Tag Archives: siding

2018 Mock Draft – Home Building Products

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Every year products come and go within the home improvement market. We compiled our favorite building products to work with regardless of architectural specifications, current home trends, or style of your home. We drafted them in order of their intangibles: cost, quality, appearance, market availability, and longevity. Our company can stand by all these products due to their varying strengths and the manufacturers track record. If you have questions regarding the products please reach out to TRC (We have a ton of samples/literature) or review the products yourself on their webpage.

Round 1

Home-changing Prospects

  1.   Da Vinci Roof Scape Slate Tiles               Position – Roofing

    • We selected this synthetic product due to it’s unique characteristics, visual appearance, and current lack of market saturation. This product was built to mimic slate/ cedar appearance while maintaining it’s cost advantage over the real stuff. Recommended for premium home builds.
    • Roof Scae.jpg

  2. LP Building Product Smartside               Position – Siding

    • Is LP the stuff with a product recall in the early 00’s? Yes, Louisiana Pacific had issues in the early 00’s, BUT have reformulated their resin and have not had issues in over a decade. In fact, their exterior product is one of the fastest growing siding products in North America. Recommended for premium home builds or vinyl substate.
    • LP.jpg

  3. Royal Building Product’s Celect               Position – Siding

    • The most common siding products in North America is vinyl with the recent growing demand for engineered wood and fiber cement, the vinyl industry created this product. A system that emulates JH and LP appearances, but is much easier for the installer, safer, and maintenance free. This product is raw, but has high upside! Recommended for premium home builds or vinyl substate.
    • Celect Siding

  4. Polyglass Modified Bitumen                           Position – Roofing

    • Polyglass is owned by the largest sealant/coating manufacturer in the world and is headquarters in Florida. This manufacturer has been widely popular in Florida for it’s coatings and quality, but has entered the midwest market. If you have a modular home, sunroom, or commercial flat roof then this product is the ideal selection. With the correct installer this product can carry a 15 to 20 year product warranty from registered vendors! Recommended for commercial projects and sunrooms.
    • Poly glass

  5. GAF Glenwood Roofing System                                Position – Roofing

    • This high-end roofing shingle from GAF manufacturing is one of our favorites due to its overall appearance. It’ll give you’re home a STRONG WARRANTY, but more importantly the Hobbit like appearance. This product has been offered for less than 5 years, but asethically is one of our favorite asphalt based shingles on the market!  Recommended for premium home builds.
    • Glenwood Shingle

  6. GAF Camelot Roofing System                                   Position – Roofing

    • The GAF Camelot’s are the shingle of choice by the owner of Total Roofing & Construction Services, Inc. has on his home. These designer shingles are 50 year warranted products and are HEAVY. If you’re hoping for hail damage on your home these are not the shingles to buy, but if you want to avoid damage then order them today. Extremely durable and have a nice clean finish. Recommended for premium home builds.
    • Camelot.jpg

  8. Owens Corning Berkshire Roofing System           Position – Roofing

    • The Berkshire is equivalent to the GAF Camelot shingle in warranty, appearance, but is a bit more expensive in the midwest market. Recommended for premium home builds
    • OC

  9. James Hardie Siding System                                      Position – Siding

    • James Hardie has been well known of the last decade for their product appearance and as an alternative to the vinyl/plastic market. This Australian owned company has strong warranties and history of product durability.  Recommended for all home builds.
    • James Hardie.jpg

  10. Worthouse Metal Roofing System                           Position – Roofing

    • We enjoy North American manufacturers and distributers for the local economy. This metal roofing system is based out Illinois and has demand growing throughout the world. A great substrate if you dislike asphalt roofing shingles. The warranties about the same as the premium roofing materials previously drafted. We believe the longevity is here, but the appearance of the GAF & OC products are still ahead of Worthouses. Recommended for all home builds.
    • Illinois.jpg

  11. GAF TPO Roofing System                                     Position – Flat Roofing

  12. Owens Corning Atticat Blown-in Insulation       Position – Insulation

  13. Sunrise Windows – Vinyl Replacement             Position – Windows

  14. Velux Solar opening Skylight    Position – Windows

    • A high end skylight. No questions about it. Most skylights carry a 10-year warranty. This product does have the 10-year warranty, but it has the ability to opening and close completely off the grid.  Recommended for bungalow homes or second story homes with poor air flow.
    • VElux.jpg

  15. GAF Golden Pledge Roof System with Timberline Shingles  Position – Roofing

    • Most common architectural roofing installed in North America. This is a great pick up with the #15 draft pick. Recommended for all home builds.

  16. Owens Corning Solar Attic Fan   Position – Ventilation

  17. Behr Marquee Paint    Position – Painting

    • We do 5-10 interior home painting jobs a year and continue to swear by these manufacturers. These paints are more expensive, but the coats are much thicker and easier to wash throughout the years. We recommend 2 coats, even if the manufacturers states one coat. Recommended for all home builds.
    • Behr

  18. APA certified 1/2″ plywood  Position – sheathing

    • We recommend tossing the 3/8″ and OSB plywood off your next project. Whether you’re building a shed, home, or roof please go with a 1/2″ plywood substrate. We do not believe installing the manufacturer minimum is worth it for you. Unless you’re installing a Zip system, this should be your homebuilders starting substrate. If you’re in the process of an insurance adjustment, seek the 1/2″ plywood rather than what was installed in the 1970’s! Recommended for all home builds.

  19. Owens Corning Duration Roof System    Position – Roofing

  20. Plygem Vortex Vinyl Siding   Position – Siding

  21. Firestone TPO Roofing System  Position – Roofing

  22. Quality Edge Gutter system with Leaf Relief  Position – Gutters

  23. Plygem Camden Pointe DL Siding System  Position – Siding

    • Similar to Royal Building Products, Plygem is one of the largest exterior building product companies in North America. We believe Camden Pointe is a great pick-up with the #23 pick due to its cost, quality, and available color selections. All styles are available from board & batten, shake, dutch lap, and more! Recommended for all home builds and budget conscious
    • Camden Point.png

  24. El Dorado Stone Façade   Position – Siding

  25. TAMKO Heritage Roofing System     Position – Roofing

  26. Owens Corning Attic Baffles   Position – Ventilation Accessory

  27. GAF DeckArmor   Position – Roofing Accessory

  28. Variform Trim Coil  Position – Soffit/Fascia

  29. Owens Corning ProArmor Synthetic Underlayment   Position – Roofing Accessory

    • Synthetic Underlayment? Spend the $100 to $400 on a nice underlayment that goes under your shingles. Especially if you’re considering the premium products such as Berkshire, Camelot, Glenwoods, and etc. The building specifications still ask for #15 lb. Felt Underlayment in most municipalities, which has been code for over 25+ years! Building products have improved drastically in 25 years, so why not use the the new products? 

  30. Mi Replacment Windows   Position – Windows

  31. Atlas Pinnacle Roofing System Position – Roofing 

  32. Quality Edge Aluminum Soffit System  Position – Ventilation 

 

Vinyl siding or LP Smartside/James Hardie?

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Each trade show and every year this same question is brought up! And honestly, it’s a tough question, which merit’s a post, and we recommend asking your go-to contractor his thoughts. If you asked 100 contractor’s you’d get a variety of responses. Regardless whether their a preferred contractor, 30+ years in construction, or your favorite handyman. However, in my experience this question can only be answered by YOU the homeowner! 

Go ahead visit the leading vinyl manufacturers websites such as: Plygem or Royal Building Products, James Hardie.com, or LP Building product’s they’ll showcase the advantages over their peers. Each site exhibit beautiful houses, trending colors, and their extensive product warranties. I’d recommend before you upload an image of your house to ask yourself “what are your intentions for your home?”

We know it’s common for homeowner’s to comprise a ” fix-it” list in March and we professionally recommend it. A proactive homeowner is great homeowner and we suggest every Spring/Fall you address an on-going issue (Mines – Air Conditioning not that you care!). It’s much easier in Spring especially when your accountant indicates you’re receiving a $5,000 tax return. Regardless of your situation or tax refund situation, ask yourself these questions:

  1. How long do you plan on living at your home?
    • The average family lives at their “home” 13 to 17 years according to the NAHB This is the most important question! Because this should alter your product consideration simply because why invest in siding when you’ll have a possible down payment?
  2. What are the “comp’s” in the area or neighbor’s house look like?
    • If the entire block is barren from James Hardie siding and the median 3 Bedroom/1 bathroom home doesn’t fluctuate much, than it’s possible there won’t be much ROI. We don’t believe your decision solely on ROI, especially if the intentions are to live their your entire life, but it’s worth the consideration. In contrast to that, many neighborhood’s will transitions after one makes the jump to a premium siding material (keeping up with the Jones – it’s real!)
  3. Do you have newer windows?
    • I’d say 50% of homeowners initially don’t consider window replacement , because they’re focused on their ugly, outdated, or bird ridden siding. Yet, the honest truth is, if those windows are over 15+ years it may be worth considering to do a 2 for 1 deal.  Why? It’s much easier to install a quality siding product such as LP & James Hardie alongside those new energy efficient windows rather than remove the “newer” siding system in 5-7 years to replace those faulty windows. It’s much easier ( and cheaper) to do it all at once.
  4. Do you know a quality contractor or trust the local contractor?
    • Again, we’re bias because we’re contractor’s, but we’re aware of the significant cost difference and investment of these material’s. LP & Hardie is more labor laden, along with their product specifications! So hiring the right contractor should save you $$$  and headaches down the road regardless if you sell or stay (even if their estimate is more expensive).
  5. What’s your project budget or expectation?
    • This is the most important question. I agree, the more expensive product’s are  better for the environment and currently have longer warranties, but will you be financially stable in the next 1 to 5 years? We’re not the door-to-door contractor that wants all customers to sign for 5 to 10 year home improvement loans. Because we understand it’s vital that you love the product, installer, color, and more importanly believe it’s the best suited system for your goal’s, which should have been clarified with the questions above. 

So, what’s the final decision? We were not going to say one over the other, because A. our manufacturer’s will get upset and B. because we don’t know your personal intentions with your home. We want to provide the best information and will surely do so if you reach out individually.  A variety of our own employees have a variation of vinyl, James Hardie, and LP Smartside, so we’d be lying as a company by saying there’s a one size fits all. 

 

“This Old House” know’s roofing.

Aside

After reading a few industry expert articles we noticed “This Old House” had a fantastic Q and A article on roof replacement. We believe prior to calling a license contractor you should be aware of potential problem’s and learn about roofing issues. The more informed you are the more likely you’ll have an idea of what need’s to be done and avoid the possibility of getting taken advantage of.  There’s a few Q & A’s posted here, but we recommend checking them all out on their page. Hope this can help you out.  Remember if you have checked the web and need a license professional maybe it’s time to call Total Roofing & Construction. 

Informational

1. Q: How do you know when an asphalt shingle roof needs replacement? Are there clues to look for before telltale water stains appear on our plaster ceilings?

—Pat, Plymouth, Minn.

A: Tom Silva replies: There are several clues, and the biggest one is age. If your roof is more than 20 years old, there’s a good chance it’s due for replacement. But younger roofs can fail too, so it’s a good idea to inspect a roof at least once a year. Don’t use a ladder, though. Binoculars are easier and a lot safer, and you can spot most problems from the ground.

Here’s what to look for: numerous shingles that are lifting up, cracked or missing, with curled edges, or with smooth dark areas, which indicate that the protective granules have worn off. Also, go into the attic on a sunny day and, with the lights off, check the underside of the chimney and the stack vent. If you see little pinhole spots of light, the flashing is shot—another indication that the roofing might not be in good shape.

While you’re in the attic, scan the underside of the roof sheathing for any new signs of water staining since the last inspection, as well as any soft or moist spots, which tend to show up after a heavy rain. If these problems are widespread, it’s a sure sign that you need to call a roofer.

2. Q: A friend recently mentioned in passing he thought some of the “flashing” on my roof looked as if it were in rough shape. Can you explain exactly what roof flashing is?

—Britney, Fort Worth, Texas

A: Tom Silva replies: Flashing is just material—usually aluminum or galvanized steel—that’s used over joints in roof and wall construction to prevent water seeping in and causing damage. Depending on the style of your house’s roof, you probably have it in the valleys, around the chimney and pipes, and around any dormer windows or skylights. Most damage shows up either in flashing that’s deteriorating due to weathering and oxidizing, or in flashing that has come loose.

I can’t say for sure without seeing your roof, but most flashing problems can be patched or repaired fairly easily. Professional roofers typically cut and shape their own flashing from sheet metal, but the most common flashing pieces also come pre-formed and can be applied without much difficulty using caulking or roof cement.

A word of warning: Because of the danger involved, I never recommend people do work on roofs unless they are professionals or they’re used to being on roofs and are familiar with the one they’re working on. So if your flashing needs any significant repairs, consider hiring a contractor to do it for you.

How long does a roof replacement take?

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This is undoubtedly the most frequently asked question that all homeowners have when considering replacing a roof. 

The answer, however, is not a definitive one.

The best way to determine how long it will take to replace a roof is to ask the roofing contractor when they are giving you an estimate. 
It is important to realize that not every estimate is written in stone.

A roofer may estimate that a project may take two weeks to complete, but if there are conditions that arise that delay the work, it may take longer.
Sometimes bad weather is a factor that can interfere with work, so it’s always advisable to be flexible in your expectations and plan for roof replacement when the weather is good.

Roofers may discover that more work needs to be done than was originally included in the estimate. This may be due to structural damage that was revealed once they began the project. These types of circumstances could delay the replacement project as well.

The best course of action is to discuss the length of the project with the roofer and to get several estimates before choosing the roofing contractors for the job.

Compare the different lengths of time that each roofer provides. You should always feel comfortable with the time frame that the roofing contractor provides you with and make sure that you have enough time available to handle the project.

If a roofer tells you that they believe it would take two days to complete the roofing project, and you have plans to leave town the second day of the project, you may want to reschedule.

Give yourself plenty of time to complete the project in case there are emergencies, poor weather conditions or any additional work that must be completed.