-roof-water-test/41633.html

Every year we hear from customers that they want to hurry up and have their roofing project done before winter or wait until the spring when the weather is warmer. Of course the customer can choose the best time for them to complete projects on their home but they don’t have to wait until spring. In Oklahoma we are fortunate to have more mild winters than other states in the Union and therefore we roof many homes during the winter under specific guidelines that we are always careful to follow.

In the colder months we will only start a complete re-roof if it is going to be a sunny day and the temperatures will get up to 50 degrees. Our crew will tear off shingles in the morning and attach the underlayment to the decking. Before heading to lunch they will place the shingles on the roof to allow them time to warm up. Depending upon the color of the shingle chosen, on a 50 degree day the shingles will warm up to a toasty 70 degrees. Once the crews return from lunch the shingles are ready to be secured to the decking. The warmth of the sun will help the shingles to lie down and seal into their permanent position.

Great news! Now you don’t have to wait for the season to change, call and schedule your roof inspection or project today!

Over the past couple of months I have been writing about how to make your home more energy efficient.  I am spending so much time on this topic because many people are looking for ways to save money and save our environment.  Making sure that your home is operating at it’s maximum efficiency is just as important as making sure your car is running well.  Since a home is the most expensive investment most people will have it only makes sense to keep it well maintained.  Having proper roof ventilation is another way to make your home more energy efficient.

It is counter intuitive to think that having a hole in your roof would actually be more energy efficient, but it is.  One of the most common forms of roof ventilation is ridge vent.  Ridge vent is a space cut out of the ridge on the roof line where the warm air can escape.  In order for this to work properly your home also has to have soffit vents so the cool air can come in through the soffit and push the hot air out through the ridge vent.  Having proper ventilation is just one more component to having a leak free roof for many years to come.

It is never too late to add ventilation to your roof.  Even if you have recently had your home re-roofed you can still add ventilation.  For more information about this type of ventilation or to learn about other kinds give our office a call @ (405) 359-3951 and we will be happy to help you find the right fit for your home.

Believe it or not the best way to protect your roof from dry rot is to have ventilation in the attic. Proper ventilation ensures that your roof will live out its intended life span.  When your attic space gets hot and humid, the warm moist air rises, unless it has a way to escape, the plywood (decking) can’t breathe and this will cause your decking to start decaying.  The shingles are attached to that plywood and if that plywood starts to decay then the shingles could loosen and even blow away leaving your home vulnerable to leaks.   The failure of your plywood may also damage your insulation.  Your attic needs to stay cool and have an exchange of air to prevent the dry rot.

A common misconception is that having ventilation is a bad idea in the winter and any ventilation should be covered or sealed during the cold months.  Ventilation is important in the winter too because you don’t want condensation to form on the decking.  A great way to visualize this is the example of a cold soda can just out of the fridge.  When you take the can out of the cold as it starts to warm up condensation forms on the outside of the can.  Imagine that on the inside of your roof.  Without ventilation that condensation will stay on the wood until it is absorbed.  Over time this will cause dry rot and your roof and insulation will fail causing hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

Recently we installed a cupola onto the roof of a customer’s home.    A cupola is a piece of architecture that is placed on top of a home or other type of building.  Sometimes they serve as a lookout or to allow air or light into a space.  In this case the cupola was added for the beauty of its architecture.

The copula can be created in many different styles and colors to suit any design esthetic.  This one was made of an untreated copper.  The customer requested this so he could enjoy watching the patina change over time.  This particular home had three installed, one larger piece for the longest part of their roof and two smaller pieces for the turrets.  Adding these to the home gives it a unique and stately appearance.  The end result was beautiful!

Did you have water leak into your home during any of the snow storms this past winter?  If so, then you know the frustration and worry when water is flowing from your ceiling down your walls threatening your most prized possessions.  The cause of this leak is what is called an ice dam.  This ice dam occurs when snow and ice blow up under your shingles.  When the weather warms up, the snow or ice melt, water gets into your home.  This kind of damage can cause hundreds of dollars in costly repairs.  But don’t worry; there are some things you can do to prevent this from ever happening again.

If you do have a leak the best thing to do is take a screw driver and poke a hole into the spot where the water is dripping.  This technique will prevent the water from pooling in your ceiling and eventually caving in.  Place a bucket under the hole and either call a roofer or head outside.  If you chose to head outside, locate the area on the roof where the leak inside is occurring.  Using your ladder you can remove the snow or ice using a broom.  We don’t recommend getting on your roof because the moisture will present a serious fall risk.  Instead stay on the ladder and use the broom to sweep off as much snow and or ice as possible.  Please be sure to place your ladder on a flat and sturdy surface to avoid any falls.  Once the debris has been removed, the ceiling is dry, you can repair the ceiling yourself or call a painting contractor or handyman.  Since climbing a ladder is risky we do recommend calling a professional and this is a service any reputable roofing company can perform for you.

If you want to prevent an Ice Dam from every occurring in the first place, there are several things that you can do.  Make sure that all debris like dead leaves and sticks are removed from your gutters and valleys.  Another preventive measure is to have an ice and water shield treatment applied while your home is being roofed.  This treatment is standard on all of our customers’ homes and commercial projects.   In fact, this past year we had no customers call us to report an ice dam.  If there had been a problem, we would have come back out to their home or business and fixed the problem as soon as possible.  Since none of our customers had this problem during the 2011 snowstorms, we were able to relax at home and enjoy some free time with our families!

If you need debris removed from your roof before winter we have a roof maintenance program that will take care of that for you.  Call our office to schedule your appointment @ 359-3951.  For more information check this website or call our office and we would be happy to answer any questions.

About sevens years ago Brian and I built our first home.  It was a lot of fun hand picking  all of the details that went into building our house.  One item that was a no brainer was our choice to use Solarbord decking sheets.  The Solarbord is a radiant barrier sheathing that is applied to one side of the decking and then installed sheathing side down.  The radiant sheathing acts as a barrier to the radiant heat from the sun.  The manufacturers boasts that their product can actually block 97% of those rays which means the attic is 30 degrees cooler and so is your home. 

Using this product reduces your cooling costs during the summer and holds in the heat during the winter.  It also prolongs the life of your heating and air system while increasing the efficiency of your duct work.  The best part is that there is no maintenance and the sheathing does not deteriorate over time.  Adding Solarbord to your next roofing project won’t increase your labor bills either since it installs just as easily as decking without the sheathing.

For more information on this product visit their website;  http://www.solarbordosb.com/ or stop by our to see a sample in our showroom or give us a call (359-3951) and we can answer any questions that you may have.

Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents (soffit and gable) and pushing hot air to the outside. However, if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well-sealed from the rest of the house, attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. This will use more energy and make your air conditioner work harder, which will increase your summer utility bill.

You don’t want your unfinished attic cooled by your air conditioner. To prevent this, make sure that the attic is insulated properly and that it is well-ventilated using passive vents and natural air flow.  For more information on how to make sure your fan is working properly, follow the link below. 

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=diy.diy_attic_ventilation

All of the information from this blog was taken from the Energy star website

Interested in an attic fan for your home?  Give our office a call today and we will be happy to give you a free estimate.  (405) 359-3951

At first it may seem odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely allow cold air to enter the attic through vents, but this combination is the key to a durable and energy-efficient home. Here’s why: in the winter, allowing a natural flow of outdoor air to ventilate the attic helps keep it cold, which reduces the potential for ice damming (snow that melts off a roof from an attic that is too warm and then re-freezes at the gutters, causing an ice dam that can damage the roof). Proper insulation and air sealing also keeps attics cold in winter by blocking the entry of heat and moist air from below. In the summer, natural air flow in a well-vented attic moves super-heated air out of the attic, protecting roof shingles and removing moisture. The insulation will resist heat transfer into the house.

The most common mistake homeowners make when installing insulation is to block the flow of air at the eaves. NEVER COVER ATTIC SOFFIT VENTS WITH INSULATION — use rafter vents and soffit vents to maintain airflow.

SOURCE:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=diy.diy_attic_ventilation

Interested in adding ventilation to your home?  Give us a call today  for a free consultation and estimate at (405) 359-3951.