We bought our first house last summer, and the inspector recommended we get yearly maintenance on the shake roof. Our house is a cape cod style with a gabled roof. We live in Kansas City, so we get snow, rain, plus tons of heat in the summer. This spring I had two roofers come over to give me an estimate for yearly maintenance, and both said the roof needs to be replaced because of the number of burn outs in the shingles. What type of shingle is the best for longevity, wear, lack of problems, etc? How much more expensive is a 50 year roof vs a 30 year roof? Are those shaped shingles much more expensive than traditional plain shingles?

Also, what thickness of plywood/particle board should be used underneath? Which should be used–plywood or particle board?

And finally, what should we be looking for when getting a bid–should the tear-down come with the price of the roof? What things should we look for in a roofing company? What type of warranty is typical for a re-roof?

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Does anyone know of any haunted houses in the UK that you can stay at?? A few friends and I want to arrange a scary night away!!

Areas which are best for us are West and East Sussex, Hertfordshire, London or if any really good ones we may be tempted to travel to Devon/Cornwall – somewhere like that!!

Any ideas? Would love to know if anyone has been and how it went!!!

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Christmas Eve we had unseasonably warm weather and an increasingly bad leak began in the ceiling in our bedroom. I removed all excess snow from the roof that was above the bedroom where the leak is (that part of the house has a flat asphalt roof, that has become so damaged and sunken that the water has nowhere to go but down into my ceiling). We had to remove all our belongings from our bedroom and use buckets and pots to catch all the water. We are just today actually able to move back into our own bedroom (9 days later).
We found out from the neighbors upstairs that the previous tenant had identical problems previous to us and the landlords’ repairs consisted only of replacing the rotted dry wall that is our ceiling. The water that was coming from the ceiling was full of black chunks that I assume is rotten building material, very nasty. I have a mold allergy and worried about all the moisture in the drywall that I am breathing in., especially since it has been collecting water for over a year.

We called him while this was all happening (Wednesday) we got no answer and the call wasn’t returned until that Saturday. We have no emergency maintenance man to call and when I finally was able to ask him what we need to do in the future about emergencies like these he condescendingly replied that “if it’s a fire call the fire department and if you have a flood call the city”.

In his defense, he sent by a cleaner for our carpet in that room only. He had stopped by and put a huge blue tarp over the roof saying that there isn’t much he can do to the roof until the weather breaks. We are located in Michigan.

Am i being unreasonable to want these repairs made now/ soon? We pay an above average rent for our house because the layout is exactly what we were looking for. I feel that our health may be put at risk.

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It sounds simple enough. If you want to ensure that your roofing project is contracted with a reputable roofing company, choose a roofer that is licensed and insured. However, some states don’t require licensing. This can make finding a qualified roofer a bit more difficult, however, it is not impossible.

The first course of action is to check with your state’s Department of Professional Regulation and Licensing. Your local department is a wealth of information and can give you all of the information that you need to ensure that your roofer is highly qualified for the job. Once you find out what your state’s licensing and insuring policies are, your next step is to ask the roofer for verification.

A common mistake that many homeowners or business owners make in regards to choosing a licensed and insured roofer is that they simply don’t ask for or verify references. You should ask the roofer to see proof of certification, licenses and their insurance as applicable to state law. However, you should also ask for references from former customers. Yet, those references won’t do you any good if you don’t call them. Make sure you are diligent and thoroughly check out any references that the roofing company gives you.

If your state doesn’t require licensing, you can ask if the roofer has been trained or licensed by any of the manufacturers that they work with. Typically, manufacturers of various roofing materials will provide training and courses in proper installation. A qualified roofing company should be able to provide you with these certifications. Additionally, you should also check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any past complaints filed against the company. You should also make certain that the roofing company only hires insured and thoroughly trained employees. Ask to see proof of workman’s compensation or other safety certifications for the company’s employees as well.

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