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By Shirley Andrews December 29, 2017
With the weather turning colder, you may soon notice icicles forming along the rain gutters of your home. Icicles may look nice, but they’re not a good sign for your roof. If ice is building up along the edges of your roof, it can damage your shingles and rain gutters and lead to roof leaks and all sorts of problems for your home. It’s important to get rid of ice dams when you see them forming.

Getting rid of ice dams.

Don’t use a shovel or any other tool to hack away at the ice. You can damage your shingles and rain gutters further. The safest way to remove ice dams is to run warm water through your rain gutter system to melt the dam. You can also use a roof rake which is a special snow removal tool that won’t damage your shingles to clear away snow along the edge of your roof. It’s also important to take proactive measures to prevent them from forming in the future. Here are three things you can do to prevent ice dams this winter.

Install heat cables

Heated cables along the edge of your roof will prevent snowmelt from re-freezing along the edges of your roof and is a relatively inexpensive solution. The downside is that it lessens the appearance of your roof and it doesn’t address the root of the problem.

More attic insulation

Ice dams form when the temperature in the attic are warmer than the outside air so that it melts the snow which then refreezes towards the edges of the roof. Better attic insulation not only reduces your energy bills but it will insure that snow on your roof doesn’t melt until the temperature outside is warm enough that ice dams can’t form anyways.

A metal roof

Metal roofs are typically much better at shedding snow in the first place if your roof slope is great enough and you won’t have to worry about ice dams. If ice dams are a recurring problem for you, you can schedule a roof inspection with a Spokane roofing company to first check if there is any roof damage as a result and to discuss the best solution for your
particular circumstances.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com

Source: realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/home-maintenance-checklist-december-2017/
By Shirley Andrews December 5, 2017
Roof damage isn’t always apparent from the ground. Unless you know exactly what to look for, serious issues with your roof can go undiagnosed until water is dripping through your ceiling and costing you thousands of dollars in water damage to the interior of your home. Since winter is the time of year where roof issues are most likely to manifest themselves in the form of leaks, it’s a good idea to get things checked out and any needed repairs taken care of before winter hits. As you can tell from the downturn in temperature and the increase of rain in the Spokane area, time is already running out and roofers will soon be booked solid with roof leak work.

Start with a free inspection

There’s no reason not to have your roof inspected as most reputable roofers will do this for free. Just because there aren’t any missing shingles or sagging sections on your roof it doesn’t mean you don’t have roof damage. Slight warping of the shingles, small tears or tiny penetrations from wind-blown debris, and granule loss (granules are the rough, gravelly like coating that forms the top layer of the shingles) can all spell doom for your roof this winter even though your roof looks perfectly fine from a distance. A roofer knows what to look for and can provide you with a free estimate for any work that may need to be done.

Schedule repairs

If the inspection turns up nothing, you can rest assured that your roof is ready for winter. But if there are issues, you should have them taken care of immediately. Regular maintenance is always going to be cheaper than costly roof leaks, mold issues, and interior water damage in the long run. If it’s been awhile since your last roof inspection, schedule a free inspection with a Spokane roofing company today.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com

Source: kdvr.com/2017/11/20/roofers-suggest-fixing-hail-damage-before-first-snowfall/
By Shirley Andrews November 3, 2017
A Texas roofing company is in hot water after taking thousands from customers and never completing the promised work. In the last 18 months, the Better Business Bureau has received a total of 82 complaints against Bow Tie Roofing. The sudden rise in complaints coincides with the sale of the roofing company to new owners. Under its original owners, Bow Tie Roofing had an A rating with the Better Business Bureau but when the company was sold, the new owners abandoned the backlog of roofing contracts but kept the down payments for those contracts. While it’s unfortunate for the customers who gave money to Bow Tie Roofing, it could have been avoided if they exercised more caution.

Check with the BBB

A quick check with the company’s profile on the Better Business Bureau website would have informed would-be customers that the company has a history of taking down payments and never doing the work. The BBB keeps a record of complaints filed against companies as well as the number of complaints that are satisfactorily resolved. The BBB keeps a record of Spokane roofing companies so it’s easy to look up any prospective roofing contractor.

Don’t pay up front

There’s no reason for a reputable contractor to demand a down payment. Most reputable roofers don’t get paid until the work is done. If you are paying in installments, payments should be tied to milestones in the project and some should always be held back until the project is all the way finished. Contractors that keep asking for more without making progress or contractors who insist on cash only transactions should be avoided.

Get it in writing

A written contract spelling out the estimated cost and time frame protects you as a customer. Make sure to get receipts for any payments you do make in case there’s a dispute about how much you have paid.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com

Source: kens5.com/news/investigations/82-complaints-filed-against-local-roofing-company/484017282
More Posts
By Shirley Andrews December 29, 2017
With the weather turning colder, you may soon notice icicles forming along the rain gutters of your home. Icicles may look nice, but they’re not a good sign for your roof. If ice is building up along the edges of your roof, it can damage your shingles and rain gutters and lead to roof leaks and all sorts of problems for your home. It’s important to get rid of ice dams when you see them forming.

Getting rid of ice dams.

Don’t use a shovel or any other tool to hack away at the ice. You can damage your shingles and rain gutters further. The safest way to remove ice dams is to run warm water through your rain gutter system to melt the dam. You can also use a roof rake which is a special snow removal tool that won’t damage your shingles to clear away snow along the edge of your roof. It’s also important to take proactive measures to prevent them from forming in the future. Here are three things you can do to prevent ice dams this winter.

Install heat cables

Heated cables along the edge of your roof will prevent snowmelt from re-freezing along the edges of your roof and is a relatively inexpensive solution. The downside is that it lessens the appearance of your roof and it doesn’t address the root of the problem.

More attic insulation

Ice dams form when the temperature in the attic are warmer than the outside air so that it melts the snow which then refreezes towards the edges of the roof. Better attic insulation not only reduces your energy bills but it will insure that snow on your roof doesn’t melt until the temperature outside is warm enough that ice dams can’t form anyways.

A metal roof

Metal roofs are typically much better at shedding snow in the first place if your roof slope is great enough and you won’t have to worry about ice dams. If ice dams are a recurring problem for you, you can schedule a roof inspection with a Spokane roofing company to first check if there is any roof damage as a result and to discuss the best solution for your
particular circumstances.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com

Source: realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/home-maintenance-checklist-december-2017/
By Shirley Andrews December 5, 2017
Roof damage isn’t always apparent from the ground. Unless you know exactly what to look for, serious issues with your roof can go undiagnosed until water is dripping through your ceiling and costing you thousands of dollars in water damage to the interior of your home. Since winter is the time of year where roof issues are most likely to manifest themselves in the form of leaks, it’s a good idea to get things checked out and any needed repairs taken care of before winter hits. As you can tell from the downturn in temperature and the increase of rain in the Spokane area, time is already running out and roofers will soon be booked solid with roof leak work.

Start with a free inspection

There’s no reason not to have your roof inspected as most reputable roofers will do this for free. Just because there aren’t any missing shingles or sagging sections on your roof it doesn’t mean you don’t have roof damage. Slight warping of the shingles, small tears or tiny penetrations from wind-blown debris, and granule loss (granules are the rough, gravelly like coating that forms the top layer of the shingles) can all spell doom for your roof this winter even though your roof looks perfectly fine from a distance. A roofer knows what to look for and can provide you with a free estimate for any work that may need to be done.

Schedule repairs

If the inspection turns up nothing, you can rest assured that your roof is ready for winter. But if there are issues, you should have them taken care of immediately. Regular maintenance is always going to be cheaper than costly roof leaks, mold issues, and interior water damage in the long run. If it’s been awhile since your last roof inspection, schedule a free inspection with a Spokane roofing company today.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com

Source: kdvr.com/2017/11/20/roofers-suggest-fixing-hail-damage-before-first-snowfall/
By Shirley Andrews November 3, 2017
A Texas roofing company is in hot water after taking thousands from customers and never completing the promised work. In the last 18 months, the Better Business Bureau has received a total of 82 complaints against Bow Tie Roofing. The sudden rise in complaints coincides with the sale of the roofing company to new owners. Under its original owners, Bow Tie Roofing had an A rating with the Better Business Bureau but when the company was sold, the new owners abandoned the backlog of roofing contracts but kept the down payments for those contracts. While it’s unfortunate for the customers who gave money to Bow Tie Roofing, it could have been avoided if they exercised more caution.

Check with the BBB

A quick check with the company’s profile on the Better Business Bureau website would have informed would-be customers that the company has a history of taking down payments and never doing the work. The BBB keeps a record of complaints filed against companies as well as the number of complaints that are satisfactorily resolved. The BBB keeps a record of Spokane roofing companies so it’s easy to look up any prospective roofing contractor.

Don’t pay up front

There’s no reason for a reputable contractor to demand a down payment. Most reputable roofers don’t get paid until the work is done. If you are paying in installments, payments should be tied to milestones in the project and some should always be held back until the project is all the way finished. Contractors that keep asking for more without making progress or contractors who insist on cash only transactions should be avoided.

Get it in writing

A written contract spelling out the estimated cost and time frame protects you as a customer. Make sure to get receipts for any payments you do make in case there’s a dispute about how much you have paid.

Home improvement news brought to you by bartonroof.com

Source: kens5.com/news/investigations/82-complaints-filed-against-local-roofing-company/484017282
More Posts
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