Hail Damage on The Roof

It’s a common thing in Billings, Montana, to experience hail damage to the roof of your home.  It seems like every summer we experience storm damage.  The storms can bring hailstones the size of softballs at times.  How would you know if your roof has been damaged by hail?

Hail Damage on The Roof

You will need to check your roof for hail damage. Start by checking the gutters on the home.  Stand outside of your house on a ladder to check the gutters. If you don’t want to stand on a ladder, you can look down through an upstairs window.

If your home is roofed with standard asphalt shingles, there could be debris that’s been scraped free from the roof in the gutters.  Document the debris with photographs. You can give the photos to your insurance company for documentation of the damage and they can also prove that the damage is fresh.  Check the roof for any obvious damages.

Do Not Walk On A Wet Roof

We do not recommend walking on the roof. The roof can be a slippery, dangerous place. Contact a professional for a roof inspection to asses damage.  You can also spot damage to the roof with a pair of binoculars and a little distance.

If your home is in a subdivision, simply cross the street to the opposing sidewalk and inspect the roof with binoculars.  Through binoculars note any damage to the shingles on the roof, like shingles are peeled upward or there are small white or faded areas where the hailstones have damaged the shingle.

Replace the standard asphalt shingles with beauty and strength

If you do need to have a roof replaced,  consider a new roof with DECRA panels that have the strength of a steel roof. They classic look of a shingled roof, or a roof covered with shakes.  These panels are built for strength and hold up well to the frenetic weather systems of our city.  The panels can be purchased to look like shingles in four different color options.

Shake panels can be purchased in two different color options that have the look of real roof shakes. Contact us today for all of your roofing and siding needs.

Ice Dam on Your Roof???

It’s February, Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow, which if you believe that a rodent can predict our weather patterns, it means that it will be an early Spring this year. But, there’s still more winter weather to come, there’s probably more snow and more cold temps and that could mean ice dams on the roof of your home. It’s a common problem for a lot of homes in the winter. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of the roof. This ice can damage the gutters and the roofing, and even though the icicles hanging down look beautiful, that ridge of ice also prevents the snow melt from draining off the roof. The melt backs up on the roof and leaks down into the home. That water could cause very serious damage.

 

Also, newer gutter systems help to prevent debris from accumulating and blocking down spouts. Blocked gutters can cause ice jams. If your gutters are old or clogged, clean them out. When the downspouts of the gutters plug, the melting snow just accumulates in the gutter and freezes, breaking the gutter, starting an ice dam, and possibly sending melting snow down into your home.

Ice dams begin by the heat collecting in the attic, warming the entire roof, except for the eaves. The snow that melts on the rest of the roof re-freezes at those colder eaves.

While there are methods in the winter time for dealing with ice dams—raking the roof, taking a box fan to the attic and blowing cold air at where it leaks. In the warmer months it may be time to better ventilate and, also, insulate your roof. Upgrading a poorly insulated roof is a good start. Adding vents around the inside of the roof will help to keep the warm air passing through and keep the entire roof cold. Also, soffit vents will help to keep the roof cold. If there are places in the home that may leak air, plug them up. That leaking air is rising, and leaving via the roof, melting the snow in the process. While ice dams are not entirely preventable, mother nature doles out what she chooses, you can do a lot of preventable maintenance around your home.

Tips to Keeping Your Siding Looking New

Curb Appeal Matters

A home’s curb appeal or general feeling of comfort is found in the subtle details.  It’s the pictures on the walls, the decorative details in the kitchen and bathroom, and, one that is not often considered, the windows and doors of the home.  We all consider things like paint and flooring to make a home, but have you ever considered what a new set of patio doors would do for a room?  Or new efficient windows with beautiful trim work?  It’s true, a home can benefit greatly from new windows and doors.  Here are a few options available today from Lynnirch Siding.

Patio doors can change the feel of a room.  Patio doors from Marvin are created with a superb attention to detail at the finest quality.  The doors are as beautiful as they are long-lasting.  A new patio door should be safe, efficient, and easy to clean.  The doors from Marvin are low maintenance and they can lock at different points—no more broomstick in the door when you leave, these doors are reliable.  The types of patio doors include a sliding French door, and even sliding French doors with the decorative detail of prairie grids—the prairie grids are a decorative detail trim in the panes of glass.  Also a three panel sliding French door.  The doors are also available as simpler-styled patio doors.  The doors can be purchased in numerous finishes.  Also, the options for hardware for the door are numerous and include simple elegant white as well as classy brass.

Marvin is also responsible for making quality replacement windows.  These windows are also available in numerous finishes and styles to suit any homeowners needs.  And, the windows are built strong, rated to temperatures up to three hundred and fifty degrees.  All Marvin windows are made to be energy efficient and they all have a limited lifetime warranty.

Windows and doors stand out, and can make a big impact for the feel of your home.  Consider replacing old windows with the energy efficient products from Marvin, and see what differences it will make.

If you are looking for windows and doors replacement in the Billings area, please contact Lynnrich today!

Benefits of Steel Siding

Obviously steel siding is a durable material, much more so than, say, vinyl siding, which can be dented or cracked easily (remember Superman was the man of steel). Steel siding doesn’t fade like vinyl, nor also does it need to be replaced as frequently.

Steel Siding

Steel siding is an environmentally responsible building material, because of the way it’s installed, with very little to no waste, and also because one day the materials can be recycled easily (although, with such a durable, dependable product, it will be a lot of years before anyone would consider having to replace it).

But, who needs steel siding? Who would benefit most from it? Steel siding has such a beautiful and luxurious appearance, it must be way, way too expensive for most people, right?

Who needs steel siding?

Everyone can use a product like steel siding. Any home, from the most expensive chalet to the tiniest modular, can benefit from such a terrific material. It’s because of its strength that steel siding is such a quality option for most people: it’s going to protect you and the ones you love from the elements for a long, long time. Also, it’s going to stay beautiful, helping to keep up both your home’s curb appeal and its value. Your home’s going to have that extra special touch, that perfect combination of quality and beauty.

It looks so beautiful. It must be really expensive

Steel siding is more expensive in up-front cost than, say, vinyl siding, but with the upfront cost you’re getting something vinyl cannot offer: quality, durability, dependability, and longevity. Steel siding is going to outlast vinyl, it’s going to better protect your home from the elements; hail and wind won’t have as big of an impact thereby possibly negating the costs of repair or replacement every time a storm happens. If you have any questions as to the cost, contact Lynnrich Siding and request and estimate for your home.  If you’re in the process of remodeling you may also find it beneficial to check out the other products Lynnrich offers such as windows, doors, and soffit, to name a few.

Seal Drafts to Save Money

Seal drafts to save money, we’ve all heard this. Almost everyone’s home has a draft; it doesn’t matter if the home is newly-built or if it has been standing since our state’s inception, there are likely air gaps around windows, doors, electrical outlets, attic hatches, dryer vents, etc. And these air gaps can be a problem for even the most efficient furnace this winter. But there are a few simple methods to close up these air gaps. Here’s how…

Weather stripping is hands-down one of the simplest and most inexpensive methods to seal air gaps around doors and windows. Around the perimeter of a door, check for strips of light. If you can see light, then there’s an air gap.

Check the exterior weatherstripping first, because oftentimes it’s the culprit. Weatherstripping can age and break down. And if it appears broken down, it’s fairly simple to replace. Simply remove the old by pulling it free from its track and, assuming the old piece was the perfect length, lay the old piece alongside the new, mark the length, and then cut the new piece to size.

Then simply put the new piece into the track and, again, check for any sign of light. If light appears at the bottom of the door, your door sweep may be misaligned with the door. Some door sweeps can be corrected, and if your door sweep will not allow adjustment, consider replacing the old door sweep for one that can be adjusted.

When you have all the windows and doors sealed, then consider hanging heavier, insulated curtains. Insulated curtains will do a lot to keep out the chill. Yes, insulated curtains are more expensive, but they are going to increase the efficiency of your furnace, and those savings will eventually recoup the initial cost.

And remember, with the cold weather upon us, it’s time to replace your furnace’s filter and have your furnace cleaned and serviced for the winter season. You don’t want to have your furnace go out on a cold night this winter. If you have any questions, or would like to replace your windows and not have to worry about weather stripping, contact Lynnrich today!

Seamless Siding

Seamless siding is as beautiful as it is strong. Made of steel, with a natural look of wood grain, it’s still highly resistant to rust, hail and color fade. Seamless siding is virtually maintenance free, although, every once in a while, it will need to be cleaned.

For those with vinyl or wood siding, a power washer might be overkill; the highly pressurized spray of the washer could possibly dislodge panels of siding or damage the panel. Cleaning vinyl or wood siding may also require the use of chemicals. For seamless siding the power washer is the best tool that you can use. Just mix up a solution of soap and water to use with the pressure washer. If you have never actually used a pressure washer before, it may be wise to experiment with it on your sidewalk or driveway: the force of spray from the pressure washer can be explosive.

Before you clean the siding, make sure you disconnect the electricity at the breaker. You should always be careful when using water—especially a power washer!—near electrical outlets. Most every home’s exterior electrical outlets have some type of cover in place, and be sure that these covers are in use before you spray down the siding. Before you use the power washer, use a brush or a long handled broom to loosen the dirt from the siding; a bucket of water nearby to dip the brush into will help. Set your power washer to the lowest setting while you are spraying on the soap: you want the soap to cover the siding, if the washer is set to high it might blow the soap from the siding. After you have soaped up a section of the siding, use a garden hose to clear the soap. It’s easiest to work like this in sections, because you don’t want to allow the soap to dry to the siding—dried soap wont hurt the siding, it’s just counterproductive.

Seamless siding is built to last, and minor cleanings from time to time are all that it will take to ensure that the siding continues to look spectacular. If you are interested in seamless siding, please contact us today!

Summer Storms and Roof Damage

Was your house hit by the recent hail storm? If so, give us a call today so that we can inspect your roof and siding have damage.

Summer is upon us and while the warmer days and longer night make such an appealing daydream, it also means that dramatic hail storms, violent lightning storms, and even possible tornadoes are upon us.  It may not be all that bad, unless you are someone who has had to struggle with an insurance company to cover your end of a replacement roof.

If you are concerned about damage to your roof from a storm, give Lynnrich a call to evaluate your roof for you, and Lynnrich can even help you to take the next steps with your insurance company to ensure that your home stays protected from the elements with a functional roof.  Document, document, document… Document the damages to your roof , so that your insurance company can’t question the how or when damage happened.

Determine if your roof has been damaged

You should be able to check the majority of damage from the street or yard of your home. Obviously the best thing would be to walk the roof and check for damage up close. But the roof can be a dangerous place, and you may just want to call Lynnrich for an up close inspection.  But, if you want to do the preliminary check on your own, head out to the street or backyard—if you’re in the street please be sure to check for cars—and inspect the roof.

With all of the hailstorms that we’ve encountered in the past few years, check to if the hail has taken out entire sections of asphalt shingles.  Also, shingles will bruise or dent from hail, although these dents or bruises are not always visible. A set of binoculars to check the roof can be beneficial.  Don’t forget to check the downspouts of gutter for grit that has been pelted from the shingles during the storm.

Even if you cannot see damage from the street, in the event that there is grit from the shingles either in the downspouts, on the ground at the base of downspouts, or in the gutters, it may be time to call a professional to check your roof.  If you have spotted damage to your roof post-storm, make sure to document the damage, if possible, with photographs.

If your home or business suffered damage in any hail storm, please contact Lynnrich today!

Spring Cleaning the Siding on Your House

Your Home’s Roof and Siding Take The Brunt of The Elements

Your home’s roof and siding take the brunt of the elements. And, because these components of the home are constantly battered by wind, rain, snow, and hail, you will need to replace them, or at least fix them. Roof replacement happens. Especially here in Billings, Montana where the summer storms can drop great quantities of large-sized hail onto our roofs, weakening it to the point of replacement. But how do you know if your roof needs to be replaced? There’s the obvious—call a roofing contractor post-storm for an inspection—but there’s a few things that you can do, on your own, to determine if your roof needs to be replaced.

For starters, any home with an asphalt shingled roof should have the shingles replaced after twenty years. If your roof is considerably younger, inspect it. There’s the option to go up onto the roof from a ladder to inspect the shingles, but this isn’t always safe nor practical. You can get the same idea of the condition of the roof, when you stand back from the home and look at the shingles through binoculars. You’re looking for anywhere that shingles are peeling-upward, maybe some have big fissure-like cracks through them, or maybe there’s complete sections of shingles missing—if this is the case, don’t hesitate to call a contractor, a leaky roof can cause a lot of damage if left unchecked.

Another area to check for roof-wear is in the attic. When the sun is bright, go up into the attic and turn off every light. Inspect the underside of the roof at the areas of the chimney stack or the stack vent—any place where there is flashing installed to seal out the elements under the shingles. If there’s light passing through anywhere near the flashing, even tiny, pin-holes, the flashing probably needs replacement and you’ll probably need a large-scale repair, or possibly even a replacement.

If you find that there’s significant damage to the roof, call your roofing contractor. Lynnrich carries quality products such as Highlander laminate shingles, which offer not only great protection, but also a uniquely dimensional appearance to the roof when installed.