Hail Damage to Overland Park roof
Let’s say a hail storm comes through Overland Park and hits your house, how do you determine if you have hail damage or not? Do you walk outside and look up at your roof to see if anything looks out of place? How do you know what to look for on your roof? What does hail damage look like? Above is a picture of what hail damage did to an Overland Park, KS home this past spring. As you can see it looks like someone hit a bunch of golfs at your roof. What will happen to your roof over the next couple of years is that the granuals of your shingles will start to come off which will allow your shingle to breakdown and deteriorate over time. Leaving your roof exposed. What do you do? Here are a couple of steps to take when you think that you have hail damage on your home.
1) Call your insurance company. They will probably suggest having a roofing company come out to inspect your roof before filing an insurance claim. If it is a no brainer hail storm then they will have you skip the inspection process and go directly into filing a claim.
2) File an insurance claim. The insurance company will issue a claim # and issue you a property adjustor to come out and take a look at your property. Here it pays to have a local roofing contractor that is experienced in insurance claims be at your property at the same time so that they can have 2 pairs of eyes on your claim.
3) Hire a LOCAL roofing company. I shouldn’t have to elaborate on this but I have seen this too many times. People will hire an out of town company and once they are done and collected you will never see them again. So what do you do if you roof leaks or was installed wrong? That is when you are stuck. Just hire LOCAL.
4) Let you local roofing contractor look at your insurance scope to verify that your insurance company caught all of the damaged areas. What do I mean by this? Adjusters do a good job but they see multiple claims a day and sometimes they might not get everything that they would have at the beginning of the day. By having you contractor look at the scope of work they can go back to the insurance company and work with them on any items missed. Let’s be honest, do you have the time or experience to deal with the insurance companies? A reptutable local company will take care of you like American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
Once you have everything worked out with the insurance company then it is time to begin repairing your home and getting it back to pre-storm condition.
These are just some steps in determining if your Overland Park home has hail damage.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Leawood home in need of Roof Repair
With the hail storm that came through Leawood and southern Johnson County this passed spring your roof probably needs to be repaired or even replaced. Why do you ask? If you are noticing a lot of granuals coming out of your gutters during or after a rain or if you notice any wood shake shingles blown off or on the ground then your roof needs some help. If you are noticing granuals coming out of your gutter downspouts that means that your roof has been beat up by the hail and the integrity of the shingle will start to decrease in performance. What I mean by that is that your roof will not immediately show the effects of the hail damage but it will over the next couple years show signs of deteriotation and the life expectancy of the shingle could be cut in half. What we recommend is that you have an experienced Local contractor come out to inspect your roof and inform you of the steps you should take to get your roof back into shape. Once you get your direction the rest is down hill if you have a local contractor that you can trust and usually a word of mouth referral is a good place to start.
For the wood shake roofs that have the damaged shingles that have blown off, these roofs are a little more time sensitive because the shakes provides most of the protection from leaks into your home so you would want to repeat the above steps and contact your local contractor to help you. We are a local company and do offer inspections and roof repairs for homes in Leawood so give American Roofing & Renovations Inc. a call.
913-706-8710 www.CountOnAmerican.com
Kansas City roof damaged from hail
Your home in Overland Park, Leawood, Shawnee, or Kansas City just got hail damaged from a hail storm, what do you do know? The first thing would be to call your insurance company and they will issue you an adjuster for the property and a claim #. That is the easy part. Next, you will need to find a LOCAL roofing contractor to help you with the claim. This blog is to help you navigate through the insurance process because more than likely you have never filed an insurance claim before and you probably wouldn’t have any idea if the amount that the insurance company has given you is the right amount or not. This is my recommendation from past experiences.
Once you have chosen your local contractor then set up a time to meet and go over the insurance scope together. Then you both have an understanding of what the insurance company is covering and what it is not. Did they miss something or did they get it all right the first time. Most insurance companies use the same software estimation program that your local contractors use so the pricing is going to be almost exactly the same. What that means to you is that your local contractor already has a firm idea of what the job is going to cost to restore your home back to pre-storm condition so there is no need in hiding the insurance scope and amounts from anyone. Now I say this because of a couple reasons.
It is our job to make sure that you are getting everything you are deserved from the insurance company and if they left out a few items for your roof that needs to be added to ensure a proper roof install then your contractor will need to go back to the insurance company and get those items and your additional money.
Secondly, there is a thing called recoverable depreciation which most homeowners overlook. This is a predetermined amount of money that is only recovered once the work is completed and invoiced out for the agreed upon amount from the insurance company. For example, if your insurance says that your claim is $9000 and your first check is only $5000, leaving $4000 to recover. $1000 of that is your deductible so you will receive the remaining $3000 for a total claim amount of $8000. More than likely depending upon your policy you have more money to invoice out for, so don’t pick the cheapest bid to do your roof because you will end up with poor installation and problems down the road.
Also, if you do not spend the full insurance amount you do not get to keep the extra money! The insurance company will adjust the final monies as needed.
If you follow these guidelines for help with repairing hail damage on your home in Overland Park, Leawood, Kansas City, Shawnee, then you will have your home back to normal in no time at all.
Your Home Exterior Improvement Company
DECRA Stone Coated Steel Roof
There was and there still is a number of homes that had their roofs damaged by hail in Overland Park, KS.
How did we at American Roofing & Renovations Inc. help get homeowner’s houses back to normal or even improved? There were a few steps that had to be taken first before we could put back the pieces of the puzzle that the hail destroyed this past spring. First we needed to make sure that the insurance companies had everything right on their assessment. Once that was established we worked with the insurance company to see what kind of discounts would be applied to the homeowners if they went with certain roofing products that could withstand or protect against future hail damage. DECRA stone coated roofing systems is by far the best option that you could go with as a homeowner because it will by outlast any other impact resistant shingles on the market. The reason why is that it is made out of 26 gauge steel and it is mechanically fastened to your roofs decking vs. nailed like the shingle installations. This protects against high wind blow offs and offers superior durability that lasts for years to come. DECRA stone coated steel roofing systems is the last roof that you will ever have to put on your home. American Roofing & Renovations Inc. is one of the Local companies that helped fix the hail damaged houses throughout Overland Park, KS.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Do you find it hard to find a dependable quality roofing contractor in Kansas City. Or even a quality contractor in general? Well, here are some tips to help you narrow down your search in finding quality roofing contractor or contractor in Kansas City.
Look at their appearance, are they dirty, grungy, show up in a beat up truck, what are their communication skills like, etc.
When they give you a proposal is it on a piece of notebook paper or is it printed out on company letterhead.
Do they provide you with a copy of their insurance.
Some people ask for references but more than likely if a someone has referred them then you shouldn’t have to worry about it because why would someone refer someone that is bad to you.
Price is not always the driving force when making a decision to replace your roof or have any work done on your home. Of course price is an important part of the decision making process but making sure that the products used on your house and the installation process is the most important factor. This is your roof and you do not want to skimp on it. It is what keeps you and your belongings safe and dry from Mother Nature.
Clean up after the days work is huge. If there is trash throughout the yard or working area at days end then that could be a sign of laziness on the job site.
Then timeliness is the other key factor. If someone tells you it is going to be done in a week then it should be done it a week unless something crazy has happened.
These are just some helpful tips in helping you choose the best Kansas City roofing contractor and General Contractor around.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Don't Do It Yourself, Call Your Local Roofing Company
Are you a homeowner? Do you attempt certain projects to try and save some money, which instead ends up costing more money because you had to call in a professional to take care of it? I am not saying that I haven’t done the same thing and I have learned from my mistakes. For example, I am not a car mechanic so if something goes wrong with my truck I am not going to try get under the hood and start tearing stuff apart because it would never go back together the same way that it came out.
Same applies to every project there is around the house. Not only are some of the tasks dangerous (i.e. electricity and trying to be an electrician) but you could get seriously hurt (i.e. falling off a roof). That is why we are here. We specialize in the exterior remodeling of your home. From roofs, to wood rot, to James Hardie siding, to house painting, to gutters, we can do it. Follow us on our blog to get industry updates, product innovations, and some tips/guidelines when going through a home project.
Call us for your Overland Park, Leawood, Kansas City, Shawnee, Lenexa, roofing or wood rot project.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
DECRA Shake XD stone coated steel roof installation in Olathe, KS
This is a wood shake roof was damaged by a hail storm in Olathe, KS and the roof installation of a DECRA stone coated steel roofing system that will not be affected by hail ever again.
Are you thinking about getting a new roof on your home in Overland Park, KS? If so, then you have have some important decisions to be made. What do I mean by this? Well, first off you have to determine who you are going to use to replace your roof on your home. This is probably one of the most important decisions because what if you choose wrong? Then you could end up with a roof that was not properly installed, leaks everytime it rains, and it just does not look right when you see it from the street. But, if you make the right decision on your roofing company then you are a facing less headaches to deal with. Here are some things to look for in your search for a roofing company to take on your home project.
1) Is the company local? This is a huge part of making the selection process because if this company is just a fly by night operation or if it is what we call storm chasers then more than likely once your roof is put on, you will not see them again. This is what we call the “Tail light warranty” because once they are gone all you are going to see of them again was their tail lights.
2) Where did you get the companies name from? Was it a referral or was it just happy pointing in the phone book? The power of referrals is amazing because if you are getting a referral for a company then whoever gives you that referral has already experienced their services and they would not refer someone if they were not completely satisfied.
3) Do they have insurance? This is huge because what if they burn your house down? Now that is a little extreme but you want to make sure that your house and you are covered in a case like this.
4) What kind of products are they wanting to put on your house? Replacing your roof is a big project and you want to make sure that the materials that is being installed on your home will last awhile. What do I mean by that? You want to make sure that the products being used on your home are quality products with name brand suppliers that offer genuine warranties and back up their products. For example, GAF manufactures a ton of different shingles like Timberline and they stand behind their products. So don’t get shorted on quality products because your roof is what helps keep out Mother Nature.
5) The installation process! This is huge. You want to make sure that they are properly installing your roof so that you don’t have problems down the road. Flashings are huge and so is the type of underlayment used because this is what keeps out moisture from entering your house.
These are the top 5 things to look for when making the important decision to put a roof on your home in Overland Park, KS or the Kansas City area.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Overland Park roof installation in progress
Kansas City Roofing Basics
This blog today is to give you the homeowner a list for the basic components for roofing your house in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood, Shawnee, Lenexa, and other surrounding cities.
First you have to decide if you are in need of a new roof.
Once you decide that you are in need of a roof replacement then you have to pick a roofing company. How do you do that? Well, I can suggest 2 key components in your search for a roofing company in the Kansas City area.
One, it should be a Local company that does the work on your house because if you hire an out of town company to do your roof then you might as well kiss your warranty and hope of having your roof fixed if an issue arises. That company will be long gone back to the state that you they came from and then you are stuck with a malfunctioning roof on your home.
Two, word of mouth referrals. Word of mouth referrals is how we at American Roofing & Renovations Inc. get a lot of our business. Why is word of mouth referrals a good choice? The reason is that it takes all of the guess work out of trying to find a roofing company that may or may not know what they are doing. Your friends, family, or co-workers have already given them a test drive on their home projects so if they trust and like the company they would pass that information on to you. Here are some key components in a roofing system
Roofing Basics:
1) tear off the existing roof, you never want to overlay because you don’t know if the person who installed the roof before you did it correctly or not and also most city codes are not allowing an overlay of your existing roof anymore.
2)Install at least a 30# felt underlayment. They do make a 15# underlayment but in my opinion you might as well put down a piece of notebook paper instead because that is how thin that underlayment is. There are some synthetic underlayments out there that are great to work with. We prefer to use GAF’s Tiger Paw breathable synthetic underlayment because it is very durable and easy to work with.
3) Ice/Water shield: this is a protective barrier that helps protect from ice and snow damming along your eaves, chimney, and valley areas.
4) Drip edge: This gives the shingles something to adhere to and it keeps the water out from wicking back underneath the shingles.
5) Starter course: This starter course is what allows the shingles to adhere and helps seal the roof along the eaves.
6) Shingles: what type of shingle do you want to go with? There are multiple options by this point. Pick one you like and are comfortable with and go with it.
7) Ventilation: there are several options from box vents, turbines, ridge vent, and so on but if you do not have adequate soffit vents then it doesn’t matter what kind of vents you install. It will not vent anyway. Make sure to have adequate soffit vents.
Flashings: we install all new pipe flashings and new metal flashings around skylights, step walls, and chimneys.
10) Hip/Ridge cap: This is the hat for your house don’t settle for the standard 3 tab ridge which is a 60 MPH wind rated hip/ridge cap. Spend a little more $ and get the High Definition hip/ridge cap like Z Ridge or Timbertex which is made by GAF.
These are some of the roofing basics to look for in the Kansas City area and surrounding cities such as Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, etc.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
Wood Rot terrorizes Overland Park home
Above is a picture of wood rot on a home in Overland Park, KS in need of repair. The key in preventing wood rot from coming back is Preparation. What do I mean by that? If you have not had your house painted in the last 5 years, doesn’t matter if your home is new or not it probably needs a prep and paint job. You see when most of the homes that were built within the last 7 to 12 years were just slapped together using cheap caulking, inferior siding, cheap windows, etc. which has lead to this wood rot problem throughout Kansas City. It doesn’t matter where you live throughout Johnson County wood rot is apparent. The only way to eliminate and/or cut down on it is detail on the preparation before we paint your house. Our process starts with removing all of the wood rot on the home and replacing with composite products like Ecotrim that will never rot again. Then, you seal up the home with 65 year caulking through out the entire home leaving areas to channel water and get out and away from your home so that it will not sit there and be soaked up by your siding, etc. Once that is established then providing a good coat of Sherwin Williams painting products will ensure that your house is ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at your house for the next 5 to 7 years. That is our recommendation here at American Roofing & Renovations Inc. is that every 5 to 7 years after you have prepped your house, have an inspection done to make sure everything is sealed and/or to see if it is ready for paint again. That is the key to whipping wood rot. The other alternative is to replace your siding with James Hardie fiber cement siding and making your exterior maintenance free. Stay tuned on my other posts for more on James Hardie fiber cement products. That is the basics for wood rot repair on your home in Kansas City.
American Roofing & Renovations Inc.
913-706-8710
www.CountOnAmerican.com
