It’s a simple question with (potentially) a not so simple answer.

Your needs depend on: your budget, the state of roof repair (or disrepair) of your home; your maintenance schedule; and your concerns (or lack thereof) about environmental stewardship.

Here are 5 benefits of these coatings.

1. Lengthen the life of your roof

If the roof is in moderately bad shape–or even if it has leaked a bit–Bay Area roofing experts can help restore it to usable condition. A reflective recoating can also limit the amount of UV induced damage done to the roof by reducing temperature.

2. Limit waste and debris on the site

Ripping off a dilapidated or warped roof membrane or leaky/junky installation not only costs time but also creates tremendous waste. If you strategically apply coating at the right time during the lifecycle of your roof, you will reduce these expensive “scrap and rebuild” projects.

3. Improve the local “climate” of your roof to reduce the likelihood of leaks

You might not think that your roof has its own “mini climate system,” but it does!

Certain areas of any roof will be more prone to ponding and leaking than others. No engineer can 100% predict where those problems areas might be. When you recoat, you reduce the risk of these surprise climate-induced problems and thus avoid damage.

4. Improve energy use

A worn coating or compromised roof can lead to unnecessary heat wastage (or A/C wastage during the summer). By improving the roof, you reduce energy drain.

5. Increase value of the building and improve its insurability

When you fix a roof to make it look sharper, the entire building benefits aesthetically. The people who live, work, or do business in it will enjoy the property more and take better care of it.

Which roof coatings are right for your Bay Area building? To find out, get in touch with the team here at Century Roof & Solar today for a free estimate. We can answer all your questions regarding strategy, timeframe, cost, and materials. Call or email us now to get your free estimate.

No one craves to do roof repair.

However, you’ve seen serious warning signs of a need for roof repair, and you need to protect your home and family from a collapse or other problems, such as mold, air quality issues, and unbelievably expensive repairs “after the fact.” In some ways, you feel caught in the middle. You’re afraid to act to fix the roof or get a new roof, but you don’t want to put off the job any longer. Rather than make an emotional decision that could cost you, educate yourself.

Here are clear danger signs that you need a new roof — or at least massive repairs — ASAP.

• Paint is peeling and blistering inside or outside your home;
• Large stains or fungal/mildew growths are creeping up your walls or ceilings;
• You spy leaks, missing shingles, degradation, and other obvious warning signs.

Unfortunately, identifying roof problems is not necessarily a linear proposition!

In other words, your roof might be severely damaged, but you may only notice one or two leaky spots or places where the paint is peeling. Conversely, the internal damage may look “pretty bad,” but the roof itself may be relatively intact.

So should you:

1. Do nothing?
2. Do-it-yourself?
3. Hire a roof repair company?
4. Get the roof replaced entirely?

In general, err on the side of being “too cautious.” If you hire a great roofing company, and you had no problem — or just a minor problem — you might overspend by a few hundred dollars. On the flip side, if you fail to react effectively, and the roof collapses or leads to mold infestation, the cost of that under-reaction could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, when you extrapolate over the long term — not to mention the indirect costs and inconvenience.

Make the smart choice. If you have any questions about your Bay Area roofing needs, give the Century Roof & Solar team a call today, or email us through our website. Get clarity on the job and figure out a strategic plan to put your mind at ease.

So what should you do? Here are two pretty universal options:

1. Overlay the existing shingles with a new second layer.

2. Strip down the old roof and begin anew.

There is a time and a place for the overlayment method.

For instance, if you have a metal roof that has never been damaged — or if you are 110% certain that your old roof has no leaks or any structural problems with the flashing, et cetera. In this kind of ideal scenario, overlaying a second roof might save you a modest sum on the work, in terms of upfront costs.

It’s a possibly dangerous choice, though! If you do not analyze the decking to find damage, leaks, and problems with the flashing, you may be in effect covering over structural deficiencies. And can this cost you, big time. Consider:

• The second layer will add more weight to your roof, potentially compromising its integrity, especially after big leaf falls or snowfalls or icefalls.

• You can’t install a barrier for ice and water between the first and second layers. This means that ice/water can easily seep into old leaks and can create huge headaches, including problems with mold, air quality, and damage to structural components. It can even contribute to electrical shortages or even a house fire.

What You Can’t See Can Still Hurt You

Your current decking may look pretty good. But you may not have spotted a sheathing rot or other areas that are destined to become problematic. Perhaps they’ll be fine for the next two or three years. But then the sheathing rot, leaks, et cetera will begin, and you have to spend huge amounts of money on roof repair, provided that you want your home to remain standing.

The bottom line is that your roof is one of the most important elements of your home.

Get the job done right by investing in smart and strategic refinishing. Connect with the team at Century Roof and Solar to learn more about what choices to make, how to make them, and how to save the maximum amount of money on your project.

Northern California’s leading roofing and solar company Century Roof and Solar’s owner Tony Diaz and GAF bring you this video segment from Designing Spaces. “Avoiding Roofing Disasters.”

Visit our YouTube channel

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Whether you’re about to embark on a major remodeling project that could take many months and require the services of multiple contractors; or you simply want to repair a roof that got damaged during a recent windstorm, you likely harbor worries about the process. Below, we discuss three of the biggest homeowner concerns:

1. Identifying the right price for the job.

You’d like to keep costs low for obvious reasons. On the other hand, you realize that if you accept the lowest bid simply because it’s the cheapest, you could set yourself up for disaster.  Lousy workmanship, missed deadlines, and chaos at the construction site can make you miserable and ultimately inflate project costs. In the worst case scenario, you may need to pay a second contractor to redo the first contractor’s botched job.

In an ideal world, you want a roofing company that’s going to be completely honest with you about pricing and that’s going to give you an excellent deal for your money – that is, the contractors will meet your needs and provide complete transparency of process.

2. A desire for the project to go smoothly, satisfyingly, cleanly, and without drama.

Homeowners who remodel fear (and rightly so) projects running over budget, running overtime frame, or simply running out of control. We all have heard horror stories from neighbors and friends who have hired the wrong contractors. The results are sadly predictable: construction debris and litter strewn over the lawn; property (such as garden plants) disrespected and stompedout of existence; rude, discourteous workers; “unexpected” delays and so on.

In an ideal world, you want the experience to be completely drama-free. Your contractor should demonstrate respect, courteousness, cleanliness, and the ability to manage internal projects so that they minimize disruption to your life and maximize efficiency and quality.

3. A desire for long-term value from the re-roofing.

What exactly constitutes “value”?  The answer boils down to quality over time. Your finished product – the roof that’s restored, repaired, or reinstalled – should add to your property’s value and your own well being simultaneously. Ideally, the roof should be made of sturdy, durable, high-quality components from manufacturers who employ the best standards, and should minimize the likelihood that you will have to “re-repair” the work.

We at Century Roof and Solar employ only the best quality controlled products (such as roof and gutter products) from trusted manufacturers.  We have developed a reputation for delivering clean, quality, reliable, on-time results, and we’ve won awards for our customer satisfaction.  We are a Diamond Certified company, a proud member of the Better Business Bureau, and a member of the Committee for Firesafe Dwellings (a non-profit corporation). We have 15 years of experience, and we can handle jobs of immense complexity as well as jobs that have a tight time deadline.  Learn about how we can help you at www.centuryrooftile.com, or call us for a quote at 510-780-9489.