The lifetime of your roofing doesn’t depend only on the quality of the material—it depends just as much on how well it’s installed. While looking for roofing companies in Pensacola, FL, longevity should be your first priority. This is because Florida’s humid subtropical climate makes it difficult for roofing systems to maintain their integrity.
In general, unprofessional roofing contractors don’t follow GFA’s standards, significantly decreasing your roof’s lifespan. You spend way more on repairs and reinforcements than you saved choosing an unprofessional contractor over a professional one.
In this blog, we first give you five reasons to avoid unprofessional roofing contractors and then walk you through some of the things professional contractors do that unprofessional ones don’t. So without further ado, let’s get right to it.
5 Reasons to Avoid Unprofessional Roofing Contractors
1. Your Roof Won’t Last Nearly As Long
Asphalt roofing can be expected to last up to 25 years in ideal conditions. But most roofs don’t last that long. The biggest reason is improper installation.
As we’ll discuss in the second part of this article, there are specific installation guidelines given by GAF that all certified GAF contractors are expected to follow. These guidelines ensure protection against wreathing and increase the lifespan of your roof.
Unprofessional contractors don’t follow GFA guidelines and make your roofing vulnerable to several sources of damage—which are also discussed later in this article.
2. It’ll Damage Your Roof
Roofing protects your roof against weathering. If your roofing isn’t installed properly, it allows water to sneak through the roofing and get to your roof. The water rusts the exposed metallic parts of your roof, such as the flashing and the fasteners, allowing more water in.
When this water gets absorbed by your roof, it makes your roof vulnerable to algae growth. In the form of moss and mold, algae rot your wooden roof and asphalt roofing.
3. You May Have to Get The Roof Reinforced Again
Unprofessional contractors often don’t properly waterproof the roof. Exposed fasteners and flashing are disasters waiting to happen. With prolonged exposure to moisture, exposed fasteners and flashing will develop rust, seriously damaging your roof.
4. You Lose a Lot of Manufacturer Warranty Against Defects
If you get your roof installed by an unprofessional contractor not certified by GAF, you lose a good amount of the manufacturer’s warranty against defects.
GAF offers a Smart Choice Protection Period with its asphalt roofing. In this period, if you or your roof inspector find any manufacturing defects in the shingles, you get replacement roofing covered by the manufacturer. This period is 50 years if you get your roof installed by a GFA certified contractor, but only ten years otherwise.
5. No Warranty Against Strong Winds
GAF offers its WindProven Limited Wind Warranty for its LayerLock-labeled shingles. These shingles are warranted to withstand any wind speed with no upper limit. However, the WindProven Limited Wind Warranty is only available for roofing installed by GFA certified contractors.
This is important because it is all too common for roofs to get damaged by strong winds. The resulting gaps allow water to seep in and damage your roof underneath.
Things Professional Roofing Contractors Do That Unprofessional Ones Don’t
Professional roofing contractors—especially those approved by GFA—do a lot that unprofessional roofers don’t. We can’t list everything here, but here are some of the notable things.
1. Follow GFA Installation Guidelines
At the risk of sounding repetitive certified GAF contractors follow the GAF installation instructions to the letter. This means your roof gets installed exactly how the manufacturer intended it to be installed, and you get a long life on your roof.
2. Waterproof All Openings
Professional roofers carefully gauge all the places where water can enter and use sealant and waterproofing tape to seal all openings. This protects any metal parts of the roof from rusting and the wooden roof underneath from getting rotten.
3. Cover all the Fasteners and Flashing
Professional roofing contractors properly cover all the fasteners and flashing to protect the roofing against rusting. This extends the lifetime of your roofing and protects you against potential leaking. Exposed fasteners are the most common problems roof inspectors notice after improper installations.
4. Cut Nearby Tree Branches
On its face, tree benches don’t seem to pose much of a threat, which is why unprofessional roofers never think twice about them. However, tree branches touching your roof can damage both asphalt and metal roofing. The wind makes tree branches rub against your roofing resulting in friction. This friction deteriorated the surface of asphalt roofing and the finish of metal roofing.
5. Sealing the Cross-Wash
Joining the shingles together at the cross-wash can be tricky for unprofessional and inexperienced roofers. Yet, properly sealing the cross-wash is essential for complete waterproofing. Even if there’s a small gap left, water can get in and make more room. Only professional roofing contractors can be trusted to work well on cross-wash.
6. Sealing the Valleys
Valleys on your roof are particularly vulnerable to water damage. Valleys are exposed to more water than other areas. This is why professional roofing contractors are especially careful while waterproofing the valleys.
Certified Pro Roofing is the leading residential roofing contractor in Pensacola, FL. We hold a certification by GFA, which can get you extended warranties on your roofing. We also offer roof leak repair, maintenance, and inspection services in Pensacola, FL. To get the full benefits of getting your roof installed by a professional GFA certified contractor, visit our website now.
Recent Comments