Protect Your Roof

4 Ways To Protect Your Roof This Hurricane Season

Hurricanes can be scary; what can be even scarier is not being properly prepared. Hurricane season runs through June-November. Destructive storms are inevitable in the tropical south, so being well prepared is the only way to ensure that you make the best out of the season. Your roof goes through the most strain when it comes to your house going through a hurricane. Take the following steps to ensure your roof has the best chance to withstand the severe weather that is to come.

Water Barriers

Ensuring your roof has a strong water barrier will help keep the inside of your home dry if any damage was to happen to your house. Water barriers help especially if there are strong winds blowing shingles off of your roof. Without a sturdy barrier, missing shingles will allow water to seep through the cracks. Having a sufficient water barrier also helps insulate your home, making it more energy efficient and saving you money in the long run; and not just during hurricane season.

Anchor Your Roof

Anchoring your roof to your house will create tension to hold your home together when the strong winds come. Anchoring floor to floor, wall to the ceiling will establish a continuous load path. When your home doesn’t have strong anchoring, you will begin to see issues. If there are breaks in the load path, you will see immediate damage in these areas when winds pick up. This doesn’t just mean your roof may lift; this can cause exterior damage, roof damage, or even cause interior walls to collapse. Anchoring your roof and the rest of your home is something to be taken very seriously.

Reinforcing Gable Ends

A gable style roof is one of the most popular found across the country today. Any gable that measures over 4ft will highly benefit this hurricane season by being reinforced by the top and from the bottom. This will help to keep walls from collapsing, or separating at seams from the roof.

Reinforcing Any Skylights

Skylights are very common design aspects to most houses. Skylights let in direct sunlight from the roof. These windows are notorious for being the first to break or crack during harsh weather conditions, due to their location and vulnerability. Taping “X’s” over the window is a great first step to ensuring they don’t shatter if any debris hits it. Re-Caulking windows before storms can also help the durability when the high winds come, to ensure you keep your home staying dry and safe.

Hurricane-proofing your roof is one of the biggest responsibilities that come with living in the tropical south. If the right precautions are not taken hurricane season can be scary for your family, and your bank account. Damage to houses during hurricanes is no joke and can cost you thousands of dollars and months to repair. Taking the simple steps listed above can ensure you give your home the best defense against this hurricane season. Mitchell Roofing Company LLC offers emergency roof repairs and has been doing so for more than 2 decades. You can trust the licensed, professional roofing experts at Mitchell Roofing.

9 Questions You Need to Ask Before Hiring a Roofer

Important Questions You MUST Ask Your Roofer Before Signing a Contract

Having a new roof installed on your home is a great way to update your home and increase curb appeal.
It’s also a big investment. The roof is such an important part of your home, as it protects everything you
own from all weather conditions. This is why you should really be sure to ask the right questions when
hiring a company to install a new roof.
Here is a list of the top questions to ask before hiring anyone to install your new roof:

1. New Roof or Re-Roof?

This answer will help determine why your price is higher or lower than other offers! One way roofers try to cut corners is by inspecting your old roof, and then re-roofing it - or by shingling over it. However, if they don’t remove the old shingles, you will never know if there is rotting wood or soft spots underneath. If you are hiring a worthy, experienced roofer they will remove the old shingles first.

2. Are they a licensed roofer?

Each state has different regulations. Many states do require that a roofer is licensed. Do some research and see if your state requires licensing. If so, make sure they company you are hiring has a valid, up to date license.

3. Do they carry insurance?

You definitely want the answer to be yes. The company you are hiring should not only have general
liability insurance, but also workman’s compensation insurance. Workman’s compensation will cover
the employees on your property and general liability insurance will cover your actual property.

4. Will they install metal or drip edge?

You want the answer to this to also be yes. Drip or metal edge is a piece of aluminum that goes underneath the shingle around the edge of the roof. The aluminum sticks out past the shingles so that
any runoff will go into your gutters and not damage your soffits, decking or fascia. Many roofers do not do this unless asked!

5. How will they protect your landscape?

It’s very easy to only think about what the roofers will be doing on top of your home, but it is equally
important that they are protecting your landscape as well. This includes your trees, bushes, flowers, and even your gutters.

6. Do they supply a container for refuse?

Replacing a roof is not a mess-free job and they company should provide their own disposal container for the refuse. They should also be the ones to put the refuse into the container.

7. If needed, what will the cost of plywood be?

Once your old shingles are up, if the wood underneath needs replaced, this can get quite costly. It’s
important to ask how much the roofers will charge per sheet of plywood, so you have a number in mind if they do need to replace it.

8. Will there be someone who you can communicate with during the project?

Imagine getting home from work and finding the crew is gone for the day, but left you with your home in unlivable conditions. You are going to want to be able to contact the project manager immediately. You should definitely have access to this person.

9. Do they provide a written estimate?

Do not sign a contract without a detailed, written estimate. The estimate should include all costs, including the cost of replacing the old plywood if need be.

At Mitchell Roofing Company, we want you to ask us all of these questions and more, because we are confident in our answers, as should any company you’re looking to hire.
Get more information on the quality products we use or read reviews from the decade of customers we have served. Call 727-288-4650