Roofing In the Winter? You Guys Do Roofs This Time Of Year?

Most people do not think that you can install roofs during the winter months. Actually, the truth is, you can install roofing all year. I believe why people think that way is because of the way the asphalt shingles were made before the 1970's. Those shingles were called organic shingles, which had a saturated asphalt paper type matting. The matting is a substrate covered with asphalt, and then with stone dust and small colored rock granules.

Today's asphalt shingle are made with fiberglass matting which is saturated with asphalt, and the colored stone granules that are pressed into the asphalt. This fiberglass matting that is much more plyable, and gives the shingle more flexibility and tensile strength. The most important part of installing the shingle is nail placement, and angle of the nail. We use 6 nails per shingle, which help hold the shingles down during heavy winds, and especially on the waterfront properties. The manufacture recommends using 4 nails per shingle, but by adding 6 nails per shingle it extends the wind resistance to 80 to 100 mile's an hour depending on the shingle chosen. Underlayment should always be used under the shingles as a vapor barrier. There are many different types of underlayments, which include Ice & water shield, tar paper, and synthetic.

We have always use 3' or 6' feet of ice & water shield along the eave's and overhangs, then tar paper on the remaining roof decking. Then install your choice of asphalt shingles. For maximum protection against water penetration, would be full coverage ice & water shield completely covering the roof deck. We primarily use architectural shingles for most of the roofing installations today, because of the durability of the laminated shingle compared to the old 3-tab design.

Laminated shingles are glued together with asphalt, and the weight of the shingle determines the life expectancy. This means a 30 year shingle weighs 265 pounds a square, and a 50 year shingle weighs 300 pounds a square. This is determined by the amount of asphalt, and colored stone granulates, that gets pressed into the fiberglass matting. To get back to installing roofing during the winter months, our installers really like installing roofs during the colder months, because they really take a beating from the heat during the summer months. Some of our veteran roofing technicians, would rather install roofing during the winter. Remember you do not have to wait until summer to get your roof installed. Call now or schedule your appointment online. We install approximately 20-40 roofs during the winter months. We have our roof maintenance packages available for shoveling roofs. If you are having any problems give us a call, and we would be glad to come over and see what we can do to help.

The Cold temperatures have arrived !!

The Cold temperatures have arrived !!
At 7:00 am the roofing crews get to the shop looking for a work orders to install their next roofs, and the trucks all start up with a different sound in the winter months. All the crews are drinking a hot cup of coffee as the workmen begin to get gloves, hats, tools and equipment for the day’s work ahead.

Most people do not work outside during the winter months, but someone has to take care of people’s homes. We have to keep moving to stay warm, and we just finished a metal roofing job in Sanford. Handling the metal roofing panels is very cold on the hands. We are clearing the snow off trucks, and scraping the windshields and heading up to Cumberland today. Yes, this is Sunday and one crew came in today to get a little extra money for Christmas.

The roof today is an easy ranch, and the roof will be completed in one day. The customer is very happy that we could get the job completed quickly, before the snow really begins to mount up for the season. We always insist on the full coverage of ice & water shield method, because it really helps with preparing the roof decking for the new architectural roofing shingle that will be going on. We do occasionally have to re-nail the roof decking back down, and we use a framing gun with 8 penny nails connected to one of our compressors to ensure a solid roof deck.

My guys are really professionals and they care a lot about quality. I'm very pleased to have such a great bunch of people working for the company. If you, or someone you know, needs their roof done we install roofing, metal roofing, vinyl siding, replacement windows and seamless gutters all year. Have a great Christmas everyone, and we will be back again soon.

Our first snow of the season in Southern Maine

Our first snow of the season came in with a couple of different waves. The first was snow and then heavy rain with strong winds. Maine's weather is really living up to the statement of "If you don't like the weather Now, just wait for a few minutes" and yes it changes quick. The cold is now beginning to freeze the ground which make everything else outside frozen solid.

Most people think that our work stops during the winter, but really it get very busy helping homeowners with ice dam problems, roof shoveling and interior water damage caused by the build-up of snow and ice. We have our roof shoveling and roof maintenance packages available for you, we are on call if you need something and you will be put on our priority customer list, so when it snows we will be there for you automatically.

We are finishing up the 2009 season, which has been another challenging time for homeowners with the current credit availability for home improvement projects. We are working closely with local banking institutions to find loan programs and funding for roofing, metal roofing, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and seamless gutter projects. We are all hopeful that the economy will begin to turn around. So people find new jobs and get their lives back on track.

Every time I go past the Maine Mall the parking lot is full, and all the restaurants are packed. Which leads me to believe, everything is going to be just fine. If you have any problems this winter call us, e-mail us or go to our website and request a free estimate. I would like to thank all of our customer, current and past, for their confidence and business. So Christmas is right around the corner and from all of us at David J. Deschaine wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and A Happy New Year in 2010.

Is your roof ready for the winter?

Is your roof ready for winter?
Remember those cold days, and long winter nights? Is your roof ready? We can’t forget the major snow storms that dropped several feet of snow each storm, and broke records all last season. We shoveled over 100 roofs during last years season, and I can honestly say, I have never seen so much Ice and snow create so much interior water damage.
Get Your Roof Shoveled - Click Here

After the last winter season had past, we started researching some other methods for ice removal, and ice dam prevention. We have found a good company that created a de-icing system, that eliminates ice dams from forming automatically along the eves and in the valleys. This de-icing system has a thermostat that will turn off and on when the temperature falls below 40 degrees. This system is very expensive, and requires a dedicated circuit from your main electrical panel.

This system will prevent interior damage from happening. We also have our roof maintenance, or roof shoveling packages available for the season. Anyone who would like to be put on our priority customer list please contact our office for more information. With a purchase of one of our winter roof maintenance packages, you can also request a winter inspection with one of our roofing specialist. I will begin my weekly blog entry's, so make sure to check in for more of Dave Deschaine's Southern Maine Home Improvements. See the winter roof shoveling video below.

Call 774-9200 South Portland or 786-7663 Lewiston or click on our website for your service request:

http://www.theroofjob.com

If you would like to preview this de-icing system click on this website:

http://www.thermaltechusa.com