Roofing Month Final Week: Wrapup and going forward

Hey everyone!

For those that follow the blog, you'll know that all of October we've been talking about your shingle roof.  Without dipping into stuff we're all sure you already know, we've been trying to educate our people about what we see when you call us to give an estimate on your roof.  After all, you don't really need us to just tell you the obvious.

This post is meant as a nice wrap-up to it all.  Firstly, we answer general questions posted through our Facebook page, our Twitter account, or comments here on the blog.  If you have any questions about your home in specific, call us at 888-382-2001 and have one of our trained and experienced technicians come out to your home for a free estimate, where you can ask them anything you want.

Remember that your roof requires seasonal maintenance every few months.  In the summer and spring, you have to watch out for heat and rain.  In autumn and winter, you have to take care for falling leaves, snow, and other cold-related issues - especially ice dams.  Remember to keep your attic at a controlled, even temperature through the use of attic vents and fans.

Your gutters don't exist independently either, requiring periodic cleanings and checks on their general structure to see that they're not a liability to your home.

There are many ways to protect your roof, and no one is more qualified to tell you about those options than a licensed roofer.  So call us already!

Roofing Month, Week 2: Ice Dams!

Week 2 of October, and we're looking at a nippy month, but we're still in decent temperatures.  But this winter, our homes are going to have a few massive hazards.  The worst and foremost amongst these is:

Ice Dams!

Now, I'm not going to sit here and argue with you about whether icicles look nice or not.  But this collection of them on the side of a house is properly called an ice dam: a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home. And we already know what water can do from this summer's posts, don't we?

This whole awful mess gets started when your roof is above freezing at the top (where the runoff begins), and below freezing by the time the water hits the edge (where the dam forms).  There are a few solutions to this damaging and dangerous condition for your home.

The first thing you should do is contact your local roofing contractor.  Your roof needs maintenance, and beyond that, contractors have insurances, safety equipment, knowledge, and time that you might not. The simplest fix the contractors have is to take a roof rake and push broom and simply clear the snow off the roof to prevent formation of the dam.  Otherwise, the insulation in your roof could be faulty and need repair.  And there is one natural, permanent solution.

Attic vents and fans help to keep the temperature in your attic even, which in turn keeps your roof temperature even, which prevents ice dams before they can even form.

So, if you're in Westchester or Orange Counties in New York, or anywhere in New Jersey call Dream Team Construction today at our toll-free number, (888)382-2001!  Let's keep your home safe before you have to worry!

Keep cool! In your attic, at least

Hello again!

Most people know that heat rises.  Most people also know that at the top of your home are usually asphalt shingles on top of wood - both of which absorb heat in your attic. And when your attic is hot, it comes down through your chimney, your walls, and into your living spaces.  There are two ways to keep your attic cool - vents and fans.  Ventilation is a passive process that causes cooler air to come into your attic and keep the hot air out.  The image below can show you better than I can tell you.  If you notice, not only is your attic a full 25 degrees cooler, your living space is actually 15 degrees cooler - naturally!  And every degree you can cool naturally is one more degree that you don't have to cool with electricity.


























Now, an attic fan is a more heavy-duty solution.  As the name implies, it's a fan on the top of your house, that makes the attic even cooler still.  As you can see, with a fan, it's even cooler than venting alone, and keeps your home cooler constantly.

And if you're worried about the energy draw of the attic fan on your home, there's a great solution: solar attic fans! With one of those in your home, you're not drawing any energy - in fact, you can sometimes give a little energy back to the grid - just like a regular solar panel on your roof.  You're using the sun to cool your home, in a great "take that" to Nature!