Everyone knows that shingles are the first line of defense on your roof from water leaking in. Many times when a roof ages and it is time to get replaced you will notice several different things when you look at the shingles. You may notice missing shingles allowing the water to get underneath to the wood and then into your home. Discolored shingles that have lost the majority of their surface granulation are another spot that may be the source of the leak. When the shingles start to deteriorate you will see them start to curl up on the edges. What this means is that they are absorbing water and that it is only a short matter of time before they stop doing so leaving the water to find its way into the attic.

The valley is the portion of the roof where two different sections meet. Many times an amateur installer will run the seam straight down the middle allowing water to more easily penetrate between the resulting seam. A professional roofing contractor should put the seam up a few inches in order to avoid this problem. Because the water flows towards the valley and thus this area is one of the highest traffic points it will show the most amount of wear and tear on the entire roof. This is another good reason to hire only experienced roofing companies to complete the job because they will go a step beyond the basics and underlay the valleys in ice and water shield as well. If this is done even when the valley wears through you will not experience any leaking. This is especially important when roofing in colder climates that experience extreme weather damage and heavy winters storms such as in Michigan.

We all appreciate a good deal and some of us will go to the end of the earth trying to find that once in a lifetime purchase. Now it is a totally different topic wondering how much time spent is to much time and what your time is actually worth. However, when making any big purchase you need to steer far away from this instinctual behavior. It may be the easiest way to differentiate different quotes but trust me here it is not a good way to decide who you are going to use to complete the project. The best way to explain this is with a simple analogy. Most of us love a good meal and we will use surf and turf here since it is an American favorite. You cant make up where to have your birthday dinner party and are shopping around at several different restaurants to pick the best one. Low and behold you find a place where you can buy your favorite meal for only $6.99. What a deal! Would you feel comfortable having your family and friends dine at a place like this when everyone else was priced at $20+ per plate?

Use the same logic outlined above when purchasing a new roof or similar project. When buying a new house or used card we have all been conditioned to follow this train of thought, it is time to apply it to the construction industry as well. If an estimate comes in way lower then the rest it is usually for one of a several reasons. First, they may be using inferior materials or cutting corners wherever possible. If you plan on keeping your property for any length of time the short term savings may not be worth the long term potential for major issues. Something as common as a little roof leak can cause wood rotting, structural issues, and mold growth all of which can be huge expenses to fix. Secondly, you may be dealing with amateurs that either don’t have much experience bidding jobs or are so desperate for work they will do anything. In this instance you are likely to be used for a training ground so that these newbies can hone their craft and pray for a good outcome. That or they may need to use the money from your down payment to purchase materials for another project they are building. It is typically a bad sign when they ask for a large amount of money up front and wont tell you when they will be able to start the work. Lastly, it is a common trick of the trade to throw out a low ball estimate to win the job and then try to up charge once firmly into the demolition. Roofing contractors often figure it is a lot easier to negotiate for more money from the customers when their roof is laying in the front yard.

You want to make sure to focus on important aspects that often get overlooked. One of such things are company reviews. Do they have a good rating at the BBB? Are they listed on a site such as Angie’s List and do people have good things to say about them? Can they provide any personal references of local customers that are satisfied with the work completed? Some times it makes sense to pay a little bit more for work that you know is going to be done quickly and professionally. Make sure that the person you are going to hire is fully licensed and insured. Check the states website, such as this one for the state of Michigan, to make sure they do not have any outstanding violations. Most cities now require the contractor to provide all of this information before pulling a permit to protect the consumer so absolutely never agree to do this yourself for anyone. If they cant pull a permit themselves there is a reason for it and it isn’t good! Many contractors can no longer afford insurance as it is quite expensive and instead carry fake policies. Before signing a contract ask for a copy of their insurance policy and call the provider yourself to ensure it isn’t fraudulent. All it takes is one accident to occur on your property for you to lose everything to some low life that lied to you. It is not worth the risk and many people out there are just waiting to prey on unsuspecting victims in this manner.

The only thing standing between us and the elements is the house that you live in. This can be quite scary if you really consider the implications there. We all know that taking care of home improvement projects can seem like a never ending task. So where to begin? Well from the top down of course! Think of the roof like the head of a body, it is in charge of all the major functions you need to protect your property. It is the closest part of your house to the sky and therefore takes the harshest punishment from the weather. Heavy snow, ice, rain, and other wet weather all need to be kept outside of your house but they take a heavy toll on that poor old roof over your head!

Now keep in mind all this information is provided assuming you had a quality roof installed in the first place. Trust me when I say more often then not this is simply not the case. The majority of roofing contractors simply install the cheapest and easiest roofing system available then run off with all the profit that they can. This is because they have no intention of staying in business long. They may not be licensed or insured and simply change the companies name when the problems and complaints start to pile up. to make this point short and to the point the first thing you can to in order to properly maintain your roof is to hire a professional roofing contractor in the first place!

Once the snow has piled up past a half-foot or so you are risking potential damages to your roof. It is obviously best if you are capable of getting up there and actually shoveling the snow off the entire roof. However, there are tools for the less coordinated or adventurous such as the roof rake that allow you to accomplish similar results from the ground. This simple tool can be purchased at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot and is telescoping so that you can get that extra reach without over extending yourself. If you are a hard core do it yourself type person check out this article on how to make one yourself and save a little money. The DIY Snow Ripper Can Eliminate Snow From Your Roof in Minutes

Since you took your time and hired the right roofing company your new roof is going to last you a long, long time. That means on the one hand that you will no longer need to worry about those pesky leaks. On the other hand you are going to be stuck with that color choice whether you like it or not. A higher quality material is known as architectural or 3D shingle and you will notice that the majority of new roof installations will choose this option as opposed to the older 3 tab. Architectural shingles have various benefits that make them both a practical choice because of their longevity and added protection, as well as an upgraded ascetic quality that makes the house have the little extra pop everyone is looking for. This added shingle dimension lets you play with the shadowing effect on the roof which allows customers to choose a wider range of colors that would not otherwise work as well.

For most families it is important to save every penny that they possibly can and when it comes to heating and cooling no one wants to be throwing money out the window. It may be hard to believe but your choice of shingle color can make a difference of up to 40 degrees in the attic. In warmer climates a lighter shingle color helps to reflect the sunlight off of your home thus helping to keep the temperature down inside. For colder climates, such as in Michigan, darker shingles help absorb the heat thus melting the snow in the winter time.

It is common sense to say that you want all the separate elements used on the exterior of your home to blend together harmoniously but nonetheless needs to be considered. For instance if you have a white traditional house then you should stick with a dark grey or black shingle. If your siding or trim is brown, tan, or cream in color then you need to choose a shingle color that at least contains an element of brown to it. The harder to dress blue and grey homes need a dark grey or black shingle as well. The remaining green, yellow, and red painted homes allow for a wider variety of choices so play off any accent coloring or even landscaping.

If you are looking to make a statement there are numerous shingles available that use mixed color variations to give a unique and distinct look to the roof. If you are more concerned with playing it safe or are planning on selling the property some time in the near future consider using neutral colors such as pure browns, blacks, and greys. On this note, if you are trying to hide defects you should use low-contrast colors and if you are trying to accentuate certain features go with high-contract colors. If you want to make your house look smaller choose a dark color and if you want are trying to make it look bigger then it is stay with something light.

The last thing you want to happen to buy a new roof only to receive a letter from your neighborhood HOA a week later stating you must now replace it because it is not an approved color shingle that got installed.
Contact them first to make sure everyone is on the same page because a mistake like that you will only make once as it is quite a painful and expensive experience to learn from. Another thing to consider is how the new roof will look in comparison to your neighbors home. Did you copy their color exactly? Does the roof color you want contrast to much with what they had installed? Ideally you want the entire block to look good so do your best to help make that dream a reality.

Is it the latest fad or a smart investment? Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference and it seems like many Michigan contractors are starting to push this as a residential product pretty hard. Make sure you weigh out your options carefully here because no matter what you decide it is a big investment purchasing a new roof.

It is argued that although metal roofing is more expensive than traditional asphalt shingles you make up for it in the long run. Yes, metal roofing will most definitely outlast asphalt roofing hands down. But you need to make sure how long you are planning to stay at your home for this to even make sense.

Metal roofing gives the house a unique look that some people absolutely love and other cant stand. As you can see in the picture above the home tends to look almost plastic in appearance. You will also want to keep in mind the noise is substantial when its raining. If you want a sample of what it is going to sound like when trying to go to sleep check out a commercial building with a metal roof when it is coming down hard one time.

Weight is a major concern when installing a new roof and metal roofing adds a ton of it to your homes existing structure. Consult with an architect and carpenter before making your decision when getting estimates on a new roof if you are interested in using metal as it may require you install additional support beams.