Please don’t feel bad about not seeing me on the job site. I wasn’t there much myself. This was the first time that I used a contractor for a large (large to me) project. Overall I was very pleased. I had planned to obtain several quotes on the roof but in the end you were the only contractor I spoke with. Your use of technology as well as your qualification as a Certain Teed partner impressed me. Your quote for the basic roof installation was in line with what one of my neighbor’s was quoted earlier in the year.
I am very happy with the process and the results. There really wasn’t a lot of time to talk between when the roof was started and completed. The same with the replacement gutters with leaf covers. It did not take Jason longer to complete the aluminum wrapping however the precise bends and hand fitting took the longest. Jason’s attention to detail is appreciated and is evident in the finished product.
The roof was the first of a few projects that we need to complete in the next several years. Window’s and door’s will have to wait a year or two. We will be in touch when it is time to start the new projects.
Please thank Justin for staying on top of our job and for all of the assistance he provided. I was very happy to have someone explaining how they can go ahead and get started and that work is already finished rather than someone that provides excuses for delays. The one thing we probably need from you is some business cards for the neighbors that comment on how great the new roof looks.
It was 1999 when the reality that homeowners don’t look at their own homes was illustrated to me in a potential dispute with a client.
The crew had just finished the roof on the small townhome and were sweeping off the loose shingle granules and cleaning up. I had arrived to ensure the client was satisfied and to collect the final payment.
“How do you like the way the new roof looks, ma’am?” I asked.
“Well it looks real nice, but you guys messed up one piece.” She replied.
Surprised, I queried, “What piece is that?” as I walked backwards into the street to get a better view of the front of the townhome.
She followed me into the street and pointed to the roof, “that part right there. It’s all crooked. It was NOT like that before, so YOU guys did it.”
It was then that I realized something, but rather than react I wanted to be clear about what exactly she was referring to. So I called up to the foreman on the roof, Adrian Banks. “Adrian, would you walk over and point to the flashing on the firewall for me?”
Adrian looked at me quizzically. I knew what he was thinking but I didn’t want him to let the cat out of the bag by saying anything.
“Just humor me for a second!” I yelled up to him, smiling (to put him at ease that I wasn’t accusing him of anything).
Adrian did just that and walked over and pointed to the flashing on the firewall.
“Ma’am, is what Adrian’s pointing to what you’re concerned about not being the same as it was before we started the roof?”
“Yes,” she said, “it’s all crooked now and I know it wasn’t like that before!”
As gently as I could, so as not to hurt her feelings, I explained, “Well, ma’am, that’s not your roof. That’s your neighbor’s roof. We didn’t work on your neighbor’s roof. This is your roof over here where the guys are cleaning up.”
Just a recent townhome that we installed a new roof on (for illustrative purposes). Not the one in the story. These aren’t the droids you’re looking for….move along….
She was embarrassed, there was no way around that part as she admitted, “Well, I guess it was like that before, then.”
I had one thing in my favor during this exchange. It’s an ugly truth that contractors know about your home that you may not believe. The truth is that you rarely spend much time looking at the outside of your home…or even the inside for that matter. We are so familiar with the homes we live in we do not look at them with a discriminating eye, we do not see how they’ve weathered or aged over the years. We do not see where the maintenance is needed.
So, when a third party is invited to come and inspect or to give an estimate of repairs or a proposal for improvements, what they see as a contractor may be very different than what we see. The low cost of modern digital photography has all but eliminated the disputes contractors used to have with owners about “how it was before,” as contractors can take many documentation photos for no cost before the job is ever started.
I often share my pictures that I’ve taken of the client’s home with them in our discussion of what needs to be done on the property. All too often they are shocked at the things that I am showing them even though I can walk them right to the area and show them in person. I’ve had several occasions where the homeowner didn’t realize I was showing them pictures of their house! This speaks directly to the fact that we are so familiar with our own homes, living there day after day, that we don’t SEE the reality of what is actually going on right under our noses as they age and wear.
The bigger issue that arises from this fact however is unmet expectations. Unmet expectations lead to friction and trouble. If the owner is contracting a project with an inaccurate view of the current condition of the property, it may be possible that their expectations of the finished project may be inaccurate. This is one of the reasons that it is so critical for the contractor to take the time to write a detailed scope of work in their agreement and discuss it with the owner to ensure that the picture in the contractor’s head is the same as the picture in the owner’s head of what is included in the agreement and almost as important, what is NOT included
A friend recently wrote me a question about how to evaluate roofing contractors to determine who she should use to replace her hail damaged shingle roof:
Hey Jim,
I have a question for you.
Our house in Colorado Springs needs a new roof due to hail damage. I contacted three Roofers and got their estimates.Two work with USAA and the other with the manager of our house. He has the lowest estimate 6.000$. The other two are the same….around 11.000$. What do we have to look for when picking one of them? I know one roofer is going to use a thicker pad for underneath….but otherwise….
This is a great question! My response was as follows:
I would be cautious of a roofer with that low of a price. When it comes to hail damage, ensure that you are using an established local company that will be around for years to come after all the storm chasers leave town or you might find yourself paying for repairs in the future that should be covered by warranties of contractors who are no longer in town.
Due diligence:
Drive by the place of business and put your eyeballs on it. Is it a legit business? Will they be there in ten years? You’re about to spend $11,000 on something, don’t you think you might want to visit the business that’s providing it? Are you concerned enough about your home to knock on their door and ask to be shown around as a part of your process of evaluating contractors? Trust me, the legitimate contractor would jump at the chance to show you their office, even if it’s unannounced.
Get online and go to the website of the shingle manufacturer of the shingle they are proposing to use (Certainteed is my favorite). Are they listed as an approved installer? This isn’t a deal breaker but it does indicate how much support you can expect from the shingle manufacturer if there is a product problem. It also is a good indicator as to how committed they are to their trade.
In my opinion the BBB is less than worthless, but Angie’s List can be helpful. Also, don’t exclude Facebook or other social media! Put the names on there and ask if anyone has any experience with these roofing contractors. Use your network: it is the best and most honest source of unfiltered info!
Technical:
I would be less concerned about the felt paper used and more concerned (especially in Colorado) if they are installing ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys. I would also ensure they are removing and replacing all old flashing with new flashing (don’t fall for the “there’s nothing wrong with it” argument- nails don’t go back in the same holes. ) Also: all vents should be replaced, for the same reason as the flashing.
Here are some more articles I’ve written that discuss the technical side in more depth:
Why is checking out roofing contractors so important, especially when it relates to hail damage?
There is an entire contractor industry that is devoted to chasing hail nationwide. Most companies are based out of Texas and have computer monitoring systems that they pay for that alert them to any and all reports of hail nationwide. I have met many of these contractors and their logistics are quite impressive if you can get past the fact that so many of them are scam artists.
Slate roofs can be beautiful and last for over 100 years! But NOT if you repair then with tar and improper flashing. Most shingle roofers have no idea and don’t posses the proper tools to service slate roofs. We do!
These pictures show the story of the leaking metal valley on the slate roof that caused all the interior damage and how it was replaced by a new copper valley. No roof replacement necessary, just a proper repair!
These are pictures of a Family Room Addition in Seaford, Virginia that we just completed for a great couple!
The Whites needed more room for the growing family when the grandkids would come and visit. They had an existing deck that they never used so they asked us to remove the deck and build a room addition where it used to be. They had a beautiful backyard and still wanted to be able to enjoy it. To accomplish this we used large picture and double hung windows to give a full view of the trees in the backyard. The part of the project that we were most pleased with is how we matched the new hardwood floor to the existing hardwood floor in the dining room. David DiSpirito did the design, Kris Austin was the estimator, Justin Foreman was the Project Superintendent, JD Talley was the Foreman.
We received this fantastic card from the White’s that just made our day!
click on picture to enlarge
click on each picture to enlarge “Before Picture” of the deck that is to be replaced by the new family room addition A “before picture” of the rear wall of the home leading onto the deck. This wall would be opened up and the door and one of the windows would be moved to the outside wall of the addition. A “before picture” of the dining room and door onto the original deck. This wall would be opened up and the hardwood floor would be “toothed in” to a new hardwood floor in the new addition. Here is a “before picture” of the deck that would be removed from the rear of the home.
Everyone loves “Before & After” pictures, but seldom are some as dramatic as the transformation that we witnessed in Hampton on Missionary Ridge. Our clients loved their neighborhood and their home that they had raised their family in, but knew that it was long overdue for some updating. So, rather than move to a new home in a different neighborhood and leave so many wonderful memories behind, they contracted Jim Hicks Home Improvement to replace the roof, the windows, the siding, rebuild an built-in entertainment center for a new TV, replace skylights, replace garage doors, replace entry doors and porch columns, build a screen wall so they could enjoy their back porch without having to view the AC equipment and trashcans and remove a tired sunroom from the rear of the home.
We installed Certainteed Landmark Shingles, Mastic Quest Siding, Simonton Asure Windows, Thermatru and Pro Via doors, an Atrium Sliding patio door, Mid-America Shutters, Velux Skylight and Leaf Relief Gutter Protection system.
I just received the following email from the homeowner:
“Hey Jim,
I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the work and your workers. Justin has been here everyday and is such a great guy to work with and Greg and his brother are doing a great job am so happy with everything.”
Here are some before and after pictures (please click on each picture for full size view):
It was 2 years ago today that Hampton Roads, Virginia got slammed by Hurricane Irene. It was the hardest we’ve been hit by a Hurricane since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. If you were here, you’ll remember that Sandbridge in Virginia Beach suffered several tornadoes that were spawned by the storm and Newport News had major damage to an apartment complex due to falling trees. Many low lying areas were flooded and 1.2 million homes and businesses lost power. Three people in Virginia were killed due to the storm
Most of the major damage caused by the last several hurricanes have been from trees hitting roofs: tearing shingles, crushing plywood and rafters, and piercing straight through homes leaving the owners with the need for major water remediation, restoration and remodeling.
The most damage that we have suffered in the last 20 years, here in Hampton Roads Virginia was from Hurricane Irene. Again the trees were a major factor. The earlier part of the year we experienced much higher than normal rainfall that left the ground very soft. This resulted in many trees being pushed over by Isabel’s high winds and many of these trees caused major damage to homes. I personally remember responding to calls and being able to stand in the front yard, looking right through the house that had been cut in two by a falling pine tree, and seeing the back yard.
This year, many of the contractors and remodelers in Yorktown and Newport News Virginia have been talking about how heavy the rains have been and that they have been very reminiscent of the kind the Hampton Roads Area experienced in 2003 . Hopefully, if this Hurricane Season proves to be an active one, we won’t experience the same type of damage that we saw in 2003.
Looking back to 2011, I thought I’d share a video or two of Shawn and I tarping roofs in Hampton, Yorktown and Williamsburg that had suffered damage from the storm. Not really oscar worthy stuff here, but a walk down memory lane all the same!
I knew comparing bids from different contractors was difficult for homeowners that don’t do it everyday, but I didn’t realize HOW frustrating it truly was until my grandmother in California sent me three estimates she had received from local roofing contractors and asked me to tell her which one she should go with. This is what I do for a living and I couldn’t compare one to another as each contractor was recommending a different scope of work, different specifications and different products in each proposal. (Have you ever felt frustrated comparing estimates? This article here: “How to compare estimates” might help also!)There was absolutely no way to compare “apples to apples” between the three bids and I came to the stark realization that this is the quandry that each of my customers are faced with, here in Hampton Roads, Virginia, when I present them with a proposal. I feel for them.
One of the biggest differences between roofing estimates that homeowners will receive is that one roofing contractor may have included replacing the flashing in his proposal while another roofing contractor may be re-using it. This could be a huge difference in the amount of work being performed and result in a very large price difference!
But is the price difference worth the extra work?
First we have to figure out when it comes to roofing what is flashing?
Flashing refers to thin pieces of sheet metal installed to prevent the passage of water into a structure from an angle or joint.
On a residential home you should expect flashing in the following areas:
1. Where the shingles terminate against a vertical wall, such as a side of a second story or a dormer or chimney.
2. Any protrusion in the roof such as a plumbing vent pipe, HVAC vent or stove pipe, or solatube or skylight.
3. Sometimes in valleys where two roof slopes meet.
Here’s a good video that shows how the shingles, flashing, housewrap and siding all fit together:
The flashing is nailed to the roof and it is critical that the nail placement is proper or it will result in leaks. In fact, after diagnosing roofing leaks for 15 years, I can tell you that roofs rarely leak in the field of the shingles, 90% of the time they leak where the roof “stops, starts or changes direction” – which means most of the time the problem is with a flashing.
This roof leak in a Poquoson, Virginia home was from a pipe collar flashing.
This brings us to the question, “if the flashing wasn’t leaking on the old roof, why shouldn’t we re-use it when the shingles are replaced? “The short answer is “you can” and it’s possible there will be no problems. But re-using the flashing can’t be considered a “best practice”, even though it is allowed by the building code it is NOT recommended by any shingle manufacturer.
Good Graphic by Extreme How-To Website
Why don’t roofing shingle manufacturer’s recommend re-using roof flashing when replacing a roof?
The short answer is, “because the nails don’t always go back into the same holes they were in originally”. Practically, however, when you’re replacing a 15-20 year old roof, you don’t know:
1. How the original flashing was installed. Was it nailed properly?
2. Has the flashing been repaired in the past? What kind of repair was made? We’ve found everything from pinholes repaired with caulk to cut up beer can aluminum as repairs.
3. How many times the flashing has been re-used over the lifetime of the house? Does the flashing look like swiss cheese it’s been nailed down so many times?
The bottom line: The only way to ensure the quality of the flashing is to replace it with new flashing and install it properly when the roof is replaced.
Believe or not, this idea got a LOT of resistance by local roofing contractors here in Hampton Roads, Virginia when I first proposed it. One of the most common things I heard was:
“I’ve been installing roofs all my life and I’ve never had a problem with re-used flashing!”
This was said by a 30 year old roofing contractor. I pointed out to him that if he’d been working in the industry since he was 18, he had only been installing for 12 years and the very first roofs he worked on as a laborer hadn’t even made it through half of their lifespan yet. Also, I asked him how many roofing contractors he had worked for. When he answered 5, I pointed out that if any of the roofs he worked on had developed leaks, how would he have ever known if the customer couldn’t find him?
The Proof in the Pudding:
Because I encountered so much resistance against recommending that homeowner’s replace the flashing when a roof was replaced – even by my own employees – I started an experiment: on a large white board in our office I wrote on the left side of the board :
“Callbacks because of leaks & cause of the leak”
On the right side of the board I wrote:
“Number of days without a leak on jobs where all flashing and components were replaced”
(I have never heard of another roofing contractor doing this, so I might be the only contractor with this data).
It didn’t look anything like this. I don’t wear a suit at work. My employees don’t wear suits either. Like the whiteboard, though? You get the idea. Work with me here, people.
Over the next two years I gave homeowners the option of re-using or replacing flashing and vents on every proposal. Some owner’s did replace the flashing and others chose not to. At the end of two years we had quite a list on the “Callback” side of the board. What was the revelation?
EVERY SINGLE CALLBACK LEAK OVER A 2 YEAR TIME PERIOD WAS FROM A RE-USED ROOFING COMPONENT
What about the side of the board that kept track of the days without a leak on jobs where flashing was replaced? We were over 700 days without any leaks on jobs where all the flashing and components had been replaced. At that time we stopped keeping track.
The “proof was in the pudding”.
If you found this article helpful, here are some more roofing articles:
Jim Hicks Home Improvement serves Yorktown, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk, Portsmouth
Contractor, Home Improvement, Remodels, Additions, Kitchen, Bathrooms, Shingle Roofs, Slate Roofs, Siding, Windows
https://jimhicks.com 757-706-3110
Disclaimer: All images, unless otherwise noted, were taken from the Internet. In the event that there is a problem or error with copyrighted material, the break of the copyright is unintentional and the material will be removed immediately upon request.
It is said that “he who is only armed with a hammer, treats everything as a nail.”
Ridgevents have become so popular that many roofing contractors are using them on every roof, regardless of whether they are appropriate for the roof style or current ventilation system. Unfortunately, because most contractors don’t understand proper ventilation they use ridgevents as the “panacea” to cure all ills and ward off all evil spirits, real or imagined.
A few rules of thumb apply when considering whether a ridgevent should be used:
1. NEVER mix a ridgevent with other type of exhaust vents on a roof: gable vents, static vents or power fans.
2. Always ensure that there is sufficient intake ventilation to balance the amount of net free venting area of the ridgevent.
If a ridgevent is going to be installed, Air Vent (the leading manufacturer of roofing ventilation) specifies that you must remove or block off the other open exhaust ventilators or the low to high draft will be short cut and diminish the ventilation effectiveness (to learn why, visit the Technical Corner by Air Vent .).
But before we make the determination that we need MORE ventilation… shouldn’t we ask these questions, first?
1. How much is enough ventilation? Who says so?
2. What is the case history of the patient? (And by “patient” I mean the existing attic and roof)
RE: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH VENTILATION AND WHO SAYS SO? When determining how much ventilation is enough, there are recommended ratios specified by the industry that can easily be calculated. If you’re geeky like me, you’ll fall in love with this video and want to watch it over and over because of the sense of “completeness” you experience by calculating net free venting area:
However, as any experienced doctor will tell you, we should balance the “book” with the case history of the patient by asking questions like these:
1. What ventilation problems are we trying to solve? Do any presently exist? Have any existed in the past?
2. Has the roof shown any signs of shortened shingle life in the past, due to insufficient ventilation?
3. Have there been any moisture problems in the attic? Mold? What do the nails protruding through the roof deck look like? Are they rusty because of condensation in the attic?
4. Have there been any significant changes to the home? New windows or doors? New HVAC system or insulation? Any moisture in the crawlspace?
If the current ventilation system has worked well in the past, there have been no significant changes to the building envelope or if the alterations to the roof system would be prohibitively expensive in order for a ridgevent system to work properly, it is possible that changing a well functioning ventilation system to a ridgevent system might not be in your best interests.
There, I said it. That’s right. Read it again: you might not need a ridgevent!
But what if you DO need a ridgevent or decide that you want one? Which ridgevent should you get?
Short answer: only consider ridgevents with external baffles. Here’s why:
Your choices come down to two basic choices: a metal ridgevent or a “shingle-over” ridgevent. Air Vent has a model of each:
1. Multi-Pitch FilterVent is an aluminum ridgevent. It is quite inexpensive, easy to install and actually has a higher cubic foot per minute air flow rate than the shingle over style. Learn all about FilterVent by clicking on this link
A ridgevent is a great tool and is to be used properly as part of a properly designed system. As with any tool, it’s only as good as the application it was designed for. It’s no panacea or “magic bullet” and if not installed properly with a balanced ventilation system with proper intake and exhaust and no other open ventilators will not perform as it was intended. But what does?
A “before picture” of the dining room and door onto the original deck. This wall would be opened up and the hardwood floor would be “toothed in” to a new hardwood floor in the new addition.
