Roofing Vancouver, Vancouver Roofer, Vancouver Roofing Company, Residential Roofing, Commercial Roofing

5 Tips When Hiring a Roofer

wlong — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:09:08 +0000

Where Roofs Leak

I have been in the construction business for 25 years and have spent a lot of that time repairing the damage from leaking roofs. I know all the places that they typically leak and it’s always in the details. 90 to 95 % of your roof is what we call the field. That other 5 to 10% is where 95% of the leaks occur. Especially the leaks that happen while the shingles are still new.

The Worst Roof Leaks For a Homeowner

The worst leaks are the slow ones that let enough water in to cause serious rot and mold inside the walls, but not enough to be visible on the inside right away. By the time they are noticed, a lot of damage has been done and the repairs can be formidable.

5 Ways To Hire a Roofer That Handle The Important Details

Most homeowners and even many builders don’t know how to really check the details on a roof to see that it is done properly.

Fortunately there are some ways to at least increase your chances of hiring a roofer who does pay attention to the details. Here are 5:

The most obvious one is: how did the roofer conduct himself during the estimate stage? Did he show up on time? Did he provide a written quote with all the details of the work to be done? Was his vehicle organized and clean or was it dirty and disorganized?
Did the estimator do a thorough inspection of the roof before he gave you a quote or did he just take a look from the ground? Some guys just do the estimate from their truck. That’s a very bad sign; and then you know details are the last thing on their mind.
Did they ask a lot of questions and explain a variety of options to you? There are many different roof systems, products and ways to install a roof. If you have someone who cares enough to ask all the right questions you probably have a company who cares enough to take care of the details on the installation.
Did they say anything about site protection? Stripping off an old roof is an intrusive and messy job. If care is not taken and a plan worked out before the work begins, there could be damage to your landscaping, lawns, decks, siding, etc. If site protection comes up as a topic during the estimating process this is a good sign. If it doesn’t, it is another important detail that has been ignored.
See how well they follow instructions. Ask them to do some things for you, such as break out some of the options in a certain way on the quote, or to provide literature on some of the products, or to give you addresses with a similar color shingles, etc. If they cannot follow simple instructions from you before the job is done, I would not trust them to install the roof properly on their own.

Doug Kerr

How to Find that Mystery Roof Leak

wlong — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:51:20 +0000

Have you ever had a leaking roof that you or your roofer just could not track down? More times than not, it will take significantly more time to find the source of the leak than it will to fix it.

Water can get in in a number of ways that are not obvious and then travel a good distance sideways, in the attic, walls, or ceiling cavities, before it makes itself visible inside your home. In some conditions water can even travel uphill.

Here are some tips on how to detect some of the trickiest roof leaks.

Roof Leaks After a Snow Storm

We don’t get a lot of snow in the Vancouver/ Lower Mainland area. As a result most architects don’t design the details of their roofs for snow. It’s not actually the snow itself that causes the problem. It’s when we get rain after a big snowfall.

When there is a large amount of snow (6 inches or more) on your roof or deck, or behind your chimney,
and then it starts to rain; the snow holds the water and brings the water level up to higher levels than it would in a normal rainstorm. This higher water level can bring water up

underneath flashings
in behind siding
through the bricks of chimneys
and into various other areas that the water would not go in any other condition.

This condition is made even worse when you get thawing and freezing before the big rains come, because it blocks drains and creates ice dams.

The Trick to Finding the Roof Leaks

What typically happens is your roof will leak and by the time the time the roofer gets there to find the source, the snow is gone. He looks around and cannot find anything that would leak in normal conditions.

The trick is to be able to look at the roof as if it still had a foot of soaking wet snow on it and you will be able to see a whole bunch of new areas that the leak could be coming from.

A good clue that it was a wet snow related leak – is if your roofer cannot find the leak and it never leaks again under normal rain and windstorms.

Water Testing Procedure

Sometimes, in order to find the source of a leak, you need to be able to think logically, and think ‘like a drop of water’. You need to know things like

what conditions will create capillary action
how much wind it takes to blow water up hill
how high water can splash
leaking roof repair Vancouver BC
how much volume of flow would be in a certain area of the roof during a big storm

Once you know the basics you can do some water testing with a hose on a dry day. You need two people. One person inside to watch for water ingress; and the experienced person on the hose. The three biggest mistakes that people make with water testing are:

(1) Not starting at the bottom. If you start up high and it leaks you don’t know if the leak is up where you are spraying the water or if it’s at some lower point where the water is running to.

(2) The second mistake is to spray the water in a way that would not occur in a natural rainstorm. This is why you need to know the fundamentals of how rain comes down in a storm and how it moves once it hits your home.

(3) The third most common mistake in water testing is not leaving enough time on each of the lower spots before moving higher up on the home or roof. Sometimes it takes an hour or two in a normal rain for the roof leak to become visible because of the distance the water has to travel or because the entry point of the leak is very small. Before you start water testing you should know how long it has to rain before the leak become visible.

There are other ways to detect leaks also; with moisture meters, opening up walls from the inside, and thermal imaging cameras etc. but the above methods are simple to do with just a little knowledge.

Good Luck
Doug Kerr

Roofing at 7000 ft

admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:05:30 +0000

The Absolute Roof Solutions Brand

This blog post isn’t really about roofing but about the Absolute Roof brand and what it takes to have an exceptional company.

I just got back from a cat skiing trip hosted by Kim Sedrovic, founder and owner of Fernie Wilderness Adventures (and my best friend growing up). My brother organized the trip with a half dozen of my old ski racing friends.

Kim Sedrovic and I were hardly seen apart while we were growing up in Fernie. We both had the “Hell Bent For leather” approach to life and especially for skiing and ski racing. I went on to race for Canada on the World Cup circuit as a member of the Canadian Downhill Ski Team and Kim, after a few years of racing Pro, started what has become one of the best Cat Skiing and Wilderness Adventure companies in BC.

Why the Name Absolute Roof Solutions?

This trip was revitalizing to me, and not just because I was with old friends, at the top of the world doing what we love to do, but by seeing how Kim had built up and ran Fernie Wilderness Adventures reminded me why we chose the name Absolute Roof Solutions in the first place.

The word “Absolute” is synonymous with words like unlimited, definitive, certainty, completeness, total, perfection, and supreme. These are all the things that we strive for everyday in our roofing business.

3 Things that make Fernie Wilderness Adventures “Absolute”

Kim has incredible passion for what he does. It’s not just a job for him. He really loves the outdoors and it’s not at ‘all about the money’. On his days off he does the same things he does when he is working. The only difference is that he takes clients with him to share in the adventure when he is at work.
He still has that old ski racing competitive nature. He always wants to find the best powder or catch the biggest fish for his clients. Wanting the best terrain for his clients, Kim searched for 7 years before choosing his current location. He then spent the next 15 years working out and fine tuning the best cat roads to get to the good runs and snow. The results were that I had one of my best skiing days that I have ever had, at a time when all the other ski operations around were either shut down, or suffering from poor snow, warm weather, and avalanche conditions.
The third, and probably the most important thing that inspired me, was his awesome staff. The guides, cat drivers, and lodge staff were all totally engaged. They obviously have the same passion for taking people on an adventure as Kim does. Apparently a lot of them have been there for 10 plus years, which would be why they know the terrain so well. That’s not the norm with the transient nature of employees in the guiding business.

As a business owner I really appreciated how all the staff effortlessly took care of all the details and, in fact, seemed to enjoy it. Maybe that has something to do with working at 7000 ft were all your guests are in exhilaration.

Visit Fernie Wilderness Adventures.

I hadn’t seen Kim for almost 30 years but after spending that time with him I remembered why we were so inseparable growing up. It is his “go all out, leave nothing on the table” charge to do the best job he can at what he does, and it is ABSOLUTELY Infectious!

Doug Kerr
Owner Absolute Roof Solutions
Former World Cup Skier

Putting Christmas Lights ON Your Roof

wlong — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:11:09 +0000

To put Christmas lights on your roof: is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea?

Every year at this time of year my wife makes the whole family watch that classic comedy “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, where Chevy Chase takes everything to excess.

I am not sure if she wants us to model our lives around the Griswold’s or if we already resemble them too much and she makes us watch it to lighten up a bit.

Whatever her reasons once it has been played it seems to be my cue to get out and put up the lights around the house and the yard, and the more the merrier. It’s like I’m being judged against how many lights Chevy Chase got on his roof!

Serious Roof Damage From Christmas Lights

All fun aside, putting Christmas lights actually onto your roof can cause serious damage to the shingles. In “Christmas Vacation” Chevy Chase puts them up with a staple gun. Putting staples into asphalt or fiberglass laminate shingles is not a good idea. I don’t think I have to tell you shingles don’t work very well with holes in them.

Putting small staples into thick cedar shingles is not quite as bad but it still is not good for your roof. With cedar shingles, as with any roof actually, it’s not good to be walking on them. It’s easy to crack cedar shingles, especially when they are older, just by walking on them.

On asphalt or fiberglass shingles the granules that protect the waterproof layer from the sun will get worn off by walking on them. The less anyone walks on a roof, the better. If you do have to walk on your roof for any reason, try to place your foot in the center off each shingle and not on the lower edge of the shingles where they overlap. This helps protect the shingles from damage and wear.

Roof Safety From Falls

According to a recent CBC report, 5,800 people fall off roofs each year putting up their Christmas lights. A roof is a dangerous place to be at any time of year but with the rain, frost and ice, during winter your roof is more like the in-run to a ski jump!

Professional roofers know how serious a fall from a roof can be so they are always roped. The WCB rates for roofing in general are high because when someone does fall from a roof it’s usually a very serious accident.

I’m all for Christmas lights and holiday cheer but in order to stay dry and in one piece, keep the lights off your roof.

Doug Kerr

Re-roof or Do repairs in Vancouver Winters?

wlong — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:37:04 +0000

My roof is old and leaking … should I just repair it now and re-roof in the spring or can it be re-roofed during Vancouver’s rainy season? Which way will cost more?

Well the answers depend on what type of roof you have. Here are the things you need to consider.

Flat Roof

If your home or building has a very large flat roof then you probably want to put it off until the better weather. This is because it’s hard to make a flat roof watertight at the end of each day during the re-roofing process. If it is a large roof the crews have more daylight to work in the summer and will have an easier time getting it to a watertight stage at the end of the day. In this case it would make sense to just do the necessary repairs in the winter and do the re-roof in the spring

If your flat roof is smaller or has a gentle slope like you see on the “Vancouver Special” homes then it is not problem to re-roof in the winter. It can easily be completely waterproofed at the end of the day.

It can save you money it you don’t have to pay for repairs in the winter and then do the re-roof job in the spring.

Sloped Roofs

Most sloped roofs can be done at any time of year. They are usually easily kept water tight during the process. If your sloped roof is leaking during the rainy season, it makes sense to re-roof it right then and not have to pay for repairs, then the full re-roofing cost in the spring.

The only time that you may want to put off the replacing the roof until the spring is if you have a very difficult high roof with lots of angles and valleys, and many layers of old shingles on a roof deck that needs to be rebuilt. If this is the case it could be too difficult to be efficient in the rainy season. In this scenario you may be better off doing the necessary repairs now and re-roofing in the spring.

General Rules About Re-roofing

It is less money to just do the re-roof than to repair now and replace the roof later

If an old roof has leaked once it could leak again before you get a chance to put a completely new roof on

Most roofers will not warrantee a repair on an old roof

Even though roofing can take a little longer in the winter the cost is not more expensive because the roofers are generally not as busy and the pricing is more competitive

It is better to replace a roof before it leaks, rather than after it leaks and causes damage in your home

Most homes can be re-roofed at any time of year

I hope this helps.
Doug Kerr
President, Absolute Roof Solutions

The Importance of Ventilation When Replacing Your Roof

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:14:15 +0000

Roof ventilation is a tricky subject but it is very important to consider when doing a roof replacement.

What is Roof Ventilation?

In a nutshell, roofing ventilation means allowing air to flow into and out of your attic area. The ultimate goal is to have the temperature of your attic to be as close to the temperature outside as possible.

Some people get the idea that you should insulate your attic and keep it sealed up. This is incorrect. You want your home to be sealed and insulated, but your attic should have nice open airflow at all times.

This allows hot air to escape in the summer, keeping the attic cooler. And in the winter it keeps the roof surface cold. The reason you want the roof cold in the winter is that if the roof is warm, when it snows, the snow on the roof melts, and then freezes again when it gets to the edges, causing “Ice Dams” which can send water backwards, up through the shingles.

Older Homes Need Roof Ventilation

Most modern homes are built with roof ventilation in mind so it is not a concern. Where it becomes a very major concern is when you convert an older home from a cedar roof to an asphalt roof. There is a lot of this type of roof replacement done in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland so this comes up a lot.

A cedar roof doesn’t require ventilation because the cedar can breathe on its own.

When you take off the cedar and put on plywood and asphalt shingles you have very tightly sealed that roof so there will be no air flow. You have to put in intake ventilation at the bottom and exhaust ventilation at the top. There are numerous ways of doing this and many products available, but what is important is that your roofer is aware of the need to ventilate and discusses your options with you.

Some Roofers Will Not Tell You About Ventilation

You see, technically ventilation falls under the responsibility of the architect and not the roofer, so many roofers just ignore it and do not provide ventilation. But (and this is very important) a lack of ventilation will void your warranty. That’s right, on the majority of warranty calls for shingle failure the representative of the manufacturer will not even have to get out of his car to tell you that you have a lack of ventilation and therefore no warranty. That’s it. Done. That is the end of your warranty.

A Cautionary Tale

I have seen a home next door to a house we were working on with almost-new, triple-thick top of the line shingles. But I could see from fifty feet away that his shingles were wearing out fast and that the cause was lack of ventilation. His costly investment in top-tier shingles with the long term warranty was being wasted for a lack of maybe $100 worth of ventilation.

I don’t know if his installer never told him he needed to ventilate or if he was told and didn’t want to worry about it, but there is no way the manufacturer would honour the warranty with the ventilation as it was.

Converting From Cedar Roof to Asphalt Shingle Roof

Ventilation is a tricky thing to work out and many roofers will just skip it and not bring it up. If you are converting from cedar to asphalt then make sure you take this subject up with your roofer. A little extra money spent will go far towards making the roof last.

Doug Kerr

Tech Tips

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:44:39 +0000

Pitched or Steep Roofs:

1. Keep roof surface as clean as possible.
2. Have a formal inspection every 2-3 years. Increase to every year if getting old.
3. Gutters should be cleaned twice a year.
4. Include the chimney with the inspections.
5. Built in gutters should be inspected at all seams, drains and corners.
6. Caulking should be checked and resealed when cracks or failing starts (ex. At vents, flashing, nail heads etc.)

Flat or Low Slope Roofs:

1. Keep roof surface clean at the drains.
2. Keep petroleum products off membrane.
3. Keep foot traffic to a minimum.
4. Use a soft corn broom or blower to remove debris.
5. Have a formal inspection every 2-3 years.
6. Have heavy snow fall removed by a professional.
7. Gutters should be cleaned twice a year.

Top Five Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Asphalt Shingle Roof

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:46:35 +0000

A Little Knowledge Can Save You Money

While there is no substitute for the opinion of an experienced professional, having a little knowledge about what to look for will help you make an informed choice about what action to take.

No one can predict exactly when a roof will start to fail and leak, but there are signs you can look for that show it’s time to start thinking about replacement:

Missing Granules from the Asphalt

Missing granules: viewed from the ground this looks like dark patches (or lighter patches if the shingles are black). What you are looking at are patches on the shingles where the granules have fallen off.You will also notice large amounts of granules in the gutters when you clean them. The granules themselves are not responsible for waterproofing so if they are missing you won’t necessarily get leaks, but the granules protect the asphalt in the shingle from being damaged by the UV rays of the sun. So once they go, the shingles will wear out faster.

Curling Shingles

Curling: This is a result of the drying and shrinking of the asphalt in the shingles. There is no going back from this and it means that the shingles are becoming brittle and will begin to blow off in high winds. If this is widespread on your roof then it is a definite sign that it is getting to the end of its life.

Moss on a Shingle Roof

Abundant Moss: Moss growth on shingles doesn’t necessarily mean that shingles are old or worn out, particularly if it is only in one area. Often it can be simply cleaned

However, if the growth is widespread and abundant then it will begin to damage the shingles. It can get under the shingles and start to lift them up. If moss is taken care of early, then it won’t affect the roof. But if it is left to grow unchecked it will damage and prematurely shorten the life of a roof.

How Old is Your Shingle Roof?

Age: This is one important factor to consider when deciding if you need a simple roof repair or a full roof replacement. It is an unfortunate fact that the older styles of asphalt shingles do not last as long as their warranties would indicate.

In my experience most old-style asphalt roofs start to fail at around 14 years. If your roof is between 18 – 20 years old then you have attained a good amount of life out of it, and it is probably time to replace it. But this factor needs to be considered along with the other points on the list. If your roof is 20 years old but shows no other signs of wear and tear, then good! Keep going and see how much life you can get out of it!

Asphalt Shingles Blown Off the Roof

Shingles in the yard! This is a definite sign of the end!

It means that shingles have dried, curled, and cracked. Obviously, if the shingles are in your yard then they aren’t on your roof! So when you start to see this it is time to call the professionals.

Use these points to make your own evaluation of your roof. If you see one or more of these happening then it is time to call in the professionals for an evaluation. Being proactive can save you a lot of money in the long run by avoiding very expensive water damage repairs.

-Doug Kerr

Should I Replace My Roof Before I Sell My Home?

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:43:51 +0000

This is one question that comes up a lot. Your roof is getting on in years but you are planning to sell in the near future. Is it better to let the next guy deal with it or should you take care of it yourself?

Well there are a few things to consider. For one thing you should know that any sensible home buyer is going to have a home inspection done before buying. And any home inspector worth a darn is going to take a good hard look at that roof. He is working for the potential buyer and he is going to make sure he finds every possible problem. That’s his job.

Then the buyer is definitely going to bring up any problems the inspector found in the negotiating process. And their game will be to use any problems against you when settling on a final price.

Roof Replacement Assessment

Most roofing companies will offer an evaluation of the condition of your current roof.

If you choose a reputable company, they will give you an honest appraisal and you will have some idea of what a home inspector will say.

If there are just a few minor details needing repair, rather than a general problem with the age of the roof, then the roofing contractor can take care of those before the buyer does his inspection. This will save you money and trouble in the long run.

Controlling the Cost of a Re-roof

If the roof does need to be replaced you can control the cost by doing it before you sell by choosing the right type of roofing material and the right contractor. If you leave it up to the new buyer then they will want to take as big a bite out of the asking price as they can, leaving you with little control of the final hit to your bottom line.

Curb Appeal

The other major consideration when deciding whether or not to replace the roof is the legendary “Curb Appeal!”

The roof is often the most visible feature of a house from the street. If not the most then it is certainly in the top two or three. Nothing will make a home appear old and unappealing faster than a cracked, dirty, broken, flakey roof. Old roofs look dingy and give the home the appearance of being run-down. And these are not things you want the potential buyer to think when they get out of the car and see your home for the first time.

Have a look at these before and after photos here… and you can see how dramatic the difference is. Having a brand new roof on your home will really make it pop out and look new and well cared for.

Even if the roof is in good physical condition you may want to consider cleaning the roof to get it looking nice again. I have seen nearly-brand-new roofs with one big algae stain that ruins the whole appearance.

Find a roofing company you trust and get them to come out and give you an evaluation. Then you will know what the buyers’ inspector will likely say. Also, just take a look at it yourself. Does it detract from your home or not. On the west side of Vancouver where homes sell for 2 million plus, I think they should at least look good from the street.

Doug Kerr

Roof Repairs in Vancouver

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:42:27 +0000

Cedar roof repairs, Asphalt roof repairs, Flat roof repairs

Well here we are again in Vancouver’s rainy season. Funny how it always feels like summer will last forever isn’t it? The weeks of hot dry weather can make it feel like you will never need to worry about heating, insulating or keeping the water out of your home. In fact, you worry more about how to keep cool!

But every year it comes sloshing back in, the sullen grey reminder that, beautiful as it is, we live in a Canadian rainforest. And with that comes the pressing need to keep our home dry.

Cracks and Roof Weak Points

When the rains come back after a long hot summer they often find new cracks and weak points in the roof and sneak their way into your nice cozy home. There is no uglier reminder of this than that spreading stain on the ceiling or the drip on your head in the middle of the night.

Once the water is making its way in, there is a pressing need to get it taken care of right away. The longer it goes unchecked the worse the damage is and the greater the cost of internal repairs. Many home owners panic and try to get their roof replaced right away. Trying to get your roof done in a rush can lead to higher costs, going with a sub-standard contractor because he was the only one available to do the job right away (why wasn’t he already busy, one wonders).

Not All Leaks Need a Roof Replacement

Well the truth is that many roofs that leak do not need to be replaced right away. In fact even a brand new roof can have a leak. Roofs have many nooks and crannies, corners and details, and these are the spots that tend to leak. It is very rare, in fact, to have water penetrate directly through the shingles. It is almost always something like a bit of missing caulking, an improperly done flashing or an exposed nail head. Or in the case of roofs which are beginning to age, a broken or blown-off shingle. You can often get several more leak-free years out of your roof by simply repairing the one problem area.

Some unscrupulous contractors will use the fact that you have a leak and are in a panic to pressure you into doing a whole roof replacement when it really isn’t needed. A good contractor with a good long-term reputation knows that, in the long run, it is better for everyone to just give an honest assessment of the condition of the roof. You feel better because the contractor has saved you thousands of dollars and extended the life of your roof, and the smart contractor knows that he’ll get your business in two years (or longer) because he was honest. It’s just good karma!

Why to Call a Respected Roofing Contractor

So that is why it is important, when you have a leak and are in a panic; call a respectable roofing company with a good long-term reputation. Many have 24 hour emergency response lines. They are more likely to give you an honest assessment of the condition of your roof and possibly help you to postpone that major cost. And who couldn’t use a break like that once in a while?

Wishing you dry days and nights.

Doug Kerr