 FEMA News Photo Roofing Tarps In Lees Summit, this has been a most unusual winter. We have warm days approaching 70-F, and yet only a couple of days later we have high only approaching 30-F. And the see-saw continues. These wide variances in weather conditions make me wonder what the severity of our spring storms might look like. Hail, wind driven rain, tornadoes; all widespread will damage a lot of roofs and create needs for both repair and replacement.
My roofing company, as with most established roofing contractors, maintains crews based on work we have available. Following storm or natural disasters, there is far more roof work than local roofing contractors can support. This leads to an influx of migrant roofing contractors, swooping in to grab storm-related insurance work, and they will certainly move on once a larger storm happens elsewhere or once the roof replacement work dries up. I encourage you to hire a local roofing contractor for roof repairs. Your house is likely your single largest investment. And the roof is your first line of defense in protecting your house. With some types of shingles, a roof may last 25-30 years, or even longer. The reasons to select a local roofer are many: 1) The roof being installed comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. That warranty is only as good as the manufacturer that stands behind it, but proper installation is also crucial to ensure the manufacturer honors the warranty. When you select a local roofing contractor, you can ensure that the installer is available later. How are you going to get support from a migrant roofing contractor? 2) It isn’t just the roof shingles; these are only one part of a bigger system including underlayment, ice and water shield, flashing, and venting. While you only see the shingles, every component is critical. Migrant roofing contractors are chasing money only, and are likely to cut costs in ways you cannot see. Local roofing contractors that rely on referrals don’t have that luxury. 3) We are properly licensed by the state of Missouri, and even the localities we do work in. 4) We are insured, for your protection. 5) We have a proven reputation within the community; this is among our most valuable intangible assets. While I agree that there will be more work following storms than local roofing contractors can handle, and it may take some time to get a new roof, we can install a short-term solution such as a properly secured tarp roof. This may not be the most attractive, but it is likely at least some of your neighbors have these as well. A properly installed and secured tarp will provide 90-120 days of protection, which gives local roofing contractor time to schedule a proper roof replacement. Your house is your largest asset. Are you willing to trust a transient roof contractor to provide the first line of defense and protection?
0 Comments
 Thermal Bridging on Roof After the last show event in Lees Summit, I went out into the neighborhood and snapped some pictures to illustrate some common roofing problems you may want to address with your roofing contractor next time you need a new roof. You may want to look at your own roof and snap some photos even if you don’t need a new roof, because you eventually will and this data is perishable and will be long lost when you eventually replace your roof.
See the lines on this roof? Why is it that the snow melts and leaves a pattern of perpendicular lines? This is called “thermal bridging” and illustrates the location of individual framing members. This pattern would be particularly pronounced for light-gauge steel framing (which may have been used in residential construction prior to steel prices increasing), but is still visible in wood-frame construction. Since the insulating value of you framing members is less than the insulation, each framing member acts as a thermal bridge directly to the outside. This provides a conduit to transfer or leak heat, which melts the snow into this interesting pattern. Note on the left side of the photograph where this doesn’t happen? Same roof slope, same sun exposure, the difference is that the left side is the roof over an unheated garage; minimizing the heat escaping into the attic and also the thermal bridge from the roof framing. In the Lees Summit locale, this generally isn’t or doesn’t lead to a roofing problem. If the pattern is reversed however, where the snow melts between the roofing members, this indicates too much heat loss and can lead to ice damming. |
Bobby WilliamsWe are an experienced Lees Summit roofing company with over 15 years experience in repair, service and installation. Archives
May 2019
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
