Don't Do It Yourself, Call Your Local Roofing Company
Are you a homeowner? Do you attempt certain projects to try and save some money, which instead ends up costing more money because you had to call in a professional to take care of it? I am not saying that I haven’t done the same thing and I have learned from my mistakes. For example, I am not a car mechanic so if something goes wrong with my truck I am not going to try get under the hood and start tearing stuff apart because it would never go back together the same way that it came out.
Same applies to every project there is around the house. Not only are some of the tasks dangerous (i.e. electricity and trying to be an electrician) but you could get seriously hurt (i.e. falling off a roof). That is why we are here. We specialize in the exterior remodeling of your home. From roofs, to wood rot, to James Hardie siding, to house painting, to gutters, we can do it. Follow us on our blog to get industry updates, product innovations, and some tips/guidelines when going through a home project.
Call us for your Overland Park, Leawood, Kansas City, Shawnee, Lenexa, roofing or wood rot project.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
DECRA Shake XD stone coated steel roof installation in Olathe, KS
This is a wood shake roof was damaged by a hail storm in Olathe, KS and the roof installation of a DECRA stone coated steel roofing system that will not be affected by hail ever again.
Are you thinking about getting a new roof on your home in Overland Park, KS? If so, then you have have some important decisions to be made. What do I mean by this? Well, first off you have to determine who you are going to use to replace your roof on your home. This is probably one of the most important decisions because what if you choose wrong? Then you could end up with a roof that was not properly installed, leaks everytime it rains, and it just does not look right when you see it from the street. But, if you make the right decision on your roofing company then you are a facing less headaches to deal with. Here are some things to look for in your search for a roofing company to take on your home project.
1) Is the company local? This is a huge part of making the selection process because if this company is just a fly by night operation or if it is what we call storm chasers then more than likely once your roof is put on, you will not see them again. This is what we call the “Tail light warranty” because once they are gone all you are going to see of them again was their tail lights.
2) Where did you get the companies name from? Was it a referral or was it just happy pointing in the phone book? The power of referrals is amazing because if you are getting a referral for a company then whoever gives you that referral has already experienced their services and they would not refer someone if they were not completely satisfied.
3) Do they have insurance? This is huge because what if they burn your house down? Now that is a little extreme but you want to make sure that your house and you are covered in a case like this.
4) What kind of products are they wanting to put on your house? Replacing your roof is a big project and you want to make sure that the materials that is being installed on your home will last awhile. What do I mean by that? You want to make sure that the products being used on your home are quality products with name brand suppliers that offer genuine warranties and back up their products. For example, GAF manufactures a ton of different shingles like Timberline and they stand behind their products. So don’t get shorted on quality products because your roof is what helps keep out Mother Nature.
5) The installation process! This is huge. You want to make sure that they are properly installing your roof so that you don’t have problems down the road. Flashings are huge and so is the type of underlayment used because this is what keeps out moisture from entering your house.
These are the top 5 things to look for when making the important decision to put a roof on your home in Overland Park, KS or the Kansas City area.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Overland Park roof installation in progress
Kansas City Roofing Basics
This blog today is to give you the homeowner a list for the basic components for roofing your house in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood, Shawnee, Lenexa, and other surrounding cities.
First you have to decide if you are in need of a new roof.
Once you decide that you are in need of a roof replacement then you have to pick a roofing company. How do you do that? Well, I can suggest 2 key components in your search for a roofing company in the Kansas City area.
One, it should be a Local company that does the work on your house because if you hire an out of town company to do your roof then you might as well kiss your warranty and hope of having your roof fixed if an issue arises. That company will be long gone back to the state that you they came from and then you are stuck with a malfunctioning roof on your home.
Two, word of mouth referrals. Word of mouth referrals is how we at American Roofing & Renovations Inc. get a lot of our business. Why is word of mouth referrals a good choice? The reason is that it takes all of the guess work out of trying to find a roofing company that may or may not know what they are doing. Your friends, family, or co-workers have already given them a test drive on their home projects so if they trust and like the company they would pass that information on to you. Here are some key components in a roofing system
Roofing Basics:
1) tear off the existing roof, you never want to overlay because you don’t know if the person who installed the roof before you did it correctly or not and also most city codes are not allowing an overlay of your existing roof anymore.
2)Install at least a 30# felt underlayment. They do make a 15# underlayment but in my opinion you might as well put down a piece of notebook paper instead because that is how thin that underlayment is. There are some synthetic underlayments out there that are great to work with. We prefer to use GAF’s Tiger Paw breathable synthetic underlayment because it is very durable and easy to work with.
3) Ice/Water shield: this is a protective barrier that helps protect from ice and snow damming along your eaves, chimney, and valley areas.
4) Drip edge: This gives the shingles something to adhere to and it keeps the water out from wicking back underneath the shingles.
5) Starter course: This starter course is what allows the shingles to adhere and helps seal the roof along the eaves.
6) Shingles: what type of shingle do you want to go with? There are multiple options by this point. Pick one you like and are comfortable with and go with it.
7) Ventilation: there are several options from box vents, turbines, ridge vent, and so on but if you do not have adequate soffit vents then it doesn’t matter what kind of vents you install. It will not vent anyway. Make sure to have adequate soffit vents.
Flashings: we install all new pipe flashings and new metal flashings around skylights, step walls, and chimneys.
10) Hip/Ridge cap: This is the hat for your house don’t settle for the standard 3 tab ridge which is a 60 MPH wind rated hip/ridge cap. Spend a little more $ and get the High Definition hip/ridge cap like Z Ridge or Timbertex which is made by GAF.
These are some of the roofing basics to look for in the Kansas City area and surrounding cities such as Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, etc.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Wood Rot terrorizes Overland Park home
Above is a picture of wood rot on a home in Overland Park, KS in need of repair. The key in preventing wood rot from coming back is Preparation. What do I mean by that? If you have not had your house painted in the last 5 years, doesn’t matter if your home is new or not it probably needs a prep and paint job. You see when most of the homes that were built within the last 7 to 12 years were just slapped together using cheap caulking, inferior siding, cheap windows, etc. which has lead to this wood rot problem throughout Kansas City. It doesn’t matter where you live throughout Johnson County wood rot is apparent. The only way to eliminate and/or cut down on it is detail on the preparation before we paint your house. Our process starts with removing all of the wood rot on the home and replacing with composite products like Ecotrim that will never rot again. Then, you seal up the home with 65 year caulking through out the entire home leaving areas to channel water and get out and away from your home so that it will not sit there and be soaked up by your siding, etc. Once that is established then providing a good coat of Sherwin Williams painting products will ensure that your house is ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at your house for the next 5 to 7 years. That is our recommendation here at American Roofing & Renovations Inc. is that every 5 to 7 years after you have prepped your house, have an inspection done to make sure everything is sealed and/or to see if it is ready for paint again. That is the key to whipping wood rot. The other alternative is to replace your siding with James Hardie fiber cement siding and making your exterior maintenance free. Stay tuned on my other posts for more on James Hardie fiber cement products. That is the basics for wood rot repair on your home in Kansas City.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Overland Park home with DECRA stone coated steel roofing system
This Overland Park home was transformed this past year from having wood shake shingles that was damaged in the hailstorm from April 2011 to its new appearance of the DECRA Shake XD stone coated steel roofing system. DECRA is a stone coated steel roofing system manufacture that specializes in providing quality and innovative roofing products to homeowners throughout the world. Not only does the DECRA product provide your home with an Elegant look it offers Superior protection for your home and is lighter per SQ than some composition shingles. DECRA has a line of different products that are designed to withstand hail, mechanically fasten to your home so that you will never have any blown shingles again, and it is the last roof that you will ever have to put on your home again.
Our installation process at American Roofing & Renovations Inc. is simple, provide you with a Superior Roofing System that doesn’t stop at the DECRA material. What do we mean by that? We feel that by combining other premium products with the DECRA roofing line you are getting the best and last roof you will ever hav e to put on. For example this Overland Park home had wood shake shingles on it, below is a description of the materials used to help seal up your roof for years to come.
- First step is to remove the wood shake shingles
- Then we install a Radiant Barrier sheeting/decking that is designed to help keep your attics 30 degrees cooler year round.
- Next a Breathable Synthetic Underlayment called Tiger Paw (made by GAF) is installed.
- Along with a protective barrier of Ice/Water shield along all of the eaves, valley, and chimney areas. Now your roof is sealed up tight and protected.
- Next we start installing the DECRA roofing system and there you have it. A roof that will truly last you a lifetime.
I am a homeowner myself and my goal is to make my house as maintenance free as possible so that I can spend my time with my wife and kids doing whatever it maybe. Soccer games, road trips, etc., and the DECRA roof is a huge step to that goal. Also, with the DECRA roofing system when another hailstorm comes around and all of your neighbors are having to get new roofs again, they are going to be envious of you because you are sitting there watching them deal with the headaches again.
If your home in Overland Park, KS wants or needs a DECRA stone coated steel roofing system feel free to give us a call.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
DECRA Stone Coated Steel Roof
What do you do when your Leawood home has been hit with hail and has damaged your roof? First thing is to contact your insurance company and file a claim and then they will issue you an adjuster to come out and look at your property to assess the damage. One thing that I would strongly suggest is to look at for the stormchasing roofing companies. These are roofing companies that are based in different states and then they just float from storm to storm chasing storm damage on homes and then they are off, never to be seen again. As a local roofing and renovations company I have seen it time and time again, when you need them to come back for a roof leak or warranty issue they are gone. You can’t get in touch with them, etc. With that being said, hire a local company that knows how to install roofing materials to the manufacture’s specifications.
Now your roof has been totaled out by the insurance company, what kind of roof should you go back with? As described on the picture above we installed a DECRA stone coated steel roofing system that can withstand hail and is mechanically fastened down and will never blow off. This roofing system is seriously the last roof that you will ever have to put on your home. Let’s be honest, we live in Kansas which is a Hail belt and we will get more hail and you do not want to have to keep replacing your roof because every 2 to 5 years your roof gets hail damaged. This is the answer to the problem. DECRA stone coated steel roofing systems has a number of different profiles/styles that are right for your home. It has a superior warranty, made out of 26 gauge steel, it is quiet when the rain hits it, the roofing system is mechanically fastened down so that it will not blow off like standard shingles, and it is lighter per SQ than some composition shingles (asphalt).
DECRA has been in the market for over 55 years so they understand what peace of mind means to a homeowner. If you live in Leawood, Overland Park, or the Kansas City area and your roof has been hail damaged, think about replacing your roof with a DECRA stone coated steel roofing system.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Get what you pay for!
What do you do when you look for an Overland Park roofing company? Do you open the yellow pages, close your eyes, point, and pick a couple to come out and give you bids? Do you get a word of mouth referral? What?
Let’s say that you went with option one just for example and say 3 companies came out to give you a bid to replace the roof on your Overland Park home. You elected to go with the cheapest bid because the price was right. Don’t get me wrong, price is a key factor but so is a proper installation. I say that because I own a local Roofing & Renovations company and see it everyday. Homeowners think that they are getting a good deal and a month, two, maybe a year later the problems hit.
Overland Park and the southern Johnson County area got hit with a big hailstorm this past year and there were a ton of stormchasing out of town roofers that came here to find work. O.K. that is fine, people want and need to work but where the problem lies is that most of them have shorted you the homeowner. What do I mean by that? As you have seen the picture at the beginning of this that roof is less than a year old and it did not have any underlayment installed on that section of the roof. For whatever reason, they ran out of material and was too lazy to get more, didn’t know how to properly install a roof, etc. Now what does the do? They try and contact the company that installed it but to their surprise nobody is returning their call. Now what? That roof leaked so bad that it got into their kids wall in their room and completely soaked the interior wall. Damaging sheet rock, insulation, and it was growing black mold. Now not only is their newly installed roof leaking, it has caused interior damage, and still no return phone call from the roofing company.
Bring me to the point that when you are looking for a company to put on a new roof in Overland Park, KS or the Kansas City area, look for a local company that knows how to properly install a roof and that has a professional staff and appearance. If you do not look for these things then that sweet price you thought you got is long gone and now you are paying double if not more to remedy the situation. That old cliche of “You get what you pay for” is probably the most accurate statement that I have ever heard. Remember when choosing a roofing company in Overland Park or the Kansas City area look for a local and reputable company.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
We have now officially transitions to our new blog right here on CountOnAmerican.com. To visit our old blog and read old blog posts, visit:
www.KansasCityRoofs.Wordpress.com
With an abundance of wood shake roofs that are in need of repair throughout Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, Overland Park, Kansas City, there is an alternative to wood shakes. Decra stone coated steel roofing products have a number of different styles and products that will make it the last roof that you will ever have buy. It can withstand any size of hail and it has a superior fire rating. If you factor in the constant cost of replacing your roof every 10 years with or without a hail storm and then you factor in the rising cost of your insurance because you either filed a claim or have a wood shake roof. The Decra stone coated steel roof is the roof for you. For more information feel free to visit www.KCSteelRoofs.com for an instructional video on installation and product availability. American Roofing & Renovations Inc. is your stone coated steel roof source in Kansas City and surrounding cities 913-706-8710
