Both current home owners and new home builders alike have to pay attention to a number of important details. From the work that is done with roofing contractors to interior issues like drywalling, plumbing, and electricity, it is important to make sure that you are working with the most experienced providers as well as the highest quality materials.
Gutter installation and other aspects that are most involved in the work with roofing contractors are essential to the exterior parts of the home. And while it is tempting to focus on the interior of a house and all the colors and options that are available, knowing that no part of the inside of your house will be good if the roof leaks is just one of the reasons that roofing contractors are so important to both the building and the maintenance part of home ownership.
Is Your Home in Need of a New Roof or Gutter System?
In the past, the number of roofing materials may have been limited and the choices that home owners made may have been more standard. Today, however, it is important to realize that roofing contractors offer different kinds of products, especially dependent upon the part of the country where you live. For instance, asphalt shingles will provide a home with a decent protection for at least 12 to 15 years for a very modest upfront cost, but there are some home owners groups that demand a higher quality material of its property owners. Likewise, there are parts of the country where much higher outdoor temperatures dictate a different kind of product. Tile roofing materials, for instance, are often very popular in parts of the southwest where temperature remain fairly high most of 12 months of the year.
Once initial section of materials takes place, of course, there are many times when repairs, or even replacements, are necessary. In fact, the latest research indicates that home owners are most likely to repair roofs following weather damage; with as many as 65% saying this was their main motivation in a recent consumer survey.
Consider these other roofing statistics and the information that is necessary if you are planning to build a new home or make renovations to a current one:
- Given the increased amount of severe weather events in the nation, most newer roofs are built, or are supposed to be built, to withstand snow loads of 15 to 30 pounds per square foot. Likewise, many of the new roofing materials and installations are also built to withstand higher winds and bigger hail stones.
- As proof of their resiliency, during the past thirty 30 years Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) Rubber Roofing Membranes have stood the test of time with virtually no change in the formula for creating the synthetic rubber used in a wide range of applications, including roofing.
- Although standards and conditions can vary from one part of the country to another, in the state of Texas a metal roof can even lower a home owner’s insurance by as much as 35%.
- From the time they were first used in 1901 until today, asphalt shingles have been part of the American home landscape for over a century. They are, in fact, one of the images that airplane travelers notice when they are approaching or leaving air terminals in many parts of the country.
- Interesting enough, even though asphalt shingles may still be the most common material used in some parts of the country, metal roofs typically have a minimum of 25% recycled content. This is not the case of asphalt roofing materials.
Unfortunately, conventional roofing products, including asphalt shingles, contribute an estimated 20 billion pounds of waste to U.S. landfills every year. In comparison, metal roofs can often be installed over an existing roof, eliminating the cost and environmental impact of the tear off and disposal of asphalt materials.
Home ownership requires a number of different decisions. From the roofing contractors that you will hire to the decision about who to call for plumbing and electrical work, it is important to know that spending the money on the highest quality materials and the most experienced contractors is essential.
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