We determined what material works best for each roof that we will be replacing. Some roofs might be in a wooded area that creates a lot more moisture or dampest. So, we might recommend installing extra ice and water roofing material that acts as a complete water barrier. Some roofs might have a low pitch. Roofs must be at least 2-12 pitch in order to install shingles. If a roof is a low pitch 2 -12

I will recommend installing the ice and water over the in tires roofs decking. I realize this will raise the cost of the estimate and a lot of homeowners will not pay the extra cost mainly because there is always another roofing company that will tell them that it is not necessary so they can get the job. So what happens is the roof fails years sooner than if they have listened to the roofer that was looking out for the best interests I do not charge any more labor to install ice and water over the entire roofs surface verses just using the roofing felt

When installing roofing felt there is so many different types of felt. Things have changes over the years. 40 years ago, we used an asphalt saturated paper roofing material it was top of the line back then but now I would never recommend the asphalt roofing felt. The manufactures have come out with different types of synthetic roof felts. They are extraordinarily strong .and light weight. This material will not tear even in strong winds. You can not tear it with your hands the only way is to use a knife. The asphalt roofing felt when installed lays flat on the roofs decking. But if left over night before the new shingles are installed and this happens on almost every job that is being completed. If its cold that night or if it rains the felt will be wrinkled. It will lay flat after the sun is on it or once it warms up and it needs to be flat in order to install the new shingles. The problem is a lot of roofing company employees will not wait for it to warm up and they install the shingles anyway.so the shingles will expand and contract as the roofing material gets warm and cold. This is not good for the longevity of the shingles or the attractive look of the shingles. So, when we use the synthetic felt its always stays flat on the roofs surface. It does not matter how cold or how wet it gets it stays flat plus the strength is ten times more.

When installing the plumping pipe covers and valley metal, we take the extra step. before we install the new shingles, we apply roofing cement between the metal and the shingles. This is another line of defense that keeps ice and water from entering .As most people don’t realize that anything that protrudes through the roof or walls and valleys are always the first place that leaks will accrue especially when the roof is getting old so why not go the extra mile with the roof cement.

We install a lot of standing seam roofs. These are nice because the fasteners used are installed under each panel. This is good because hidden fasters mean less chances for leaks to accrue. The expose fasteners or exposé screw system have rubber grommets under the screw that keeps water from entering through the panels. These grommets do get dry rotted and once this happens leaks will accrue.

These are the different types of metal roofs. Aluminum roofs / copper roofs /corrugated metal roofs /metal tile roofs /metal slate roofs /standing seam metal roofs / steel roofs and tin roofs. My favorite is the standing seam. Because of the hidden screws and the panels go from the bottom edge of the roof to the very top of the roof. This give you less seams which in turn mean less chance of leaks. Any type of metal roof that has small panels has more of a chance for water to find a way in. and metal roofs for the most part is expensive. There are short cuts people take to save money when installing metal but then you take the integrity and quality of the metal roof system away. Corrugated steel roofs are inexpensive and are fine for barns and sheds. The life span for metal roofs are 15 to 60 years. I recommend the 50-year roofs for a home. but just remember they will cost much more than a good quality shingle.

There are many types of flat roof systems. The most common is the E.P.D.M. rubber roof. these are installed using an insulation board to bond the rubber to. First, we must screw down the insulation board using three-inch plates according to code. Then the EPDM rubber material must be glued onto the insulation board. afterwards metal trim is fastened to the edges of the roof. Then we will install a 4 to 6-inch cover tape onto the metal trim. All pipes are sealed with a cover tape made especially for the plumping pipes. On commercial roofs where there are commercial drains, we usually install a tapered insulation system so the rainwater will flow towards the drains.

TPO stands for thermoplastic polyolefin single -ply roofing membrane. it is a blend of polypropylene and ethylene – propylene rubber. There’s pros and cons with the EPDM and the TPO rubber. The EPDM is a black rubber that works great where you might have more months of cold weather than warm. Whereas the white rubber is better in the warmer claimants. Also, commercial roofs tend to use the TPO more mainly probably because its inexpensive / it wont break the bank. It is durable. the cons are there are many more seams than the EPDM. The EPDM rubber comes in rolls as big as 40 ft by 100 ft. Whereas the TPO rubber usually is 1 0 ft by 100 ft. TPO is usually glued down in the field and the seams are sealed with an air heat.

 

The third type of flat roof system that many call the Cadillac of roofs.

It has been around since 615 BC. It is the best system still, but insurance companies have priced it out of the ballpark. I used Hot Tar for over 20 years but like most company I could not compete with the insurance company’s especially when manufactures started coming out with a good product TPO / EPDM

That were much more cost Effective. I know it can be 100 degrees or more and the surface of the TPO will not be hot. Both materials work great in the right circumstances. There is so many more questions that you may have for me so please feel free to call me and I will be more than happy to answer them. Thank you for your time.