roof repair – What New Homeowners Should Know About Ice Dams and Roof Repair
Buying a new home for the first time is quite exciting, especially if you have been living in rented accommodations until now. It is a major commitment on your part and you need to be prepared for handling the maintenance and repairs on your home that were usually handled by the landlord where you rented. Roof repair needs to be at the top of your list for home care, especially when it is time to prepare for severe weather conditions. When you lived in an apartment building you may never have considered things like ice dams on your roof and how they can cause leaks inside your living space.
The concept of an ice dam on your roof may sound strange at first but when you understand how the heat from inside your home interacts with the cold air outside it makes perfect sense. The problem starts with the tendency of hot air to rise inside a house. If you have ever stood on a stepladder to change a light bulb in the winter you probably noticed how much warmer the air at ceiling level felt compared with the air at floor level. Warm air is lighter than cool air and will rise to the highest point inside a given space. It will rise all the way to the peak of your attic.
If your roof is not well insulated the warm air in your attic will eventually cause the snow on the peak of your roof to melt. The water trickles down slowly to the edge of the roof where the temperature is much cooler and freezes, forming a thin layer of ice. After a few days the ice builds up. Some of the water drips over the edge and forms icicles. You may like the look of icicles along the edge of your roof, but this is the first sign you are about to experience roof leaks.
Not all the melting water makes it over the edge of the roof. It begins to back up behind the ridge of ice along the edge and gets under the roof shingles. Left unattended, such a volume of water backs up that it has no place to go but through the roof platform into the attic structure below. You’ll know something is wrong when you notice wet patches in your ceiling and walls.
You have some options to prevent ice dams from giving you a leaky roof. You can climb up on your roof every few days in the winter and scrape the snow off with a snow shovel but this can get old pretty quickly. To get rid of the problem for good you will need a decent layer of insulation in the attic and proper roof vents to keep the air circulating evenly. These preventative measures will require some cash outlay in the beginning but will save you from a hefty roof repair expense in the long run.
Ken Briesemeister is the roof repair contractor that stops roof leaks where no one else can. Visit Ken’s website – RoofRepair.net.
New roof installations and roof repairs can cost quite a bit of money so you will always want to find an OR roof contractor that can give you the services and products that you need at a competitive price. Getting roof estimates from Beaverton contractors will help you determine which ones have the lowest prices, but you will need to know a few things about estimates to use them effectively.
Why a Beaverton Roof Estimate Is Important
A Beaverton roof estimate helps you find an affordable contractor for a new roof installation or repair services. Additionally, price quotes can give you some legal protection if a contractor tries to overcharge you. A written roof estimate in OR gives you the evidence that you will need if you have to dispute the roof contractor’s bill in court. If you do not have a price estimate, then you do not have any proof that the contractor intentionally charged too much.
What an OR Roof Estimate Should Include
A roof estimate in OR should include the costs of labor and materials. Ask your prospective Beaverton roofing contractors to give you a roof estimate with separate values for the materials and labor, as well as the combined cost. This will help you understand how the contractors determine your bill.
You might find that some roof estimates include higher costs for materials than others. But some of them might also charge more for their labor.
Knowing the individual cost of labor and materials can help you choose a professional OR roof company with connections to inexpensive wholesalers. Having the combined total will make it easier for you to determine which one has the cheapest overall price.
Evaluating Your Beaverton Roof Estimate
Comparing the prices for repair or a new roof in Oregon will help you find an affordable option. However, you also want to ensure that you hire a contractor in Beaverton who can perform the job correctly.
In addition to obtaining a Beaverton roof estimate, ask your contractor for a list of references. This allows you to talk to other businesses and individuals that have used their services before. You need to think about a balance of quality and price when you evaluate your Or roof estimate.
Choosing a Beaverton Roofing Contractor
Many people find that they hire the best OR roof contractors by getting several estimates and eliminating those that do not provide good references. This makes it easy to sort through the stack of estimates before choosing an Oregon contractor to install a new roof or handle your roof repair needs.
About The Author
Mark Starr covers articles on roofing in Portland OR for Elements Roofing, an Oregon based company specializing in new roof installations and OR roof repair. Learn more about materials, repair and how to hire a qualified roofing contractor in Portland through their website.
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