Major Winter Storm In New Jersey Has Home Owner’s Panicking

Roofing and Siding water leaks have uncovered major RED FLAGS in their installer’s workmanship. “Low Cost” roofing providers are now being tested. Are they standing by their warranties? Did they cut corners?

“Most expensive roof project is the one you buy twice”

New Jersey was recently hit with the worst snow storm I can remember in the last 20 years. This was followed with sub-zero temperatures freezing melting snow into blocks of ice. The warmth from the interior of the home has melted the snow closerest to the roof shingles, only to refreeze the snow closer to the exterior. This has left a standing pool of water unable to escape, and penetrating the roof decking into the home.

Now comes the caveat; You just replaced your roof several years ago, and you have experienced a water leak near the edge of your drywall closer to the exterior wall. Why did this happen? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you got hosed by your former roofing contractor. They may do roofs for a living, but don’t understand or care to understand the science behind roofing. Sometimes they dangle that low price in front of you, hoping you bite. What they didn’t tell you is “what they chopped out of that estimate” to get get you to that price. Maybe they didn’t do that drip edge that costs $250, or maybe they decided you don’t need ice & water shield?

Now I may not be able turn back time, and prevent a home owner from making this choice, but I may be able to inform new roofing customers what to look for in a new roofing system.

I’m proud to say, none of my clients experianced a roof leak during this storm, nor do I expect any. We simply do the right thing, or we part ways. Blue Apex Home Improvement will not comprise a quality install in order to make a fast buck. We want to do the right thing, EVERY TIME.

Why is my roofing leaking now?

Ice damming is when warm air from inside the attic heats up the snow causing it to melt. On the edge of the roof near the soffits is the coldest part of the roof, and the snow melts there slowly. This causes water from above to be trapped near the edge of the roof for extended periods of time. That water has to go somewhere, and more than likely, its inside your home.

We are going to focus on 5 things that would have prevented this situation from occurring.

1) Lack of Ice and Water Shield:

• Every roofer knows they need to put ice and water shield down on the eaves of the roof, but a lot of them don’t know why. The code is it must extend 2’ into the interior wall cavity. The problem is the rolls come in 3’ rolls. They usually lay one roll down and call it a day, but what if you have extended 2’ wide soffits? That means it only extends 1’ into the interior wall, and you are not protected. This product isn’t cheap either. The right thing to do is to install a double layer 6’ up the roof to make sure you are protected. This will seal all nail holes from your roofing shingle. Also another consideration is the side walls. Heat emanates from there, so a roll of ice and water shield near the sidewalls will protect your home as well.

2) Not changing step flashing/side walls flashing:

• I’ve seen roofers say they are only responsible for their shingles, and won’t warranty the sidewall flashing. That is extremely foolish training of thought. The client hired you to solve a water management system, not a pretty roof. Any warranty from a roofer that doesn’t cover sidewall flashing, you can throw in the garbage. Stay away from these people, because nothing will ever be their fault.

3) Not installing drip edge around the perimeter of the roof:

• This is cut and dry here. The contractor is cheating you. This is required by building code. This prevents water from slipping behind your fascia, rolling back behind your soffits, and into your home. About 50% of home I see, do not have proper drip edge around the perimeter of their roof.

4) Not Having proper Roof Ventilation:

• The attic should mimic the exterior temperature, and proper ventilation will close that gap to a minimal. That means having proper soffit intake ventilation, and proper ridge/box vent exhaust. Most roofer don’t check the intake vents, or even check to see if they are blocked by insulation. Making sure you have baffles in the attic, so air flow isn’t impeded is critical. You want the snow to melt evenly.

5) Not enough attic insulation:

• I can’t blame a roofer here, as it’s not usually what they do. You want to have at least an R-38 or higher of attic insulation so you minimize heat loss in the home. That heat and moisture inside the home escapes into the attic, and causes all sorts of problems with mold or ice damming. After you get a roof done, you should maybe invest in some attic insulation as well.

Quality, Care, and Knowledge is the key to a quality roof installation.

If you would like more information, please give us a call and we would be happy to share our knowledge with you.

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We service all of Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean, Mercer, Burlington, and Somerset Counties in New Jersey. Happy Hunting, and we are here to service all your local roof repairs, roof installations, and consulatations.