This Sawyer Michigan roof and gutter cover project began as a simple leak around the soil pipe on the north side of the house. Our office received a phone call requesting that we perform an inspection to determine where the leak originated.
Upon arriving at the customer’s home we sat down and interviewed the customer. During our discussion we disclosed our qualifications, which included our license, insurance, manufacturer certifications and our 5 Star roofing review certifications from our customers. We then thoroughly discussed the history of the leak, inspected the water damage in the interior of the home including the attic. We then performed a roof inspection and noticed a small hole in the old soil pipe boot and sealed it for the homeowner. As Roofing Contractors in Sawyer Michigan anytime we get on a roof we perform a brief inspection of the entire roof and take numerous photos so that we can show the homeowner what we visually saw while on the roof so that the see what we saw.
In this case we first reported to the homeowner that we had found the leak and sealed the soil pipe boot as a courtesy. We then proceeded to show and discuss the other areas of the roof and gutter system and inform the homeowner that they should probably begin the process of thinking about replacing the existing roof.
Less than two weeks later the homeowner called to request a formal detailed inspection along with an estimate to replace the roof. Our inspection and estimate routine consists of again sitting down and disclosing our credentials and discussing the history of the roof. We talk about when the original roof was installed including any subsequent roofs. We also cover if there have been any other leaks in the history of the home as well as an areas that experiences ice build up or ice dams. We also discuss anything on the exterior of the home that may need extra protection during the roof removal process including the staging area for the material so as to minimize the interference with the homeowner’s normal routine.
We then perform an attic, under-eave and on the roof inspection. Our attic inspection includes check the quality and depth of the attics insulation. We look for any mold, mildew, soiled wood or any sign of water infiltration. We also determine if the area under the roof deck where the trusses meet the walls of the house are not blocked by insulation and are in fact open to the soffit overhang areas of the attic.
Our exterior roof inspection includes checking and measuring the soffit areas and specifically paying close attention to the under-eave intake vents and taking the measurements of the attic to determine the proper venting requirements of the new roof in order to validate the new shingles warranty.
We also check the gutter system to ensure proper pitch, check for loose downspouts, leaky seams and while on the roof to make sure that they are repairable, in good working order and would we need to recommend that a gutter protection system be installed to ensure proper water drainage and the eliminate the danger of climbing ladders by the homeowner to keep them clean.
While on the roof we count the layers of shingles, walk the edges of the roof if the pitch of the roof will allow it to determine and find the location of any bad wood. We check all roof protrusions such as soil pipes, chimneys, and existing roof exhaust vents, skylights, satellite dish mounting brackets and TV antennas. We also determine if there is any life left in the existing shingles, any areas where mold, mildew and algae stains are present.
During our inspection we take digital photos of everything we see as a concern and that should be brought to the attention of the homeowner.
A few days later we return at the appointed time and thoroughly discuss the new roof process with the homeowner beginning with reviewing our findings in the attic, under the eave areas and what we found on the roof including the status of the gutter system.
Our review with the homeowner, which typically takes less than 90 minutes depending on the size of the project and how many questions, the homeowner has. The homeowner at this meeting decided based on our qualifications, Angieslist.com reviews, and our 5 Star ratings from our customers to move forward with the project.
On this project located in Sawyer Michigan we removed the old roof, replaced the bad wood we found, swept and cleaned the roof deck and installed CertainTeed’s Winter Guard ice and water shield on the first six feet of all eave edges and installed the product around all roof penetrations including valleys and where the lower roofs meet the walls of the home. On the balance of the roof we installed CertainTeed’s Diamond Deck synthetic felt and the LandMark Pro shingles and recommended to the homeowner that we install the Pewter color in order to enhance the look of the roof and bring some of the color of the siding on the walls up on to the roof. We upgraded the new roofs ventilation system with CertainTeed’s ridge vent with an external baffle and installed AirVents The Edge Vent.
And finally, we cleaned out, tuned-up the homeowners gutter system and install Gutter Covers Internationals the Leaf Solution in order to keep the gutter system free-flowing and control the cost of the entire project.
