Hiring a roofing contractor: 4 secrets you should know

Roof construction is an important part of the integrity and energy efficiency of a home. So when it comes time to repair or replace a roof it is best to select a contractor who practices the right roofing techniques.



It's hard to know what to look for in a roofing contractor, so here are 4 things you should know to help simplify the process of hiring the right one for you.


#1: Roofing Contractors Must be Insured


Any roofing contractors you hire, whether for new roofing, roofing repairs or roofing restoration, must carry insurance. First and foremost is liability insurance, which protects your property in the event it is damaged by the contractor or his employees. Any roofing contractor you're considering must also carry worker's compensation insurance. This insurance will protect you should one of the roofing contractors or one of their workers gets injured on your property. If they don't have it you may be liable. Make sure you ask any roofing contractors for proof of insurance before signing a contract or allowing work to begin. A good roofing contractor will expect to show proof of insurance to potential clients.


#2: Roofing Contractors Must be Licensed


In order to protect yourself any roofing contractor you hire should be licensed. Anyone can come in and claim to be an expert, but without a license you could potentially expose yourself to financial harm. If an injury or property damage occurs during work with an unlicensed roofing contractor, the Contractors Board cannot assist you with resolution to a complaint against that contractor. Hiring a licensed roofing contractor also ensures a degree of quality in that it gives you the assurance that the contractor has met the qualifications required by your state. States usually have high standards for professional roofing contractors, which contractors must meet before being licensed.


#3: Roofing Contractors Should Guarantee Their Work


Most roof materials have a guarantee, but your roofing contractor should too. The work done by a roofing contractor, including roofing repairs and roof restoration, should be guaranteed for at least a year. Make sure the guarantee is in writing and that it includes a guarantee against leaks, defective materials, and defective workmanship. It should also detail what will be done to rectify any situation where the guarantee is not met.


#4: Roofing Contractors Should Sign a Contract for Their Work


You should ask for a signed contract from even the most reliable roofing contractor. In the contract they should specify everything from cost and payment to schedule and completion date. Make sure the project cost, including a reasonable deposit request, is in writing. And payment schedule and/or due date or timeline should also be in writing. An important item to include in the contract is roof materials and what brand specifically you have agreed upon that will be used. The contract from your roofing contractor should also include details such as cleanup during and after the project and what happens if anything unexpected occurs during the course of the project or how any change requests are handled.

The best kind of home improvements: high-impact, low-maintenance

(BPT) - Yes, everyone knows making home improvements are a worthy investment in your greatest material asset. Sure you want every improvement job done well with top-notch end results. But when all is said and done, do you really want to have to put a lot of effort and money into maintaining those improvements? For most people - whether they'll admit it or not - the answer is "no."

The best home improvements are the ones that not only enhance your home's value and livability, but also require little work from you afterward to keep them looking great and functioning well. If you're looking for high-impact, low-maintenance home improvements, consider these popular projects:

No-leak skylights

When it comes to an improvement that brightens your home, enhances its indoor air quality and boosts energy-efficiency, skylights deliver. Unfortunately, early skylights had a reputation for being leaky - a problem that simply doesn't occur with modern, no leak, energy-efficient skylights. Pre-engineered flashing kits (the metal shield that surrounds any opening in a wall or roof) work with all types of roofs, from shingles to metal, to ensure a properly installed skylight won't leak.

Need further low-maintenance points to make the case for adding a skylight? Not only do modern skylights keep water out, they're energy efficient as well. Energy Star-qualified, no leak solar-powered fresh air skylights, like those from Velux, deliver fresh air through cost-effective passive ventilation. Adding remote-controlled, solar-powered blinds allows you to easily open or close a fresh air skylight and shade it when the sun hits that part of the roof, boosting the skylight's energy efficiency by 39 percent. Keep the shade open during cold weather to admit warmth and reduce heating costs. A 30 percent federal tax credit on both products and installation costs makes a skylight project even more appealing. Visit www.veluxusa.com for a tax calculator to show your savings for a new installation or replacement skylights and a skylight planner app to show exactly how skylights and blinds will look in any area of your home.

Lighting upgrade

Older light fixtures not only look dated, they often use outdated, inefficient bulbs and are lacking in the energy-efficient emphasis that comes with newer fixtures. Upgrading lighting throughout your home is a great way to ensure you won't have to think about it again any time soon.

If a total lighting redesign is out of the question, you can still make your existing light fixtures lower maintenance simply by swapping out old, inefficient incandescent light bulbs with newer, electricity-sipping versions. Options like CFLs and LEDs provide all the light of incandescents while using a fraction of the energy. Energy.gov says Energy Star-rated LEDs use at least 75 percent less power than incandescent bulbs, and last 25 times longer. Imagine the time, hassle and money you'll save not having to replace bulbs constantly - especially in lights that get a lot of use, like porch lights, or that are hard to reach, like the chandelier in your two-story entryway.

Vinyl siding

Wood, fiber cement, stucco, brick - there are nearly as many types of exterior siding as there are colors to paint it. When it comes to low- or no-maintenance siding, vinyl remains the gold standard. In fact, more new homes are built using vinyl siding than any other type of siding product, according to the Vinyl Siding Institute.

While early versions of vinyl siding earned criticism for being less lovely than wood, even those less sophisticated versions had staying power; it's possible to find homes in use today sporting vinyl siding that was added to the house a while back.

Vinyl siding never needs to be painted, and when properly installed provides exceptional shielding from the elements. New technology has made modern vinyl siding look better and last longer without fading issues associated with older versions of vinyl. It requires basic cleaning, and overall maintenance demands are much less than other types of siding. 

Courtesy of BPT

Five things before purchasing a house

One of the main purchases you are going to make is buying a house. You have to think through all of your options before making the decision. Here are some of the things you need to know before you buy a house:


1) It is essential that you have good credit. You will most likely obtain a loan to buy a house. Thus, you should ensure that your credit is good for a smooth sailing application. It would be better to check your credit history frequently for your own security as well.


2) Prepare for long-term debts. Keep in mind that it will take years before you will be able to pay for the house completely. Ensure that you will be able to manage payment for the mortgage. Having a financial cushion is significant. Since the debt is long-term, anything can occur.


3) Most loans need a document from the appraiser so it is better to get their opinion when you see a potential house. The appraisers are experts in giving values to properties depending on the location, structure, features, and added extras to the house. This will stop any sales representative from over pricing the house.


4) It is very attractive to buy a beautiful house at a very cheap price. Before you decide on purchasing the beautiful house, ensure that it has a safe environment. Take note that one of the factors that make a house costly is good location. If you think that the price is much cheaper than it looks, the locations may not be that attractive. Ask the appraiser why the value is low. It could be that the neighborhood is not safe. These factors are very important in your decision-making.


5) Make sure that the house you choose suits your lifestyle. No matter how beautiful the house is, if it does not coincide with your behavior, you will not be comfortable in it. When you choose a house, make sure that it makes you feel at ease.


Your financial state is most important when planning to a buy a house. This makes it essential to monitor your credit on a regular basis. Finally, you have to learn as much as you can about the home before purchasing it.


by: Sheldon Kalnitsky


http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_3792.shtml

Moving in the military? How to make the process easier

(BPT) - Moving can cause stress for family members, especially military families that are required to move frequently and potentially without a lot of warning. Sometimes these moves are within a base, while other times they can be to a new base on the other side of the country.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and Personally Procured Moves (PPM) come with military assistance to help soldiers and their families make the transition. Families can also take advantage of the do-it-yourself (DITY) option offered by the military, which could make the overall transition much smoother.

No matter how quickly the move happens, or what kind of moving assistance your family requests, here are some moving tips from Penske Truck Rental to help keep everything in order.

* Planning - PCS notifications can come without a lot of warning, or families may know about a potential move far in advance. For both instances, getting a plan in place is a good start. Gather important information into one folder, containing phone numbers, contact names, dates, receipts and checklists in this folder so you can easily track everything about your move. For some planning tools that focus specifically on military moves, visit the U.S. Department of Defense website.

* Moving - Many families choose the DITY option because it gives them more control over the move, and they can also potentially make some money in the process. The military provides an allotted cost for moving, and if you can come under that cost through your own planning, the military will pay you the difference. For example, Penske Truck Rental offers active military personnel a 10 percent discount when they reserve a truck online, and an additional 10 percent off when they show an active military ID while picking up the truck. Penske will price-match any competitive offers on one-way truck rentals as well. Visit www.DITYmove.com to learn more.

* Weights - Military rules require soldiers to certify the weight of the rental vehicle when empty and after it's fully loaded. Weight limit reimbursements are set depending on a soldier's rank and dependents, but the traditional weights are estimated at 1,000 pounds per room, excluding bathrooms and storage areas. Then add in the estimated weight of large appliances, garage items and items in storage. Compare this number to what is allowed and determine if you can reduce the load in any way to avoid paying overweight costs. To help with weight certifications, Penske offers a Certified Public Scale locator tool online to help DITY movers in finding weigh stations.

* Contact info - File a change of address form at your local post office so mail can be forwarded, and also make certain your new information is updated with your specific branch of the military.

* Explore - Get to know your new neighborhood, both on and off base. If you have children, explore the schools and the after-school activities available. Learn a bit about the city's history and gather information on the services the city offers so that on moving day, your water and electricity will be available when it's needed.

When in the military, a move is practically inevitable, but the process can be much less stressful on both emotions and finances with a little organization and planning from the get-go.

Courtesy of BPT

Going green has never been more high tech

Think going green will cost too much or take too much time? You might be surprised at how much time, energy and money you can save by making a few changes in your home to make it more energy efficient. And don't worry that it will be too much work because some new high tech tools are making it easier than ever.

 

Green living expert Megan McLendon is the executive producer at www.doyourpart.com, and she recommends several options for making a powerful impact.

 

Take stock of the situation

Do you really know how much energy you use to run your household? Think about everything you run or turn on during the day. Consider your heating and cooling systems, appliances and electronics. The average single-family household racks up more than $2,000 in energy bills each year. Home electricity monitors make it easy to see how much energy you use and what you spend on it. A device called The Energy Detective can monitor the energy your home consumes in real time and the exact amount it's costing you. You can chart 10 years' worth of data and even review your information remotely. The basic model costs around $200. Then, there are free ways to help you see what's using the most energy at home and help you target those hot spots. MyEnergy.com compiles information directly from your utility companies and is able to compare your usage to that of some of your neighbors. You can also earn reward points for using less energy.

 

Hit the energy hogs

Now, that you know how much energy you're really using at home, it's time to hit those energy hogs hard. Start with making your heating and cooling systems more efficient. So-called "smart" thermostats are now available and are easy to use. The Nest thermostat is one such device that actually learns from your family's behavior. Soon after installation, it will automatically begin to lower or increase the temperature when you go to bed or leave the house. It even allows you to look at its daily energy use and access the thermostat from your computer or smartphone. 

There are also other intuitive devices to help you reduce your energy consumption at home. A power strip for sale by Belkin will shut down power going to a series of electronics by simply turning off one of the components. This is a great solution for home offices and entertainment centers. And here's another smart tip: For those items at home which run off batteries, invest in reusable ones. They will cost a little more than regular batteries but more than make up for that cost in the long run. A gadget that will easily help you make the switch is the Energizer Universal Charger. This device will charge AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V batteries, so you also reduce clutter by only having one charger for all of your battery charging needs. 

 

Put it all together

Once you have the information you need, you can easily put it all together to analyze. EnergyHub has a product that works as a command center for your home. You can access all your energy information in one place so you can control your thermostat, lights and appliances from a central home location or remotely. General Electric is also rolling out a hub system called the Nucleus that does the same thing and is compatible with smart meters.

Knowledge is power. When you know how much energy your home is using, it's easier to come up with strategies to lower your energy usage and lower your utility bills. It's another important way to do your part without wasting your energy.

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

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Caption 1: Reviewing your energy consumption regularly can help you see how much energy you use and where you can cut down.

Caption 2: Intuitive devices like this advanced power strip and battery charger help you reduce your energy consumption at home.

Courtesy of BPT

Moving? Make sure your possessions are protected

The average American makes 11.7 moves during a lifetime, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That's about one in six people pulling up stakes each year.

With so many on the move to new homes, new cities and new opportunities, it's important to protect household items while in transit or in storage before arrival at the new location, according to Charles Valinotti, head of product and underwriting with insurer QBE.

 

Your homeowner's insurance policy will protect your personal possessions, whether they're located in your home or in a moving truck. However, Valinotti cautions that there may be a time limit attached to the coverage, such as a 30-day period, and your policy may only cover up to certain dollar limits on property being moved or stored.

 

"Ask your agent to explain the level of coverage, what exactly is covered and confirm that your items are insured if you have to store them," he says.

 

Other points to keep in mind as you hit the road:

 

* If you're using a professional moving company or shipper, verify that they're insured and bonded to cover damage they may be responsible for. Valinotti says to keep in mind most movers limit their responsibility to basic damage amounts. "You may want to check into buying additional insurance to make sure you're adequately covered during your move."

 

* If you're packing and moving yourself with a rented truck, take a look at your auto insurance policy. Many policies will cover rental trucks, but only up to a certain weight. "Don't assume your policy covers you when you're behind the wheel of a 26-foot, 13,000-pound moving truck," he says.

 

* In a self-move, careful packing is critical, as well as keeping your property locked up and secured along the way.

 

* Note the condition of your items being relocated. Then if you have a claim, the condition of your possessions will be documented.

 

* Know the value of high-dollar items that will be making the move. "Make a complete list of everything," Valinotti suggests. "Take photos and, if necessary, get appraisals of these items before the move."

 

Valinotti says before a move is a good time to review your overall insurance coverage to make sure you're adequately covered and whether you need to increase your limits. "A good look at insurance coverage every couple of years is something everyone should do," he says. "And you don't have to wait until you're ready to pack up and relocate."

Courtesy of BPT