Roofing can be a dangerous business and there are many ways to prepare yourselves for each job you do as a roofer.
1.Follow the OSHA rules. OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A federal agency of the department of Labor. OSHA is a Private Workers Federal division, that covers most private businesses in the United States. Especially in Colorado. It is important you follow rules because it is for your safety. For more information, please visit their website. (link on the bottom)
2.Check your surrounding areas before you start the job. There could be anything on the roof you may not know about, holes, rocks, loose items and other debris.
3.Using the proper roofing equipment is important for working on a roof. Make sure you are properly dressed. Long pants and short sleeves are a minimum. You want to make sure you’re fully covered and don’t have baggy pants that can get in the way. Wear proper footwear like gym shoes with a good grip, not vans with a super flat bottom. Hard hats, glasses, and gloves are important things to wear to avoid getting hurt from unknown hazards. Preparing yourself for any type of potential hazard that could happen.
4. Bring a ladder that is appropriate, to get to the lowest platform of the roof. Check the ladder is tied off and secure for yourself and others.
5. A safety harness is very important. If you fall or slip, the harness will catch you, potentially saving your life. All harnesses should be tied to an anchor point.
6. Lastly, decide whether the weather is good enough to be out to work, because wet roofs can cause slipping hazards making it even more dangerous to be on top of the roof. Extreme temperatures over 90 degrees, will not be able to be worked on. Roofs absorb and reflect light, making it much hotter than normal. If someone were to work on a roof in hot weather, they would scuff the asphalt from foot traffic. Meaning, moving the gravel/asphalt form the shingles. To avoid this, by not working in hot temperatures. Working in hot temperatures could cause problems like being dehydrated, getting bad sunburn or heat exhaustion. Please be aware of your symptoms if this happens.
Overall, please follow the rules that keep you safe. No job is worth losing your life because you decided not to follow rules. Have fun roofing and for more information please visit our social media sites.
As winter approaches, many homeowners begin to worry about the condition of their roofs, especially if they’ve experienced hail damage. Hailstorms can be incredibly destructive, leaving behind a trail of dents and bruises on your roof. But IS it absolutely necessary to replace your roof before winter if it has hail damage?
Short Answer: No, no immediate replacement may be required.
The short answer is that you may not need to rush into replacing your roof immediately if it has hail damage. Hail damage can be unsightly, but it doesn’t always mean your roof will start leaking during the winter.
Here are some key factors to consider before making a decision:
If your roof is not currently leaking, it’s a good indication that it can still provide adequate protection during the winter. In many cases, hail damage won’t lead to immediate leaks, as the shingles are designed to withstand various weather conditions.
Typically, an insurance claim for hail damage is valid for one year. If you have recently experienced hail damage, your claim should still be active, and you can replace your roof in the spring. Additionally, you can often extend the claim by notifying your insurance company, giving you more flexibility in scheduling.
If you live in areas like Colorado and Wyoming, where winters can be mild or unpredictable, roofing work can be done throughout the winter months. The key is to evaluate the severity of your local winter conditions before making a decision. A milder winter may allow for roofing projects, while a harsh winter may be more challenging.
Common Winter Roofing Concerns
While it’s possible to roof during the winter, there are a few factors to consider:
Roofing during the winter, especially in open plains areas, can be tricky. Dust and dirt can blow under the shingles, preventing them from sealing down properly. This could lead to problems in the long run. Therefore, it’s important to ensure a clean and dust-free environment.
To avoid complications, ensure that your insurance claim remains active. The last thing you want is for your claim to expire before you get the necessary replacement done. Keep communication open with your insurance company to ensure you have the coverage you need.
If your roof has hail damage, there’s no immediate need to replace it before winter. The presence of hail damage doesn’t necessarily mean your roof is on the brink of failure. The decision to repair or replace your roof should be based on the extent of the damage, your current insurance claim status, and the specific weather conditions in your area.
If you end up having your roof repaired or replaced during the winter, it can be perfectly fine, provided you address the two critical concerns:
Ensure that no dust or dirt gets under the shingles during the installation to guarantee a proper seal.
Keep your insurance claim active and consider extending it if necessary.
In the end, the best course of action is to consult with your Project Manager who can assess the damage and provide expert advice tailored to your situation. They can help you determine whether a winter roof replacement is feasible or if it’s best to schedule the work for the spring. In any case, addressing hail damage promptly is essential to maintain the long-term integrity of your roof and protect your home.
I’ve been in the roofing business for almost 30 years, and I would like to share some insider information with you about hailstorms and roofers.
Pick a local company you can trust. How do you know who to trust? Ask these questions:
How long has the company been in business?
How many jobs have they done?
What is their BBB rating?
Trust: You can trust Excel Roofing. I founded Excel in 1993. We have performed over 32,000 jobs and have always maintained an A+ rating with the BBB.
Cancellation fees: Most roofers charge a 15% cancellation fee to cancel
Local Company: We don’t door knock, and we don’t telemarket; however, this doesn’t mean we’re not interested in your business. We’re just not storm chasers. Excel Roofing are the local guys who were here before the storm and will be here long after the storm chasers are gone.
Repairs: Storm chasers don’t do small repairs. Excel has a full service repair department. This is important because
1) you want the company that installs your roof to be around if there’s ever a problem, and
2) you want them to be good a fixing roofs.
Money Up-Front: Don’t ever pay a roofer/storm chaser money up-front; you’re just asking for problems. If a roofer says they need money for material, it means they have a cash flow problem. The dirty little secret is the salesman wants money up-front so he can get an advance payment on your deal. The other reason they want money up-front is that it makes it almost impossible for you to get out of the deal if you change your mind.
Never pay any money until the job is 100% complete! Don’t give in on this one. No matter how sincere they sound, don’t pay anything until the job is complete.
Q & A: Hail
Q: HOW MUCH MORE DOES HAIL RESISTANT ROOFING COST?
A: Hail resistant roofing material is typically 5% – 15% more expensive than standard roofing. The good news is over the past 10 years, the cost to upgrade has dropped from a 30% price difference. The average price for a new standard asphalt shingle roof is $8125. To upgrade to hail resistant shingles would be $8325.
Q: IS HAIL RESISTANT ROOFING WORTH THE EXTRA COST?
A: I think so. The savings on a homeowners insurance premium will cover the cost. If a homeowner saves $250 a year on the premium, the hail resistant roofing material pays for itself within a few years.
Q: DO HAIL RESISTANT ROOFING MATERIALS ACTUALLY WORK?
A: Yes. They definitely sustain less damage from hail. The manufacturers of hail resistant roofing have done their homework and developed a stronger roofing material. The independent tests that Underwriters Laboratories developed has proven the strength of these materials. And the insurance companies are willing to offer discounts to those homeowners that do have them installed.
Q & A: Gutters
Q: HOW MUCH DO GUTTER SCREENS COST?
A: The best gutter screens can be purchased at your local hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. If you are not a DIY’er (do-it-yourself’er), Excel Roofing can install them for $4 per linear foot.
Q: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO UNCLOG AN UNDERGROUND (FRENCH) DRAIN?
A: This is a tough question to answer. It really depends on the clog and the design of the underground drain. Because French drains cannot be roto-rootered, often the entire drain will have to be replaced.
A correctly installed underground drain is usually about 15 feet long, the drainpipe needs to be sloped away from the house and completely surrounded by rock.
The average price to remove and replace an underground drain is $500.
Q: MY DOWNSPOUT KEEPS FREEZING. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
A: Heat cable should be installed to prevent future freezing. Heat cable can be found at your local hardware store for about $70 per 100 feet and obviously needs a power outlet near the install.
The cable needs to be strung into the gutter, down the downspout and several feet on to the ground. If the heat cable is going into an underground drain, the cable needs to be strung as far as possible.
Excel Roofing can install most 100 foot plug and play heat cable systems for $299.
Destroyed windows on your brand-new car, damaged roof (again), sounds of what seems the sky falling down upon you outside… Know the feeling? If you are a resident in Colorado and the destruction of the infamous for this area hailstorm is something you are familiar with, keep reading this.
The good news for your roof is that even the problems caused by mother nature’s destructive forces have a solution.
Even though we work in the industry, it is never fun seeing our clients incur hail damage on their roofs and have been actively participating in new-age, hail-resistant roofing solutions, to make sure you stay safe and not having to worry about changing your roof for a long time, which we all know can be quite a heavy investment.
Enter the scene: Class 4 Hail Resistant Roofs.
Impact resistant roofs can withstand hail and windstorms. They require fewer repairs and last longer. Insurance companies like these roofs too! They liked the idea so much they decided to give discounts to consumers who installed them. However, the roof first needed a standardized test and rating system to determine the quality of the roofing materials used.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a not-for-profit independent testing organization that was founded in 1894. UL provides the knowledge and expertise to help consumers make informed decisions on products that affect their daily lives. UL developed a test to rate the strength of roofing materials. This test is called the UL 2218 Impact Rating.
How Are Impact Resistant Roofs Classified?
The test uses steel balls ranging from 1.25 inches to 2.0 inches in diameter. The steel balls are dropped from heights of 12 feet for the 1.25 inch ball to 20 feet for the 2 inch ball. The test roof is struck twice in the same spot for each size steel ball.
To meet the acceptance criteria of UL 2218, the roofing material, back surface and underneath layers must show no evidence of tearing, fracturing, cracking, splitting, rupture, crazing or other evidence of opening of the roof covering layer.
After performing the test, roofing manufacturers would be scored based on the resistance of the material getting a rating from 1 least hail resistant to 4, most hail resistant.
Summarizing the result we would be looking at for, a Class 3 roof is earned if the sample does not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a 1.75 inch diameter steel ball. A Class 4 rating, the material should not get damaged when hit twice in the same spot by 2 inch diameter steel ball.
A Hail Resistant Roof Will Save You Money
In the last 10 years, hailstorms have caused more than $3 billion in property damage in Colorado and Wyoming, mainly to roofs. As a result, 30% of a home’s insurance cost is reserved for a new roof.
As a result of the huge losses, insurance companies are demanding more and more impact-resistant roofing materials on the market. To incentivize consumers, some insurers are offering discounts of up 25% on a homeowner’s insurance premium with impact resistant roofing.
Can Class 3 & 4 Roofs Ever Become Hail Damaged?
Hail resistant roofing offers the benefit of extra protection to your home. It is also important to understand that a hail resistant roof can still be damaged by large, wind-driven hail. The roof will be protected against an average hail storm so the chances of a damaged roof claim are much smaller, but there is still a chance for the roof to see hail damage during a bad storm.
Types of Hail Resistant Roofing Materials
Different manufacturers have different grades of hail resistant shingles, usually class 4 asphalt being the most common ones.
Limited Time Offer: Free Upgrade to Hail Resistant Roof
For a limited time, get a free upgrade to Owen Corning Duration Storm with your insurance claim roof replacement. This Offer is only valid in Colorado Springs.
Owens Corning Duration Storm Asphalt Shingles:
Owens Corning (OC) Duration Storm shingles are the most economical class 4 asphalt shingle on the market. They are more resistant to hail than normal shingles, however medium sized hail will damage them. This roof will qualify homeowners for a discount with most insurance companies. An OC Storm roof is about 5% more than a standard asphalt roof.
Owens Corning Duration Flex Shingles:
Owens Corning flex shingles are the best class 4 asphalt shingles on the market. These shingles are made from a rubberized asphalt and most hail literally bounces off of them, however large hail will damage these shingles. This roof will qualify homeowners for a discount with most insurance companies. An OC Duration Flex roof is about 10% more than a standard asphalt roof.
Concrete Tile:
The next classification of hail resistant products would be the concrete tiles, which range from weak to strong. These were also put to the test with ice balls from a cannon challenging the break strength and later on survived the real test of nature successfully in the hailstorm near The Broadmoor area in 2018.
Bartile Concrete Roofing
There are a number of very good concrete roofing manufacturers. We believe that Bartile is the best. Excel has installed over 1,000 tile roofs since 1993. Bartile has proven to be the strongest, and least susceptible to color changes. It takes very large hail to damage Bartile roofs, earning the Excel Roofing “Bombproof” rating. Concrete tile manufacturers use the Factory Mutual 4473 Ice ball cannon test to test tile. Some Insurance companies recognize this test and will give a discount for this roof. A Bartile roof costs about twice as much as a standard asphalt roof.
Synthetic Plastic Shingles
A third type of material is the synthetic, or plastic type category. Two brands of Synthetic roofs are DaVinci, and F-Wave.
These products are redefining the classifications and may merit a new “Class 5” at some point. These products are proving themselves to be indestructible.
F-Wave Synthetic Plastic Shingles:
F-Wave is a newer brand that mimics asphalt shingles. F-Wave is so confident in their roofing product that they offer a 5-year hail guarantee. If the roof is damaged by hail 2” in size or less in the first 5 years the F-Wave will replace the roof.
DaVinci Synthetic Plastic Shingles
Many DaVinci roofs survived unscathed in the Denver hailstorm of 2018. This was a storm with baseball size hail that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damaged.
Stone coated steel
Stone Coated Steel roofing is made from steel panels that are formed into 4 foot sections and shaped to imitate cedar shakes and concrete tile. Stone coated steel has a class 4 rating, however the granules that are glued on the steel are susceptible to being knocked off by hail. Stone Coated Steel Panels are extremely lightweight and aa alternative to heavy concrete tile. The panels are easily dented if they are walked on by untrained personnel. This class for roof will qualify homeowners for a discount with most insurance companies. A stone coated steel roof costs about 2 1/2 times as much as a standard asphalt roof.
Roofing materials are changing for the better, becoming more and more advanced each year. And it doesn’t stop there.
At Excel Roofing you don’t pay a cent until you’re content!
To further help you get the best roof and protect your home, we offer 12-month 0% financing.
Stay risk free while testing out the strength, quality and endurance of our new age Class 4 Hail Resistant Roofs!
Be Mindful of T-LOCK Shingles
Back in 1930 when they were introduced, T-Lock shingles were the latest and greatest in roofing technology. They were easy to install and could withstand high winds and storms. The T-Lock shingle was ideal for Colorado’s always-changing and often-threatening weather. The heavier and thicker asphalt shingle found many home along the Front Range and across our state.
Not too much tech from the 30s is still in use today, including the T-Lock shingle. Their manufacture was halted in 2005. Even though they were rated to withstand winds up to 130 mph, their “wing” design actually acted like a sail and would rip off the roof during much slower wind speeds.
Also, as asphalt became more expensive, fillers were used instead. These fillers would become very brittle over time. Their woven design and installation doesn’t offer solid protection against hail either. The weaves can create pockets and gaps between shingles that can be easily damaged by hail.
T-Lock shingle lived long past its prime.
Many insurance companies won’t insure homes with a T-Lock roof. A new policy taken out on a home with T-Lock shingles will most likely require a roof replacement.
So if you are buying or selling a home with a T-Lock roof, it would be a good idea to call your insurance agent. If your T-Lock roof is damaged, it just simply can’t be repaired. No one makes them anymore. And your insurance company just may cover some of the costs to replace a T-Lock roof. They would prefer your home to have a newer roof that will better withstand the elements. Insurance companies just don’t like them, plain and simple.
They want to push the financial responsibility onto the homeowner. T-Lock roofs have depreciated value. They are tough to sell without being replaced. And it really is only a matter of time before they fail.
If you have a T-Lock roof and have any question, please contact Excel Roofing! We will be happy to assist you in any way we can and will even inspect your roof free of charge.
