Precision Roofing

In addition to roofing construction services, a roofing contractor can perform required inspections of your roof and offer repairs if any are needed.

"Many roof contractors are self-employed," writes the website wiseGEEK, "although some construction firms hire large numbers of roof contractors to handle major projects such as the installation of roofs on newly constructed housing projects."

You probably already know you should clean your roof gutters every spring. What else should you do while you have a bird's eye view of your roof? If you guessed check for loose, broken or missing shingles, you're right.

If you are selling your house, a new roof may seem like an unnecessary expense. However, real estate agents say many home buyers are willing to pay a little more for homes with newer roofs.

If you live in an area with a lot of rain or snow, you may want to consider a metal room. Metal roofs are typically shed ice and snow, which means you should never need to worry about leaking!

In New York City, mansard roofs were in their heyday between 1860 and 1875, according to the New York Times. As a result of this mansard mania, both the Grand Hotel (1868) and Gilsey Hotel (1871) feature multi-story mansard roofs finished with slate shingles.

A roof with dried, curling shingles is enough to convince many home buyers to remove your home from their lists. The same applies to water spots and mildew inside your home.

Building permits are required for almost all re-roofing projects, and the building inspector will decide how the company proceeds with laying the new roof.

In the snow belt, ice dams can build up between the shingles and the roof decking. Professional roofing contractors will carefully apply steam and melt the build up, and remove any snow that is on your roof.

Over time, rust, storm damage or gaps at panel seams can cause leaks in older metal roofs. Highly reflective coatings made specifically for metal will make your roof watertight again, and they reflect up to 98% of sunlight to keep your home or building cooler.

If you plan to install a slate roof, it’s important that you use a roofing contractor with extensive experience with slate. This way you can ensure that the roof is laid properly and is adequately reinforced as well.

One of the ways to know if your roof is getting old or beginning to suffer the consequences of age is to perform a periodic inspection, looking especially close at the gutters. This is where you will find colored dust and grit from decaying shingles, which indicate that a new roof may soon be necessary.

Shake (wooden) shingles used to be extremely popular, but they've fallen out of favor today in many areas. That's because they pose a bigger fire hazard than other roofs. Today shake shingles have to have a Class C fire rating in many areas, but there are other alternatives that are cheaper and more effective.