Saturday, August 19, 2017

Before and After

Here at Elite Roofing we take some pretty crazy before and after photos that feature services we offer and products we use. Check out this months photos and stories below!


The picture above is of a home that was custom built and had a leak in the roof for years! (What a bummer!) Luckily the homeowner hired us to fix the leak that had been persistent for so long. The leak was in a very narrow spot (a dead valley) on the roof where snow and ice melt slowly. As our team removed shingles, the pictures show what we found. 



This is a white chalky mold on the back of shingles which indicates a significant leak. There was also mold on the underlayment as well. 







We fixed the problem by installing ice and water shield in the valley of the roof (instead of installing felt paper and then laying new shingles on top). The water shield product self seals around nail penetration to help minimize leaks. We recommend it in the valleys, skylights, and penetrations. Because who wants to have a leaky roof!? 



Our next story has to do with this chimney....

(Before)

Remember that crazy hail storm in Goshen, KY last year? Yeah us too! This family's roof got really beat up from all the hail! We found that all of the metal chimney flashing needed to be replaced around the base of the chimney. We did a complete roof replacement verses a partial replacement.  Why you ask? 


(After)


Many customers ask if we can reuse accessories (flashing, ventilation, skylights, etc.) when replacing a roof. We highly recommend that everything gets replaced at the same time and not to reuse materials for three reasons.

1. The material warranties will be longer on new material verses reused material. 
2. The technology of today's building materials has significantly improved (verses older materials) and gives the customer greater options.
3. If needed, the cost to make a roof repair after the roof has been replaced will be more expensive verses replacing everything from the very beginning. 

Friday, August 11, 2017

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/