Barrel Tile Roof Restoration – NJ Roofing Project

Thanks for visiting! We are LGC Roofing, family owned and operated New Jersey roofer. You can keep track of us via our RSS feed, connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Need a roofer? Don’t hesitate to contact us for a free estimate on your roofing project. We’ll be happy to assist you!

The project

Few weeks ago we were called by a worried homeowner in Teaneck, NJ who requested a roof inspection as she suspected a leak damaging the tile rood of her house. We often get such calls, especially at this time of the year when the weather takes a huge tall on a roofing structure.

Upon inspection of the roof we discovered not one but several leaks caused by broken tiles and rusted flashings. We offered an estimate for a leak repair and roof restoration and got the job!

The process

First step was to carefully remove all of the existing barrel tiles from the roof.

Special care is taken to avoid any further damage to existing tile and make sure that we salvage as much as possible.

Once the tile was removed and collected, the next step was to inspect the underlying wood decking.

There was significant damage here, so we replaced the decking as needed, removing rotted material and installing new pieces.

Next we installed copper flashings, then ice and water shield underlayment and wood to support tile.

Finally, the roof was ready for the tile. We re-installed all of the salvaged tiles filling in with additional ones as needed.

Another great project done. Another happy NJ homeowner! Thank you LGC Roofing TEAM!

NJ Roofing Blog Featured on “50 Sites To Help You Remodel Your Home”

NJ Roofing Blog has been featured in an article at ConstructionManagementSchools.net as one of the “50 Sites To Help You Remodel Your Home”.

We are very honored to have been recognized as a top useful resource. We love sharing our knowledge and experience to help you!

Here is an excerpt from “50 Sites To Help You Remodel Your Home”:

“If you are thinking of, in the middle of, or have finished remodeling your home, here are 50 sites that will help you or allow you to use your knowledge to help others. Through these sites you will find everything from architects and designers to real people going through the same process. If you have a question or in need of ideas, this list will help you get there.”

Continue reading: 50 Sites To Help You Remodel Your Home

Fall Is The Best Time For Roof Replacement

If you are thinking about roof replacement, fall is by far the best time to handle it. The timing can’t be better. It’s not too hot anymore but it’s still warm enough to allow shingles to seal properly before the cold weather arrives. Wait few more months and it will be too late.

It is obvious that winter is the most challenging time for roof material. Make sure your roof is in good shape before the snow, freezing rain and gusty winds arrive.

Even the smallest problem might turn into a disaster when you have a lot of snow covering your roof. If you’re not sure whether your roof is in good condition, arrange for an inspection by a professional roofer. If you see obvious signs of aging on your roof, don’t wait!

When Leaks Are Visible, It Might Be Too Late

Even if you don’t see any leaks inside the house, it doesn’t mean that the roof is not leaking. Usually, a roof leak has been happening for several months before you will see water stains inside. Don’t let the water damaging wood decking. Replacing wood is very costly and can be avoid by replacing old roof early.

Don’t risk property damage. Contact LGC Roofing, your professional NJ roofing experts, for an inspection today!

3 Tips On How To Select Roof Shingles

There are many shingle brands on the market today so how will you know which is the right brand for you?
Well, you need to do some research to figure out which brand will be most suitable and reliable, because you don’t want to run into problems down the road.

Here are 3 things you have to look at when researching a brand:

How long they have been in roofing business

• You don’t want to buy roofing product from a newly established manufacturer because you don’t know if they will be around in 10 years to honor product warranties.
• You don’t know if product they offer is develop well enough.

What warranty they offer

You need to check warranties different shingle manufactured offers because there may be a big difference between what they offer in that regard. Right now standard (limited) manufacturer warranty for architectural shingles is anywhere from 15 to 30 years. To understand exactly what you getting you need to read the fine print. Of course warranty from a company which is in business for 50 years is worth much more than one from somebody who just started.

How often do they change their product

It is important to do research how often roofing material manufacturer changes their product line. You want to make sure shingle color you chose today will be available 10 years from now (when there comes time for repair).

Those are the 3 things that you need to look at closely when selecting shingle material for your roof. As is usually the case in any industry, it is always a good idea to choose one of the major players like GAF, CertainTeed or Owens Corning.

Lukasz Sobczuk. LGC Roofing

Slate Roof Repair – What You Should Know

Slate roof offers great beauty but it requires good care.

With a slate roof it is very important to keep it in good shape by checking for possible missing or broken slates at least once a year. You should call professional slate roofer to inspect your slate roof and replace any damaged or missing slates. The proper maintenance is very crucial because every missing slate equals a leak.

It will take some time to see leaks going through your ceiling but when you have missing slates water is going underneath your roofing material instantly. This may cause roof decking to rot, wet insulation and mold.

For any repair to your slate roof remember to hire professional slate roofer. Inexperienced person will do more damage than good.

You should also ask your roofer to evaluate if your slate roof is worth repairing as sometimes repairs are too expensive and replacing the whole roof might be a better options for the long run.

Here are few tips regarding slate roof repair:

• Nobody should walk on slate roof – Slates will break if you walk on them. Special ladders and scaffold systems need to be setup to work on slate roof.
• You can’t use muck to repair slate roof – Using muck or roof cement will destroys its appearance and performance and most likely will not fix a leak.
• It’s important to check all flashings and valleys – Often bad flashing or metal/copper valley cause leaks.
• There are special tools to remove old nails from broken slate – Using improper tools will damage adjacent slates.
• Nobody should ever put nail through new slate then repairing – You need to use special slate hooks to hang new slates in place.

I hope this tips will help you choose right roofer for your slate roof repair.

Lukasz Sobczuk, LGC Roofing

Shingle Roof Replacement Done the Right Way

Tear off vs. Adding another layer on top

My clients often ask me: “Why do you want to rip existing roof off? Another roofer gave us price for up & over, and it’s much less comparing to tear off.” – No it’s not. You might save upfront, but will pay many times over later. I always recommend full tear off when installing new shingle roofing.

When you install new shingles over existing shingle layer you cannot expect the same performance as then you lay it out on a clean roof decking.

Biggest problem for roofs are leaks. If you don’t fully remove existing roofing material you don’t know what is going on underneath:  is wood decking solid? is roof flashing ok? is there moisture underneath shingles?

Tear off is the right way to go.

• Biggest concern in my regard is the state of wood decking. Even if there are no apparent leaks, the wood might be rotted and this means that nails will not hold new shingles properly.
• Same problem exists with flashing. Without tearing off shingles you are not going to be able to see if flashing is in good condition. Damaged flashing may lead to leaks in a future.
• Shingles put on top of existing layer will never lay completely flat. You will always see bumps and shingles sticking out.
• Adding another layer will also double the weight of the roof possibly causing damage to the structure.
• Most “roofers” who advise up & over for costumers complete ignore proper roof ventilation. Roof ventilation is one of the most important factors influencing how long your roof will last; not ensuring proper ventilation will shorten the life of your roof drastically.
• Without tearing existing roof of most manufactures will not honor full material warranty.

Saving some money now will cost you significantly more in near future. That’s why I always recommend full tear off to my customers.

Lukasz Sobczuk, LGC Roofing