The Dangers of Leaky Roofs

One of the most common problems on household maintenance that is being ignored is having a leaky roof. Sad to say roof maintenance is often neglected when this should be the primary home issue that needs to be taken with urgency because of the dangers that are associated with a leaking roof.

A leaky roof can cause serious problems not only on our property but may also endanger our lives. It may have developed after a storm due to strong winds, improper roof restoration or installation, and lack of household maintenance. Here are the damages that can be brought up by having leaky roofs.

Slip Hazard
If we fail to put buckets, water will drip on our floor and a family member might slip over it and can cause a serious fall either on their face or back. For sure you wouldn’t want your kids to suffer from this.

Ceiling Damage
Having a leaky roof will surely damage your ceiling. If your ceiling is made of pure plywood, in time, it will corrode and create water marks until water finds its way through your floor.

Attic Damage
If your home has an attic and you have a leaky roof, your attic will be the first one to be damaged. Anything that you have stored in your attic will also be affected.

Mold and Mildew Problems
Mold and mildew problem is unavoidable especially if water leaks are everywhere in your home. The worst is that they can cause serious health problems when they are not eliminated. Molds and mildew doesn’t only attack wood, but they can also dwell on tiles, walls, furniture, carpets, and almost anywhere in your home. Thus causing serious damage to your home and can cause allergies, asthma, rhinitis, and inflammations among your family members.

More Expensive Utility Bills
Having a damaged ceiling and leaky roof can also cause a higher utility bills. Imaging turning on an air-conditioning unit or a heater and you’ve got holes on your ceiling and roof, it will take time before your room gets hot or cold because cold or hot air can get out.

Fire Hazards
The problem in having a leaky roof is that water can get into electrical wirings on our attic or ceiling. If there are water marks near an electrical outlet, be sure to contact an electrician and a roof repair service men to have them fixed at the same time. The wires might have been shorted which can cause a serious fire problem if not taken care off right away.

Home Structure Deterioration
Leaky roofs can cause water to drip on home structures such as the walls, wood frames, ceilings, or the entire wood frame if it is made of wood. In the long run, if the leak is not repaired, it will cause the wood parts to sag and corrode, thus weakening your home’s wood foundation.

Now that we have found out that there are so many hazards associated with leaky roofs, it is extremely important for us to determine how we can avoid them. We know that prevention is better than cure. Here are some tips in order to prevent these potential hazards.

  • Check your chimneys are properly sealed.
  • Does your roof have skylights? Does it have any crack? Is it sealed properly?
  • Check all plumbing vents if it has cracks
  • Do you have satellites installed on top of your roof? Are they installed properly without causing damage on your roof? Check for possible damage right away.
  • Check the drip edges too
  • Make sure that your gutters are clean from debris because a gutter that has been stacked with debris, leaves, small wood that came from a nearby tree. They must be drained properly.
  • Check the nails on your roof, they might have rusted in time and needs replacement.
  • Check for a roofing company or roofing contractor who has been in this kind of business for a long time because they are more experienced and know what should be done.

These are just basic tips that we can share if we want to prevent having leaky roofs but certified roof restoration specialist knows better. So if you want to have the peace of mind of not having to undergo all the climbing and checking on your own and in order to avoid risks of getting into an accident of climbing on your roof top, we highly suggest that you call for help from a professional roof contractor and request for roof leak repair cost.

Tips on How to Take Care of Your Minnesota Roof

Replacing or repairing a roof is harder than installing a new one. It can also be very expensive especially if it hasn’t been well-maintained for a long time. Many professional home remodeling companies remind homeowners to always inspect their roof for possible damage and it will help them save on high repair costs.

Since we have various extreme seasons, it can cause tremendous damage if those small problems are not taken care right away. So what are the things that we need to check? Below is a list that needs to be done in order to take care of your roof:

  • Inspect them every spring or fall. This will be your reminder that during these season, it is a must for you to inspect your roof for safety purposes.
  • Before you climb up, check the roof structure if it’s in good condition because for sure you don’t want to see yourself getting hurt when the roof foundation in compromised. If you see that some of the frames are not properly aligned, you better asked professional help in order to avoid accidents.
  • Always ensure gutters and downspouts are free from debris. Clogged gutters from branches and leaves are often the primary causes of growing moss, fungus, or algae. Clean the gutter instantly and de-clog it so that water may freely flow going to the downspouts. If there are leaks, try to replace them but if you can’t, find a house remodeling company that can solve this quickly.
  • On the other hand, make sure that gutter screens are intact and properly secured. Fasten them properly in order to avoid falling gutters during strong winds.
  • Inspect roof shingles. Due to wear and tear caused by changing seasons, roofs are prone to damage. When you climb and check it, you might want to inspect the shingles first then check for cracks, or curling edges.
  • If your roof is prone to ice damming, you need to know that this could cause a potential damage and accident. It’s better to be proactive and install heat cables before the winter season comes.
  • Cut branches especially those larger ones in order to avoid falling branches into your roof and totally wreck it.
  • The canals or valleys on the roof must also be cleaned and free from any debris because it can trap water or snow if it is clogged with leaves and other debris.
  • If your roof is made up of mostly metal parts, you need to brush the rust to get rid of it then apply prime and paint afterwards since this will prevent further corrosion on the metal. In several years, you may need to do this process again since paints do not last a lifetime. The good thing is that you will not worry for a longer time.

Roofs that are not taken care will get you into additional and more expensive expense in the long run, but a well maintained roof does not only keep you worry free, but also, you are confident that you are protected and you won’t have to spend thousands of dollars just to have it all replaced because you failed to take care of them properly.

Roof problems can always be prevented as long as there is a routine inspection and maintenance. It can save you from huge and expensive repair costs and you are confident that your home is fully protected.

Ice Dams can cause major damage to your roof event in the middle of winter.  We can help prevent ice dams from happening to your home.  

Common House Remodeling Mistakes

The table is set for planning the most awaited house remodeling. Everyone is excited.

Suggestions flood the table and everybody is confident that they have the best ideas suitable for the home remodeling. Little they know, they are slowly entering the pitfall towards the failure of successfully remodeling the house.

Unlike any tasks that we complete every day, house remodeling is far too serious. Therefore, if you let your excitement and adrenaline rush to control you during this time, you’d regret the possible undesirable outcome. It’s always been very easy to layout quick plans, but the implementation is hard. It’s the same with, breaking things are easy, but fixing is a trouble.

Before you become a victim of these usual mistakes when remodeling your house, it’s important to spend time reading for expert advice, asking for free consultations and talking to friends. Below are some of the most common mistakes but often disregarded.

Implementation of numerous plans can fully destroy the outcome that you and your family is expecting. Planning as a family is great, but getting all of them implemented is not good. Especially if ideas do not coincide with each other and won’t blend each other if the output is already there.

Tools, tools, tools. Avoiding to use proper tools as much as possible. This mistake is often committed by first time DIY enthusiasts. In most situation, it’s undeniable that proper tools used on specific projects and tasks deliver flawless results compared to the use of alternative tools.

Cheap alternatives are truly money-savers, but proper identification if where to go cheap is crucial. There is a special purpose if why some materials are expensive. Standing tough against the test of time and unusual wear and tear practices are where expensive items excel. Cheap material are OK. You just need to identify if going cheap for this material is reasonable. Easy to replace parts and areas are often made of cheap materials. Foundations and hard to replace space and parts of the house need expensive attention.

Building Permit is important especially if the remodeling hits most of the house including foundations. Minnesota is very strict on this. It’s importance must not be taken for granted because fines await you for most cities in Minnesota.

House remodeling isn’t a pie making project where you can get wrong, it’s OK and you just cook another batch. If you’re unsure about the specifics and you want to make the most of your home remodeling, get a contractor. You will be surprised how broad are your options for your house.

At Turnkey Restoration, we offer a complimentary, no obligation inspection.

Siding Replacement – to Hire or not to Hire

You are thinking of a siding replacement, but you don’t know where to start. If you are in this situation, you only have two options.  Your choices are a do-it-yourself project OR you can hire a professional contractor.

Let’s talk about the first option. If you want to do the replacement on your own, your initial reflex is to rush to the nearest roof and siding specialty shop, investigate if what’s trendy and high quality then proceed with the purchase. This happens in most cases. This is a great decision if you want to save time speaking to siding professionals and save money paying a contractor. However, this may incur several undesirable outcomes you don’t want to happen.

Below are the most common cons for a DIY siding replacement project. The pros should be money saving reasons, that’s obvious, so we don’t have to mention it anymore. If you think you can handle the cons, then you can confidently proceed with doing the replacement yourself.

  • You are dedicated to do it on your own, but you don’t have enough experience, knowledge and skills required.
  • If this is something that you are going to do for the first time, you need to buy all cutting, fitting and installing tools.
  • Personally buy all the needed materials. You can always ask for help at the store premise.
  • While you are on the process of replacing the siding, you may discover unexpected further siding damage. This is the major pitfall for replacement sessions without thorough inspection done beforehand.
  • Mistakes can happen anytime. These mistakes are easy to make but hard to fix often.

Now your second option is hiring a contractor. Once again, the cons for this are clear. Contractor fee and schedule convenience are the most common cons. Given below are the pros you need to know when hiring a professional to work on your siding replacement.

  • You have a legal protection for the quality of job because of the signed contract.
  • Expert insight of the possibilities of money saving plans, pros and cons for each material and you can ask all the questions you want to clear all your doubts.
  • Free inspection service.
  • Contractor will manage the full project, from planning, preparation up to the cleanup.
  • You can set a specific siding cost for your contractor to follow and still expect a quality output.
  • Guarantee and warranty conditions are given.
  • The siding replacement of your house will abide building codes, so safety is insured.

Weigh up the information above and rethink if you can handle the possible faults of a do-it-yourself siding replacement project or not. In addition, you have to decide very well if you want to invest in acquiring all the needed tools and start practicing doing the siding replacement always on your own. On the other hand, let the contractor do their job while you pay for their professional fee.

At Turnkey Restoration, we offer a complimentary, no obligation inspection.

Evaluate Roofing Contractors in Minneapolis

You now have a list of possible roofing contractors in Minneapolis from the internet. Now you have to evaluate if who will do the work for you. In this process, you can’t afford to settle for the least competent roofing contractor. Of course, you want the best contractor to handle your roofing needs.

Don’t listen to these contractors’ self-proclaimed achievements as they compete their way to winning you. Remember, not all businesses live-up to their marketing promises, especially big companies where you can’t talk with the owner. You need to filter them like a pro. Ask basic questions that are often taken for granted. Set your standards that they should meet. Prepare a checklist and start asking.

Contractor Insurance: This isn’t the insurance for the roofing job. It’s the employee insurance. If any accident happened while the roofing job is in progress, you have to shoulder the accident cost. Make sure that you are working with an insured contractor, or else you must consider casting a wider net. Accidents happen when we least expect it.

Contractor Certification: When I told you not to listen to these contractors’ self-proclaimed achievements, that’s serious. You must ask for certifications. Don’t settle for self-proclaimed certifications as well look for the proof of certification. This is your only way to make sure that your roofing contractor is knowledgeable about the latest installation techniques for stable roofing. If no proof of certification is presented, don’t use their services.

References: Asking for reference takes time, but this is vital. This pre-evaluation technique is tricky and works two ways around. First, you ask your possible Minneapolis roofing contractor to provide you with their list of reference from their past jobs. Normally they will only provide you with the best jobs they did. Second, is you conduct a quick research online and read both positive and negative reviews. Be careful, because online review system is often abused by business competition; therefore be wary of identifying the authenticity of bad reviews.

Expertise and Skills: More than references for past jobs, you need their portfolio. A portfolio can give you enough idea about the capacity, skills and level of expertise of the contractor presenting it. This is one way of making sure that their skill set meets your requirement for the specific job you want to be done.

Materials: You need to be inquisitive enough about the quality of materials they will use. Don’t compromise the quality of your roof with cheap offers. Your roof should be robust enough to withstand harsh weather conditions at a reasonable cost.

Turn-around Time: Roofing repair, full installation, or full renovation is a major change that everyone in the household can feel. You must consider a free roof inspection to get an idea of how long the work should take. Choose the most reasonable turn-around time and not the quickest, thus sacrificing quality.

These six evaluation points will help you ensure that you get the best roofing contractor in Minneapolis, MN. It takes time doing these steps, but the quality of your roof depends on how long it can safeguard you and your family. Be wise.