Home Improvement & Maintenance FAQs

There are obvious signs - shingles curling or chipped - and then there are small signs that if you don’t repair your roof, bigger problems will result. These signs include:

• Black streaking (roof is failing)
• Spider cracking (roof needs replaced)
• Moss and algae growth (you can remove this with dish soap and water, to get a better look at the condition of your roof)

The fascia is the outer board under the roof. It is connected the soffit, or the flat panels under the roof that connect to your siding. Most people replace soffits and fascia boards when paint is flaking or fading. But it's important to look for other signs of disrepair. A rotting soffit can affect the ventilation of your entire home:

• Mildew or rot to your shingles means you should have a vented soffit. This prevents moisture buildup and mildew and improves ventilation to your whole home.
• Oil canning - Flat sheet metal on the fascia will warp over time, if it was not properly installed or if poor materials were used. The warping may seem more prominent at some times than others.

Siding issues are more obvious:

• Faded paint or tarnished coloring can be reasons to replace if you want your home to look nicer.
• Loose siding. This often happens when original siding is poorly installed or where there is storm damage. This is a common issue with "storm chaser" roofing companies that use low end materials.

Maybe not. If there’s bad hardware, we can replace that. Air leaking from your windows is a ‘silent sign’ that they need replacing. Not properly sealed, windows and doors will leak warm or cool air from your house, increasing your utility bills. We can check for this when we do your home estimate. This includes:

• Air leaking between window panels
• Old or torn seals

If they’re working great, leave it! During the next rainstorm, watch to see how they work… if water is pouring over the side of the gutter in front of your building, unblock the gutters after the storm and watch again. If it drains properly, great. If not, give us a call. Here are some other things you should watch for:

• Dripping and leaking over the edges, instead of down the downspout
• Reined or warped bracket. This happens with heavy loads of snow or if low end products are used. It can result in your gutters actually coming off.

You likely have ice dams. This happens when the heavy load of snow begins to melt a little, but the water has nowhere to drain because there’s still a lot of snow and ice. So the water goes into your home. Poor installation of the roof, soffits, fascia or gutters can lead to this.