Roof Replacement in Massachusetts: 4 Keys to a Leak-Proof Roof

Luxury Roof Thumbnail Roofers in Massachusetts have their work cut out for them.  Every season presents it’s own weather  conditions that make it difficult to keep a leak proof roof.  Here are 4 of the essential things that all  responsible roofing contractor in massachusetts will provide without question.

 #1:  Don’t skimp on High Quality Ice and Water Shield:

Ice Dams are a big problem in New England.  Most roofers will install some amount  of low-  grade ice and water shield.  But the questions are:  How much ice and water shield are they using?    And what quality is it? We recommend using a minimum of 6 ft. Certainteed WinterGuard from the eaves, and 3 feet from the gable ends. A full 3 ft. roll should be used in all valleys. We do this on all our roofing replacements in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

 

#2: Use a quality shingle with a substantial weight per square (100 square ft.):

That durability and longevity of a roofing shingle is primarily determined by the amount of asphalt and aggregate it’s made from.  More material means more weight, so the heavier a shingle is the better quality it is (in general).  Many of the roofing shingles that are sold on the shelves of the big box stores aren’t even labeled with a weight per square.  Stay away from these roofing products.  Landmark Architectural shingles range between 250-340 lbs per square.  There are even shingles available that weigh more than 400 lbs. per square.

 #3: Make sure your gutters are clean and functioning properly:

Most winter roof leaks in Massachusetts are due to ice build up in the gutters and on the roof which can often be caused by leaf filled gutters that cannot drain properly.  However, even a new, clean gutter can get ice damming.  If you have an ice damn problem, consider installing deicing lines as a temporary solution, but also contact a roofing installer to repair or replace your roof.

 #4: Care:

The bottom line is even experienced roofing installers in MA will leave you with issues if they don’t put the proper effort and care into installing your roof. At first glance there may not be a noticeable difference between a properly installed roof and a poorly installed roof because so much of what determines the quality and durability of a roof is underneath the shingle.

These are just a few of the necessary steps to having a long-lasting leak proof roof.  Contact us today if you’d like to discuss a roof replacement project.

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Replacement Contractor Article about Fiber Cement in New England

Replacement Contractor LogoI was recently asked by Jim Cory from Replacement Contractor Magazine to comment on the growth of fiber cement siding in New England, specifically Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  Here’s the article:

High Fiber by Jim Cory

Demand for fiber cement set to grow at twice the rate of the replacement siding marketBy Jim Cory

Bob Birner, vice president of Amazing Siding, a home improvement company headquartered in Houston, calls Texas “the Holy Land” of fiber-cement siding. Five years ago, he estimates, 5% of the company’s siding jobs were fiber cement. Now, he says, “it’s the majority of our siding business.” Amazing Siding, with branches in other states as well, also sells an acrylic siding product and composite windows.

Onward and Upward

A report on the U.S. siding market issued earlier this year by the Freedonia Group suggests that by 2017 fiber-cement sales will increase to $2.065 million, with a 14% market share, and use of fiber-cement siding “will expand 7.7% annually” in improvement and repair applications. Up to now, much of that growth has been regional, focused in the South and Southwest. Freedonia suggests stronger future growth in the Northeast and Midwest. Peter Martino, marketing manager and project consultant for United Home Experts, in Boston, says that before his company took on the product in 2002, it was “rare” to see a fiber-cement replacement job in Massa­-chusetts. But, he says, in the last three or four years, “it’s become increasingly widespread as a siding option.” So widespread that United Home Experts, on its website, estimates that fiber-cement siding “is approaching a market share of 10% in Massachusetts and other parts of New England.”

Slow Market

This year the overall siding market is slower, and contractors have noticed that consumers who have money to invest in the exterior of their home prefer to spend those dollars on windows or a new roof. At Weatherguard Systems, a Wisconsin company that sells gutter protection, windows, and siding, 2009 has been a lean year in the siding department. “We’ve done one job in vinyl and five or six in fiber cement,” company president Jared Murray says. Residential siding customers, Murray has noticed, are those who have “saved and want to upgrade.” Last year siding jobs at the company were 60% vinyl, 40% fiber cement.

In the past, home improvement companies tended to offer consumers one product or another. Today many companies carry several products, an arrangement that Birner compares to auto dealerships that carry products from multiple manufacturers. Exterior Home Improvement, in Indianapolis, for instance, offers insulated-vinyl, fiber-cement, or a wood-vinyl composite siding. For companies with fiber cement as a core product, quality installation is the appeal. At United Home Experts, where 80% of jobs are fiber cement, reps show prospects pictures of the company’s fiber-cement jobs versus the less-than-stellar installs of others.

Birner guesses that 5% to 7% of Amazing Siding’s fiber-cement projects in Houston involve rescuing botched do-it-yourself projects. Typically, the homeowner starts, then realizes what’s involved and calls Birner’s company to come over and begin again from scratch.

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Central Mass Fall Home Show – DCU Center – Worcester MA

Central Mass Fall Worcester Home Show
October 23rd – 25th, 2009
DCU Center
Worcester, MA
Friday Oct 23rd 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday Oct 24th 10:00am to 8:00pm
Sunday Oct 25th 11:00am to 5:00pm
Fall Rhode Island Home Show

Here we’ll have 2 booths.  One booth will display Fiber Cement siding products, and the other booth will display all our services including roofing, siding, windows, and painting.  This show draws people from all over Central New England including Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and of course Worcester.

If you are considering talking to us about an upcoming project around your home.  Don’t wait for the show! Contact us today for a no pressure estimate.  Our schedule will most likely be full until at least Thanksgiving. We’ll save you the cost of admission, and a busy day at the DCU center.  Contact us today!

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Is liquid vinyl siding / lifetime paint / ceramic paint good for New England homes?

0010FederbeforeOver the past couple of years a few companies have popped up in new England that claim  to offer some sort of lifetime paint product.  They say, “Never paint your home again!”  or something catchy like that.

Sounds like a great idea right? But is it too good to be true? You may think the verdict is  still out but if we had to put our money on 1 side or the other we would play all our chips  on the side of “too good to be true.”

As exterior renovation experts in New England we see our fair share of houses. How well  paint holds up has as much, if not more, to do with the surface to which the paint coating is applied as it does with the paint product itself.  These types of “lifetime” paint products may work well on masonry that is not designed to breath, and they may even hold up in southern climates with more consistent air temperatures and moisture climate, but wood siding in New England is a completely different substrate. Wood siding in this climate has a tendency to swell and contract a significant amount in varying temperatures. Unless these “permanent” coatings have the exact expansion factor as the substrate they will most certainly fail. In this New England climate the temperature on the outside of buildings is far lower than on the inside of buildings the majority of the year. That means as the air tries to find equilibrium; warm, moist air is constantly escaping from the exterior wall of the house or building. Unless these “lifetime” paint coatings have a substantial perm rating (meaning they pass moisture easily), which they do not, the wet air will not escape properly.  One of two things will happen. Either the air with significant moisture content will remain in the wall causing rot and mold. Or the moisture will force the paint off the surface as it tries to escape. Sure the paint will last forever, but it will be in your garden and mulch beds, not adhering to the wood siding on your walls.

If you still are not convinced that these types of products are too good to be true, just ask the company recommending them to show you one of their projects that was painted in this region of the country 8 or 10 years ago. I promise you that they will not show you one.  And even if they do, I’m sure you will not be willing to pay 2-3 times the cost of a regular paint job for the results you see.

If you are considering this type of product for your home, we’ll be happy to discuss it with you and offer other painting or siding replacement options that you’ll be much happier with.

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Fiber Cement on Traditional Homes in New England

1img031 New England is a region known for its traditional buildings. Although many local historical  councils have strict regulations on what building materials can be used to restore a building,  many traditional buildings are not regulated by these commissions. In such cases it’s  becoming more and more prevalent for building owners to have fiber cement  siding installed to replace old wood siding. Fiber cement offers low maintenance and  durability but maintains the traditional appearance of wood. Many traditional building  owners like the idea of having a beautiful and traditionally accurate siding with out the  upkeep and maintenance costs of wood. To the average person fiber cement siding is  indistinguishable from wood siding even upon close inspection.  Up until recent years when fiber cement siding became more readily available in New England, building owners did not have a viable solutions to decrease maintenance and up keep costs. Vinyl siding just has not been an aesthetically accurate. Where as wood siding needs to be maintained on a regular basis, fiber cement siding has a much longer maintenance cycle. We have installed fiber cement siding on traditional homes in such towns and communities in Massachusetts as Cambridge, Newton, Brookline Brighton, Wayland, Weston, Jamaica Plain, Dedham, Milton, and West Roxbury.

In the past, owners of traditional homes and buildings only had one option when it came to replacing their siding.  But now fiber cement siding may be a great solution for many of these homes and buildings.

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The Perfect Storm: Huge Incentives to Replace Your Windows Now.

drafty windows There have never been more incentives to replace your windows or doors than there is right now!  You might be  thinking “that’s quite the sales pitch,” but it’s actually true.

Here are 5 ways you can save money by replacing your windows this fall.

 #1 Federal Tax Credit: Although Cash-For-Clunkers has stolen some of the the thunder, the federal tax credit for energy efficient improvements is still available.  30% of the cost of materials up to $1500.  Just make absolutely sure, the windows and doors you’re having installed qualify.

#2 When Manufacturers Compete – You Win:  If the federal tax credit is the locomotive then most of the major window and door manufacturers are “holding on for the ride.” In order to maintain loyalty to their brand many of them are offering incentives to their clients who purchase high volumes of product.  Companies like us are passing that savings directly to the homeowner, and even more in some cases.

#3 Products Are Better Than Ever: Because of the standards for energy efficiency required to receive the tax credit, many of the manufacturers are developing more energy efficient products.  Companies such as Andersen and Simonton were ahead of the curve when they each developed new Low-E technology over the past few years.  Beware of other manufacturers who are simply adding multiple low-grade coatings to the glass to achieve the necessary U-value. The bottom line for you is – high-grade, energy efficient windows and doors will save you money on heating and cooling for decades to come.

#4 Gas Companies Lend a Hand : Gas companies such as Nstar, Keyspan, and National Grid give back $10 per window if you are one of their gas heating customers.  It may not seem like much, but added to the other incentives, every dollar saved is a dollar in your pocket.

#5 Mass HEAT Loan: The Mass HEAT loan program will provide many homeowners in Massachusetts with a 0% interest loan for up to 7 years.  There are a few relatively easy steps to take to get qualified for this program.

An Possible Example:  Mr. and Mrs. Jones are having 17 Simonton windows and 1 Thermatru door replaced at an estimated $10,000 before any incentives, credits, or rebates. (Note: window and door costs can vary significantly based on style, size, and options)

They save:

  • $1500 by maximizing the tax credit
  • $170 from their gas company
  • $425 from the Manufacturers (September promotion passed on by United Home Experts)

All of a sudden their $10,000 window and door project is only costing them $7,905 (a savings of $2095).  On top of that, Mr. and Mrs. Jones could potentially use a 0% interest HEAT loan and pay the project off over the next 7 years ($94 per month).  In the meantime they get to enjoy brand new, properly functioning windows and the energy savings that comes with them.

Hopefully now you agree there has never been a better time to replace your windows and doors. To set up a no pressure estimate click here.

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Roofing That Qualifies For the Federal Tax Credit

We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about whether or not there are any asphalt roof shingles that qualify for the Federal tax credit for energy efficient improvements.  The answer is YES!  For specifics on your territory consult a local roofing contractor.

We recommend Certainteed® roofing materials over any other roofing products on the market.  Certainteed® has a proven track record for quality, and they have the best warranty program available to homeowners.  Not all Certainteed roofing products are available in New England, but there are a few that do qualify for the tax credit.

Certainteed® has recently developed Landmark Solaris® shingles which all meet the standards for the federal tax credit.  These are high quality shingles and therefore come at a premium cost so it may not make sense to have them installed just for the sake of getting money back with the Federal Tax Credit.  However, Certainteed® also has a few roofing shingle colors within the Landmark® architectural line of shingles that qualify for the tax credit.  These colors are Silver Birch, Mist White, and Star White.  What this means is, you can get 30% back of the cost of materials when you file your taxes for 2009.

Certainteed Landmark Silver Birch (color on screen may not be accurate)

As of September 1st  2009, Silver Birch is the only shingle color that we know of available in Massachusetts, Rhode Island,and New Hampshire that qualifies for the tax credit.

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Which Replacement Windows Qualify For the Federal Tax Credit?

Home Pg Windows Thumbnail This is an excellent question, and the short answer is, “Less than you think!”  The requirements for the  Federal Tax Credit for energy efficient home improvements are fairly stringent.  The standards are a U-  value <= .30 and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) <= .30. (U-value measures the rate of heat loss  through a window and SHGC measures how well a window blocks heat from sunlight).

Before June 1st of this year (2009), the Energy Star standard for U-value was .35 (meaning windows  manufacturers were given the Energy Star label if their windows had a u-value below .35.)  But since the  release of the Federal Tax Credit, the Energy Star program has reduced their standards to match the Federal Governments.  This means some manufacturers were hit with a double whammy, losing their Energy Star label and having products that don’t qualify for the tax credit.

Most manufacturers had few if any windows that met these standards prior to this year.  What that means is there was a lot of scrambling to get windows out on the market that qualify.  Unfortunately that means many manufactures have just added thicker or more coats of Low-E, which means a darker, shiner, and less attractive window for your home.

Some manufactures like Simonton and Andersen were ahead of the game and had already developed new Low-E coatings that meet or exceed both the Energy Star and Federal Tax Credit standards well before 2009.  With Simonton the products is Low-E 366, and with Andersen the product is Low-E Smart Sun.  Both increase the energy performance of the windows without decreasing the aesthetic appearance of the windows.

If you are considering a window replacement project contact us today!  We’ll be sure the windows you buy with meet all the necessary requirements to get you 30% back up to $1500.

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Vinyl Windows in Massachusetts

0010FedernewwindVinyl windows have gained significant market share in Massachusetts over the past 20 years, but  why?  What do vinyl windows have to offer the typical homeowner in New England?

Vinyl windows are certainly not right for everyone.  What we tend to recommend to homeowners is if  you like the look and feel of wood then consider a wood window, but if your primary concern is Ease  of Maintenance, Energy Efficiency, or Ease of Operation and Function, then a vinyl window is  probably a good place to start.

Ease of Maintenance:

Vinly windows don’t require scraping, sanding, priming or painting.  The only down side in this category is that you do not have an option to change the color if you desire to in the future.

Energy Efficiency:

The wood windows we install are also very energy efficient, but the best insulating window we happen to offer is a vinyl replacement window.  In Massachusetts, having well insulated windows should be at the top of your list when considering a window replacement project.

Ease of Operation and Function:

Wood windows tend to have more problems when it comes to operating properly.  Especially in a drastically changing climate with fluctuating moisture levels like Massachusetts, wood windows can expand and contract over time.  The proof is in the warranty.  Most of the major wood window manufacturers only offer a 10 or 20 year warranty on glass and components.  This is hard evidence pointing to the fact that the manufacturer expects issues to arise with wood windows after that point.  People who want wood windows should undertand this and be willing to live with it.  If this concerns you, then you are probably a good candidate for vinyl windows.

The majority of windows we install are vinyl however some homeowners in Massachusetts still want the traditional appeal of wood windows and we are happy to provide and install them.

 

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Fiber Cement Siding: The Siding of Choice in Mass, Rhode Island, & New Hampshire

yellow house smallIn the past ten years fiber cement siding has made leaps and bounds in the residential remodeling and new construction markets in  New England. Market share for the siding is approaching 10% according to manufacturers and  the Portland Cement Association. This may not seem like a large share but given the fact that the  siding product was virtually unknown in New England just ten years ago, the progress is  significant.
Companies like Certainteed® and GAF® are providers of Fiber cement. Although some people are hesitant to use fiber cement siding because of a perceived short track record within the U.S. The product has actually been used in the U.S for close to 30 years and versions of the siding (some containing asbestos) actually date back almost 100 years.  But don’t worry, fiber cement no longer contains harmful materials.  It’s mostly made of portland cement and cellulose fibers.
Although no siding product is perfect, fiber cement seems to offer homeowners in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire the beauty of wood they desire without all of the maintenance.  The proof is that there are 1000’s of houses in New England that have fiber cement.  You’ll find the product on very high-end homes in communities like Newton, Weston, Wayland, Brighton, Hull,  Newport, East Providence, Nashua NH, and many more.

Contact us for more information or a no pressure estimate

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