Most homeowners know that they need to “take care of” the home’s core structural elements — the roof, the foundation, the windows, the electrical, the HVAC system, etc. But you also must be mindful of your gutters.Even though our climate is not as severe as, say New England’s; the Bay Area gets its fair share of blustery, wet, and wooly weather. You need reliable rain gutters to prevent water from pooling, leaking, and creating the conditions for mold and structural damage.

When gutters break down or overflow due to clogging or mechanical problems, the water can cascade in surprising, yet devastating pathways. For instance, let’s say a clog forms in a gutter above your rec room. Water spillage driven by this constraint, over time, could saturate the wood underneath, giving rise to mold. The decayed, desiccated wood then becomes a target for termites or other pests.

Depending on where this “break down” occurs, you might not even notice the tell-tale signs, such peeling paint, musty odor, missing shingles or wall panels, discoloration, etc., until the structure actually fails or an electrical fire goes off and burns down your house.

That sounds like an extreme scenario, and it’s unlikely. But we want to illustrate vividly why you need to mind your gutter system and to do the installation and maintenance the right way.

Even if you are a hardcore “do it yourselfer,” consult with licensed, experienced experts before installing your gutters. The last thing you want is to spend days of hard labor, only to screw up the installation in some subtle but pivotal way.

For top-caliber assistance with your Bay Area roofing repair needs, get in touch with the team here at Century Roof and Solar for a free estimate. Our reputable professionals are standing by to help make your job simpler.

Whether you own an old building in the East Bay, or you’re a new homeowner, you’d love to be able to tap into the free fuel provided by the sun to heat your home and run your life. But your building may not be geographically well-positioned for solar panels, so you need to the whole solar idea out the window.

Right?

Not so fast!

New, cutting-edge integrated photovoltaic products called solar shingles may be the solution. These shingles are built to convert sunlight into electricity. They look like typical roof shingles and, as such, offer weatherproofing and aesthetic benefits. Plus, you can deploy them on the roof of your condo, commercial building, or other structure to cut down on energy costs.

Here’s the gist of how they work.

When a ray of sunlight smacks into a shingle, the photons from the solar radiation kick-start an electrical circuit, causing a photovoltaic device to harvest electrons and pump them into your home/building’s energy system to run appliances, heat your home, etc. Your ability to extract good energy from these shingles will depend on numerous factors, including your energy demands, whether you can get clear access to the southern skies (best for solar), whether structures or trees obscure your building, and even your microclimate.

The good news is that you do not need to live in the high desert to get serious benefits!

In fact, new solar shingles do a great job, even in places where the weather is gray or mostly gray – e.g. the East Bay on far too many days. On the off chance that your solar shingles overproduce energy, and you have some to spare, you can strategically trade back this energy for a credit from your utility company, depending on where you live and other restrictions.

Is an East Bay solar tile solution might be right for your home or office? Talk to the team here at Century Roof & Solar. We can help with every element of the solar system selection and implementation process. We’ll help you find customized, budget-friendly, and simple solutions.

But how much money can you save going solar? How can you quantify the effects of an upgrade?

1. Use online calculators.

Dozens of online calculators can help you calculate the gist of how much you could save, long-term, based on parameters you input. But if you’re in the earlier stages of the research process, these calculations might confuse more than they clarify.

2. Get a rough estimate using national average.

These numbers change, but let’s just say that the average electricity bill in our region, among homeowners like you, is $120 per month. If you install a 3 kilowatt system and obtain usable 7 hours of sunlight every day, you get around 20 kilowatt hours a day. That means you get about 600 kilowatt hours every month. Of course, you need to “hit at” that number, because not every day will be sunny and beautiful, especially in the Bay Area, where the weather gets crazy.

So let’s say that 20% of the days, rain or fog or other inclement weather prevents your system from extracting usable energy. 20% of 600 is 120, so you might end up with only 480 kilowatt hours a month. If your home or business consumes around 1,000 kilowatt hours per month (a pretty fair estimate), that means that you can supply basically half your energy needs every month. Thus, you save around $60 per month.

3. Put that $60 figure (or whatever you came up with) into context.

Dozens, possibly hundreds, of variables can impact your energy efficiency, costs, etc. These factors include:

• Thermal efficiency of your roof
• Your personal energy needs
• Seasonal changes
• Quality of solar tile installation
• Whether you use “smart” controls or not
• Whether you ever need to repair/upgrade/re-install solar tiles
• Whether you add more solar capacity

4. Simplify your quest for better energy by connecting with experts.

The team here at Century Roof & Solar in the Bay Area has an exquisitely adapted system to help homeowners and business owners like you maximize efficiency and costs. Get in touch with us via our website or call us to schedule a free consultation to solve your solar panel needs.

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.

But you owe to yourself and your family to maintain your home. The time to clean your gutters is now. Just 15 to 20 minutes of maintenance can help you side step extremely expensive home repairs down the line and protect your most precious material investment against the ravages of water damage, mold, structural instability, infestations, and so forth.

Gutter Cleaning Tactics

1. Identify problem areas.

Leaking gutters can allow water to overflow and cause structural problems, moisture damage to wood, and even cracks in the foundation itself. Once these problems begin, the elements will exacerbate them. Water can freeze in cracks in the winter and make them worse, for instance. Gutter problems can also crack driveways, causes sidewalks to become slippery, destroy landscaping, and invite nasty insects and bees to take up residence on your property.

2. Wear appropriate clothing, and be smart.

Wear suitable gloves, and avoid hazards, like power lines and wasp nests.

3. Trace a methodical path from one end of your house to the other.

Use a hose and gloves to empty out full gutters. Empty the hose down all spouts to clear away all debris. Do not stand or sit on the roof – work from your ladder. Replace lose bolts or gutter spikes as you go. Afterwards, install gutter guards under your spouts to prevent leaves from building up near the spout exits and causing overflow.

If you’re confused — or if you’d like help from experienced professionals — talk to the team at Century Roof and Solar. We can provide a customized gutter cleaning solution. Connect with us for a free consultation today at www.centuryroofandsolar.com, or call us at 510-780-9489.

Here are a few reasons to take care of your roof and attic ventilation ASAP:

• Boost energy efficiency. Ineffective ventilation can lead to massive heating and cooling expenses, bloating your energy budget;

• Prevent damage to structures. Extreme temperatures in your attic caused by bad ventilation can warp precious works of art and memorabilia; crack wood or other materials; and even potentially create fire hazards, especially if you’re storing materials containing volatile organic compounds, such as paints, lacquers, etc;

• Eliminate mildew and mold – yuck! Bad ventilation can lead to the build up of moisture, which can in turn can spawn the growth of mold, mildew, and other yuckiness. Warped and cracked wood can also form the perfect habitat for termites and other nasty creatures. The indirect consequences of infestations/mold buildups can be horrific. Mold, for instance, can create respiratory problems for your family and impede their immune systems. If you run a business, and one of your workers gets really sick from breathing in moldy air, he or she might file a major workers’ compensation claim against you – or even sue you if you lack insurance! In other words, your problems can cascade – all from your lack of good ventilation.

What to Do about Your Problem?

Whether you need an emergency roof repair after a particularly blowy Bay Area thunderstorm, or you simply are ready to take action to fix your roof/attic, the team here at Century Roof & Solar can help. Explore our online resources, or call our team for a thorough and fair estimate for your ventilation repair needs.

Image source: http://ow.ly/c7hy5

1. Dark, cruddy looking patches have spread across your roof

Many kinds of nastiness can cause this problem, ranging from fungal infection to the growth of certain types of vegetation to local point source pollution. Not only are these dirty patches unsettling and kind of gross to look at, but they can also be a prelude to more serious structural damage, mold, and other not-so-amazing stuff.

2. Your heating and cooling bills have unexpectedly “gone through the roof” (so to speak)

Depending on the layout of your house, the ventilation in your attic might be creating drafts and other burdens that are forcing your heating and cooling system to work too hard.

Essentially, what happens is that unseasonable weather can cause moisture to get lodged in your attic. This moisture then seeps into the rafters and insulation, causing damage, which in turn causes the energy loss.

3. Peeling or blistering paint

This is another problem often pinned to bad attic ventilation. Major temperature fluctuations (global warming, anyone?) can also imperil both the exterior and interior roof paint job.

4. Post-winter attic leakage

We who live near the Bay Area don’t often have to deal with the kind of icy nastiness that afflicts states to our east and north. But if you live in an area where ice forms, then ice can dam up on your roof and create leaks, particularly if you have poor shingle underlayment.

For help dealing with any roof repair issue in the Bay Area, look to the team here at Century Roof & Solar. Call us now, or learn more about our roofing solutions online.

image sources
image #1: http://www.thesidingguy.com/Softwash.html
image#2:http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article795CA5E3F4B049D485A98091BD3D880E.asp
image#3:http://uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress/?cat=120
image#4:http://techreport.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64129

Whether you live in the Northern California mountains, and you and your community are already “battening down the hatches” in preparation for massive snowfalls; or you live in a milder, more urban region of Northern California SF Bay Area (that nevertheless occasionally gets assaulted by Old Man Winter), you need proven, easy, cost effective ideas to protect your home.

Here are some evergreen tips:

Check your “roof plumbing”: downspouts, fascia, gutters, and other elements of your roof’s “plumbing” are easily assaulted by snow, ice and other weather. Clean that stuff out, check for leaks, and seal up the “plumbing” yourself or work with a professional to get the job done.

After storms, particularly wind storms, roof shingles can detach or come loose. If you fail to notice minor damage, leaks can develop, which can in turn metastasize into multi thousand dollar home repair projects. So, after a big storm or wind event, go outside and check on your roof.

If you own a flat roof, you might want to apply a weather protective coat. Or, you could hire a professional to do the job for you.

Winter weather “attacks” on your roof and structure can happen in the most surprising and inconvenient times. For instance, say you’re out of town on a vacation or conference. You hear about a storm ripping through your community from friends or through an online alert. What do you do then? Or what should do you if you’re in the middle of urgent responsibilities, like childcare or preparation for a business meeting?

The answer is: Get help, ASAP. If you let winter weather damage linger, the results could be costly, annoying cleanup.

Trust the Bay Area professionals at Century Roof and Solar to get your job under control.

For over 15 years, our team — the “most trusted name in roofing” — has been helping business owners and homeowners like you solve their roofing problems.

Find out more about us at www.centuryrooftile.com, or call us at 510-780-9489 for a free quote.

Whether you expect monsoon-like thunderstorms to drench your home, condominium, or business, or you expect relatively light rainfall but worry because you live in an older home, you want a systematic way to check your roof for leaks before all the action begins.

The biggest challenge is finding the spot or spots that are leaking.

This is because the information you get from the leak itself (where the water is dripping) may tell you very little about where the actual problem spot is. For instance, water might penetrate through your roof at one location, run down for several feet or longer, and “leak” through a second location. Where you spot the damage – where the insulation is wet, shingles are rotting, etc. – is the distall (far) problem. You want to find the proximal problem (the root cause).

Grab a flashlight and a helper, and let’s get going.

You might want to do this leak hunting during a rainy day, since that’s when the leaks will be most active. If not, you can actually jerry-rig “fake rain” by spraying a hose on your roof. Head up into your attic (or the room right below the roof) and scour the sealing and other areas for water, damp spots, spots that “don’t look right,” or spots where the paint is blistering. Places where moisture can accumulate include gutters, shingles, gaskets, flashing, rubber seals around vents and pipes, and ridge caps.

Once you identify all the leaks (or possible leaks), wait until the rain stops (or turn off the water). Once things have dried off, go up on the roof while a helper stays in the room below. Turn on the water and use trial and error (communicating with your helper via a cell phone or a walky-talky) to identify the proximal location based on when the distill areas activate, when you spray water on the roof. Don’t flood potentially problematic areas, or you will have a harder time locating the proximal problem area.

If this all sounds too complicated, convoluted, or time consuming, you might be right. It might be a lot easier to connect with the Bay Area’s leader in lightweight roof systems, Century Roof and Solar.

For over a decade and a half, our Bay Area roofing contractors have helped East Bay residents and business owners solve their roofing problems permanently and affordably. Learn more about the solutions we can provide for you at www.centuryrooftile.com, or schedule a consultation with our Diamond-certified company by calling us at 888-233-7548.

“Solar power is key to San Francisco’s future…”

San Francisco, with a 72% recycling rate and a goal of zero waste to landfill by 2020, is being called one of the ‘greenest cities’ in the U.S. Jared Blumenfeld, director of the department of the environment talks about some of the projects, including an interactive map that helps users understand their carbon footprint and a solar mashup that enables citizens to price out the cost of installing solar on building rooftops.

San Francisco Solar Facts:

PV systems installed: 2,043
Total CEC-AC capacity: 9.2 MW
Estimated Energy produced: 13,437 MWh/yr
Estimated Annual savings: $2,213,611
Estimated Annual CO2 reduction: 4,036 tonnes

Would you like to save money on your energy bill and erase your carbon foot print?

Talk to the SF Bay Area’s leading PV solar system contractors Century Roof and Solar. 888-233-7548

Original post/video from: http://www.smartplanet.com

Facts from: http://sf.solarmap.org