Most roofing shingles look good, but every homeowner cares more about how well they keep the water out of the house. The industry has settled into a place where roofing shingles generally look the same, and the real competition is on price and longevity. While price is easy to know (it’s on the contract), longevity …
Why GAF Timberline HDZ is the Best Roofing Shingle for Your Buck Read More »
Getting on roofs can be dangerous. Sometimes the best way to tell if your roof is at end of life is with close examination. But wouldn’t it be nice if there are easy ways to tell if you need a new roof without having to get on your roof? We’ve got 3 of the most …
Lighting is one of the most mood-creating elements of a home. With poor lighting, living spaces can feel smaller and lead to feelings of sluggishness. Opening windows goes a long way towards creating a sense of abundance inside any home. The outdoor light gives the most natural feel and grows the living space. But most …
Flat roofs used to be a lot darker than they are today. They’d be tar or they’d be torchdown — usually black or similar. Then concerns about global heating became common. This was a problem for dark-colored roofs because they absorb heat. White reflects solar rays so much that people began asking for white-colored roofs …
Shingles alone should be fine, right? They’re thick, heavy, and are designed to withstand everything the weather and sun throw at them. True, but only partly. Extreme conditions occur infrequently, but because they occur often enough, roofs need to be designed to function then as well. Shingles alone can’t withstand some of the most extreme …
If your roof is approach end of life, you have two options: replacement or overlay. A replacement is when the roofers remove the existing waterproofing system (shingles and underlayment) down to the wood decking of the roof. Then they resheet or prep existing sheathing, and re-roof with new underlayment and shingles (as well as other …
When you get a roof leak or shingle blow-off, you have two different options: get the problem area repaired, or get your whole roof replaced. The incentive in the industry is to lean towards full roof replacements. Roofing technology has come a long way over the decades. You can get 50 year warranties now that …
All that green looking stuff on your roof needs ample moisture. Every roof gets wet — the idea is for rain and snow to shed from the shingles, never reaching the plywood. But if water doesn’t shed enough, or if the only source of moisture isn’t from the weather, then you may find your roof …
Imagine the most simple roof you can. It has two sides that meet at the top, creating a ridge line. You’ve probably seen many sheds, garages, or barns with roofs like this. Now start complicating the roof. Let’s say you want to add a porch area. You’ve probably seen a house like this many times. …
If your roof is old, it probably has asphaltic felt paper underlayment. Felt is the most common type of underlayment in older homes, and it’s still frequently used today. But is felt paper the best option? Probably not. When it works, it works well(ish). But there’s a reason felt paper is used almost exclusively on …
