In the roofing industry, there are good guys and bad guys. Vertical Roofing prides itself on being one of the few good roofing contractors out there by conducting business honestly and putting on a quality roof without cutting corners to save a penny. That’s why we believe in hiring only the best people with the biggest hearts.

Vertical Roofing has made fundraising and philanthropy part of our basic foundation. We are good honest people that truly enjoy giving back to the communities that we service. Vertical Roofing is pleased to donate a portion of the proceeds from each roof project that we complete to the Susan G. Komen Foundation® in an effort to eradicate breast cancer forever. To find out more and see what charity events Team Vertical will attend next, please visit our GO “PINK” page.

Between Vertical Roofing and our employees, we donate $25 per roof project that we complete to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

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“…attend next…” implicates there was a first. They have done nothing. At least they didn’t pay someone to write referrals for them, I think.

Now that I got that off my chest I’ll give a little advice to any consumer who wants it. Check for insurance and ask to be put on the policy as a rider if you contract with a roofer. Don’t just ask for referrals but ask your particular salesman for referrals. Check them. Go by and look. If he is new and comes clean about it ask that someone in the company oversee him and the job. If he lies, throw out the proposal. Do not give a deposit until the materials have arrived and work has begun. If the materials are special order, which means they can’t be returned, pay the deposit to the wholesaler. Accreditation from some manufacturer or roofing organization also carry weight.

This is your home we’re talking about. Don’t be a guinea pig. Be a professional buyer. Use professionals and not fast talking pushy salesmen with bogus propaganda.

Lastly, use Google or Yahoo. Google your potential roofers name, your salesman’s name, and add words the second time around like “complaint.” Scroll through the pages. Look hard. Crumbs remain from previous sins. We’re all sinners just some regret it. Lastly, Christians don’t tell you they are Christians and don’t trade on the Cross. You can sense whether or not they use religion as a sales tool. Besides, Jesus was the son of a carpenter, not a roofer, and He was a Jew. He endorses no roofer.

Pneumatic hails are struck by a driver blade that is the same size as the nail head. If the wood under the roofing is harder because a rafter or lathe is under the deck, the nail might not set flush and the roofer won’t know it until the homeowner looks up and sees the fish mouth in the roof. The hand nailing roofer feels what happens through his connectedness with his tool. He feels and hears if the hatched hit solid wood.

More likely the nail of a gun will be over driven whereas the hand driven nail can only be set flush because the hatchet is larger than the nail. Over driven nails hold onto nothing.

The operator of a nail gun often crosses the gun across him so the nail goes in at an angle. If the hand nailer does this you’ll hear Spanish profanity.

The air nailing dude has to protect and maintenance his heavy and expensive compressor, guns, and hoses. Every morning he must load up his truck or risk theft, unload at the job site, string out the equipment, find electricity, and repair the tools as he goes along during the day. The hand nailer gets his hatchet out of the truck. There is no air hose dragging across the new but not sun sealed roofing.

The air guy has to load up his stuff if it didn’t get stolen during lunch and then unload it at the house. The hand man throws his hatchet in the truck bed.

What if a breaker is thrown while the air man is using your electricity? Do you have to come home from work? Will the roofer quit and go home because he’s not proficient with a hatchet or doesn’t have one?

The gun roofers might start the day fine but as the sun heats up the roofing it changes consistency. Freshly opened bundles are stiffer than the buttery ones that have been open for a while. Cold shingles shatter under the thump of a gun. Think of a karate punch. The strength comes from speed times weight giving the punch its force but the black belt also makes his fist smaller by using two strong knuckles instead of spreading out his power on four. The nail gun compresses the force in an area no bigger than the nail allowing for countersinking. .

With traveling to the job, tearing off, cleaning up, paper installing, loading the heavy roofing, flashing, painting, trimming edges, going to the dump, and more cleaning up, what percentage of the job is actually nailing? Isn’t it the one most important factor in a roof? How the roofing is attached is without a doubt the numero uno item on a good roof job. All other things pale in comparison. Do you have a roof or did it slide off?

Now imagine a group of men about to roof your house. If they pull out their hatchets and get after it like banshees on steroids then you know. you got your roofers. The rookies need the air tools to make up for their rookieness.

Lastly, hand nailing is green. Less electricity, manufacturing, transportation, and a better job. The government ought to give a tax credit for it.

Those are most of the reasons Jon Wright Roofing hand nails it’s composition roofs. That’s all an expert would use.

A kid would eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?

There is a science to gutters greater than that water runs downhill. The proper number and size of downspouts, the correct leaf screen, and even the size and shape of the gutter itself are variables. A professional gutter company has charts and equations they use to figure these things but afterward the customer needs to do his job.

One such gutter professional is Robert King of A-1 Aluminum Gutters. He has been installing gutters since the start of time and has an excellent track record. Robert, tell us about your company:

“We began in 1969. I narrowed my home building and remodeling business of nine years to just gutters. Sometimes we have to repair other items connected to the gutters and downspouts but my true passion is gutters.”

What would you consider to be the most common mistake of gutter companies?:

“The fatal flaw is not engineering the gutter system from the beginning and then sending out apartment gutter installers to do homes. All this begins with the inspection process. They even put the supports or fasteners too far apart and sometimes rely on eyesight rather than a level. The placement of the right size downspouts is critical to drainage in heavy rains and the elimination of debris from the gutter. Of course there’s many other things to go wrong from start to finish. Then there’s the roofer who must integrate the gutter to the roof to prevent water damage to the overhang.”

How often and what time of year should gutters be inspected?:

“Twice a year, for leaves in the fall and for tree blooms and limbs in the spring.”

Should everyone have gutters?:

“It may not seem apparent but I believe so because I have seen what happens over time. A home may not need gutters today because its on a hill and the water runs away from the home on all sides but eventually the runoff will erode not just the earth but even concrete. This damage can be obscured by shrubs and before you know it a foundation man is needed. After he raises the house the homeowner will need your services, Jon, to fix the roof structure.”

What’s the difference in gutter profiles?:

There is “Straight Face” which is hard to match for any repairs or the “O G” that is considered standard. Some contractors call it “K Style.”

Tell us about downspouts and the gutter size itself?:

“There are 5” and 6” gutters with 2”x3” or Texas Size 3”x4” downspouts. Sometimes we use the larger downspouts with the smaller gutter if the volume of water requires it. You must engineer for the heaviest of rains.”

How should gutters be attached to a house?

“We use to use spike and ferrule but since they backed out over time we went to support hangers with screws.”

Are there ever exceptions like the shape or angle of the roof or fascia?:

“There are five or six major installation techniques that we usually use.”

Are all roofs alike when it comes to installing gutters or do some require different flashing details?:

“The procedure for batten mounted stone coated steel roof require a lot of expertise. Otherwise, after we leave, if you change out your roof you better use a roofer who knows and cares about what he’s doing.”

Would you like to add anything else?:

“If you have a lot of trees you should consider screens to prevent leaf clogging. The supposed leafless gutters systems can get clogged and they’re difficult to clean. They also are shallow and have little recovery for hard rains. We’ll stick with what has been proven for hundreds of years.”

Thanks Robert. You know your business.

jonwrightroofing.com

Hello Darin, can you tell me about the initial problem you encountered with venting your roof?
Due to the conversion of old attic space to usable second-story square footage, I could not utilize traditional attic venting methods to promote the chimney effect within my wall and roof cavities. The house simply trapped hot air between the ceiling and roof. Also, the design of the roof eaves disallowed the use of traditional eave vents for cool air infiltration.

Why did you use GAF products on your house?
GAF-Elk is the only manufacturer of a non-white, Cool Color Series shingle that meets minimum rating standards of the Cool Roof Rating Council and Energy Star for energy efficiency and performance. I wanted the heat reflective qualities of a white roof while retaining the curbside aesthetics of a traditional shingle color. For the flat portions of my roof, I selected the GAF EnergyCap modified bitumen. It comes with a factory applied layer of reflective elastomeric coating. It is very reflective and effectively combats heat gain from direct and indirect sunlight. These two products have made a tremendous difference in lowering the cooling demands of my home. Along with accessories like the e ridgvent and smart vents, I was able to introduce an effective airflow within my rafter space that cycles out accumulated heat.

Were you satisfied with the material and system choices you made and do you think it will save you money in the long run?
I am satisfied and I have already saved money.

Who long have you been an architect and where did you get your degree?
I have an M. Arch degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

In dealing with roofers what would you say is their strengths and weaknesses?
Most roofers do not care about the energy performance of a roof. They are interested in minimizing their cost of installation to maximize their profit margin. Labor is expensive, and most labor only understands traditional roofing installation. Jon Wright, however, understood what I was after and instructed his crews in the installation of these relatively new products, keeping in mind that energy performance was a priority. Also, roofers are adept at traversing steep pitches.

Your roof project was both a remodel and an insurance claim. How would you say the insurance company handled the initial claim?
The insurance company was very helpful. The claim was handled efficiently and completely. There was a minor hassle that required my dealing with the mortgage company. The insurance agents were responsive and understanding.

Was it helpful to you that we worked with the insurance company?
Yes, as Jon was familiar with the assessment software, he was able to point out some additional areas where additional compensation was owed to me.

What would you say the average homeowner needs to do beforehand in order to select a contractor and materials?
1.Properly assess your own roofing needs, be they cost, aesthetics, performance, energy efficiency, or durability.
2.Coordinate other roof fixes such as skylight installation, ventilation, or additional sloping with the basic roof work to be performed.
3.Prioritize according to your budget
4.Research available products and those certified in their installation online and verify with accredited rating agencies
5.Double check with the BBB on each potential contractor
6.Acquire a minimum of three bids for your project. Assess not only the bottom line, but scheduling, work duration, contractor responsiveness (it won’t improve beyond this point), and verify references.

As an architect did you learn anything from your own house project?
Yes, I am constantly reminded of the difference between the drawn design and the unique requirements of the physical circumstances at hand. Communication with laborers is important in conveying expectations and making sure they are met. A friendly rapport goes a long way.

What consequences does a homeowner face if he doesn’t take the time to research his materials, his roof systems, and contractor?
He will probably ultimately be dissatisfied with the final result, its performance, and its durability. His electric bill will remain high. There will be leftover material and nails in his driveway and nails in his yard. Potentially, the roof could leak.

Anything else?
That does it.

Thanks Darin. It was fun roofing your house because of the unique challenges it presented to us. Nevertheless I hope we don’t get too many like yours soon.
jonwrightroofing.com

Better built roofs, accessories, warranties, and energy/longevity selections are the criteria that our journey will travel. Here we hope to help save money, environment , the aesthetics, and the health of the end users of our services as an industry in general.

Realtors, remodelors, builders, architects, doctors, children, manufacturers, distributors and even our government could learn from the experts this forum will parlay with weekly. Then there are the framers, plumbers, electricians, masons, insulation contractors, painters and sheet rockers who bump elbows with the roofers and sometimes have to fix their mistakes. Finally there is your family that depends on the roof in more ways than waterproofing. So here’s to the roof over your head, the hero or villain in your life.

After having been a roofing contractor for over thirty years, an installer for many years before and after the start of the business, I’ve learned much and met many knowledgeable people.

I want to make your roof system work for you and not against you as an unforeseen money pit robs you of your money and health.

jonwrightroofing.com

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