Lyons Roofing

Roof Replacement and Repair Contractor Louisville, KY and Indiana

CALL TODAY
Louisville: (502) 689-0338
Indiana: (812) 294-3595

Roof Replacement in 5 Easy Steps

by Leave a Comment

When it comes time for a roof replacement, many options can seem overwhelming. What type of shingles, should you do a lay over or tear it all of the way off and start over? These and many other small decisions can be a major factor in the life of the roof and the protection from the elements.

Here are five easy steps to run through when you are planning a roof replacement.

Step 1:

Understanding The Basic Process of Roof Replacement

roof replacement

One of the most common terms you will hear from a roofer is “Square” This is equal to 100 square feet. Depending on the type of shingles you chose, this could equal 3-4 bundles per square.

Dependent on the size of your home, it will take 1-4 days for a full tear off and roof replacement.

The stages of a roof replacement

  • Remove and discard all existing shingles (if going with a full tear off).
  • Make minor repairs on wood as needed.
  • Installation of roofing felt or synthetic underlayment and ice and water shield.
  • Installation of drip edge.
  • laying out and installing your new shingles.
  • Install of all flashing (if your home requires it).
  • Installation of ridge vents, if other style vents are installed this will happen during the install of the shingles.
  • Install ridge cap and walking roof down doing final sealing of any exposed nail heads.
  • Final clean up of roof and ground around home.

Sit back and enjoy your new roof!

Step 2:

When is The Best Season For Roof Replacement?

when to replace your roof

To make a long story a little shorter, spring, summer and fall are your best seasons for replacing your roof. It is possible to replace the roof during the winter. Ask your local roofing contractor or to find out how the weather outlook will effect your roof replacement in the winter.

Step 3:

Should You Remove the old Shingles or Roof Over Them

Tear off or add another layer

Would you park a car on top of your home? Thats what adding another layer to your roof will add, take the time to read about adding another layer to your roof and make your decision then.

 Step 4:

Pick a Roofing Contractor

This can be one of the most difficult challenges when it comes to the roof replacement process. We make it a little bit easier by explaining how to pick a roofing contractor. We know this can be one of the hardest stages, take your time and do your research. If you pick the right contractor, the process is 100 times easier.

Step 5:

Common Roof Replacement Materials

Estate grey roof shingles

 Now you are down to the nuts and bolts. Picking your shingle style and color, read roof shingles and colors to find out what local customers are going with and see the colors in action. This may make the choice a little easier. Do not worry about all of your accessory colors, those are picked based on your shingle color and designed to work with your roof shingles.

We hope this provides an easy way to walk through the steps of a roof replacement. Just remember as scary as replacing your roof sounds, a good roofing contractor will take the time and walk you through the whole process and make everything a lot simpler.

How to Finance your Roof Replacement

by Leave a Comment

We at Lyons Roofing understand that replacing your roof can be costly. To provide our customers with other options,  we can help finance your roof replacement through our financing partner, Service finance.

According to Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value study, the average cost of replacing a roof is $14,446.

 

Throwing-money-RF

We know most people don’t have that kind of money laying around, if you do. You more than likely want to spend it in other ways or even save it for a rainy day. We also know it is hard for you to ignore the drip in your kitchen ceiling or the old shingles that are the talk of the neighborhood association.

Fortunately, homeowners have a number of financing options that won’t require tapping into the kids’ college funds

If you are in the process of receiving roof estimates, contact The Lyons Roofing Company and we can help walk you through the financing options and help you get qualified.

Picking the plan that’s right for you can be done in a quick, simple application process. It can be completed online with the help of one of our sales representatives.

Contact The Lyons Roofing Company to help finance your roof replacement

Within minutes you will know if you are qualified and The Lyons Roofing Company can get you back to normal. We know the process can be difficult and our goal is to make the process as simple as possible.

 

finance your roof replacement

 

Should you need more information or have questions, feel free to contact our office in Indiana at 812-294-3595 or Louisville, KY at 502-689-0338.

 

Why Do Shingles Blow Off?

by Leave a Comment

There could be many reasons you are losing shingles left and right from your home, Below are the three most common reasons shingles blow off or grow legs and walk away!

 

What causes shingles to blow off?

Shoddy installation

roof-installation

 

How shingles are attached to your roof depends on the slope of the roof, the manufacturer of the shingle and the type of shingle installed. It could be that when your roof was installed, it was not installed, as it should have been.

If your home or roof is new (less than 10 years old), the later is the most likely cause.

What to do: If your roof is still under warranty, contact the builder, installer or roofing manufacturer. They should make it right.

If you are outside of the warranty period, contact a trusted roofer to fix the missing shingles and make sure there are not any other problems with your roof. (Most new homes come with a 2 year warranty).

 

Taking your afternoon stroll on your shingles

cow on roof

(I think we need more cowbell)

When you walk on a shingle roof, you can damage the shingles and/or cause them to work loose from the nails depending on how hot of a day and how steep of a roof.

If you have a clay tile roof, you should never walk on it! Clay is clay, it cracks easily.

What to do: Replace the missing shingles on your roof and avoid walking on the roof more in the future.

 

Extreme weather

why do shingles blow off

Most asphalt shingle roofs are built to withstand extreme weather; and we tend to get a lot of it. But in some cases, the extreme wind can catch a shingle and blow it off the roof. Shingles on the ridge and eaves of the roof are especially susceptible to sprouting wings and taking flight.

What to do: First and foremost, contact your insurance company (unless you have catastrophic damage) they may be able to get you in touch with a preferred contractor, If there is catastrophic damage and it would cause more damage to wait for an adjuster then contact a professional roofing contractor to assess the damage and get you dried in.

Even though it might just look like a few missing shingles, there could be more damage than you can see.

Roofing Contractor and Technology

by Leave a Comment

Technology changes on a daily basis and it is no exception for your local roofing contractor. How do roofing contractors stay current in an ever-changing world, or should they just stay with the same old pen and paper way of doing things? We have all seen a roofing contractor pull up to our home, proceed to pull out his handy notebook and measure your roof. They come down and scribble down a total price then hand it to you and then they are on their way.

 

roofing contractor technology

 

This by no means, means they are an untrustworthy roofing contractor.

Contractors like any other company can be slow to new technology, The Lyons Roofing Company included. So how did we change this and how will the technology available help you as a customer?

Start with the basics. Every time you call into The Lyons Roofing Company you are put into our database. Now I know, you ask who doesn’t have a database for their customers? Well in the roofing industry a lot of roofing contractors are behind times, sticking with their memory and cabinets upon cabinets of paperwork.

If other roofing contractors are like the Lyons Roofing Company with over 15,000 roofs replaced in last 10 years. That means tons of headaches for the roofing contractor and the customer.

Customer databases have been a major time saver for the Lyons Roofing Company and for our customers when they need information about their roof.

Remote measurement is another timesaver for roofing contractors, the technology continues to grow and companies like EagleView dominate the market for both roofing contractors and insurance companies alike.

There are some other options out there in programs, which have proven very accurate as well. The Lyons Roofing Company we use the later, a program for your PC. After multiple test roofs, we found to be as accurate as EagleView.

 

computer technology

 

This has given us an advantage with most jobs being pre-measured. With the average roof taking 30 mins to measure; The Lyons Roofing Company team members will spend more time inspecting your roof than measuring it.

Technology has its advantages and dis-advantages. But, with the roofing and industry sectors continuing to grow, customers get a better product faster and at a better price.

What to do as a customer and roofing contractor 

For the roofing contractors out there that are behind the times. It may work now but chances are, it wont in the future so get a computer and get with the times.

For the homeowners. Don’t worry if your roofing contractor is using pen and paper, this is construction, we are scared of change. New technology in building and computers is always a risk for us and our customers. Tried and true has always been our motto!

 

Roofing Felt

by Leave a Comment

Most people can look up at their roof and say “hey I have shingles up there, I am good”. But what else goes into a roofing system that is just as important as the shingles you can see? Roofing felt, yes that weird looking black paper like material that a local roofing company puts on your roof before the shingles. Well if they do not put some sort of underlayment down, you could be in for some problems own the road.

 

Below are a few common questions we receive about roofing felt.

 

Why did roofing felt come about?

felt 

Originally, roofing felt was used for temporary protection against the wind and rain during the roofing process and keep sap from deteriorating the shingles. Now with modern building materials, you and I do not have to worry about sap too much.

 

Roofing felt has been around for around 50 years (longer than I have been around). But, it has always served its purpose. Protect your decking from the elements and it offer some protection from the elements in times of emergencies.

 

(If you have damage and you can see felt, call your local roofing contractor immediately. You will have a leak develop and interior damage will likely occur.)

 

What does #15 and #30 roofing felt mean?

felt 

The numbers were based on the weight per square (100 sq. foot) of the roll of roofing felt. During the process of manufacturing, hot asphalt is added to recycled paper in varying amounts. Thicker asphalt coating, heavier the weight.

 

Over time as technology shifted and the weights of the materials became lighter. Manufacturers more or less changed the pound symbol from 15# to #15.

 

I know, makes a lot of sense doesn’t it?

 

 

What are the options when it comes to roofing felt?

 

There are a few different options when it comes to roofing felt and underlayment systems. The most common are your ordinary #15 and #30 felt. However, there is a new kid on the block “Synthetic underlayment”. All three styles offer your decking and your shingles protection from the elements and in the case of emergency.

 

What type of roofing felt should I put on my home?

roofing felt 

This can be the tricky part. There are a few things to consider when you are asking your local roofing contractor what type of underlayment you should put on your home.

 

If your home is steeper, then you will need to go to a heavier weight on your roofing felt. On the other hand, you can use a synthetic underlayment and receive the same protection. Your installers drive the reason for a heavier weight, during installation the crew will be all over your roof and a thinner roofing felt will tear under their feet and can cause gaps in your protection.

 

Thinner weights can be used on lower slope roofs and offer you protection in case of emergency.

 

Roofing felt can save you some headache, but it is not the only part of your roof.

 

There you have it, a few questions that we commonly hear from customers. As important as roofing felt is there are many other things you have to worry a  bout when it comes to your roofing system.

 

Depending on the area of the country you live, you may need additional protection from ice and water shield in valleys along eaves.

 

We at The Lyons Roofing Company suggest in the Louisville, Kentucky area a minimum of synthetic underlayment on your roof surface and ice and water in all valleys, around chimneys, skylights and any other problematic areas. Roofing felt is amazing and serves a great purpose. But, remember there is more to a roof than the first layer of materials.