New Year. New Roof? Warning Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Roof

Many homeowners or owners of a commercial property delay putting on a new roof, partly because it’s not always the most exciting change or renovation to be making to a home or business. Let’s face it, sometimes, it’s just a lot more fun to be adding a new game room, patio, or screened-in porch to your house or updating your residential kitchen or bathroom. You can envision your family or friends enjoying themselves in, or complementing you, on the new space.

The above said, a new roof can give your home or business a whole new aesthetic, and totally update its look and feel. A new residential roof or commercial roof can also take a home or business from looking old and dated to looking more modern/current. And, even if the aforementioned isn’t a driver or reason for you to replace your residential roof or install a new commercial roof, the liability associated with an old roof should be!

So how do you know when it’s time to replace your residential roof or business roof if you’re not simply replacing it because you want to improve your property’s appearance. As residential roofing services and commercial roofing services experts with years of experience, we believe it’s time to replace your home roof or office roof when:

  • Your home or business roof shingles are:
    • cracking
    • curling at the edge
    • cupping (the center of the shingle is concave or depressed, so the tile forms a cup)
    • balding, i.e., there are spots where granules are coming off
  • Your residential or commercial roof just looks really uneven, unattractive, worn, and/or old
  • Your neighbors who built their homes at the same time as yours are replacing their roofs
  • Your house’s or business’ roof is more than 20 years old
  • And, this is the most obvious reason — your possessions and family get wet each time it rains because of a home roof leak or a commercial roof leak

We mentioned above the liability of not replacing a roof when it shows signs of needing to be. Replacing your residential roof or commercial roof, when you witness one or several of the above signs, will help you avoid:

  • potential costly damage to your home or office furnishings/possessions and any lawsuits that could arise related to the aforementioned if you are renting out a home, apartments or office space.
  • any family member, guest/visitor, or tenant getting ill or injured due to unhealthy conditions (think damp, cool, and mold-related ones), a roof collapse (from incidents such as not being able to support a large snow fall) or debris falling through your roof, and any associated lawsuits
  • increases in energy costs due to cold air or heat seeping through any holes in your roof
  • insects, rodents, and small animals, like raccoons, entering your home or office through roof holes
  • an even more costly roof replacement down-the-road because of extensive damage from delaying replacing your home or commercial roof
  • a large decrease in your property value

Still not sure whether 2020 should be the year you replace your roof or already know that is? Contact our South Shore MA roofing company/roofing contractors today for an assessment and quote.

South Shore Roofing wishes all our readers, clients, prospective clients, and friends and family a very safe, healthy, adventurous, and prosperous new year. 

 

 

Plan Now to Avoid Singing The Power-Outage Blues This Winter

It’s been two days of strong winds and snow in the New England region, as we write this post, and a good reminder to all of us living in the Region, and particularly, those living on Boston’s South Shore or in some other New England coastal area, that we should always make sure we’re well-prepared for a power outage.  Unfortunately, this somewhat common winter power-outage circumstance can leave businesses and families without heat, electricity, and/or communication services for one or many days.

Most of us hardy New Englanders and those who live on Massachusetts’ Eastern coast know how un-fun and un-safe (particularly for the elderly, young children, and those who are ill) not having power in the late fall and winter can be. Homes and businesses can get cold really quickly in our colder temps, perishable food like meat and dairy can go bad, and one can easily trip or get physically hurt for other reasons when you can’t see your way around your house or office after the sun goes down. Why not avoid, or at least minimize, all the aforementioned possible unpleasant — and potentially dangerous — impacts of a winter storm power outage by taking the following preparation steps.

Steps to Prepare for a Power Outage:

I. Ideally, weeks before a winter storm may hit and knock out power in your area:

II. In the days leading up to a predicted winter storm:

  • Think like a camper — purchase candles, flashlights, and battery-operated lanterns if you don’t already own some, and be sure you have matches and the right-sized batteries on hand for the aforementioned items. You may also want to purchase a radio if you don’t have one, and have batteries on hand for it.
  • Go nuts — if you don’t already have a decent supply, stash up on high-protein packaged items like nuts, canned goods like tuna fish, and jarred food like peanut butter that don’t require heating, and therefore, a power source. You’ll also want a good supply on hand of other non-perishable items like crackers, and a loaf or two of bread that should stay fresh for a number of days.
  • Act like a thirsty person — keep an extra supply of bottled water on hand and ask those you live with not to drink it, so it’s there when you need it!
  • Go down the family member checklist — make sure that any needs related to a family members’ physical and emotional health challenges will be met during a storm time frame when roads may not be drive-able or pharmacies open. Be sure family members have a sufficient supply of any prescription or over-the-counter medications or other treatments they may need to maintain their health.
  • Seek out the warm, comfy, cozy stuff — to prevent having to do so in the dark, identify where you’ve stored any thick blankets, sweaters, and socks for yourself and family members and consider moving them to a more accessible place. For example, if your surplus of blankets is stored in a basement closet that would require you to go down a set of stairs in the dark during a power outage, why not move them upstairs for the winter?
  • Don’t forget furry family members — make sure you have plenty of food in the house for your pets, whether they be four-legged creatures or ones that swim in a bowl or tank.
  • Fill up your tank — speaking of tanks, in case you need to vacate your home or business (that is if roads and weather conditions make it safe to travel) to stay at a shelter like a school, a friend’s or family member’s home, or a hotel, make sure you have plenty of gas in your car. And, related to cars, be sure to purchase and keep a cell phone charger that works in your car should you need to recharge your phone and are able to make it safely to your car to do so.

Our Team Of Residential Roofing Contractors Is Always Here To Help!

We’re always here to chat with you about ways to keep your roof, home, business, and family warm & safe this winter, but be sure to also check out our other “winter safety” blog posts: