Reroof or replace — probably replace

Changing the roof

When your roof needs replacement, some people choose reroofing — that is, laying down a fresh layer of shingles on top of the existing roof. This takes less time and save money on labor and disposal of the old roofing, but along with putting extra weight on the roof, it misses a chance to inspect the decking for signs of damage or mildew. Roofs laid down over an existing roof don’t last as long as complete replacements.

You should also know that reroofing will increase the chance of hail damage — and while North Carolina doesn’t get a hailstorm every year, over the course of fifteen to twenty years the odds go up considerably. A rigid deck under the shingles will strengthen your roof against hail. (Your insurance company may offer a cash incentive to install hail-resistant shingles. Ask them.) Ask your roof installer for advice.

If the roof is to be replace, first the old shingles are removed, along with their nails. This ensures that the new roof can be laid on a completely flat surface. A good roof installer will do all this without leaving any debris lying around. Before nailing in the new shingles, the roofers will lay a water shield over the deck to keep rain from getting in through the nail holes. The new shingles will be laid down so to minimize the number of exposed nail heads. All this should take one to three days.

Charlotte’s top roof installer

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are the best roof installers in Charlotte and Concord, NC. Call today for a free estimate.

Different kinds of shingles

Shingles, shakes and tiles

If you’re building or renovating a home in Charlotte or Concord, NC, you may be trying to decide what you want your roof to be made of. Asphalt shingles are lightweight, inexpensive and easy to repair and replace — which is good, because a lot of things can damage them. Storm damage, constant sunlight, wind and rain can all hurt them in different ways. Even a flaw in attic ventilation can lead to overheating in the summer, which will warp the shingles.

Wood takes the form of either shingles or shakes, which are split from logs. Cypress, pine, redwood and western red cedar are some of the kinds of wood used. It lasts 30 to 40 years, although shakes last longer than shingles. Whatever form it’s in, wood needs to “breathe” — that is, it needs air circulating behind it, and also needs to be washed and oiled occasionally. If this is done, it resists rot and insects surprisingly well. Unfortunately, it can catch fire.

Slate and tile last even longer and are highly water-resistant, but are more expensive and a lot heavier than asphalt or wood. This will put a lot more strain on your roof. And then, of course, there’s metal roofing, which is a subject for another article.

Shingle repair by Charlotte’s best roofing company

If you need someone to repair your shingle roof, Charlotte and Concord, NC’s top roofing company is Advanced Roofing and Exteriors. Their experts will bring the new shingles and other materials themselves. Call today for a free estimate.

What to expect from a roofer

What a roofer does

The roofer should handle all aspects of roof installation and repair, including chimney caps and gutters. They should be equally proficient at working with tile, shingles or metal. If you’re having it inspected, the roofer can let you know what condition it’s in, how long it’s likely to last and whether there are any defects in it you should keep an eye on. If it’s damaged, they can provide an estimate of the cost for the benefit of your insurance company. When the time comes to perform the repairs, the roofer can tell you how much work is needed, how long it will take and what the best materials are.

Less than one tenth of one percent of contractors are able to stay in business for ten years or more. If you find one more than ten years old, you know they must have provided good service to stay in business so long, they have lots of experience, and if you need more work done later, they will still be around to do it.

Charlotte’s best roofer

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are the best roofer in Charlotte and Concord, NC. They have been in business for over twenty years and have won the Angies List Super Service Award twice. This family-owned company is also a member of the Home Builders Association of Charlotte and an Owens Corning preferred contractor. Whether you need a completely new roof or just need to fix an old one, call today for a free estimate.

The best roof installer in Concord, NC

How to find out

Having a roof installed is one of the biggest projects a homeowner will have to deal with, and it needs to be done right. This means finding the right roof installer.

To learn about a roof installer, ask your neighbors, and your friends and family who live in the area, who they would recommend you hire or not hire. You can also ask any installer you talk to if they have a list of previous customers you can contact. When you focus on a particular installer, find out how long they’ve been in business. Ask about their bonding, licensing and insurance.

Then go online. The installers will have Web sites where they post testimonials from customers. All of these will of course be from satisfied customers, so look for a company that was able to get lots of them to post. Check the website of the Better Business Bureau. The A range is considered normal for companies in the BBB. Google Places is a review site you can look at to find out what other customers have said about roof installers. See which installer in your area has the most positive reviews. Other sites with reviews include Yahoo Local, Manta, Merchant Circle, Angie’s List and YellowPages.com. If you find a negative review, see if the installer left a response to it, and what the installer said.

Choosing the right roof installer for a Charlotte or Concord, NC home

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are the best roofing contractor in Charlotte and Concord, NC. Call today for a free estimate.

The best roof installer in Concord, NC

How to find out

Having a roof installed is one of the biggest projects a homeowner will have to deal with, and it needs to be done right. This means finding the right roof installer.

To learn about a roof installer, ask your neighbors, and your friends and family who live in the area, who they would recommend you hire or not hire. You can also ask any installer you talk to if they have a list of previous customers you can contact. When you focus on a particular installer, find out how long they’ve been in business. Ask about their bonding, licensing and insurance.

Then go online. The installers will have Web sites where they post testimonials from customers. All of these will of course be from satisfied customers, so look for a company that was able to get lots of them to post. Check the website of the Better Business Bureau. The A range is considered normal for companies in the BBB. Google Places is a review site you can look at to find out what other customers have said about roof installers. See which installer in your area has the most positive reviews. Other sites with reviews include Yahoo Local, Manta, Merchant Circle, Angie’s List and YellowPages.com. If you find a negative review, see if the installer left a response to it, and what the installer said.

Choosing the right roof installer for a Charlotte or Concord, NC home

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are the best roofing contractor in Charlotte and Concord, NC. Call today for a free estimate.

Metal roofing: Good for the long haul

Lasting a lifetime

According to the Metal Roofing Association, non-metal roofs last an average of 17 years. A metal roof, on the other hand, can last a lifetime. Metal roofing eventually makes back the cost of its installation, because if carefully maintained it can last 40 to 60 years — longer in some cases. After a few decades, you’ll have recovered the cost of installation simply from not having had to repair or replace it.

Metal roofing has other advantages as well. Although we think of metal as heavy, the roofing is lightweight — where tile can be 750 pounds per 100 square feet, metal roofing tends to be from 50 to 150 pounds per 100 square feet. If the roof is a standing seam roof, which is the most popular type of metal roofing, there will be fewer seams than in a shingle roof, and these seams will be above the level of the panels, reducing potential leaks. In some states, a metal roof can cut homeowners’ insurance premiums by up to 35 percent. It does not heat up as much as asphalt shingles on hot, sunny days. This will lower your AC bills. And unlike wooden shingles, you’ll never have to worry about metal roofing catching fire. Set flush against wood, it won’t even make noise in the rain.

Charlotte’s best contractors

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are Charlotte’s best roofing contractors, and they offer a 30 to 50 year warranty on their metal roofs. They have won the Angies List Super Service Award twice. Call today for a free estimate.

Two types of roofing scam

Roofing scams to beware of

According to the business review site Angie’s List, here are two common types of roofing scams:

• A door-to-door sales representative will show up after a storm and offer you a free roof inspection. He or she will go up onto your roof, and return with a photo of severe damage… from someone else’s roof. Or maybe he or she will personally damage your roof and claim it was done by the storm. Let your insurance company inspect the roof.
• A roofer will try to pressure you into signing right away. This usually means they charge more than other roofers in the area. Take the time to get estimates from other companies to give you an idea of a reasonable price range. The BBB recommends getting six or seven estimates and going with one of the ones in the middle.

To avoid these scams, look for a roofer with a history in the area, professional credentials and a list of satisfied customers.

Charlotte’s best roofers

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are the best roofers in Charlotte and Concord, NC. They have won the Angie’s List Super Service Award more than once. This family-owned company is also a member of the Home Builders Association of Charlotte, an Owens Corning preferred contractor and a certified installer for Certainteed, GAF, Owens Corning and Tamko roofing products. They will plan their work schedule to suit your needs, and provide all the roofing materials themselves. Whether you need a completely new roof or just need to fix an old one, call today for a free estimate.

The process of roof installation

Wear and tear and replacement

Asphalt shingles wear out. If you’ve ever found gritty whitish stuff in your roof gutter, those are eroded granules from your shingles. The pale granules reflect sunlight, and without them the asphalt becomes more vulnerable to overheating. Shingles can also be damaged by water. Sometimes the damage is in a small part of the roof, but other times you need a roof installer to replace the whole thing.

The first step in the process is the removal of the old shingles. This gets rid of degraded roofing material, and exposes the structure of the deck underneath, revealing damage. All the shingle nails are taken out so that the new roof can be laid on a completely flat surface. A good roof installer will dispose of all old roofing material without leaving any shingles or other debris lying around.

Poor ventilation can lead to overheated air or trapped moisture in the attic, which can damage the roof. If problems with the roof’s ventilation are found, the roof installer will take care of them. Before the new shingles are put in place, a water shield will be laid over the deck to keep rain from getting in through the nail holes. Then the new shingles are laid down. The whole process should take one to three days.

Charlotte’s best roof installer

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are the best roof installers in Charlotte and Concord, NC. This family-owned company is an Owens Corning preferred contractor and a member of the Home Builders Association of Charlotte. Whether you need a new roof or need to repair an old one, call today for a free estimate.

The basics of shingles

Shingles and what bad weather can do to them

Asphalt is the most popular kind of shingle. As recently as 2014, they accounted for the biggest share of roofing demand. They last at least 20 years, and can be recycled when they wear out. The most popular asphalt shingle is the 3-tab. Then there are slate shingle, whichs are dense, long-lasting and completely water-resistant. Wooden shingles last 30 to 40 years, resisting rot and insects. Synthetic shingles can look like any of the above, and often cost less.

A lot of things can damage the shingles on your roof. The most obvious, of course, is storm damage from hurricanes and hail. Damage is often due to a combination of factors. Constant sunlight can overheat the roof, leading to blistering and warping. Wind blowing over the surface of the roof will force the gaps between them to open wider until a loose or warped shingle is torn free. If the gutters of your roof become clogged by leaves or snow, you may get water damage. Even a flaw in attic ventilation can lead to overheating in the summer, which, again, can warp the shingles.

Shingle repair by Charlotte’s best roofing company

Charlotte and Concord, NC’s best roofing company is Advanced Roofing and Exteriors. They have won the Angies List Super Service Award twice. Their experts can shingle repair your roof and tell you how to keep it in repair. They will bring the new shingles and other materials themselves. Call today for a free estimate.

Metal roofing protects against bad weather

Metal roofing is light and strong

Although more expensive than shingles, metal roofing as many advantages. It is surprisingly lightweight. Where tile can be 750 pounds per 100 square feet, metal roofing tends to be from 50 to 150 pounds per 100 square feet. If the roof is a standing seam roof, which is the most popular type of metal roofing, there will not be nearly as many seams, and they will be above the level of the panels, cutting down on potential leaks.

Metal roofing eventually makes back the cost of its installation, because if carefully maintained it can last 40 to 60 years — longer in some cases. After a few decades, you will have recovered the cost of installation simply from not having had to repair or replace it. But even if you move away long before then, you won’t lose your investment. Having a roof that is guaranteed to last for several decades more will increase the resale value of your building.

Advanced Roofing and Exteriors are Charlotte’s best roofing contractors, and they offer a 30 to 50 year warranty on their metal roofs. They have won the Angies List Super Service Award twice. This family-owned company is also an Owens Corning preferred contractor and a member of the Home Builders Association of Charlotte. These licensed general contractors will give you a free estimate, plan their timeline for work to suit your schedule and provide the materials themselves. If you are interested in a metal roof for a building in Charlotte or Concord, NC, call today.