Cool Roofs

Last August Liza Barth wrote a great article titled “How to Beat the Heat with a Cool Roof.” Liza had some great insights about how roofs can actually help homes stay cooler. We all know how hot and muggy summers in the South can get with humidity. We wanted to share some insights on how roofs can ACTUALLY help that crazy heat! 

-Because darker colors are known to absorb heat, we aim to wear lighter colors in the summer and Liza said that it is the same for roofs. It is known that generally lighter colored roofs will absorb less heat. 

-Cool roof colors include: light tans, light grays, and even whites!

-A cool roof can cut down on air conditioning bills to help save money and keep the air conditioning  unit working longer (which reduces maintenance costs…and lets be honest...all of the above are a plus!).

Liza's article was super interesting and made me consider the color of my roof! To read her whole article go to http://blog.gaf.com/how-to-beat-the-heat-with-a-cool-roof/

      

Thank You!

Here at Elite we love customers like you! We welcome your opinions and value them. If we have served you at any time in the past, we ask that you click on the link below and take a 2-5 minute survey letting us know how we did. We want to know what we did well on and what we can improve on. By doing this we can: 1. Improve our service quality 2. Get recognized for a job well done 3. Help other customers in identifying top service providers.

Thanks again!

https://www.reviewbuzz.com/review/EliteRoofing

Mud Cakes You Can Eat!

Happy Spring! After cleaning and getting your yard and home ready for the warm weather, relax and take a break! Don't let mud cake your roof, instead try one of our favorite treats we wanted to share with you!

Mud Cakes

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 30 min

 Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 dash sal
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 cups pecan (optional)
• 4 cups mini marhmallows

Frosting:

• 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup softened butter

Topping: 

• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 9x13"baking pan.
2. in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa to the saucepan and stir; remove saucepan from heat. 
3. Pour melted butter mixture into a mixing bowl and add sugar and eggs, mix until blended. Add the vanilla, then mix in the flour and salt. Stir in the pecans (if using). Pour batter into prepared pan and cook for 33-35 minutes or until done. 
4. To make the frosting, combine all of the frosting ingredients and mix until smooth. Spread frosting on cooled cake. If your frosting is too think, add more milk. 
5. Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips on top of frosting and enjoy! 

Spring Cleaning!

After a long winter we love seeing the weather get warmer. With temperatures rising we know spring cleaning is around the corner! Here are a couple of quick tips from our family at Elite Roofing to yours.

Before starting make sure to have the following tools: work gloves, safety glasses, a bucket, yard waste recycling bin, a ladder with stand-offs, and a water hose.

1.      Hand scrape and remove any debris out of the gutters then rinse with a hose. It is important to have clean gutters because this will control the flow of rainwater and protect the roof, walls, and foundation of your home. 

2.     Cut back tree limbs at least 3 feet from your roof and the gutters. This will help with easy access when cleaning but will also prevent trees from damaging your home on a windy day and algae growth. 

3.     Do an all-around inspection of your roof. After a long winter there could be moss, mold, or loss of shingles. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at 502-643-4333. We would love to answer any questions! 

Remember…most of the time your roof needs to be cleaned, not replaced.

 www.myeliteroof.com.

*Before cleaning gutters, remember ladder safety is everything.  Make sure the ladders feet dig into the ground. It is always a good idea to put something heavy at the base of the feet to prevent it from kicking out.  Slope the ladder at a 4' to 1' ratio before climbing on and be sure that the ladder extends 3' above the gutter.  It is also extremely unsafe to use metal ladders near overhead electrical / power lines. 

"What warranty do I want?"

When selling a new roof to residential customers I’m often asked what type of roof warranty I would choose for myself. In return I ask the customer what their long term plans will be because that will give them the best answer. 

Many times we hear that a roof has a 25-30 year warranty.  Is this number for a limited warranty or a non-prorated warranty?  There is a big difference between two.  As a professional, I don’t even consider the limited warranty that is advertised on the shingle wrapper.  I only consider the non-prorated warranty.  Let’s say you have a shingle that has a 25 year limited warranty, with a 5 year non-prorated warranty, and in year 7 you discover there is a manufacturing defect.  More than likely, the manufacturer will not cover it because it falls out of the non-prorated period.  Sounds unfair but it is true.

I like to look at the limited warranty as creative marketing and a grade of product.  Tab shingles generally come with a standard 5 year non-prorated warranty, and dimensional or designer shingles generally come with a 10-15 year non-prorated warranty.  However, if you were to purchase an extended warranty, then you can lengthen the non-prorated period.  An extended warranty must be installed by a certified roofing company and include upgraded roofing accessories to qualify.

If I were planning to live in my home for the next 10+ years, I would purchase either a dimensional or designer shingle with an extended non-prorated warranty.  The reason for this is peace of mind.  Some of the extended non-prorated warranties can range from 30-50 years against manufacturing defects.  Basically, your roof might have a warranty for as long as you own the home.

If I plan on selling my home within the next 10 years, then my needs change.  I would install a dimensional or designer shingle (for resale purposes) without a extended warranty period and keep my price down as much as possible.

Most manufacturer’s warranties transfer one time within so many years.  It’s definitely worth reading the fine print and reviewing your options before buying! 

http://myeliteroof.com/