There’s a tendency to think that homeowners only need a residential roofing company in NJ when it’s time for a new roof. However, roofing pros also offer services designed to prolong the life of the roof you already have.
Important Reasons to Hire a Roofing Contractor
To get the most out of your roofing components, use a reputable local roofer for periodic inspections, maintenance and repairs. In the right situations, look at upgrades that will potentially improve performance and reduce energy costs.
Seasonal inspections
It is ideal to have a certified roof inspector visit your property twice a year. A spring inspection is valuable because it reveals any damage done by winter’s fury. A fall inspection detects problems caused by the occasional heavy thunderstorms and high winds of summertime.
Routine maintenance
Routine roof maintenance often occurs along with the periodic inspections. It’s important to remove debris and fallen branches that could prevent water from properly draining off your roof. When water backs up behind clogged gutters or ice dams, it’s a threat to your roof system. Unwanted moisture can cause real damage if it gets to the sheathing, the attic or your living space. It is far better to prevent roof leaks than to deal with the damage they may cause to wood roof components, attic insulation and interior drywall.
It is also possible for the roofing pros to remove excess moss growth and unsightly algae stains. If you have large trees on your property, it may be necessary to cut back overgrowth from time to time. Don’t underestimate the damage that branches can do when they repeatedly scrape against your roof in high winds. In the winter, branches may rub against the roof when they are weighed down by heavy snow and ice accumulations.
Minor repairs
The Tri-state area is vulnerable to weather extremes during every season of the year. Summer thunderstorms, nor’easters and tropical systems frequently assault northern NJ roofs with high winds and heavy precipitation.
Therefore, periodic roof inspections may reveal a need to replace missing or broken shingles. To ensure your roof’s longevity, broken or bent flashing must be replaced in a timely fashion, and any cracked caulk must also be fixed.
Emergency work
Unfortunately, the worst weather events sometimes cause damage that requires immediate attention. A falling tree or large branch might crash right through the roof, or high winds might tear away a whole section of the roof.
When storm damage occurs, a roofing crew often applies tarps to prevent further water damage to the home below. Repairs to roofing components can proceed when the weather allows. If there is structural damage, sheathing and roof framing may require replacement. New underlayment, shingles and flashing complete the repair.
Since storm damage is often covered by a homeowner’s policy, it is helpful to work with a contractor acquainted with how to ensure that the functionality of your roof system is fully restored.
Emergency repairs also follow the sudden appearance of roof leaks. Virtually every roof leak is important, and procrastination can be costly. For example, once evidence of a leak appears on interior drywall, the moisture may have already impacted your roof deck, framing or attic insulation. When moisture invades hidden nooks and crannies in your home, it is always possible that mold will develop.
Preventative measures
It is also wise to hire a residential roofing company in NJ to complete upgrades to your existing roof system, like ice/water barriers, improved roof ventilation, higher R-value insulation and proper drip edges. If you have a northern NJ home with wood soffits, you may want to replace them with ventilated vinyl soffits for improved airflow and reduced maintenance costs in the future.
Better insulation
Many NJ homes were designed and constructed when energy costs were relatively modest. As a result, they didn’t always come with the kind of attic insulation currently recommended for the Tri-state region. The Insulation Institute recommends R-49 attic insulation in this area. The Institute also says that more than 90 percent of U.S. homes could benefit from more insulation.
Enhanced ventilation
Also, earlier designs did not always feature the kind of ventilation that can reduce cooling costs. For example, the addition of well-placed intake and exhaust vents can improve airflow through your attic. This is particularly valuable in the summer when air otherwise trapped in the attic can get very hot. Depending on your home’s design, the addition of roof vents and/or ventilated vinyl soffits may improve roof ventilation at a modest cost. Well-ventilated roof components also tend to last longer.
Dealing with ice dams
You can counteract the impact of ice dams by installing an ice and water barrier along the roofline and wherever ice dams are a concern. This product is a waterproof membrane installed over your underlayment before the shingles are put in place. Major roofing manufacturers like GAF and Owens Corning offer a variety of ice and water barriers.
Count on a Certified Contractor
When it comes to choosing a trustworthy, competent residential roofing company in NJ, major roofing manufacturers have already done some of the legwork for you. Companies like GAF and Owens Corning certify a small percentage of roofing contractors who they determine will safely install their roofing products up to spec. For example, GAF only certifies about three percent of the nation’s roofers as Master Elite Contractors.
Contact CRS Today
Look to the experienced team at CRS when you need a residential roofing company in NJ. Since 1977, we’ve served homeowners in Bergen, Passaic, Essex counties and beyond. Two of North America’s largest roofing manufacturers, Owens Corning and GAF, have certified us to install their residential roofing products. CRS is a GAF Master Elite Contractor and an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor.
CRS offers all the important roofing services NJ homeowners need, like certified inspections, routine maintenance, emergency repairs, upgraded ventilation, re-roofing and complete roof replacements.
To schedule a visit by our certified roof inspector, please contact us today!
