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Head over to our specials page or check the PDF offer to see how to take advantage of this for your home.

For his roundup of 2011, America’s Master Handyman®, Glenn Haege spoke to our very own Gary Kearns about what homeowners should think about for getting their home renovation project going in 2012. Gary notes that a major obstruction to projects getting started is that home owners are paralyzed by all available information on the internet, making it hard to know whom to trust and not.

You can read the full 2011 roundup from Glenn Haege.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

Please be cautious and prudent.  Be cautious on climbing your roof and putting a tarp over an area, even the most experienced roofers know better to climb a roof during rains.  Be prudent; “quick fixes” are not always what they seem…if you must get a tarp… get a tarp installed by a licensed and INSURED roofing company.  Unfortunately, as of right now there has not been high enough winds to drive insurance claims for the exterior (roofing or siding).  If you have interior damage from this weather event, consult your homeowners policy.. it might just cover that.  Personally, I know the weather has been extreme because of the number of calls we have received regarding roofing situations.  Take your time, understand the situation, use common sense and make an informed decision, and not a knee jerk reaction.

FAQ’s
Q- What can a homeowner do to prevent an ice
dam or more of an ice dam?  A- Using a snow rake, remove 4?-6? of snow from the edge of your house by the gutters.  Throw calcium chloride onto the roof to help melt any residual ice on the roof.  Pour calcium chloride into a panty hose, tie it off and place in your gutters every 6?-8? to help keep the gutter and downspout from freezing.
Q- I have a new roof, why do I have an ice dam?  A- A new roof does not prevent ice dams.  Even the very best roo?ng system cannot prevent ice dams, it can only minimize the damaging effects caused by ice dams.
Q-  What causes an ice dam?
A-   Simply put; there are three components needed to create an ice dam.
1) inadequate or poor ventilation; National Building Codes and roo?ng manufacturers require 1 square foot of ventilation for every 300 sq. feet of attic space above the living / heated space. 2) inadequate or poor insulation; National Building Codes require an r-49 for attic insulation, that?s about 13” of blown-in cellulose insulation. 3) weather; If we don?t have these severe weather conditions, we wouldn?t have the situation.

Your home should be looked at in the same way.  Why?  Because along with the new school year comes all of those pretty colored Autumn leaves that will eventually end up in your gutters.

No fun!

Good news, you are very fortunate, we have just what the doctor has ordered so you will not have to pay to have someone clean out your gutters any longer.  Its called Gutter Rx.

Gutter Rx is tightly secured to your gutter system, rests on top of your gutter, is made of strong and durable aluminum, has a 20 year ‘No Clog Warranty,’ and will keep you from climbing ladders which can be dangerous and time consuming.  Gutter Rx also has a beveled design so any debris that rests on top of it gets blown off with as little as 5 mph of wind.
Call today and we will be happy to give you a Free Estimate for your gutter protection needs.

Keep your feet on the ground and your gutter system performing great with Gutter Rx today!

by Chuck

In Virginia, a 5.9 earthquake.

Dallas Texas; 100/100.  Over 100 days in a row over 100 degrees.

Phoenix Arizona; three incredible dust storms this year.

E5 tornadoes (the highest rated) touching down in Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The power of these natural forces can wreak havoc on your home, property, psyche and pocketbook.

When damages occur to your home the first reaction is- I have to get this fixed, NOW! Understandable.

We all want to do what’s best for our families.  Best advice; take a deep breath and use common sense. Look at and assess the damage, what is really wrong? What has really happened and what needs to be done to secure the home from additional damage, right now.

When communities and counties have been affected by severe and damaging weather, a substantial amount of insurance work becomes available to the construction industry.  Companies want that work!  Be prepared to deal with companies that arrive at your door step unannounced, that you have never heard of, who want to “help” you, right here right now and you feel the pressure to do the right thing right now..to fix it now!  Be aware, typically these companies are not locally owned and represent themselves as “authorized insurance contractors.”  Companies that are “storm chasers” are not community oriented and are driven by short term success.

The locally owned company is usually busy with their existing client base so there can be a delay in responding.  Take a deep breath. The locally owned company that understands customer service, the needs of the community and understands the need for an immediate response and temporary fix is the company that will work hard on your behalf.  Give them the chance.

Take your time in making decisions and believe in the local company that has been in business for years, the local company whose trucks, vehicles and people you have seen in your neighborhood working on your neighbors’ homes.  Believe that the local company has your best interest in mind because they have to live with their workmanship and reputation in the community.

Believe in yourself knowing that taking the time to make an informed decision and using common sense will be your smartest and safest decision.

Serious problems that could arise due to extreme heat in attics:

-overheating of the wood decking (whether it’s the old time 1” x 6” plywood or the new technology O.S.B. panels) can take all the moisture out of the wood and make it brittle (reducing integrity of the roof decking, durability and promote dry rot).

-overheating in the attic can cause premature degradation of the roofing shingles (causing early and costly replacement. reducing your ROI) .

-overheating can cause moisture build-up and promote mold growth (not a good thing).

-moisture build-up can also sit on fiberglass insulation, compacting the thickness thus reducing the r-value (reducing r-value allows more heat or cold to penetrate into your home).

-excessive heat in the attic can penetrate through the insulation and into your home making your a/c unit work more often and harder (increased wear and tear on your unit reduces longevity).

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Ventilate and Insulate.

Proper ventilation. There are two parts to proper insulation, intake and exhaust.  Providing intake air is equally as important as exhausting the attic air.

The intake air brings in fresh, cooler, less humid air.  The intake air is pulled up from the edge of your roof and runs along the bottom of the roof decking, cooling the decking, evaporating moisture and replacing the hot, stale, moist air.

Exhausting the attic air…important because it gets rid of the bad air.

Insulation. Not very sexy but very effective increasing the comfort level of your home, reducing the work load for your air conditioning unit as well as the furnace in the winter.  Insulating your attic reduces the transferrance of heat into your home in the summer (of course) and reduces the heat going into your attic in the winter time reducing condensation.

We are experiencing a power outage at our Showroom because of the storms which is resulting in intermittent phone service, no internet access, no power to our computers……Sounds like it could be a Saturday Night Live skit….”what do we do?,”  ”we have to write our proposals?,”  ”I can’t get Goolge maps, how do I know where to go?”

We can do it!

I have access to incoming emails through our website via my iphone.  We will be able to contact you by phone after that..providing you leave a phone number.

We can tarp your roof after the major tree limbs are removed….that should be covered by your insurance carrier.

Small limbs that have punctured your roof….we can probably take care of that.  We have the resources to help our neighbors.

We ask for your patience while we navigate the next couple of days.

This is really good news on a day like today:  7-11-11…..Free Slurpees at 7/11 today…I heard that on the radio.

They can even help save on the electric bill (no reason to turn on the lights!).

However, my experience has shown me that the homeowners who don’t like skylights are the ones who have leaking skylights.  The question is, why are they leaking?  Quite often, it is not the skylight itself.  It is poor installation.  We love Velux skylights because of their quality and their flashing kits (that’s the kit of pieces that stop water infiltration between the skylight and the roof). We expertly install hundreds of Velux skylights a year.

But, you say, your’s are leaking!  Well, let’s look at the installation practices. If you’re considering skylights with your new roof, or just installing new skylights into your existing roof, I implore you to address two critical areas.

First, is the installer using a manufacturer’s flashing kit with the skylight?  Velux makes specific flashing kits for their skylight installs, and this helps to ensure against leaks and offer a great warranty.

Second, where are these skylights being installed?  If they are on a steep roof, great!  However, if installed on a low pitch roof, special curbs may be needed to be built and installed.  This is where the question of who installs the skylights becomes critical.

Unfortunately, I have seen skylights installed on extremely low-pitched roofs where a special curb was not used.  The curb raises the back end of the skylight further off the roof deck, ensuring the water doesn’t pour in!  So, how can you make sure your skylights are properly installed?  Call Kearns Brothers.  We will build the curbs right in our warehouse, install Velux skylights with Velux flashing kits, and back it up with a great warranty.  Sleep well at night, look at the stars & the moon, know that your skylights won’t be leaking, and you can have no worries about the spring rains!