4 Good Reasons to Have a Roofing Contractor Roof Your Home in the Winter
If you live in an area of the country, such as Massachusetts, with harsh winters you might be wondering why anyone would consider roof replacement in the winter time. Well, it’s not as uncommon as you might think. Many roofing contractors offer their services year round even in cold and snowy regions like Massachusetts, which is where I’m from. Roofing Massachusetts homes during the winter is no different for a roofing contractor than doing it any other time of the year, with a few exception, and some roofing contractors and there crews even say that they prefer it. First let’s go over what makes roofing more difficult this time of year and the arguments against having a new roof installed right now.
It’s too cold outside for a roof replacement.
This argument just doesn’t hold any water. It may be cold out now but who cares? Your roof doesn’t care. The crew installing your roof doesn’t care. Don’t worry about the guys doing the installation. If the cold weather bothered them that much they wouldn’t be up there installing your new roof in the first place, they would be working an indoor job. I know a lot of guys that prefer roofing in cold weather just because it is cold. Try roofing a black roof in the middle of the Summer. Lots of fun, let me tell ya. In the Summer if it is 90 degrees on the ground it feels like 110 degrees up on that roof (and sometimes is).
There is too much snow on my roof to have it replaced right now.
This, my friend, is why God created snow shovels. It is really not a big deal to shovel the snow off of a roof. It usually takes a half-hour to an hour to remove the snow and most roofing contractors don’t even charge you extra for this as long as they are there to replace the roof and not just shovel snow (a service which many roofing companies provide in the North East). Does the crew need to be careful while doing this to avoid falling? Of course. However, the crew needs to be careful in every regard when it comes to roofing a house, this is nothing new. These guys are professionals and safety should always comes first, and does always come first with a responsible roofing company.
Alright, I just gave you 2 reasons why many people think roofing shouldn’t be done in the winter and why they aren’t really very good reasons at all. Now let me give you the 4 best reasons you should consider having your roof replaced this time of year.
1.) Ice dams causing leaks.
The winter time in Massachusetts tests your home and roof in ways unlike any other time of year. The most common cause of roof leaks during the winter is the dreaded ice dam. An ice dam is formed over the eaves of a house from built up snow melting and running down the roof only to refreeze at the very edge of the roof line. Here in Massachusetts, as well as other cold climate areas, roofing contractors use a product called “ice & water barrier” together with proper drip-edge flashing techniques to prevent ice dams from damaging your home and causing leaks. This technique, when done properly, provides added protection for at least 3 feet up from all edges of the roof. Many older roofs do not have “ice & water barrier” installed. If your roof is leaking because of ice dams this could be a great time to have the roof redone properly and insure that ice dams will not be bothering you and your home again.
2.) Winter conditions, in general, make a bad roof worse.
If you had a bad roof before winter hit it is only going to be in worse shape once spring arrives. There are many factors that adversely affect your roof in the cold weather. I already discussed ice dams but there’s more. During the winter as the temperature fluctuates it makes your shingles expand and contract causing curling and cracking in older shingles. Now let’s say some of your old roof shingles curl a bit, then you get a nice wet, heavy snow and the weight of the snow causes some of those curled shingles to crack. Now you have a potential new roof leak. Also, when that wet, heavy snow then freezes it will possibly cause even more damage to your old roof shingles. The thawing and refreezing that occurs throughout the winter time is nothing but bad for old shingles. Old roofs hate the cold winters.
3.) Faster service on your new roof installation.
It’s a simple fact that Massachusetts roofing contractors, and roofing contractors in general, are not as busy during the winter. What this means for a homeowner needing a new roof is that the roof contractor you choose might be able to install your new roofing in a matter of days from the time that you sign the contract as opposed to waiting weeks, or even months sometimes, if you hold off until the spring, summer, and fall months. For many homeowners this reason alone should be enough to have your roof done in the winter time.
4.) Save money by taking advantage of a slow time of year for roofers.
Who doesn’t want to save as much money as possible especially when it comes to an expensive home improvement project such as re-roofing. For the same reasons that you may be able to receive faster installation service on a new roof from a roofing contractor during the winter, you will also probably receive a better price than you would during the warmer months. Most professional roof installers will provide you with the same labor warranty for a roof installed in winter time as a roof installed any other time of year. The material warranty is provided by the shingle manufacturer and will be the same regardless of what season the roof was installed. Roofing contractors want to keep their crews busy and will give you a better price just to avoid having to lay off employees during the winter slowdown.
So what are you waiting for? If you have a house with an older roof that needs replacing get in touch with a local roofing contractor and find out for yourself why roofing Massachusetts homes or a home in any other area is a perfectly viable option in the winter time and often a bargain!
Watch this video about roofing contractor
drewsroofingandhomerepair.com Drew’s Roofing and Home Repair Roof Washing Shingle cleaning Mold Mildew NON Pressure House washing Pressure washing EPDM Rubber Roofing Brunswick County Roofing and Home Repair Contractor Helps out his customers with VIDEO update on all work. What sets us apart from our competitors? Brunswick County NC service areas Southport NC Belville NC Boiling Spring Lakes NC Bolivia NC Calabash NC Carolina Shores NC Caswell Beach NC Holden Beach NC Leland NC Navassa NC Northwest NC Oak Island NC Ocean Isle Beach NC Sandy Creek NC Shallotte NC Bald Head Island NC St. James NC Sunset Beach NC Varnamtown NC http EPDM Rubber Roofing Ocean Isles Beach ,NC Drew’s Roofing And Home Repair was called for a leaking mobile home in Ocean Isles Beach, NC Brunswick County We found many problems and offered our best solution for a mobile home roof with a leak, put rubber on it. EPDM Rubber roofing is strong and durrible.If you own a mobile home with metal roofing just add rubber. Forget the Cool seal Never does anything most of the time. Let us at Drew’s Roofing & Home Repair give you a quote on rubber the 1 time fix on mobile homes. Mobile Home Repair Contractor. Trailer repair Southport NC Belville NC Boiling Spring Lakes NC Bolivia NC Calabash NC Carolina Shores NC Caswell Beach NC Holden Beach NC Leland NC Navassa NC Northwest NC Oak Island NC Ocean Isle Beach NC Sandy Creek NC Shallotte NC Bald Head Island NC St. James NC Sunset Beach NC Varnamtown NC Please help to answer the question about roofing contractorWhat is best way to make sure you are choosing a reputable roofing contractor?
I have to re-roof my house. I am looking for a good local roofing contractor. I have done quite a bit of research already. How do I find out if this company is the best?
About Author
Josh Johnson -
About the Author:
Josh Johnson is part of the team at BCI Contracting, Inc., a Massachusetts roofing contractor, and he would be happy to provide you with more information about their roofing, siding, and seamless gutter installation services if you visit the website. You can also visit Josh’s roofing blog which focuses on the roofing and siding industry, particularly in Massachusetts.
Related 4 Good Reasons to Have a Roofing Contractor Roof Your Home in the Winter:
- Cold-Weather Temperatures and Metal Roofs- Questions and Answers
- That “dam” Ice on Your Roof
- Standing Seam Metal Roofing: The Best Roofing Solution
- The Importance of Roof Insulation
- Trident Roofing: Make your Roofs Winter Proof
- Preventative Actions to protect vinyl Mac roofs and vinyl Mac siding of your home this winter
July 22nd, 2010 | by roofing contractor |
By Windstar on Jul 22, 2010
How about a Roofing/Building Material wholesale company? Outside sales position? His experience would really be beneficial to his customers. Or a technical support or trainer for a roofing manufacturer try the Metal & Asphalt Shingle manufacturers, if he was in the business he hopefully should have some contacts to reach out to. My best advice would be to network within the industry, and to be patient. Something should come along; but not without his local "industry" knowing he is out there and looking for an opportunity.
By ttgl10 on Jul 22, 2010
In the world of remodeling, home improvement, or residential construction contracting; "great" and "cheap" do not usually go together.
A legitimate business needs to make a profit to stay in business. In order to stay in business over the long haul, the business must pay taxes, carry liability and worker's compensation insurance, and pay other normal operating expenses. This usually means that their prices are somewhat higher than the guy who works out of the back of his truck for cash.
Unfortunately, many homeowners make their buying decisions based on the cheapest price. They are often burned when an uninsured workman is hurt on their job and the only way to recover damages is to sue the homeowner. They are also frustrated when they can't find the contractor a year or two later for a warranty claim. In some cased, they are forced to pay for materials twice when a supplier files a lein against the homeowner's property because the "contractor" failed to pay for the material.
Contractor complaints like these will be among the top three types of complaints received by your state's Attorney General's Office (usually the division of Consumer Affairs). The only way you can assure that these problems do not befall you is to deal with reputable contractors.
My advice is to decide what brand and color shingles you want on your house before you contact roffing contractors for a price. This ensures that each is bidding based on the same criteria. At a minimum, I recommend screening contractors using the following criteria:
1) Make sure the contractor has been in business for at least ten years. This demonstrates in a very real way that the contractor is on the up and up.
2) Ask for, and check out references in your area. Previous customers will usually be very glad to tell you their experience with a contractor.
3) Insist that a contractor furnishes you with a Certificate of Insurance proving that they are covered by general liability and Worker's Compensation Insurance. The Certificate must be mailed to you by the contractor's insurance carrier because it is just too easy for a clever contractor to phoney up a copy.
4) Make sure that any warranty on workmanship is in writing. They will usually provide a separate manufacturer's warranty on materials.
5) Make sure that all of the details of the job are spelled out in writing in the contract.
6) Do not give a contractor more than a 10% downpayment when you sign the contract. Contractors who ask for more money "so they can buy materials" should send up an alarm that you shouldn't ignore. You can bet that a contractor who demands a large downpayment has no working capital and will soon be out of business. Do not pay the contractor the balance owed until the entire job is done to your satisfaction. Once they are paid in full, you lose all leverage in getting them back to finish up the job.
Keep in mind that this is a highly competitive business and a contractor who charges very high prices will not be in business very long. The prices from legitimate contractors will usually be very close if they are all bidding on exactly the same work.
I hope this information helps you make your decision.
Good luck with your roofing project.
By cbmtrx on Jul 22, 2010
i would not hire this contractor, could end up costing you more money in the long run
By adam0149 on Jul 22, 2010
Yes. Go to http://www.cslb.ca.gov/
By Edita S. on Jul 23, 2010
Is this a trick question?
Or is it that you are just really bad at math?
By PrachiDesai36 on Jul 24, 2010
I found that asking my neighbors and friends who had roofing done to be the most reliable way!
Make sure they are insured. Small, one or two man companies often have the lowest prices but also are risky. Some of those might be excellent, but many don't know what they're doing because they do lots of things not just roofing, and they don't have as much equipment.
My next door neighbor liked his company, but he recommended not paying the entire amount up front. You can often get a deal by doing so, but he said you don't know for sure what you're getting until you've had a good rain. Even good companies occassionally need to fix their work. There was one spot they needed to fix and because he paid everything up front, the company was not in a hurry to come and fix that part.
I have also found that i can get great advice on which people to use for anything – roofing, plumbing, electrical, etc. – that the people at my local hardware store know who's really good and who isn't because they hear it all from their customers. But then, i'm in a small town and it's an independent hardware store. The people at the church also knew who was good and who wasn't because they had four buildings and had used lots of local contractors until they found ones that were great and they'd go back to them again and again, so you might try asking your church secretary for a recommendation, too.
By Chugga on Jul 24, 2010
By Independent_guy on Jul 25, 2010
I would say it seems high, but then I think everything is high and do it myself. In Ontario, a properly aligned roof would get a lot more sun on the south side and probably a lot more wind and cold on the north side and so it might be reasonable to only replace half. I am assuming that by half you mean one side from the peak down, not the lower half or upper half all the way around. Get some other bids and see. I would expect that half a roof would cost somewhat more than half the cost of the whole roof – no matter how much you take down and put up, you still have to bring trucks and equipment out and get set up and haul away.