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It’s easy for us to say a roof has reached the end of it’s life but how can a homeowner look and tell on their own? We’ve mentioned things briefly in a previous post but let’s get some visuals and information on this to better help you, the homeowner, know what to look for, what you’re seeing, and why. Firstly, go outside, stand back and take a look. We know it’s obvious but it’s the best start. Many homeowners aren’t going to just climb on a roof and look around for lots of reasons. But you can stand back and just look. There’s many things you can easily see from ground level that may raise alarms that it’s time to start thinking about a new roof before a problem arises. Is it Sagging? You know what it should look like. Nice straight lines, and water draining properly through eaves and downspouts. Is the roof line straight but the eaves sagging? Are there areas of ponding? Sagging is a sign of structural problems and rotted wood beneath your shingles. Rotted sheathing boards and fascia, or worse, rafters can be fixed but it can vary greatly from a simple board replaced to a roof needing to be torn off completely and new rafters and supports installed. Sagging roof areas also add risk to you as a homeowner should you decide to go onto the roof yourself for any reason to do maintenance, or an installer to add a satellite dish. A note: Here in Mid-Michigan, there’s lots of older homes that were built before the standards of today that have solid, but “wonky” roofs where an addition didn’t quite line up at the same angle when built, so a sagging area may not be as immediate a problem in those cases but is still reason to get it checked and repaired to current standards. 

If you’re wondering how to find a good roofer near you, this guide is here to help! Learn the steps for narrowing down your search and selecting an experienced professional. Whether you need a simple repair or a full roof replacement, it’s important to find a qualified and experienced roofer who can provide quality service. Finding a good roofer near you doesn’t have to be overwhelming – with the right research and preparation, you can identify a reliable and local professional for your project. Identify Your Roofing Needs Before you start your search for a roofer, it’s important to determine the purpose and scope of the job you’re looking to hire out. Are you in need of a small repair or emergency repair? Or are you planning to replace the entire roof? In either case, it’s important to think about details such as budget, timeline, and special requirements for your project before consulting a roofer. Research Your Options When you’re in the market for a roofer, your first step is to research your options. Get in touch with other homeowners and businesses that have recently completed roofing projects to ask them about their experiences. Ask questions such as rate of service, quality, professionalism, and overall satisfaction to better prepare yourself for making a decision. Additionally, companies often provide discounts for referrals or recommendations from past clients so be sure to check those out too! Check Credentials and Reviews Before you set up a meeting with a roofer, you’ll want to double-check their credentials. Look for certifications and reviews online. Professional affiliations, licenses, and permits are all good indicators of how experienced the company is—and they’re required by law. Additionally, make sure to read their ratings and customer reviews to get an understanding of what kind of work you should expect if you choose to hire them. You can do a search for free by clicking HERE to go to the State of Michigan Department of Licensing website. If you don’t see the business name, check for the owner’s name. Additionally, you can also go to manufacturer websites such as Owens Corning, GAF, Atlas, and more to see if a roofer is certified in the installation of their product. When it comes to reviews, actually read them and on multiple platforms such as google and facebook. Don’t just go by how many stars. As we know in this age, you have paid-for reviews, “internet trolls”, and more to skew what you see. While no one can make everyone happy all the time, we try our best and pride ourselves on leaving a jobsite with smiles all around and a beautiful project completed. There’s a reason we’ve been voted the local favorite. Ask for Quotes and Estimates Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential roofers, it’s time to reach out and ask for quotes. Ask each company for an estimate so you can compare the services they offer and their corresponding prices. Once you have all the facts in front of you, make sure to take the time to compare price, warranty information, payment terms, and the amount of work that each contractor includes in their quote. This will help ensure that you select the best roofer for your needs. Confirm Insurance Information and Warranties It is important to ensure that the roofer has insurance and a warranty for their services. Homeowners should always confirm that the contractor is properly insured before any work begins. The contractor should be able to provide proof of General Liability and Worker’s Compensation insurance. In addition to verifying insurance coverage, homeowners should also ask whether the work comes with a warranty on both labor and materials. A quality roofer should offer at least one year of labor warranties, as well as long-term warranties from the manufacturer for material defects. Here at Star Improvements of MI, we offer a full 10 YEAR labor warranty! We stand behind our work 100% and do our best to hire and train our crew to meet our expectations – and more importantly, YOURS.

We’ve covered the why, but there’s several types of roof ventilation products depending on the type of roof you have and what amount of airflow you require. A balanced ventilation system will have 2 or more of these most common vent options. Ridge Vents: The most popular choice for homeowners, ridge vents are exhaust vents installed at the peak of the roof and extend across the entire roof line. Hot air naturally rises and exits out the ridge vents, pulling in the cooler air from below. Small gaps on the underside of the material allow hot air to escape your attic, and resists pests and wind-driven rain and snow. Ridge vents don’t require electricity to operate. Because they extend the length of the roof line, they provide significant hot air exhaust from your attic while maintaining the look and cleanliness of your roof appearance. Ridge vents are available for both asphalt and metal roofs although they do differ in appearance.

Properly installed ridge vent on asphalt shingle roof

Partway through installation of TPO

Ice Damming and Icicles on roof

We know everyone is feeling a bit of wear-out when it comes to Covid-19 but it’s still a very real concern. We’ve made loads of changes and upgrades to help ease your anxiety should you contact us for an estimate. We keep on top of the latest protocols to ensure we’re complying with guidelines as well as state and local restrictions. Roofing falls within the construction category and is considered an essential business. Roofs are critical to keeping residential and commercial buildings safe, including single-family homes. Emergency roof repairs and installs don’t stop and we worked throughout the shut down. Going Digital This was one of the first things we did when the pandemic hit. Going digital enabled us to continue working for our customers. By upgrading our system, we could then do all of what used to be face-to-face completely contact-free. We began sending videos and pictures of our findings during or immediately after the estimate appointment via text or email so our customers could see what we seen and explain everything. This also improved safety for our customers as homeowners didn’t feel as much need to climb on the roof themselves to see what issues their roof had. If possible, we would even set up live video meetings and show them in real time which allowed homeowners to ask questions in the moment. We can do everything from estimates to payments without customers ever having to come into the office or even go outside to meet with our staff. We found this upgrade not only improved our own record keeping but it allowed our customers to be able to schedule around THEIR lives more. Time off from work for the appointment wasn’t a necessity. Getting the kids their lunch didn’t have to come to a halt to deal with a contractor. A homeowner could go through the process while still in their PJs. We utilize apps from manufacturers such as Owens Corning and GAF to give you a visual representation of what your new roof may look like so you can choose the shingle that best suits your aesthetic. We’ll even use graphics software to do it ourselves if our customers need it. Social Distancing and Masks While in most cases, once work begins a customer doesn’t need to be remotely near the crew (or even at home for that matter), we still reminded our crews to social distance as much as possible from customers. We made sure everyone had masks and sanitizer. Vehicles each had their own cleaning kit and were wiped down regularly. On the occasion we had elderly or immuno-compromised customers, we ensured there was never any contact and made sure the crews knew this was extra important on these job sites. We made sure the site foreman had the homeowner’s contact info and vice versa in case there was any questions during the work. As for our own crews, we limit close contact with others by maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet, when possible. We limited the number of workers in small workspace areas such as trailers and vehicles, and spaces under construction if possible. CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Our line of work does not require the N95 masks in regards to Covid-19. Should a customer feel more comfortable coming into the office, we sanitize each time someone enters or exits the building and limit where staff and customers are allowed. Office staff wear masks when the restrictions require it. Getting it done When it’s time to start the work, we may not need to come into your home at all. Should any of the roofers need access to the attic, we can give you advanced notice, so you can clear a pathway and do what you need to do to keep yourself and family members safe. We want YOU to feel as safe and sure as possible. If you have any questions please contact us. If you’d like to book a contact-free estimate appointment, call or office 989-823-7283 or go to our Contact Us page for more info.

Buying a new home is daunting and exciting. You know you need an inspection to ensure the foundation is solid, wiring is up to date, plumbing to code, and more. More potential home buyers nowadays are making sure the roof is in acceptable condition and for that you likely need a licensed roofer to check it out. Buyers often don’t know that standard home inspections may not include roof certification. If you’re concerned the roof on your next biggest adventure might not be in the best shape, have Star Improvements of MI come out and do a roof inspection. If you have any doubt the roof was inspected properly, or sadly in some cases if a less-than-honest inspector may have ignored the roof or “fudged” the report, get a second opinion and roof certification. We can help. Recently we had a customer call for an estimate. They had bought a home for their growing family 3 years prior and were told the roof was only a few years old and solid by both the seller and home inspector. Shortly after they moved in, problems began to arise with other things inside and outside the home. Then, the roof leaks were discovered. They called us and we went to get them an estimate. What we found would make your heart sink. The ENTIRE roof needed to be redone right down to rafter replacement. That kind of damage doesn’t just happen overnight. You can watch a video of Shawn walk the roof and explain a bit about this on our facebook page. Another recent inspection fail: Improper ventilation, confirmed leaks around vents, improper treatment of valleys. Check out our facebook video on this roof . We’ve seen a few in recent years. Home buyers would have had the chance to pass on a home that was requiring more work than they desired, or could have negotiated the price down to compensate for the new roof the home needed. While we love to install a new roof, it’s always a little bittersweet when someone thought they wouldn’t need it so early because of a less than thorough home inspection.

Ice build up and deep snow on a roof. In this case, prior to clearing, it obscured the pipe vent. Roofing emergencies happen, usually when we least want them to. Here in Michigan, that would be over those cold winter months. Snow build up, ice dams, leaks… they all put your roof to the test and if you’ve been holding off, it might just bite you when you need that roof the most. While warmer temperatures are ideal for roofing, barring extreme cold, winter roofing can be tackled. Sure it’s beautiful, but snow is no joke when it comes to your roof. White fluffy snow. Sparkling icicles. The smoke from chimneys and smells of wood-burning furnaces. Michigan winters can feel holiday movie perfect. However, temperatures and precipitation are more like a horror movie for a roof. Snow weight – It all seems so light and fluffy. But it builds up and anyone whose had to shovel it knows how heavy it gets and fast. That weight as it grows can strain your roof. In worst cases, it can even cause a collapse, making emergency replacement necessary. Ice Dams – On the higher portions of your roof, snow and ice can melt in the sun and warmth coming from your home and that water flows to the gutters… or it’s supposed to. Low spots in a failing roof or clogged or improperly hung gutters can stop that water from leaving your roof. With it’s preferred exit blocked, that water can find a way into cracks and joints and into your attic. The water may also refreeze as the lower portions of your roof remain below freezing, lifting shingles & flashing, damaging gutters / soffit & fascia, and it adds extra weight. Mold & Mildew – Remember that water creeping in we just mentioned? A warm attic and dampness are a recipe for problems and that can potentially harm your health and cost you significantly to remediate. Proper ventilation is a must, but if water is consistently getting in, it would be an ongoing fight. Winter conditions require a different plan. A good contractor used to the seasons here knows what to do. There’s benefits and risks of course, safety measures, and keeping the materials warm whenever possible. The most common type of shingles on a home in our area are Asphalt Shingles. Generally they need above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for normal installation. Below 40 they can become brittle, crack, and break. Fiberglass shingles, metal roofing, and wooden roof shakes are other alternatives but they can also have their own issues at the colder temperatures. For this post, we’ll concentrate on Asphalt Shingles as they are what most homeowners are familiar with. Aside from breakage, the other primary concern with the materials in cold weather is the shingles sealing. Asphalt shingles are usually made to be thermally-activated. Heat and pressure are needed. The weight of the shingles themselves is sufficient, but they need warmth to bond. They will still seal below 40 degrees but they have a hard time doing so. Hand sealing with roofing cement might be needed to ensure bonding in those colder temps. Once warmer weather sets back in, the shingles will seal themselves with their own adhesives. As an experienced roofer, we know there are other factors to take into account in cold weather. Our equipment may need to be adjusted such as the air pressure of our nailing guns. We might have to hand nail. Shingles cannot be bent and cutting may be more difficult. Here in Michigan we know, snow and ice are dangerously slippery. A roofer falling is a very real concern, even under the best conditions. Enough snow can also hide debris, vents, and skylights, making injuries and damage more likely. The weight of a snow covered roof can exacerbate an already potentially unstable structure. An experienced winter roofer will have increased safety precautions which may make the job take longer, but it also ensures the wellbeing of the crew as well as the quality of the work. While it seems daunting, a damaged roof should never wait until warmer weather to repair. Once that snow starts to melt, water WILL find it’s way into your home and cause untold damage to your biggest investment. Concerned your roof might be in need of some TLC? Contact us now and we’ll be happy to come take a look! We roof as long as weather allows and estimate bookings all year.