When we go out to a home, we can usually tell which parts of the home have been remodeled. As our industry changes and progresses, there are often updates that can be made to remodels to keep water out of your home. Here are just a couple things to look out when remodeling.
Remodelers like to use deck-mounted skylights. They have a very low profile, and the inside is pre-finished. The remodeler just cuts a hole, puts the skylight in, and it’s done! They like them because it saves time.
If you have heavy shake or any kind of material like a Decra stone-coated metal roof or tile, you really should request that the builder install a curb-mounted skylight. That will get the skylight a couple inches above the roofing material and then you can put the skylight on top of the curb.
A curb-mounted skylight will have to be flashed into the roofing. But it’s a much better system than deck-mounted. So FYI to any homeowner doing a remodel: make sure you request curb-mounted skylights and have them finish the inside along with your kitchen, living room, or bathroom.
Here’s another: we recently when out to a client’s home that had a front porch with a metal roof he installed many years ago. It was riveted, welded and soldered. Over the years, it’s been leaking, and it actually rotted out his entire front porch.
This was a grand entry of about 200 sq. ft. and it had this slight arch to it and some architectural finishes. On top of that, his house was stucco. He was looking for a solution that was better than re-soldering and riveting a metal roof.
Well, they’ve come out with a product recently that serves a homeowner with a slight arch. It’s a TPO product that’s a very soft, rubberized, super-tough membrane. It comes in gray and white and the whole thing gets adhered town to your smooth board and has a twenty-year manufacturer warranty.
It’s a full membrane with no seams – a non-visible, high-functioning roof. You don’t have copper that turns patina. So I just had the stucco guy cut a foot so we could get our membrane up the wall. Then he’ll come back and put in the stucco and give this client a twenty-year solution.
As the industry progresses, they come up with better, long lasting, less expensive solutions. If you are having water damage due to a remodel, give Roof Life of Oregon a call. We can come out and see what kinds of updates are available to get you back in working condition.