At the Rhode Island Slate Roofing blog, we have covered many roofing topics over the last few years. We try to educate homeowners to be better homeowners. Mostly in the form of educational topics that cover a wide range of roofing information. With the recent March trio of snow storms, some helpful topics we’ve covered in the past may be helpful for you. Topics such as:

• How To Tell if Your Roof is Damaged After a Storm
• Inspect Your Roof After a Storm
• Problems Winter Can Cause to Your Roof
• 3 Signs Its Time To Rebuild or Repair Your Roof

And many other roofing topics that can be found on our blog.

If you’ve read any of these previous posts and realized your roof may not be in the best shape possible, you’ll want to act now. A common occurrence in the roofing industry is homeowners knowing the need to undergo some type of roof repair or complete rebuild but wait too long to act.

Roofing contractors, and more specifically, good roofing contractors are in high demand during the warmer months of the year. Late Winter and Early Spring is the best time to get in touch with your roofing contractor to talk about your plans. Roofing contractors are beginning to book projects now. If you wait too long, you may have to settle for a lesser contractor.

Contact us today to get your project started in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.

The above video was taken by a roofing company in California. It highlights why it is crucial to hire a professional, vouched for roofing company. One that uses its own employees and follows through will the full scope of the job duties. This couple spent $20,000 on a brand new roof (with great GAF Grand Sequio Shingles).

The couple hired a reputable roofing company to provide a roofing inspection on their roof. You can see in the video they improperly did almost the whole job. The didn’t install flashing correctly. They left holes in the roof. They left many parts of the roof vulnerable to leakage. Even more this roofing company completely left parts of the roof undone, with materials laying around the roof.

As we further watch the video we can see that the ridge caps were not properly installed. Many parts of the roof are hardly even hanging on, they will probably fly off during the first big wind storm. Trash was left on the roof, parts of the old shingles and roofing were even left

As a homeowner, unless you are getting on a latter and inspecting your roof and a roofing company comes, you would never get to see how poorly of a job was done. This job is essentially $20,000 wasted. This couple will have to go to court to recoup their losses and will have to re-do the entire roof.

If you are looking for a reputable roofing contractor in Rhode Island, get in touch with us today.

Getting roof work done on your home is very important and choosing the right contractor can sometimes be stressful and difficult. Making sure you are working with a reliable contractor is the first step in ensuring the work done on your house is a job well done. You are about to make a good size investment on your house whether it be a repair or a total roof replacement, so making sure your contractor is trustworthy is imperative.

Contracting and roofing scams have been around for a long time, so make sure your choosing one of the good guys and not a poor contractor or scam artist. Follow these tips to make sure your roofer is reliable.

1) Licensed & Insured: Make sure that your contractor is both licensed & insured. You could get yourself into a world of hurt if your contractor isn’t licensed & insured.

2) References: Look around online & ask for references. A quality roofing contractor will be more then happy to provide you with references from their past experiences. If they can’t find something good said about them then you may want to stay clear.

3) Contract Before Paying: Don’t start paying people until you have a written & signed contract. Be sure that you what is covered in the price and that you have it in writing.

4) Ask Questions, Take Time: A reliable contractor won’t pressure you with tactics in order to sign paperwork right away. Take your time and ask any additional questions you have before signing anything. They should have no problems answers any of your doubts or concerns.

You can never be too cautious when hiring someone to work on your home.

Are you ready for those summer time barbecues? Is your house and outdoor property in tip top shape for summer? If not, be sure to check some of our helpful maintenance to get your exterior in line for the summer fun.

1.) Air Conditioning Tune Up: For those people that need their AC during the summer time, it is imperative that you get a spring tune-up. A tune up with make sure that everything is working properly and it will help prevent you from having an excepted failure.

2.) Roof Check: It is best practice to have your roof checked annually to ensure that everything is working up to par. The spring and winter can put a lot of pressure and wear and tear onto your roof. This is a good time of the year to make sure everything is all good up there.

3.) Gutter Cleaning: Regular gutter cleaning is recommended to prevent against any clogging or leakage. It is best to do this two a year, once in the late fall/ early winter and then again in the late spring/ early summer.

4.) Check Kids Playing Areas: Swingsets and other kids playing areas can get some wear and tear during the winter. Make sure there are no loose bolts, sharp edges or splinters sticking up.

5.) Pool Maintenance: For those people who own a pool in New England, you should start thinking about cleaning it. It has probably been at least 8 months since someone swam in it. Start the cleaning process at least week before swimming season to be sure that everyone is safe from chemical harm.

For more information on roofing maintenance or repair work during the summer, please feel free to give Rhode Island Slate Roofing a call at 401-255-2003 or fill out our online contact form.

Most of us take the roofs over our heads for granted. It’s not until we notice a leak that we start thinking about what they actually do for us. The fact is that once your roof starts to leak, your home will already be in a more serious problem. The reasons for a roof leaks can include just about everything. The most important thing to note is that once you notice a leak, reach out to a reliable roofing contractor as soon as possible.

6 Reasons Your Roof Could Be Leaking

Flashing: The most common reasons for leaking is flashing. Those metal strips, or sheets that cover seems on your roof is called flashing. When this erodes or get damaged, leaking may begin.

Skylights: Skylights add some beautiful character to your home. They are visually appealing and for some homes bring in much needed natural light. If installed incorrectly, skylights can be a major problem for leaks.

Chimneys: The area of a chimney that is above the roof tends to be a spot that water collects. This can then lead to water trickling down and making its way through tiny open spaces into a home.

Shingles: During extreme weather, shingles can be torn straight off your roof leaving a direct path for water to enter the underside of your roof.

Poor Work: An inexperienced or corner-cutting contractor could be the main reason that you have experienced roofing leak. Poor workmanship leads directly to improper roof installation and repairs. When selecting your roofing contractor be sure they know what they are doing.

Age & Wear:  While slate roofs last up to 200 years, most roofs enter their old age at around 15-20 years. If you haven’t kept up with any needed maintenance, your roof may just be in need of replacements or it could have hit it’s maximum lifespan.

If you have experienced a roofing leak, reach out to Rhode Island Slate Roofing as soon as possible. We can be contacted over the phone at 401-225-2003 or through our online contact form.

Mentioned in our spring roofing tips blog, was the importance to clean your gutters leading into the spring season. We discussed how a clogged drain becomes a huge inconvenience, but we never really dug into the topic very much. So, why? Why should you clean out your gutters, besides the fact that everyone tells you so.

Over-clogged: The longer you leave your gutter clogged and build up with gunk, the better chance there is of them collapsing. Before you experience such a case, be sure that you clean your gutters and ensure they are structurally sound.

Pests: Gutters often become an unwanted home to pests such as rats, ants, mosquitos and other wildlife. While they may seem harmless, a faulty roof or gutter could lead to these pests making there way into your home. A regular cleaning of your gutters will prevent this from happening.

Property Value & Appearance: Broken gutters can directly have a negative impact on your homes value in the case that you try to sell it. Clogged and broken gutters can also generate an unappealing look for neighbors.

Ice Dams: The problem with ice dams during the winter can be prevented by keeping up with your gutters, especially during the fall. Clogged drains causes melting ice to find its way into your house if there is no where else for it to go.

For more information about gutter cleaning, please feel free to reach out to Rhode Island Slate Roofing at 401-225-2003 or fill out our online contact form.

With spring starting up in almost one month, Rhode Island Slate Roofing figured we could get everyone thinking of some spring roofing tips. While there’s still a month of winter left, it can only help to plan ahead.

Spring Roofing Tips

Roof inspection: No matter what type of roof you have, your roof is your homes number one defense against water, snow and ice. Each and every winter can offer it’s problems to a roof, so be sure to internally check for any water damage and also check outside for broken or missing shingles. Check out one of our latest blogs to learn if your roof is in serious trouble.

Gutter Cleaning: Gutters are crucial to help direct rain away from your roof. Clogged gutters can be a huge pain for your home. Especially in spring when rain falls are at there highest, be sure you are protected.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to argue that we will soon be hit with that last memorable winter storm. Be sure that you know about Ice Dams, and how to properly handle a large about of snow on your roof.

For more information or questions about the condition of your roof, please feel free to give Rhode Island Slate Roofing a call at 401-225-2003 or through our online contact form.

As a homeowner or businesses owner, there always comes a time where you either have a roof problem or where you are curious about the current condition of your roof. During this situation, there are a couple frequent questions that people ask themselves. Below, we have posted some answers to popular questions that we receive at Rhode Island Slate Roofing.

Do I have Roof Damage?

Roof damage occurs in many different ways. Here are some common signs that your roof could be damaged:

• Exposed nails
• Noticeable holes, or cracks
• Obvious signs of leakage or water damage inside your home
• Discoloration in isolated areas of either your ceilings or walls
• Dark and saggy patches in the roof
• Rusted metal at the corner where the roof meets the vertical area of the house

How much does a new roof cost?

There is no set price for a new roof installation. There are a variety of different factors including:

• Roof size
• Angle of the roof
• Materials used for the current and future roof
• Amount of roof damage and level of surface

For more information, please feel free to give RI Slate Roofing at call at 401-225-2003 or fill out our online contact form.

One of the major side effects of owning a flat roofed building is that they don’t do very well with snow. A high level of labor is needed to deal with leaks, and constantly removing snow during the winter. Because the pitch of a flat roof is extremely shallow, still water can often result in clogged drains.

How much snow your roof can handle, directly correlates to whether it is fluffy or wet. Is rain in the forecast? In reality, unless you get a recommendation from a building official, when to shovel your roof is based off of an educated guess.

It’s usually a rule of thumb to remove any snow that reaches 18 inches or more. While low pitched and flat roofs are more prone to overloading based off the angle, you will need to clear your roof off more often than others. If rain is in the forecast after a big snow storm, try removing everything before it compacts.

Along with flat and low pitched roofs, be sure to notice any valley, skylights and dormers as they can be concern for snow drifts and extra weight.

Many garages, decks and outbuildings weren’t built recently and back in the day, there were less standards, and regulations. Be sure to not only pay attention to your home but also to these structures as well. We often see these buildings getting damaged by heavy snow the most.

For more information about snow roof shoveling, feel free to reach out to the Rhode Island Slate Roofing specialists. We provide efficient and effective snow roof removal for residents and businesses throughout Rhode Island.