For your roof to drain properly, you need 3 things; proper placement of drains, proper slope on your roof, and proper sized drains, which on a sloped roof would mean gutters. Also, consider the amount and intensity of rainfall you would normally encounter during storms.
What gutters and drains do is detour the water falling from your roof away from the exterior walls and foundation. If you have gutters, its critical that the materials they’re made of, how they’re installed and the maintenance you perform on them are needed to prevent damage to your roof. Blocked gutters or drains can cause water to back up below the membrane or pool on the surface in areas that could take a long time to dry out. You never want standing water on any roof surface.
For gutters, aluminum and steel are the most common material choices. They are durable and resist cracking, bending and corrosion. These are 3 of the most common cases of damage to a roof. Corrosion, cracking and bending of gutters are one of the most common causes of damage to roofs.
Proper maintenance and regular inspections of your downspouts and and gutters is crucial to keep water flowing away from your property. The downspouts that carry that water away tend to clog and back up and must be kept clear. Proper maintenance and regular checks of the downspouts and gutters is essential to keep water flowing smoothly away from your building.
One of the most common causes of roof damage is a clogged gutter. Most gutters are open-top, which tend to accumulate debris (leaves, sticks) along with nesting birds and rodents. When your gutter gets blocked, water stops flowing and spills over the edge in the wrong places. The pooling and spilling water can soak your roofing material and make it rot. Locations where the gutters or downspouts are blocked also make a great place for mold, mildew and algae to thrive and grow.
Proper installation of the roof drain and gutters is also extremely important. If they aren’t installed right, they will almost certainly fail. they have to be installed with the roof’s pitch and angles taken into account. You’ll have damage to your roof line, or the gutters will crack or pull away from your property if they aren’t installed properly.
If you have a commercial building, where and how many roof drains or gutters you place is critical. Drains should be located no more than 100 feet apart and no more than 50 feet from the roof’s perimeter.
Your city or state surely has building codes that need to be checked before you make any changes or additions to your building.
If you think your drainage apparatus isn’t working the way it should, you should call a professional roofing contractor to inspect it as soon as possible. they will be able to pinpoint any problems for you and should be knowledgeable about the type of drainage thats appropriate for your property and the areas applicable building codes.
No matter what type of property you own, the roof on it will usually have some sort of warranty. Actually, there are two types of warranties – the actual one and one that’s inferred or implied. Let’s learn more about roof warranties.
The materials manufacturer will issue a warranty guaranteeing that their product will perform to certain standards over a specific period of time. It could be 10, 15, 20 or even more years, depending on the type of material they’re made of. They are taking for granted that the installation was performed correctly and that routine maintenance is being done. Let’s say your roof is looking like it needs to be replaced and the materials were warrantied for 10 years. Also, lets say your roofing contractor did a good job following the installation instructions and installed your roof perfectly. If the materials fail during your 10 year warranty period, the manufacturer is guaranteeing that they will be replaced with no cost to you.
A roofing installation contractor should provide a warranty that their workmanship will be guaranteed over a specific period of time. The most common is 2 years. So, if your contractor makes a mistake in installing your roof, and it fails from their bad workmanship, the professional roofing contractor will honor their warranty and supply the materials and labor to fix the problem. Make sure you scrutinize this one very carefully, making sure both labor and materials are covered, not just one or the other.
This means that a product will do what its designed to do. An example would be a roof membrane keeping water out of your home. Another term for this warranty is merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. They usually come with some instructions (and warnings) from the manufacturer. An example would be if you or someone else that walked on the roofing membrane and caused it to leak or fail. If you don’t follow these instructions or warnings, you’ll have a problem getting the manufacturer to honor their warranty.
You’ll need to make sure you do whats necessary to maintain your roof once you’ve signed your warranty. With commercial roofing, property managers and building owners will hire facility managers and on-staff maintenance teams to make sure they comply with their maintenance requirements. Experienced professionals are aware of what they need to do (and avoid doing) to make sure they maintain their roof and hence, their warranty. Overall, improper maintenance will cause damage to your roof, so when you hire someone to do repairs, or any work on your roof, make sure they are competent and familiar with your roof system, along with the manufacturers specs and maintenance instructions.
When your roof has a problem and you think your warranty has been violated, property owners generally have 30 days to notify the manufacturer or roofing contractor. If you don’t, you’ll void the warranty. If you wait too long, the manufacturers and roofers won’t be legally required to fulfill their obligations (which includes repairing or replacing your roof). So, if you suspect something is amiss with your roof, get it inspected by a competent professional roofing contractor as soon as possible, so you can make your notifications in a timely manner.
When people imagine a house, many picture a building with a pitched or A-shaped roof. However, this is far from the only option available for your home or business. One style to consider is a flat roof, which is a horizontal roof that is usually tilted at a very low angle.
People choose flat roofs for a variety of reasons. Some simply like the way they give a home a more modern look. Others appreciate advantages such as:
However, it is important to note that there are also disadvantages to living in a building with a flat roof. For example, these roofs require careful maintenance, or they can be damaged by weather and gradual wear and tear. They can also be prone to water pooling and flooding.
Before choosing a roof design for your home, it is important to be fully informed about your options. Our roofing specialists can help you review your choices when designing a home or constructing a new roof.
Foam roofing is the most energy-efficient roofing material available, over 500% more efficient than conventional roofs. It’s the first intelligent roofing technology for flat and low-sloped roofs, combining insulation and roofing into one material. That means no roofing seams or multiple layers – eliminating the expanding and contracting and separating that allows water and microbes to seep in and damage your roof.
Each Mikku and Sons foam roof is custom installed. The foam is sprayed on as a liquid mixture, and within a few seconds will expand to up to 30 times its original volume. It will become a watertight, seamless solid that custom forms to the roofing substrate. Take a look at the advantages of a Mikku and Son’s foam roof:
The monsoon season will quickly be upon us. When you’re outside your house, you’ll feel like you’re inside an oven. But the rain eventually comes and helps to cool things down a little and give us some relief. However, those rains also turn into monsoon storms that can flood your property and damage your home. Monsoon storms usually include heavy rain and strong wind, both of which can damage your property and put you in critical need of a professional, experienced roof repair contractor. Here are some tips to get your roof ready for monsoon storms.
In these circumstances, your roof will probably take the worst beating. The intense summer heat can break down the shingles or tiles and the underlayment below them. Strong rain and wind can tear your tiles and shingles off your roof and damage other parts of your roof, leading to potentially expensive repairs. Preparing your roof for the storm season can help it survive with as little amount of damage as possible. However, once the damage has happened, you will need a licensed, experienced roofing company to inspect the damage.
Before the monsoon season gets started, call a recommended roofing company and have your roof completely inspected. The roofing contractor will look for signs of any loose or missing shingles or tiles, gaps or cracks around any flashings, also checking for deterioration in sealants or the underlayment. Any problems can make your roof susceptible to the strong rain and wind that come with the storms.
If your roofer finds any issues or signs of potential problems during the inspection, have the repairs taken care of before the monsoon season picks up. You will be making sure your roof is in the best shape possible to fight off tears and cracks that can lead to moisture leaks. Make sure any loose tiles or shingles are fastened or replaced. Update the seals around flashings and other roof elements. Make sure that your roof is strong and provides a strong barrier between your home and the coming violent storms.
Strong monsoon winds and rain won’t just beat on your roof. They’ll also pick up objects and toss them against your house. Big sticks and branches, small rocks and loose personal items can all become flying missiles in a strong monsoon storms. You can keep the risk low by keeping your yard clear of debris and personal items. Pick up all debris on a regular basis. You won’t be able to completely eliminate the risk since monsoons can pick up items from nearby properties and toss them against your property, but taking this simple precaution can reduce the potential damages.
Discovering that you have serious damage to your roof can be stressful. Going through the insurance claim quagmire can require lots of contacts with insurance adjusters, roofing contractors, and in some instances, maybe even your mortgage company.
There are several roof repair insurance claim filing tips that will help minimize the hassle.
Getting roof repairs covered by your insurance company can be a difficult and confusing process. It is best to work with a certified, licensed, and locally experienced roofing contractor.
By doing so, you can make sure your roof damage claim is submitted correctly to your insurance company.
This will also ensure that the roof repair is handled quickly, accurately, and with the least amount of hassle. To make sure you can handle the insurance claim process, Mikku and Sons Roofing recommends you follow these five tips as a guideline.
If you think your roof is damaged, you should call a reputable and licensed roofing contractor immediately. Have them come out and inspect your roof. Even if your roof looks good from the outside, there could be serious internal damage.
You’ll want an experienced roofing specialist to come out and investigate to be sure. Some insurance policies have conditions that tell you how long you can wait after the damage has occurred and still have your roof covered under your policy. After a severe storm, as soon as it’s safe, have your roof inspected.
An experienced roofer will know where to check for damage and should be thorough in documenting the damage and how extensive it might be.
They will take pictures of damaged areas and get you a written explanation of what needs to be fixed and the estimated cost to repair. In some cases, you might have roof damage that isn’t serious enough to justify an insurance claim and in this case, your preferred roofing company can work with you to plan how to handle the repairs.
In more serious cases, you’ll need to get your homeowner’s insurance company involved and will need to provide proof of damage, including measurements, the events that led up to the damage, and dates and times the damage occurred.
It is always a good idea to take pictures of your roof periodically, especially after any maintenance has been done. Make sure the images are clear and well labeled with the date and time.
If possible, take several photos from different angles to show the whole roof and its condition. By doing this, you can make a more convincing argument and you will have visual proof to justify that the damaged areas were not there before the storm and were a direct result of the storm itself.
If you have extensive roof damage, be sure to contact your insurance company right away. If you wait too long, you may not be able to submit the claim.
Always have the latest copy of your homeowner’s insurance policy to see what statute of limitations there are for reporting damage and what types of roof damage are covered. Some homeowner’s policies have clauses detailing the amount of damage that will be covered.
For example, if your roof is over ten years old, your insurance company may only cover a portion of the roof replacement cost, based on the depreciated value of your roof. If there’s ever any question of the precise roofing insurance coverage you have, contact your insurance provider.
When you submit your claim, an adjuster will be sent to inspect the damaged areas and determine what the insurance company will pay out to repair or replace your roof.
If your claim is covered under your homeowner’s policy, you will have a certain amount available to repair the damage.
You can pick the roofing contractor to complete any repairs needed or to replace your entire roof. When selecting a contractor, make sure you ask for references and only use licensed and insured contractors. It’s okay to shop around and get more than one estimate to fix your roof.
By doing this, you can be comfortable that you’re not overpaying, and you’ll have a lot more information to choose a qualified roofing contractor that you think will complete the job correctly. Not every roofing contractor will provide insurance claim assistance.
At Mikku and Sons Roofing, we’re roof replacement specialists who will work with you to make sure your claim is submitted promptly to your insurance company, and that you get the maximum reimbursement for your roof repair issues.
Most roofing contractors will provide a free roof inspection and roof repair estimate. However, keep an eye out for contingency contracts that may be disguised as inspection reports.
By being led to signing one of these contracts you are agreeing to give the job to that roofing company if your insurance claim is approved. Remember, when you’re getting estimates, you should not need to sign anything.
If you are pressured into signing something, it’s probably time to find a more trustworthy roof replacement company.
Checking with the Better Business Bureau and selecting only the roofing companies that have an A or better rating is a good way to parry your list of options to only those roofing professionals that have a reputation for doing quality work.
Polyurethane spray foam roofing has been used for a long time. However, it has recently become much more popular given the advantages of having a foam roof here in Arizona. If your old roof needs to be replaced, switching to foam could make sense in a lot of ways.
Foam roofs don’t have seams, and form a tight, even seal around vents, pipes and chimneys. This provides a waterproof seal that reduces the odds of moisture getting into openings. Because of this, one of the most important foam roof advantages is that it provides better leak protection than other roofing. Foam also doesn’t contract and expand over time, which means the tight seal won’t break either.
Spray foam is an excellent insulator that can greatly lower your heating and cooling expenses. Since it has no seams, heat can’t easily escape from your property during the winter. Also, because this roofing material is white means it will stay cooler in the summer too.
Foam also insulates well against outside noise, which means your home will be mare quiet and calm inside after having Mikku and Sons Roofing add this material to the surface of your roof. This is a big advantage if you live in a highly trafficked area or, if maybe you currently have a metal roof, which transmits a lot of sound.
Foam roofs don’t ever wear out, provided you are maintaining it correctly. Ideally, the roof should be re-coated after five years to keep it in top shape. After the first re-coating, you’ll only need to have this service repeated once every twenty years. As long as you follow the recommended maintenance routine, you shouldn’t have any problems with your roof at all.
Not only do foam roofs last longer than other roofing systems, but they are also rugged and sturdy enough to walk on. Which means you won’t have to worry about safety whenever it’s time to clean the roof or have someone perform repairs.
Spray foam can be installed directly over the top of other roofing materials, which could mean eliminating the need to rip them off the roof and dispose of them in a landfill. Also, since foam roofs last so long, you won’t have to worry about adding to landfill waste at a later time either. And, one last thing regarding the environment, the foam used in foam roofing is non-toxic and doesn’t produce any harmful fumes, making it safe to be inside using your your home while the work is going on up on the roof.
Your roof shouldn’t be just for protection, but also add to the beauty and curb appeal of your property as well. Foam roofs are attractive, and work well with homes of all styles and construction types. White foam matches well with any exterior siding, but, you can also have foam tinted beige, tan or light gray if that would match your property better. One big advantage of white foam, however, is the fact that it doesn’t fade when exposed to UV rays, so your roof will continue to look like new much longer than tinted ones.
More than likely it was the advantages that convinced you to choose a foam roof originally. However, just like any other type of roof, foam roofs also need to be properly maintained.
Some property owners put furniture and other such things on the surface of their foam roof. While this might be a good way to take in a view, keep in mind that these unnecessary items could also damage the very material you’re depending on to keep your property watertight. Putting it bluntly, the less you use the roof as a platform, the less the foam is likely to need expensive repairs or more than normal maintenance.
Every roof needs to be kept clean, so this should go without saying. Every year, you should go up and take a look for yourself to see whether any obvious maintenance is needed. If you can, though, you should go up on your roof once every season just to be careful. It’s also a good idea to check the roof after any major monsoon storm, just to make sure nothing got blown on top of it or damaged anything. The good news is that the cleaning can probably be done by you yourself. Clearing bird’s nests, leaves, tree branches and other debris can easily be done by hand and will help protect your foam roof.
One thing a foam roof won’t attract is pests like rodents and insects, so you won’t have to worry that cleaning it also means you’ll have to deal with these little nuisances.
When you’re up on your roof, check to see if any areas look like they’re beginning to get discolored discolored. You should also check the texture. This is why you want to do more than just cleaning to properly maintain your foam roof. You should walk over the whole structure to make sure it still has a texture that looks something like an orange peel. Anything else should make you concerned. Typical problem signs are textures that might resemble popcorn of scrambled eggs, strangely enough. Either one is probably a sure indication that your foam roof has been damaged in some way.
Obviously, if you notice that the roof is being exposed in any way or its showing signs of deterioration beyond the texture issues we just spoke about, you definitely have a problem.
Foam roof maintenance is something that can be handled by the property owner, but re-coating the roof most definitely is not. The process may look simple and easy, but it involves a specific and critical form of cleaning using the correct materials in specified amounts. If you decide to try re-coating the roof on your own, you’’re going be inviting more expensive problems in the future. You should leave repairs and re-coating to qualified professional flat roofing contractors.
To help keep your roof healthy, proper ventilation is key. Proper ventilation extends the life of your materials, and keeps them cooler in the heat of the summer and warmer in the cool of the winter. It will also keep moisture from forming in your attic, which can harbor all kinds of nasty pathogens, putting you and your family’s health at risk. Also, not properly venting your roof can be an expensive problem to solve after the fact, so make sure you ask your roof installation contractor about how your roof and attic will be vented during the installation process.
Attics need fresh air to breathe and stay healthy just like we do so it is important to keep your roof ventilated. You’re going to have two types of vents, which are intake and outlet. Intake vents are installed lower than the outlets so that a sort of vacuum is created by moving fresh air in through the intake vents and circulates it out at the higher outlet vents. This creates a constant air flow that keeps fresh air circulating throughout your attic, allowing it to breathe keeping your materials healthy.
It is possible to have too much ventilation, so determining how keep your roof ventilated properly is important. You need the exact amount of ventilation in order for your roof to be as energy efficient as possible. It is important to figure out where the vents should be placed and what size vents you’re going to need. The best way to accomplish this and get it done properly, you will need to hire a professional, licensed roofing contractor to configure the correct vents and locations according to the design of your roof.
Look for these signs that your attic may not be properly ventilated:
If you see any of these issues or signs, you should call a professional, licensed roofing company as soon as possible to inspect your attic and roof to give you a solution to the problem. Your family’s health and the lifespan of your roof could depend on it.
Tile roofs are beautiful. They’re durable, long lasting and offer southwest style to any home. But they develop problems just like any other type of roof. Like most roof problems, the sooner a problem is discovered, the better. You’ll spend way less money fixing immediately than having to deal with bigger problems that may develop down the road. In light of this, we’d like to point out a few common problems with tile roofs, so you can contact a reliable roofing contractor to fix your problem as soon as you spot it.
If you use quality materials, keep debris clear, inspect regularly and only use professional, licensed contractors to work on it, your tile roof will provide many years of protection and beauty to your home or business.
One of the biggest problems is using poor quality materials to install on your roof. Make sure you purchase tiles for your roof that are ASTM certified. The market for roofing materials has been strong and there’s been a flood low quality tiles pushed to consumers because of this. If you use non-ASTM certified tiles, your roof’s lifespan will be significantly reduced and you’ll have much more frequent need for repairs. Saving money in the installation will only cost you much more down the road.
Even if you use top quality tiles, if you use inexperienced , unlicensed or amateur contractors to install them, you’ll be sorry later. Make sure you’re hiring a reliable, professional, properly licensed and insured company like this one to do the job. This goes for any repairs you need, also. Don’t hire a handyman or someone that will do a cheap job for you to make any repairs on your roof. Make sure , again, that they’re a professional roofing contractor.
Material build-up on the tiles. The material tiles are made of is porous and susceptible to moisture and organic debris. If you have any trees that are constantly drooping leaves, branches, twigs or other debris on your roof, make sure you are diligent about removing it from your roof on a consistent basis. If you don’t, the tiles will begin to wear out and crack, or the debris will work its way under the tiles and destroy the integrity of the underlayment.
Storms and weather. Here in Arizona, we can have violent, sudden storms, especially during the monsoon season. High winds can knock tiles loose or cause them to slide, exposing the underlayment below. If you have trees near your roof, branches can sway in the wind and wreak havoc on your tiles. Make sure you check your roof after storms and have a professional roofing contractor inspect your roofs integrity at least once a year before the storm season starts.
Walking on the roof. Tiles are made from cast concrete or clay and can be broken if walked upon. Clay tiles can be especially sensitive to weight. Don’t walk on your roof unless there’s no way to avoid it. If you need to have a section of your roof checked that is hard to see from the ground, hire a professional roofer to inspect the area for you, to avoid risk and damage to the roof.
Do-it-yourself projects are currently very popular, but you should know when you need a phoenix roofer. Learn when it’s time to bring in the experts for the benefit of your home and your finances. A professional roofing company will help your roof look and perform at its very best, but they can’t make that happen unless you let them know when you need help.
Routine maintenance is an extremely important part of properly maintaining your roof. It will prevent avoidable problems down the road. No matter how simple the maintenance task might seem, you should leave the job to a professional who has the training, knowledge and experience necessary to do the job adequately. Your roof is your home’s strongest and most important line of protection. It only makes sense to do everything possible to protect it.
Getting Ready for a Move? If you’re planning on putting your home on the market in the near future, you can definitely increase its market value and curb appeal by tearing off your current worn out roof and replacing it with a new one. By investing in the repairs upfront, you can sell your property for more than you probably thought. Even if you’re planning on staying for some time, a new roof is a great way to improve your home’s exterior look for the better.
Visually inspect your roof several times a year, but a professional can do a much more thorough job. If you see any streaking, stains, buckling, curling or missing tiles or shingles, make sure to let your roofing contractor know as early as possible. Even if you don’t go up on your roof, you probably have problems with the materials if you ever see water stains in your attic, ceilings or walls on the interior of your home.
