George Belden

Bay Area Roofing Company

Six Sure-Fire Ways to Tell if the Bay Area Roofing Company you Want to Hire is Legit or a Storm Chaser

bay area roofing companyStorm chasers are roofing companies that follow weather, installing new roofs or repairing roof damage caused by hail, wind, tornadoes, etc. These non-local roofers take insurance claim checks as payment for roofing services and finish as many roofing jobs as they can (carelessly and cheaply as possible) before moving on to the next neighborhood or state. Beware if you are in the market to hire a bay area roofing company.

While those of us living in the Bay Area don’t experience severe weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes as those who live in other areas do, we do have the occasional, roof-damaging heavy wind, rain or both. But a lot of homeowners aren’t prepared to deal with the onslaught of storm chasers that arrive afterward. These companies… Continue reading

Get a Roof Inspection Before Buying a Home

6 Questions Every Homebuyer Should Ask About the Roof Before Buying a Home

roof-structure-15391776_sSooner or later the condition of the home’s roof you’re considering buying will come into question. Sometimes, curled, missing or otherwise damaged roofing shingles can be seen by the naked eye from the ground level. Other times, damage is detected during the inspection. No homebuyer wants to be in a situation where roofing problems and the expense to repair them are revealed after closing, making a roofing inspection critical BEFORE you buy a home.

  1. What type of roof is it?  There are many types of roofing shingles from different manufacturers. Some perform better and last longer than others. Some roofing materials involve more maintenance than others. In the Bay Area, asphalt (or composition) roofing shingles are extremely common and highly durable if properly installed.
  2. How old is the roof? The type of roof can determine how… Continue reading

Repair or Replace Roof?

Do You Need to Repair or Replace the Roof Before Selling Your Home?

Repair or replace roof shinglesUnless you can see the sky through a gaping hole, the question to repair or replace your roof before putting your house on the market isn’t an easy one to answer. And even with a gaping hole, the answer isn’t so cut and dry. Even then, it could be sold as-is or as a total rehab/tear down.

For our purposes, let’s assume your home will be an ordinary resale—the new buyer will occupy it.

You definitely want to get the most money for your home. And you most definitely don’t want to pour money into replacing or repairing a roof that you won’t living under. Now, look at it from the buyers’ perspective. They don’t want to invest thousands in a roof repair or replacement, especially after buying a home. The condition and age of your roof… Continue reading

Roof Damage Due to Holiday Decor?

How to Decorate for the Holidays without Damaging Your Roof

If the phrase “holiday decorating” conjures images of Clark Griswold climbing on roofs and hanging hundreds of strings of lights in the movie “Christmas Vacation,” consider taking a different approach. What the movie doesn’t show is the part where Clark has to spend his bonus pool money replacing his roof.

We all want our homes to be the envy of our neighbors during the holiday season, but it shouldn’t have to come at the expense of our roofs. There are several easy ways to avoid damaging roofs and still have the most festive house on the block.

When hanging lights and other decorations, safety should be your number one concern. It would be pretty hard to enjoy holiday cheer hobbling around on crutches with a broken leg. So avoid installing decorations at all if it is windy… Continue reading

Asphalt Roofing Shingles Maintenance

Roof Maintenance: Show Your Asphalt Roofing Shingles a Little Love

show your roof some loveWhen it comes to roofing shingles, nothing works harder than asphalt protecting your home from the elements and asking so little in return. So little in fact that it’s easy to take them for granted. But even the oh-so-durable asphalt needs some tender loving care occasionally.

Debris, sun, wind, rain and the passage of time wear down and can eventually damage asphalt roofing shingles. Though shingles today are meant to last a lifetime, if properly installed and maintained, a roof inspection is in order every few years.

A roof inspection does two things: 1] checks up on the roofing system’s integrity;  and 2] identifies any minor repairs or maintenance needed to keep the shingles in tip top shape.

Roofing shingles by nature can collect a fair amount of debris. Leaves, needles, dirt and dust, toys and trash… Continue reading