Need a Roofer Denver? Here are the Reasons Why

May 28, 2012 | Roofing Colorado Springs, Roofing Denver, Roofing Monument Colorado

Need a Roofer Denver? Here are the Reasons Why You Might

Denver skyline with bad weather

Need a roofer Denver? If you understand the enemies of your roof that the Colorado climate presents, it is no wonder why. The entire functionality of your home as your safe haven against all of the worldly dangers begins with having a sound roof, and there are plenty of things that compromise your roofs integrity. The reasons why you may need a roofer Denver are not just limited to natural factors, however. Roof damage is not only caused by natural factors, it can also be caused by human error that occurred during the initial construction of your roof. In the remainder of this post we’ll have a look at the 2 general categories of causation when it comes to roof damage, which will surely explain why you need a roofer Denver.

Human causes of roofing damage

Why do you need a roofer Denver? A big part of the reason could be human error on the part of the roofers who initially built your roof. Most damage that occurs as a result of roofing errors has to do with the roofer using inadequate materials in the construction of your roof, as a means of cutting costs and improving their profit margin. Examples of cost cutting when it comes to your roofing materials includes things like using low grade roofing paper, flashing, and shingles on your roof. Another way that roofing companies try to cut costs which ends up degrading the quality of your roof is by rushing through the completion of your roof in order to meet deadlines, causing the overall quality of the work to suffer, leading to problems down the road. As we have noted many times on this blog, one of the most frequently occurring roofing errors is the improper use of a nail gun in order to nail your shingles to the roof. This causes shingles to be over-driven and thus more susceptible to damages in cases of high winds.roofing nail gun

Another common human issue in roof installation that often creates problems is improperly installed flashing. When dealing with roof flashing and looking for sources of roof damage all it takes is one eighth of an inch of a flashing mistake to produce roof leaks. If this error happens to be in a location where large volumes of water are funneling into the mistake may be very costly. Water flowing like a small stream may enter into the roof structure. If you’re looking for a roofer Denver clients would be advised to work with a Denver roofer that has a training program for their installers. Keep the water flowing down the roof and not into the structure by installing wall flashing correctly. Let’s not overlook chimney crickets and flashing in the Denver area. With our cold winters many homes have chimneys. No matter what, be sure to find a Denver roofer that understands roof flashing.

Natural causes of roofing damage

The most likely reason that you’ll need a roofer Denver is due to the often extreme elements that characterize the Denver climate, particularly in the winter and spring. High winds are perhaps the most common reason for roofing damage in Denver. Wind damage is even more prevalent on roofs which have had shingles nailed down with nail guns. Denver also sees its fair share of hail storms. Hail can wreak havoc on all sorts of roofs, but does particular damage to roofs which are composed of asphalt shingles, as the granules which make up the shingles are removed quickly and in large quantities. Let’s not forget snow. Snow piling up on your roof can cause problems ranging from leaking to degrading shingles, and many more. These issues are compounded when your roof has fundamental construction issues to begin with. The fact of the matter is from day one after your roof is installed natural causes begin to depreciate your roof. No matter how many warranties or labels that a manufacturer inserts into their literature no roofing product last forever. Some products are mis labeled a life time. I said, “mis-labeled”, which may be correct or not. The manufacturer may be referring to average length of time that a homeowner stays in a home. The average is only seven years. Now if the manufacturer actually plans on an asphalt shingle lasting until someones seventy five or eighty years old and they are labeling the package according to the owners life time, well then that’s another story. If one were to purchase the home at twenty years of age and the manufacturer expects the product to last for fifty or sixty years I have my doubts.

Golfball Sized HailDenver Sun and Hail Damage to Roofs

Ok, now that I’ve share my opinion let’s look at sunshine or the negative impacts of ultraviolet rays on an asphalt shingle. As soon as the bitumen is exposed to ultraviolet rays on a continual basis that product begins to degrade. Asphalt and ultraviolet rays are not compatible. The break down of the asphalts ability to remain flexible will be sharply decreased with sunlight. As the shingle begins to loose its elasticity and pliability any type of impact on that shingle can potentially damage it. Every Denver roofer knows this information. For an example as a light weight asphalt shingle ages the size of the hail stone that is needed in order to bruise or fracture the shingle is reduced. When a brand new light weight asphalt shingle is installed it will take a hard 1″ hail stone to possibly damage the shingle. It’s really unlikely for this to occur because the new asphalt is able to absorb the impact of the hail stone. However as the asphalt in the roof shingle system ages it becomes less pliable and more brittle, thus creating concern for hail damage even with smaller stones. The 1″ hail stone in a storm that last for fifteen minutes or so has the potential to damage an old light weight shingle. When I say old I’m referring to a shingle that is at least ten years old. Traditionally a light weight shingle would easily absorb the hail impact of small stones.

Contact Your Denver Roofer

Integrity Roofing and Painting is a Denver Roofer providing services throughout the Denver metro area, Colorado Springs and front range of Colorado. Contact us for your roofing needs.