This video was put together by Weatertight Corp. a Roofing Contractor in WI. The hosts Todd an Tod do an excellent job explaining the importance of roofing ventilation.
Proper Roofing ventilation is important in any climate – cold or warm. The problems that can come with poor roofing installation are:
I recently responded to an email from a homeowner in Massachusetts (not a customer or ours) who was inquiring about “what 
causes paint to peel on his house?”
I thought this would be an excellent topic to address in a blog post:
My response was the following:
Mr. Homeowner,
It’s likely that you have 1 of 3 conditions:
In some cases these problems can be remedied, but there’s no way of telling without analyzing the specific situation. What many homeowners in this situation like about working with United is “one-stop-shopping”. If they need spot carpentry – we can do it. If they need painting – we can do it. If they need heavy prep work done – we can do it. If they need sectional or full siding replacement – we can do it.
If you’d like an evaluation on your peeling paint issue visit our house painting page. Or if your interested in knowing how much does it cost to paint a house, you may request a free quote below.
Thinking that it might be time to make some upgrades to your roof? Before making the decision, give this article a read.
In it, we’ll discuss how you can inspect your roof for wear and tear and decide if it’s time to take action. Once you’ve decided to move forward, we’ll provide you with some handy tips on what to look for in a contractor.
Part 1: How To Spot Potential Problem Areas On Your Roof
Step One: Inspect Your Shingles:
A good visual inspection of your shingles is always the first step in uncovering if you will need roof repairs. Firstly, look for the obvious signs of wear and tear – missing shingles, or shingles that are cracked or blistered.
For asphalt shingles, take a look at their coating and see if it is beginning to wear.
Step Two: Inspect Your Attic:
Once you’ve taken a good look at the shingles, and the overall roof quality, it’s time to go inside and take a look in your attic. Here you want to keep an eye out for water damage or leaks. Look for dark spots on your wood – this is usually an indication of water damage.
Once you’ve identified water damage, be sure to assess the condition of the wood. If the wood is still firm, it’s safe to say the damage is not recent, and there’s no cause for alarm. If the wood is soft to the touch, then it has been damaged by the water and you have an issue that needs to be addressed.
Step Three: Get A Professional Inspection:
Once you’ve completed the first two steps, it’s decision time – did you see enough problem areas that you’d like to get a professional opinion? If so, it’s time to bring in a contractor for inspection.
Part 2: Deciding On A Contractor
But where to start? First of all, research local home improvement companies and contractors. Look for companies / individuals who are well established in the business. Ask potential contractors for references or addresses where you can take a look at past work.
Here are some questions you’ll want to ask:
Once you’ve focused on a favorite company, it’s time to “seal the deal”. Make sure a contract is signed that defines every detail of your work together, including the specific materials the contractor will be using.
Once the work starts, be sure that you pay for the materials at the time they are delivered to the site. If you can be home through the process, that’s even better, as you can make sure there aren’t any surprises while the work is underway.
With these handy tips, you’ll have a smooth road to repairing your roof!
Many homeowners are interested in finding out how much does a new roof cost. You may also find our free roofing guide helpful.
With the economic turbulence of the last few years, many people have opted to improve the home they’re already living in, rather
than purchasing a new home. Improvements to your home can mean huge increases in its value, along with less tangible gains of increased beauty and longevity.
If the home improvement path interests you, we’d like to tell you about a number of different financing methods that are potentially available to you.
Same As Cash Loan:
Many companies (including ours!) offer this type of loan in-house. It allows you to get your home improvement project started with as little as a 10% downpayment. Through the term of your Same As Cash Loan, the interest is deferred – so you’re given the time to take advantage of great home improvement rates (or move on urgently needed repairs) now, while being given time to shop around for the best rate possible.
Same As Cash Loans terms can range from 90 days to as long as 18 months.
Home Equity Line Of Credit Or Capital Improvement Financing:
Many people who have lived in their home for some time have built up substantial equity. If you’d like to start getting some of that equity working for you by re-investing in your home (which in turn should lead to increased overall value), then a Home Equity Line Of Credit or Capital Improvement Financing are two great options for you.
Because of the collateral provided by your home, both of these approaches have competitive monthly repayments and good interest rates. As rates are at historic lows overall (in the realm of 4% at the time of writing), many people have taken advantage of this climate to greatly increase the value of their property.
Unsecured Home Improvement Loan:
A traditional home equity line of credit or capital improvement financing requires you to make your home available as collateral. If you are not comfortable taking that step, then an Unsecured Home Improvement Loan may be exactly what you’re looking for.
This type of loan allows you to secure funds to improve your home. Though the interest rates tend to be higher, this approach is sometimes preferred due to its lesser risk.
Making the Decision:
In addition to what we have listed above, there are a number of more specific types of home improvement loan you can get, like the FHA 203K program and the FHA Title 1 program. For more information, please contact a certified loan professional.
We hope this article has given you a good overview of the different types of financing available, and wish you the best in keeping your home looking great for the years to come.
Nothing gets your house looking nicer than a fresh coat of paint, but how do you make sure your paint will keep looking great for years to come?
Easy. Just follow these simple – but very important – tips to painting your house properly. You’ll be left with a great looking home that shines for years!
Step 1: Inspect The Exterior Of Your Home
This is a fundamental, and often overlooked, step. Before you start painting your house, it’s very important to take a good look at the exterior for signs of wear and tear, like water damage, mildew or mold, and popped nails.
Step 2: Repair Any Issues Seen In Initial Inspection
Once you’ve reviewed the exterior of your house, it’s time to take action! Remember, if you don’t fix the issues that you see now, a new coat of paint will only mask them temporarily – water damage, mold and other issues will continue to rear their ugly heads until they’ve been fully fixed.
Step 3: Clean The Exterior Of Your Home
Now that you’ve thoroughly inspected the outside of your home, it’s time to clean everything and get ready for the painting!
You can approach the cleaning of your home in a variety of ways. For smaller homes, a simple hose can suffice. For areas where there is pretty heavy dirt, you can use a scrub brush and soapy water.
For larger homes, you’ll need a bit of extra power to get the job done efficiently, so we’d recommend a power washer.
If your inspection turned up any mildew, a mixture of bleach and water will deal with that efficiently.
Step 4: Remove Obstacles
The exterior of the home has many obstacles that can get in the way of painting. For instance: mailboxes, street address numbers, light fixtures and shutters all should be removed prior to beginning the painting.
In addition to the above, keep an eye out for trees scraping up against your home or greenery that could get in the way of painting. Prune or cover any problem trees.
Step 5: Choose Your Primer
Now that your home is ready for painting, it’s time to choose your primer. Primer is a very important step in the painting of your home – many DIY’ers neglect it, leading to an unsatisfying final look.
Think of Primer as the “glue” that holds the paint to your home. Without it, your paint job can run into real problems!
Step 6: Choose Your Paint
Finally, it’s time to choose your paint. First off, make sure your paint is designed for exterior use. You’ll have two options: latex and oil-based paint. Latex tends to be the easiest for the DIY’er – it
‘s easy to clean up, and stands up to the elements well. Oil-based paints also stand up to the elements well, but have an issue with how they’re applied – the paint never completely dries, and is prone to issues like curing.
Not sure how long your paint job should last?
Step 7: You’re All Set!
You’ve now taken all of the steps for the perfect exterior painting. Your last step is to paint away!
Thanks so much for reading.
If your interested in knowing how much does it cost to paint a house, you may request a free quote below.
Siding is a big part of the overall look of your house, and if you’re in the market for a siding contractor, you need to ensure:
a) You’re properly educated on the types of siding available to you, and what the different choices mean in terms of maintenance and longevity.
b) That you choose a contractor who will help fully explain your options, and will execute your work at the highest level.
In this article, we wanted to give you a few handy guidelines on what to look for in a siding contractor.
1. Look for a siding contractor with a wide range of experience:
When it comes to siding, experience really is key. You need a contractor who has a broad history with many different types of siding, so that when they advise you on the implications of each type, you know that they’re not trying to sell you on their strengths, but instead making sure you have the best siding for your needs.
For instance, wood siding is an attractive option to some, but buyers must be aware that they will need to be scraping and re-painting every 4 to 7 years. If you’re planning on updating the colors of your home at some point in the future, then you’ll definitely need to stay away from vinyl, which can’t be painted.
2. Make sure the scope of work is clearly defined:
As with all things, it’s important to make sure you and your contractor know EXACTLY what your expectations are before you start, to avoid any issues down the line.
Take the time to communicate with your contractor and make sure you’re completely on the same page in terms of the scope of the work. Be sure that you’re fully comfortable before agreeing to begin the work.
3. Try to look at other work the contractor has done in the past:
Nothing speaks more clearly about the quality of a contractor’s work than prior examples. Ask your contractor for sites that he or she has worked on previously. Once they provide them, go ahead and take a look at a few in your area. If the workmanship looks strong, then you’re in good shape!
If your contractor refuses to provide local examples, this should be a big alarm bell – either they don’t have much experience, or they’re intentionally not wanting you to see the final results of their work!
4. Understand the warranty on the work:
This ties in with point #2, but it’s important to make sure that you’re fully aware of the warranty on the work, as it may vary from contractor to contractor. Make sure you’re fully comfortable with the warranty before proceeding.
With these handy tips, you’ll have a smooth experience installing your siding!
I recently read an article on Energy Conservatory.com, that asked the question: Are Your Houses Too Tight? Written By Gary Nelson, Robert Nevitt and Gary Anderson.
I wanted to reflect on questions that I’ve been asked from dozens of homeowners over the past few years, as well as take a closer look at the questions the authors proposed. They asked a question that I’ve heard time and time again. Are new houses being built too tight?Reflecting on older construction techniques, the authors comment “it used to be that builders rarely worried about the air tightness level of the houses they built. Standard construction practices would typically produce a house that generated few if any callback complaints related to air tightness such as moisture on windows or stale odors. By leaving houses with a significant level of air leakage, builders were actually incorporating a passive ventilation system into every house they built. In addition, the lower efficiency natural draft combustion appliances routinely installed in new houses acted like exhaust fans drawing large quantities of outside air into the house. This passive ventilation system was crude, uncontrollable, and created some comfort complaints, but it did satisfy the ventilation needs of most of the houses built more than two decades ago.” In other words, houses were built “loose” enough that they could breath.The question that then presents itself is, “Am I losing money on heating and cooling bills if my house is built loosely?”The authors write “The air tightness of the building envelope is an important key to understanding the performance of any new house. Uncontrolled air leakage can result in high fuel bills, failure of building components, and increased builder callbacks. As a result, more and more time is being spent by the building trades sealing up new houses in an effort to reduce problems associated with air leakage. Yet at the same time, most builders are continuing to rely on uncontrolled air leakage through holes and cracks in the building envelope to provide adequate ventilation for the occupants.”What is making newer houses so “tight?”The authors state that “over the past 20 years, building practices have changed. The advent of the 1973 oil crisis created the first large demand for more energy efficient houses. Increasing insulation levels was the first response to this new energy conscious market. As the cost of energy has continued to increase, other industry responses developed as well. Most notably, building products and construction practices have been developed and adopted which reduce the overall size of air leaks in the building envelope. In fact, many builders are now building much tighter houses without even realizing it. Walk down any new development under construction and it is common to see the use of housewraps, tight fitting exterior sheathings, vapor barriers, and untold caulks, foams and sealants. While 10 years ago, many of these air tightening products where used by only a few custom builders, they are now an integral part of standard new construction practice. Much detail and time are now spent installing continuous vapor barriers, sealing penetrations in the exterior envelope with specially designed foam, and adding gaskets at outlets and plumbing chases.” I would agree, and add that many building codes are being updated to match some of these practices. Additionally, consider these other comments, “In cold climates a better understanding that attic moisture and ice dams problems are caused by warm air leaking into attic spaces has led builders to do a better job sealing attic penetrations. New higher efficiency combustion appliances being installed use much less air for combustion and as a result significantly reduce the amount of outside air being drawn into the house. Add to this the new tighter window technologies and it is no wonder why the average house being built today is significantly tighter than its counterpart of 20 or 30 years ago.” I also agree.
But what about all of the information in newspapers, magazines and on the internet warning about problems with air quality, odors, mold, and mildew, etc.? Unchecked, a tightly sealed house can present a flurry of problems, such as range hoods and clothes dryers creating negative pressures in houses large enough to backdraft furnaces, water heaters or fireplaces. The concern then becomes that this can introduce carbon monoxide and other deadly gases directly into the house. Stoves and ranges can also present a problem. The author states “While not all of the thousands of carbon monoxide poisonings each year can be attributed to tight buildings, it is clear that tight houses are increasingly susceptible to this problem.”
Final Thoughts: The authors present a solid case that relying on passive ventilation is not recommended, and that builders and homeowners should have their designs put to the test, the blower door test that is. (see http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11190 )I agree with that if ventilation is properly planned and accounted for, that we can continue to find ways to tighten up houses, but within reason. I think that there is a point of no return when it comes to investing time,energy and money in siding, windows, roofing and other parts of a building’s envelope. Properly planned, a good balance can be achieved. Other Recommendations from the cited article: for New Construction
Here is an excerpt from the Simonton Windows Sept 2010 Green Report. This article makes some compelling points about how high quality vinyl replacement windows are very eco-friendly. Read and decide for yourself.
“Windows can be appraised using each of the three green themes just mentioned: Product toxicity, thermal envelope integrity, and life-cycle analysis, and they deserve nothing less than very close scrutiny. That’s because windows are a key part of any green-building strategy for the thermal envelope and building shell, perhaps the key part, given that just replacing windows with energy efficient models can reduce household energy costs by 15%. After all, you go to the trouble of building a high-integrity thermal envelope – sealing it fully with taped housewrap and polybutylene flashing – only to punch gaping holes in it to accommodate windows and doors. So, you’d better have one heck of a window and door product to insert in those rough openings.
What window product comes back with strong performance in all these performance areas(and please add in low-maintenance too), while consistently garnering accolades from third-party green raters? One product consistently scores high in every assessment category and it’s vinyl windows. What’s more, of all your vinyl window choices, one manufacturer continues to deliver highest-in-class results in every performance category…and that’s Simonton Windows. Close examination in any life-cycle analysis will reveal that vinyl scores at the top of the class of green raw materials. All of Simonton Windows’ scrap vinyl is recycled and blended back into a mixture to produce window and door components, and the rigid vinyl of its windows minimally offgases or exudes chemicals.”
Because we are in the home improvement business we often forget how much we know about our services and how little many homeowners know. I recently had a question from a roofing customer that I thought was interesting. She asked, “how come some ridge vents are installed all the way to the edge of the roof while others are not?” See the ridge vent photo below to see what she meant.
The answer is strictly one of aesthetics. The venting in the roof should never be cut all the way to the edge but that doesn’t mean you can’t install the vent cap all the way to the edge. We cut the vent in the roof decking (sheathing) to within a foot or 2 of the edge and always install Shingle Vent 2 right to the edge because most people think it’s a cleaner look.
If you are considering a roofing, siding or window or painting project we always provide a free, no-pressure estimate. Request one here.
Many people are unaware of all the window styles available to homeowners. Read a description of each below as well as a Typical Application.
| Outline | Name | Description | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Awning | Windows that are hinged at the top that swing out for ventilation. | Bathrooms, Combine w/Large windows |
 | Single/Double Hung | A window with two sashes where one or both sashes slide vertically. | Bedrooms, Family Rooms, Kitchens, Dens |
 | Horizontal Slider or Rolling window | A window with two sashes where one or both sashes slide horizontally. | Bedrooms, Family Rooms, Kitchens, Dens, Combinations |
 | Casement | A window or windows hinged on one side that open as far as 90 degrees to the building using a crank. | Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Living Rooms, Combine w/Large windows |
 | Direct-Set Geometrics | These are fixed windows. Since they have no moving parts, they can be tailored to meet just about any desired geometric shape. | Entry Ways, Living Rooms, Combine w/Large windows |
 | Circle Top | As the name describes, these windows typically have a flat bottom and a circular or arched top. These are typically used in combination with another window or door. | Entry Ways, Living Rooms, Combine with doors or large windows |
| Outline | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Angled Bay | A single large, fixed center window with 2 windows at 30, 45, or 90 degrees to the building. Side windows are typically vertical sliders or casement. |
 | Bow | Four or more windows configured to form a radius. Typically made of either vertical sliders or casement windows. |
 | Picture Combination | A single large, fixed center window with 2 adjacent side windows. Side windows may be either horizontal or vertical sliders or casement. |
 | 2-Wide | Two vertical slider windows installed side-by-side. This is a basic building block for a “wall of windows”. |
 | 3-Wide with transoms | Three vertical slider windows installed side-by-side with awnings or fixed transoms across the tops. |
 | 2-Wide with transom | Two casement windows installed side-by-side with an awning or fixed transom across the tops. |
 | Cathedral | Two casement windows with a half cloverleaf top circle |
 | Three wide with awnings | Three fixed windows with awnings on the bottom. |
