Good Roofing Materials - Lousy Installation
Here is another low bid re-roof project where the homeowner got the short end of the stick. Of course, they thought they were getting a smoking hot deal. This 1st picture is of a roof on the weather side dormer on the front of a home valued at over $900,000. It was recently completed in the Alameda District of Portland, Oregon. The weather side of a home in Portland means it faces southwest. All of our serious wet weather comes from that direction. This is not a wall to cut corners on!
We had reroofed a neighbor to this home and also got a chance to make a presentation on this project. We ended up not getting the chance to serve them. They did get a short educational presentation made by the one and only Tony St. Pierre. They chose to use another well-known roofing company in Portland, known for being one of the cheapest Roofing Contractors in town. The contractor decided that it would be too much effort to flash this front dormer sidewall.
Instead, they decided to shove the high-end shingles (Camelot by GAF/ELK…top quality) under the siding trim board without any flashings! (GAF/ELK, the manufacturer, would “pass a brick” if they saw this type and kind of installation.)
What about Composition Roofs?
We get this question a lot: Do you guys take care of composition roofs too?
And this one: Do you guys put on nice composition roofs?
One more: Do you guys do roofing?
The truth is we do…and we are the best at it. We established our reputation with years of quality cedar roof maintenance service. As a full-service roofing company, we’ve established our service record by gaining the top credentials offered in our industry. So, I’m not just bragging when I tell you that you won’t find better roofers in Portland. And considering the type of climate we have, I believe that we have more challenges in Portland than you’ll find just about anywhere else in the world.
In Portland, no matter what type of roof you have, tree debris, moss, fungus, wind and rain demand that you pay attention to your roof yearly. Allowing heavy tree debris or moss to remain on the roof not only looks really bad but it blocks the water drainage off of the roof and causes the water to travel horizontally which allows water into your home. We even experience a bit of snow and ice each year which also aggravate the condition of your roof.
So, what do our customers really want out of their roofs? Based on their requests, the order of importance to our clients is as follows.
- They want their roof to look good (as it represents 30-50% of the frontal appearance of their home).
- They want it to work right.
- They want it to last longer.
The only time this changes is when they have a leak and then it becomes the most important topic for a short duration. It’s been like this for the entire 25 years I’ve been in this business.
So, our reputation is built on giving our customers what they want; a good-looking roof which is designed to work correctly and last a long time.
Isn’t that what you want?
What Kind of Roof Did My Builder Put on My Home?
If you have a wood roof, it’s more than likely a ½ inch #1 cedar shake. They usually are the lowest grade in the #1 grade arena for cedar shake roofing materials. In the trade, they’re known as “builder’s grade” because they are very economical for building entire housing developments.
These types of shakes require repair and treatment every five years to help them last 30-35 years. If left unattended and un-maintained the average shake roof will start causing you problems at about 12-15 years, if not replaced.
After 2-3 years in Portland, a heavy growth of fungus covers the wood roof and at about 5 years of age the moss sets in pretty heavy. This growth really makes the shake roof look unkempt and is unsightly for 9 months out of the year during our rainy seasons.
You’re probably wondering why people use shakes if this is happening to their wood roof. The truth is they look pretty good when they are less than 5 years of age and they represent quality and help sell the home. They are also a renewable resource and take very little energy to produce compared to other roofing products while providing twice the insulating value.
So, if you have a home that has a builder shake and you want it to look better and last longer you’ll need to keep it blown free of tree debris (once every year depending on amount of tree fall) and repair and treat the roof once every five years.