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Leaks & Service Repairs

757-399-3066 ext 3 (Leaks & Service Repairs)

Reroof Estimates & Inspections

757-399-3066 ext 1 (Reroof Estimates & Inspections)

Tag: gutter cleaning

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Category: Andrews Roofing, Architectural Shingles, Metal Roof, Residential Roofing, Roof Installation, Roof Warranty

Understanding Roofing Warranties: A Guide for Hampton Roads Homeowners

At Andrews Roofing, we’ve been serving the Hampton Roads community for decades, so we’ve handled hundreds of roofing warranty claims and know exactly what to expect given our local climate and the standard coverage by most manufacturers.

Whether you’re considering architectural asphalt shingles, metal roofing, or innovative recycled Enviroshake products, understanding your warranty is crucial to protecting your investment. Here’s what you need to know.

Manufacturer vs. Workmanship Warranties

Most roofing materials come with a manufacturer’s warranty, which covers defects in the materials themselves. However, these warranties often require that the materials be installed by a certified and licensed roofing contractor to remain valid. If an unqualified installer handles your roof, you could lose your warranty protection altogether.

On the other hand, workmanship warranties are sometimes offered by the roofing company itself and cover errors in installation. These warranties can vary widely between contractors, so when getting a repair or roof replacement estimate, make sure you ask what is covered and for how long, and make sure you’re not talking to a fly-by-night company that’s here today, gone tomorrow.

Roofing Material-Specific Warranties

Different roofing materials come with different warranty terms, so when considering what type of material and which brand to go with, consider this information as well. An experienced estimator or sales associate at a professional roofing company should be able to explain the specific warranty details of any material they install.

  • Architectural Asphalt Shingles: Offer enhanced durability and can come with warranties lasting 30 to 40 years, presuming they are installed by a certified roofer; however, coverage may be prorated over time.
  • Metal Roofing: Generally comes with warranties ranging from 40 to 50 years, with some premium options offering lifetime coverage. But keep in mind that color and finish warranties may be different from the terms of the structural warranty. Our standard factory applied paint finish warranty for metal roofing is 30 years, but this could vary depending on your installer.
  • Recycled Enviroshake Products: Often carry warranties of 50 years or more due to their eco-friendly, durable composition. Again, proper installation is key to ensuring full coverage.

The Role of Regular Maintenance

Even with a strong warranty, homeowners are typically responsible for regular maintenance to keep their roof in good condition. Neglecting maintenance, such as cleaning gutters, removing debris, and inspecting for minor damage, could void your warranty. Some warranties may also require periodic professional inspections to remain in effect.

What’s Not Covered

Many homeowners assume their warranty will cover any roof-related issue, but that’s often not the case. Most warranties do not cover:

  • Damage from extreme weather, such as hurricanes, hail, or falling trees
  • Improper installation by uncertified or unlicensed contractors
  • Poor ventilation or structural issues related to the home’s design

Out-of-Pocket Costs for Repairs

If a defect is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, the material cost may be included, but labor to replace the defective product is often not. Alternatively, workmanship warranties from your contractor may cover installation-related issues, but they typically don’t include material defects. Depending on your situation, homeowners may need to pay labor costs, disposal fees, and other expenses associated with a warranty claim. Be sure to ask about these costs up front before the repair or replacement begins. Any other items not covered under a warranty are often left to the homeowner to pay out of pocket unless the damage is substantial enough to pursue an insurance claim, which we are happy to advise on and assist our clients with when needed.

Andrews Roofing Can Help

A good roofing warranty can provide peace of mind, but it’s essential to read the fine print and work with a certified roofing contractor. At Andrews Roofing, we take pride in ensuring our customers in Hampton Roads get the best warranties available through proper installation and quality workmanship. If you have questions about roofing warranties or need an inspection, contact us today!

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Category: Andrews Roofing, Rapid Rain Gutter System

Spring for Gutters

April showers might bring spring flowers, but they can also bring a lot of damage to your home if you’re not prepared.

Did you know that Virginia Beach and the surrounding Hampton Roads cities get an average of over 9” of rain during the spring season? And as the seasons change some of that precipitation comes in the form of severe weather, which can dump several inches of rain over the course of just a few hours. If you’ve lived in the Tidewater region long enough, you’ve surely been caught in one of those spring deluges.

Those same pop-up storms that can put a kink in your commute, delay your kids’ baseball games or ruin a nice day at the beach can also negatively impact your home. This is especially true if your home doesn’t have functional gutters.

Why Should Your Home Have Gutters?

Gutters play a critical role in protecting your home’s roof and foundation. When a roofline doesn’t have gutters, water sheets off the roof and straight down to the base of the house. This creates pooling water around your foundation which can cause long-term moisture damage. Moisture at the foundation level of your home can result in mold, mildew, termites and structural damage.

When water isn’t properly channeled off a roof, it can also cause water damage to the vertical surfaces of your house including walls and windows. Leaky windows, wood rot or discoloration can occur.

Gutters also protect your landscaping. By moving water through a downspout into a drain or appropriate area of the yard, you can help prevent erosion in your garden beds, losing costly topsoil, mulch or plants.

How to Maintain Your Gutters

Gutters should be cleaned annually or preferably semiannually. We always recommend using a professional company for this task as doing it yourself is dangerous and could result in serious injury.

When gutters are not cleaned out regularly, they can actually cause just as much damage as not having gutters at all. Water will sheet over a filled gutter, causing the same problems as we mentioned above. Clogged gutters can also cause water to back up toward the roofline, pushing water up underneath shingles and potentially damaging your roof’s decking.

In addition to having gutters cleaned out each year, make sure all gutters are securely attached to the roofline and all downspouts are secured to the corners or sides of your house. Check to see that the areas where the downspouts direct water is clean and cleared as well as directing water away from your home’s foundation.

Inspect gutters and downspouts from the ground for holes or punctures. These could cause water to leak onto the sides of your house or into your windows. If you notice a gutter has any damage, contact a local roofing company or other licensed contractor who is experienced in gutter installation and repairs.

What to Look for in a Gutter

Not all gutters are created equal. In precipitation-prone areas like coastal Virginia, high-capacity gutters can be particularly useful. If you’re installing or replacing the gutters on your home, look for a system like our Rapid Rain Gutter System™ that has a high-volume control of water flow but is designed to look like a traditional 5” gutter.

Pay attention to the metal quality and thickness – you don’t want anything that is so thin that you have to worry about punctures from trees or other debris during storms. You’ll also want something that is visually appealing next to the siding or brick on your home as well as your roof color, so look for a manufacturer that offers a wide variety of colors. Make sure the material is covered under a warranty, even for things like scratches, which can quickly become rusted and unsightly.

You may also want to look into some type of gutter guards, especially if your home is surrounded by trees or other vegetation. Our MicroGuard system has over 48 perforations per square inch to keep out the smallest debris while allowing water to flow through easily.

Where to Go for Gutters

Always use a licensed and insured contractor for gutter repairs and installation, and make sure their work and products are warrantied and that they have an upstanding reputation in your local community.

At Andrews Roofing, we provide installation and maintenance of our Rapid Rain Gutter Systems™, and we stand behind the product with a lifetime ScratchGuard™ guarantee and our reputation for quality and satisfaction. Installing gutters is a smart investment that can prevent costly repairs and help maintain the value of your home. Contact us today for more information about installing gutters on your home.

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Category: Andrews Roofing, Commercial Roofing, Rapid Rain Gutter System, Residential Roofing, Roof Maintenance, Roofing Information

Four New Year’s Roofing Resolutions

It’s the beginning of a new year, and that means it’s time for resolutions.
Most New Year’s resolutions revolve around self-improvement, but the truth is, you’re great just the way you are. So instead, we suggest making some home-improvement resolutions that don’t require a scale, a short-lived gym membership, or eventual self-loathing. Here are a few that can improve not just your home, but your enjoyment of it as well.

Monthly Inspections
This resolution is easy to implement, only takes a few minutes and can help save your home from preventable damage. Once a month, do a visual inspection of the exterior of your home. Add it to your calendar, set a reminder on your phone, or whatever you use to keep track of recurring tasks.

From the outside of your house, walk the perimeter and look for any holes or damage to siding, loose flashing, loose or missing shingles, brittle or broken shingles, moisture around your foundation, debris that may have landed on your roof, mildew or algae buildup or anything else that seems out of place or damaged. From the inside, peek into your attic and make sure all the rafters and roof decking are dry, that the ventilation is working properly and that insulation is in place. Take a look out any windows that may give you a view of dormers or roofing valleys that aren’t visible from the ground.

If you spot any damage, take photos – especially if you believe the damage requires an insurance claim – and call in a licensed contractor to have a second look and give an estimate for repairs. Your visual inspection should only take a few minutes but could save you thousands of dollars and lots of headaches down the road. As they say in medicine, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Gutter Cleaning
Your monthly visual inspection may give you an idea of when your gutters need to be cleaned out, but you also may not be able to see all the debris in your gutters from the safety of the ground (which is the only place we recommend doing an inspection yourself). In Hampton Roads, the amount of foliage and storm debris increases the likelihood of needing a good gutter cleaning. While many websites and professionals will say cleaning your gutters twice a year is fine, we recommend once per season if you live in Southeast Virginia.

This year, resolve to have a professional gutter cleaning service come to your house every three months. You can schedule these cleanings in advance, so you don’t even have to think about it once you’ve made the initial call. The great thing about having a professional gutter cleaning is that it can reduce the likelihood of roof damage from water that builds up and pushes up under your roofing material when gutters are overfilled with debris. It also means there are professional eyes on your roof several times a year. A good cleaning company will alert you if they see any damage, debris or signs of aging that you should know about – all without you ever having to climb a ladder.

Make the Repairs
Maybe you already know your roof is in need of repairs. Perhaps you’ve seen the shingles fly off during a storm, or you can hear flashing or loose gutters banging around on a windy night. If so, then the new year is the perfect time to resolve to finally have it fixed.

Taking care of these types of repairs extends the life of your roof, saving you money and protecting your investment. A simple repair may have a small upfront cost, but in the long term it will be well worth it. Make sure to call in a professional, licensed roofing contractor to make the repairs. It may also be the case that the damage that needs to be repaired is under warranty, in which case you may not even have to pay out of pocket. If you think this is the case, find your original paperwork and reach out to the manufacturer or installer to make a claim.

New Year, New Roof
Lastly, if you know it’s time, then make this the year that you finally get that old roof replaced. Living under a roof that is past its recommended life span is just asking for trouble and interior damage that will not be covered by insurance. In the Tidewater region, the majority of residential roofs are asphalt shingles, which typically have a lifespan of 20-30 years. So, if your home was built before 1993 or if your home’s roof hasn’t been replaced since then, it’s likely time to make this a priority.

Roof replacements typically happen in the spring and fall, so if you know ahead of time that you will be needing a new roof this year, start vetting roofing companies now during the slower months. Gather several estimates and start researching your options for materials, colors, manufacturers, etc. Once you’ve made your decisions, get on your chosen roofing company’s installation schedule and get the materials ordered. Some materials are taking significantly longer to get in stock because of supply chain issues, so the sooner you can make your decisions and place orders, the better.

At Andrews Roofing we want to wish all of our Hampton Roads neighbors a beautiful, blessed 2023. If you find yourself in need of roofing repairs, replacements or inspections, we would be happy to help you determine the right course of action for your home so that you can enjoy it for many more years to come. Contact us today.

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