Would you know what to do if a tree fell on your roof in the middle of one of our violent monsoon storms? You depend on your roof to protect everything inside your home, but what if high winds ripped it apart in the middle of the night? Who would you call and what would you do?
Once the roof has been damaged, its going to probably allow some water to get through to the underlayment and possibly into your home. The first thing you need is some sort of protective cover or tarp to keep the damaged area from continuing to be exposed to the elements, and hopefully, to keep any more water damage from happening. Most of the time, unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until the the weather subsides to get a company out to cover the damaged area until repairs can be completed.
Mother Nature can definitely wreak havoc on roofing systems. Winds over 50 mph, which can be quite common during our monsoon storms, can tear shingles off the roof and move loose tiles, which exposes the underlayment and substrate of your roof. This is where the real damage occurs. The limbs of trees close to your home can whip in the wind with branches raking tiles or shingles off your roof. Limbs can literally be knocked off trees and poke holes in your roof when falling on it. It’s also possible for lightning to strike your home, blowing a hole right through your roof.
Roofing contractors have to protect their employees, first and foremost. Don’t expect an emergency roofing company to run out in the middle of a violent storm to immediately solve your problem. They will usually wait until the storm subsides, then handle as many of their emergency calls as their schedule will allow. There’s not much any roofing company can do in the middle of a storm with high winds and lightning. If the emergency repair is caused by a fire, the roofing company has to assess the structural integrity of the property before placing their crews on the roof, to make sure it can support the crew and equipment needed to do the job.
The first rule is – don’t panic. The damage to the roof has already happened and there’s nothing you can do about it except try to protect your valuables inside until the damaged area can be covered somehow. Contact a professional roofing contractor and your insurance provider as quickly as possible. Once the damaged area has been secured, take your time to choose the right roofing company for the job and to consider your repair options.
First, be careful of storm chasers. These are fly-by-night companies that swoop in after storms to pressure homeowners into getting their roofs fixed ASAP. They’re probably not licensed or insured and won’t be around if you have problems with their repairs down the road. Second, never try to go up and try to fix or assess damage yourself, especially during a storm. There’s no sense in making the problem a hundred times worse by adding a trip to the emergency room.
When you’re doing your due diligence and research the right roofing company for your job, make sure you make the roofer’s insurance a part of your questioning. Hiring a company with inadequate insurance could make the difference between a positive experience and a disaster.
They need to be affordable and fit your budget. Be sure to question the background of the roofing contractor you’re hiring by asking about their credentials. Make sure they have current licenses. Research their experience and make sure you get references from past customers. And don’t forget to check their standing with the Better Business Bureau. It is equally vital to make sure they carry adequate general liability and workman’s compensation insurance before you hire them.
General liability insurance covers the roofing contractor if there’s a claim that includes property damage, bodily injury or harm, and any personal injury that happens as a result of some action by the roofer. If an accident or something happens on the project that causes a lawsuit, the insurance would be available to cover the roofing company, and you as the homeowner or business owner, if a claim needs to be paid. As the owner that hired the roofing company, you don’t want to be involved in a lawsuit and paying for something that wasn’t your fault just because you own the property. This is important for you as the owner because you don’t want to be responsible for something happening on your property that is not your fault.
Workman’s Comp insurance compensates with money and medical benefits if any employee or subcontractor of the company you hire is injured while performing their duties on your project. If the roofer you hire, or any of their workers, were to get injured, they would file a claim for workman’s comp to replace their wages instead of suing the roofer or you, the homeowner or business owner.
When you’re hiring any type of contractor, to fix or replace your roof or any other type of service, its critical that they have adequate amounts of both these types of insurance.
Hiring the right roofing company can make a world of difference for your home or business. Knowing the worst enemies of your roof will help when you need to hire the right professional roofing company.
Trees are beautiful and must-have additions to your homes landscaping for their aesthetics and shading possibilities. They will give your home fantastic curb appeal and possibly help you lower your cooling bills, but, they can also be a major problem for your roof if they’re in the wrong location. If they’re too close to your home, a branch being knocked down or even being scraped across your roofing material in a storm can inflict serious, expensive damage. In severe storms, the entire tree could fall on top of your roof.
They also drop a lot of organic material, like leaves, pods and small branches, that can cause problems by clogging gutters and causing standing water after rains. If you don’t clear the material on a regular basis, the materials can decompose and break down the roofing materials, leading to leaks.
A leak itself is, of course, one of, if not the biggest problem. There’s a lot of reasons leaks can happen including poor installation, standing water, busted tiles and cracked shingles, failing underlayment, flashing problems and more. There’s no limit to the areas of your roof that these issues can occur.
Water can flow from one location to another, making it difficult to pinpoint where a roof leak is originating. The best thing you can do is hire a professional roofing contractor Like Mikku and Sons Roofing and Repair to discover the source. They can find the leak’s source and make the necessary repairs to stop it and prevent it from happening again.
Air needs to flow through your roof freely to prevent heat, pressure and humidity from building up. A lack of air flow can cause stress to the materials. You should never completely block the air flow into your home through your roof. During installation, sofits, vents and other means need to be installed in the proper locations to ensure that your roof will always have proper air flow through your attic.
During installation, a certain pitch or slope needs to be used to make sure water flows off and away from your roof to avoid any pooling or standing water issues. Standing water, whether caused by poor installation or some sort of obstruction, like tree debris, can be a major issue for your roof. Water is heavy. If there’s a lot of it pooling on your roof, it can put a lot of stress on the support structure, along with, if its not removed, helping to decompose the construction materials and making its way into existing cracks, creating leaks.
Your roof needs to get off to its best start by being installed correctly. If not, you’ll soon see loose shingles, broken tiles, decaying underlayment and other items that will start causing leaks. Choosing the right roofing installation company is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your home or business.
Make sure you do your homework before hiring someone. Check the company’s reputation online and check their standing with the Better Business Bureau and Registrar of Contractors. you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that a quality, professional contractor has installed your roof.
Is your roof ready for the heat? Phoenix has a lot of wonderful attributes, but the searing Summer heat isn’t one of them. Not only do we have intense heat but the monsoon storms can be extremely intense with strong winds. Combine these two and there’s definitely a yearly threat to the condition of your roof. It’s extremely important that you prepare your roof so that it might survive the weather with minimal damage.
Tall trees near your house can cause damage to your roof when swaying or falling during summer winds. At the least, they could cause leaks in your roof, but if the branches are big enough, one could literally crash down right through it.
When planting new trees, don’t plant too close to your home and with existing trees, hire a professional tree trimming service to clear away any branches that might have the potential to cause damage to your roof before the storm season starts. Trees that look unhealthy or might be dead should be removed. They could snap off at the trunk in a strong wind and threaten to crash down on the house.
If you have gutters and/or downspouts, make sure they are clear of debris before the monsoon season begins. If they’re clogged, they wont be able to divert water from heavy rains away from your roof and foundation, which could lead to water pooling on your roof, or near your home, potentially causing damage to shingles, tiles flat roof systems and your foundation.
Before the monsoon season starts is the perfect time to get your roof inspected by a professional roofing company like Mikku and Sons Roofing. Your roof may have cracked shingles, damaged or misplaced tiles, and possible underlayment damage caused by last year's storms that you don’t know about. If these exist, you could have more damage and roof leaking from the new season’s storms.
It will give you an opportunity to make any necessary minor repairs before the storms turn them in to major ones. You don’t want to learn the hard way that you have some previous damage in the middle of a major storm that causes water to start pouring through your ceiling.
Not only can our extreme heat be tough on your roof, it dramatically increases your cooling costs. If you have an older roof, you might want to think about a phoenix roof replacement and go to a cool roof system. These types of roofs are designed with materials that do a better job of reflecting, absorbing and redirecting heat to help keep your home cooler and your air conditioning bills lower. They can also be coated or painted with insulating materials that help with this task. Give a professional roofing company a call to discuss your options here.
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.
