Legal Considerations When Buying a New Roof in Georgia
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GAF’s Synthetic Underlayment saves the day!
It was a typical Spring day in Atlanta, Georgia when we looked at the upcoming weather forecast to schedule a roof. Like so many days, the forecast changes hourly. One day it will show 80% chance of thunderstorms only to then be sunny or cloudy the whole day. Outside of meteorologists, roofing contractors are the second most professionals to monitor the weather so when we schedule a roof it means we believe we can do it successfully without getting water in the home.
We checked again the Intellicast.com forecast the morning of production and it looked clear to begin replacing the roof. As normal, we walked around and moved items away from the house that could be in harm’s way for falling debris. We then set up tarps around the house to catch the falling torn off nails and existing roof debris.
Our team then began to set up their ladders, secure ropes, and secure them to the harnesses. Each man started tearing off a section and within a few hours they successfully tore off the whole roof. The plywood was inspected and any rotten areas were replaced. We then installed GAF’s weather watch ice & water shield underlayment in all the valleys and began installing GAF’s synthetic underlayment when off in the distance a rolling thunderous sound was heard. Another quick check of the radar showed a small rain cell developed suddenly which wasn’t forecasted and was headed our way within 30 minutes.
Our foreman on site continued to instruct our team to go about drying in the roof with GAF’s synthetic underlayment and making sure all hips, ridges, and the field was covered head to toe. The 30 minutes passed before the first mist was felt. The mist turned into a spitting rain and then a steady rain before the bottom dropped out.
Thankfully, GAF’s synthetic underlayment is slip resistant and is designed for high traction so when the rain started pouring, our team was able to safely walk down off the roof with using the ropes and harnesses. Our foreman knocked on the door to gain access to check for any signs of internal infiltration from the rain and the ceilings were dry.
It is our professional view that had we not had installed GAF’s weather watch ice & water shield in the valleys and used GAF’s synthetic underlayment, the roof would have leaked severely when the rain popped up unexpectedly. We also believe that our team was able to safely get down off the roof as the synthetic underlayment is slip resistant and has high traction.
There are many technological advances today in the roofing industry and we are big advocates of GAF’s synthetic underlayment and ice & water shield.
Download the FeltBuster Brochure Here.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
The good part of a hail storm is the increase in revenue to the roofing industry. Hail about the size of a golf ball can do a lot of damage to a roof and this damage is covered by your homeowner’s insurance. The homeowner pays their deductible and the insurance pays the rest.
A hail storm can sometimes create a large path of destruction for miles which in turns means a lot of roofs need replacing. Think of some of the subdivisions around you. What if just three or four of those neighborhoods overnight needed all new roofs? Hail damage creates a rapid increase in demand for products, labor, and services.
Every severe hail storm has a direct impact on revenue and job creation for the roofing industry. Shingle manufacturers will need to have their employees work additional shifts or overtime to keep up with production. Roofing suppliers will need to hire additional truck drivers or staff to keep up with the demand. Roofing companies overnight will be overloaded with calls and have a shortage of staff and laborers. Service providers like dumpster companies will need to hire drivers to keep up with the drop off and pickup schedules. The good part of hail is the job creation and the revenue it brings to the local economy.
The bad part of a hail storm is the increase in insurance premiums. Regardless if you file a claim or not your insurance premiums will go up in your area. Why? Insurance companies will be paying out millions of dollars and these losses have to be recouped. Insurance companies will spread out the losses and pass it along in increases of premiums. Therefore, if you are one of those people who think they won’t be affected because they didn’t turn in a claim, unfortunately you will feel the effect.
Here is the real ugly part of what happens to the roofing industry when a hail storm strikes. Think about these stats. At the end of 2008, Georgia had approximately 500 registered roofing contractors with the Secretary of State. At the end of 2009, that number went to 2,500 registered roofing contractors. Why the increase by 2,000?
Two reasons can be attributed to this surge. One, the crash of 2008 put numerous trades people from landscapers, graders, framers, painters, siding, builders, and general contractors out of business. Two, we had multiple years of large hail storms that struck the Atlanta metro area.
FACT: Georgia has absolutely no formal licensing or testing to enter the roofing industry. As a result, it was an easy and quick switch for many of the former trades people who thrived on new construction. Many registered with the Secretary of State and the local county for a business license. However, many did not.
Academy Roofing will work with your schedule to replace a roof any time of the year.
Have a Happy Halloween and be safe. Don’t forget to roll back the clocks this weekend!
The National Association of Realtors continues to rank the replacement of a roof in the top 10 for Return On Investment. According to Realtor.com and Realtormag.com the replacement of a roof a homeowner can recoup on average 56% of the cost.
For Example:
$10,000 roof cost
$5,600.oo increase in sale of home
This is great news for those who had to replace their roof from storm damage as most of the time out of pocket costs only include the deductible.
