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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Today’s roofs have been engineered to reflect the sun’s rays and are emissive. An adequate roof assembly with rigid insulation, solar reflection and heat emissive can reduce heating and cooling costs.
Your roof is slightly sloped to allow for the natural drain of water. Small pools may be present after a snow melt or rainstorm but will evaporate. However, if there are standing pools after several days it is time to call and have your roof assessed to mitigate potential damages.
Yes. We recommend routine checks with the season changes of the roof membrane, flashing, caulking and sealant to make sure they are functioning properly. Checking your roof after a big storm or change of season is also recommended.
This depends on the size and scope of your roof. If there are numerous air conditioning units on the roof or other mechanicals we need to work around. Also the type of roof you wish to install plays a factor. On our consultation, we can give you a better idea of how long it will take based on your circumstances.
Yes. We always check with local building inspectors to make sure we are in compliance.
Due to the nature of the product and the use of adhesives, primers and cleaners we always revert to the manufacturers’ guidelines on best temperatures to install. In most cases, these materials should not be allowed to freeze during installation.
EPDM is commonly known as a rubber roof. It has been one of the most common flat roofs one installed since the 1980’s. Resembling an inner tube, this durable material is engineered to resist sun damage. It is relatively light, yet resistant to scuffs, tears, and leaks. It is also easy to patch. Available in black or light-reflecting white. Today’s low VOC primers and glues work well and are environmentally safe. Many come with ready-made details like internal and external corners, through-roof pipe flashings, cable, and skylight flashings. These ready-made details are designed to be bonded to the main sheet for a cohesive installation.
Introduced in the 1990’s TPO/PVC is a single-ply roofing membrane that chemically bonds ethylene, propylene, and rubber along with other filler materials. They are available in light gray, white and black. The light gray or white colors are used in flat roofing today because it is cool due to its solar reflective qualities. When considering a solar panel installation, the TPO/PVC is a great choice because it increases the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. For durability they feature welded seams. If you are looking for an environmentally friendly solution with long term energy savings – this may be the roof for you.
If you have a flat roof, a TPO or EPDM is a good option. We can show you and make recommendations for the right roof for your given circumstance.
Yes! We do large and small projects using excellent products and proper installation techniques.
Usually no. There are many factors that determine if you can put a new roof over an existing flat roof. One factor is if it is required to remove the old roof by local, state or national building codes. Other considerations are what the condition of the insulation and decking are and also if you have existing water saturation. If there is reason to believe there is water damage to insulation and decking, the old flat roof should be removed to make proper repairs.
There are mildew cleaners at home improvement stores that can be applied with a pressure washer. Follow the manufacturers’ directions. Use caution when using a pressure washer so as not to have it on so high that you damage or blow shingles of the roof.
It is important to have a properly ventilated roof to remove the condensation and excess moisture in the attic. Too much moisture inside the attic may leak inside a home even if the roof shingles and decking are sound. Also, ventilation extends the life of roofs, reduces energy costs, and prevents temperature differences inside one’s home.
A ridge vent is a vent that is installed at the peak of a sloped roof. Its purpose is to help keep the air inside your attic as close to the outside temperature as possible. It does that by allowing warm, moist air in your attic to escape. The right combination of ridge vent and continuous flow soffit vents provides proper ventilation.
This is a special, waterproof, rubberized membrane underlayment that is required by Minnesota code. It is placed at the eaves of your roof. It is different from a roof felting underlayment in that when installed correctly, it creates a waterproof barrier that helps protect against ice and standing water.
Also know as “roof felting,” it protects the roof deck from moisture prior to the shingle installation. It does provide a minimal degree of protection should water get under shingles.
A low-slope roof is not a good candidate for asphalt shingles. An asphalt roof on a low-slope will allow for a greater potential for ice dams as water can be easily trapped
Same as slope. The terms slope and pitch are interchangeable.
The slope of the roof is measured by the vertical rise of the roof to the horizontal run. It is expressed as a fraction. For example, a 6:12 roof slope means the roof rises 6 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal roof span.
Although code does allow for an overlay of one layer of existing asphalt roof shingles, in many cases, we do not recommend it. With a tear off of old materials, we can look for any structural damage that may have occurred due to storm damage, or age or both. If there are any defects in the roof deck like rotting, this would be revealed during tear off. Also, starting with a clean deck, with fresh underlayments, results in a smoother finished roof system.
That being said, there is a stone coated steel shingle that does work well with an overlay because of the design of the panel. (Click here for more info)
If your roof has been properly installed, ventilated and periodically inspected it should last around 20 plus years, give or take. If you see curled or cupped shingles, cracked shingles, exposed nails, worn off granules, holes, missing shingles, leaks in your roof, or storm damage it is time to plan for a new roof.
Comfort – no more drafts.
Reduce condensation.
Safety – better locking systems.
They just look nice.
Resale value – make a good selling point when selling your home.
Transferable Warranties.
Cleaning. Want easy in cleaning.
Resist fading of carpet and furniture.
Operation: Old hardware is past it’s prime, broken.
Here, the complete window assembly is removed down to the studs. It is a more time intensive process than retrofit, but there are times when there is a necessity to do this; i.e. when you expect to find other damage to the wall studs, etc.
These windows are installed on top of the original window frame. The installation is quick and easy compared to a full-replacement window because the old frame is left in place.
Triple pane windows have a better thermal performance than double pane windows. This helps lower heat and cooling costs. However, triple panes are more expensive and have a considerable amount of weight to them.
A high coefficient (up to 1.00) means high solar heat gain. The smaller the number, the better the window is at preventing solar heat gain. Solar heat gain is the amount of solar radiation that enters your home through a window or door.
It’s the amount of air that leaks into your home from the outside. The lower the air leakage rate on a window means there is less air exchanged between the outside and inside of your window.
Krypton is an odorless, colorless gas like Argon, but is heavier. It is also more expensive to produce. Krypton-filled windows have a higher U-Factor for better efficiency than Argon-filled windows, but are also more expensive.
Argon is an odorless, colorless gas in the airspace between panels of insulating glass to increase the thermal insulating performance. This can improve the insulating qualities (U-Factor) of the window.
It is a coating on the glass that blocks radiation wave lengths, improving the thermal performance of the insulating glass. Reflecting heat from the sun keeps the building cooler in the summer, and reflecting heat back inside keeps it warmer in the winter.
It is the resistance a material has to heat transference. The higher the R-Value, the better the insulating capability.
It is the rate of heat transfer that results from a temperature difference across a window or the rate that your window loses heat. The smaller the U-Factor, the less heat transfer between the inside and outside due to a temperature difference. This is especially important during the heating season because of the vast temperature differences inside and outside – especially in Minnesota.
- Radiation. This is the movement of heat as infrared energy passes through glass.
- Air Leakage. The passage of heated air through and around cracks and weather stripping.
- Conduction. The direct transfer of heat through the window to the outside.
- Convection. When air gives up its heat to cooler glass, the cooled air moves to the floor. The movement sucks new warmer air toward the glass that is in turn cooled, and moves to the floor, creating a draft.
In as little as a day, we can replace old, drafty windows. To reduce discomfort, during our window installation, only one window is removed at a time. The new window has been prepped prior to insertion, immediately placed and sealed, minimizing heat loss.
Trim back any landscaping foliage that is touching your home. Remove fragile items hanging or on shelves inside your home as screwing and/or nailing can cause vibrations that may disturb these items. Also, plan for a space in your yard or driveway to place a dumpster.
Yes! Rigid foam insulation can be installed that can add a R2 to R4 which helps with thermal bridging and minimizing drafts. Also, adding to a vinyl siding installation gives the panel more rigidity.
There are great new color choices and different patterns that can add a splash of “Wow!” There are shingles with a wood-appearance, trendy board and batten or a scalloped edge you may consider for your gables. You may also want to consider panelized stone veneers.
In some cases, yes. But we usually recommend a full tear off of the old siding so that we can properly inspect the sheathing and housewrap. Failure to do so could result in problems down the line.
It depends on what your budget is and what you want to replace it with. Today, vinyl siding is the most affordable siding. They are much better than the vinyl siding of 30-40 years ago as technology has improved color retention. There are however, other types of siding like steel or engineered wood that cost more when compared to vinyl siding, but have long lasting benefits.
Vinyl siding is very popular but other types you may want to consider are engineered wood and steel siding.
Improper installation. We are a Mastic Preferred Vinyl Siding installer and we are also certified by the Vinyl Siding Institute.
Most siding products today require little or no maintenance with the exception of wood. But most never need to be painted. In most siding applications, should a panel be compromised it can be easily replaced. To maintain a fresh appearance it can be lightly pressure washed.
This depends on the type of siding that you choose. Some have 50 year warranties. Also depends on whether or not a storm hits your area and again, the type of siding you have.
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