?No roof system can withstand the most extreme winds,? was the first caution of the National Roofing Contractors Alliance (NRCA). During the summer months, hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms and hail can wreak havoc on rooftops, often pelting asphalt tiles, ripping off gutters, and causing insidious roof leaks.

But this wasn?t the only caution of the NRCA.

Summer months also attract ?storm chasers?, those outfits who specialize in storm damage, but may not be local, or legitimate. The NRCA continues, ?There have been many reports of consumers being taken advantage of by out-of-area or unscrupulous contractors after a storm passes.?

Not just do these unscrupulous contractors take advantage of their customers, according to the NRCA, but they may also perform work that doesn?t meet local building codes and the result could be ?substandard installations? that will not perform over time.

What could be even more detrimental, however, is that these contractors may not be properly licensed or carry the correct insurance to perform the work. What this means for you is that if there are any claims or damages related to the work performed, they may not be covered.

So what is the advice the NRCA gives?

After a storm, hire local. Not just are local contractors familiar with building codes in your area, but they also have a vested interest in the recovery of the communities in which they live and work. And after a severe storm, one of the first components of recovery is to drive the local economy, and there is no better way to do this than hiring a roofing contractor who lives and works where you do also.

Metal Shingles:
This option is incredibly weather resistant and weather tight. This is the perfect option for homeowners that are looking for a classic, yet distinctive look.

Metal Tile:
Do you love the look of traditional tile, but don?t want a heavy roof that?s expensive to maintain? Metal tiles have the same look as classic tile, but they?re light and are strong as stone-coated steel.

Metal Shake:
This will give you the look of authentic wood without the maintenance. Metal shakes are incredibly durable, making them a great investment for the long term. They are available in a variety of color choices, so no matter what your home?s style, you?ll be able to find something that fits perfectly.

Vertical Panel:
These have been traditionally used only on farm buildings or industrial/commercial buildings. But, with recent advances in technology, manufacturers can now create these economical pieces in pre-painted vertical panels in virtually any color, making them great for residential use.

Natural Metals:
Natural metals create a protective layer as they age, which makes them ideal for use on historic buildings or in urban districts. They blend in well with their surroundings, are environmentally friendly, and are 100% recyclable.

Still unsure of which one to pick for your new home re-roofing project? They are a variety of style and color options that will fit your home and most importantly your budget. Our team is able to get you more information on the products you?re most interested in and give you quotes on the best metal roofing options for our specific home type.

Choosing reputable Houston roofing contractors is not that easy. It would be desirable to find a contractor who is responsible, experienced and insured. Whatever the individual selection process may be, it is still the homeowner?s responsibility to establish a reference point to compare and even pre-qualify all nearby Houston roofing contractors. The National Roofing Contractors Association recommends pre-qualifying the chosen roofer to ensure that the roof will be done correctly when it is installed. If not, one may experience what Morgan County Library in Alabama encountered on their roof, which was the complete lack of a drainage system.

Ultimate Responsibility

If something happened to the roof, it would be hard to determine where to put the blame ? on the Houston roofing contractor or on the person who hired them. The immediate response would probably be to blame the roofing contractor; however, the ultimate responsibility for dissatisfaction with a roof installation lies with the person who made the selection of a roofing contractor

Money is Not the Only Criteria

Every household owner tries to save money on their roof and this is a common mistake. It is a bad mistake to try to save money on a roof by hiring the cheapest roofing contractor or using the cheapest roofing material since this structure that sits on top of a home protects everyone and everything in the house. If someone hires Houston roofing contractors simply based on the cost, they may wind up with a roof similar to the house in Gaithersburg, Maryland where nails were blown through during the installation and the nails did not hold properly.

Opinion of Experts

According to the experts, there are two things to remember when dealing with Houston roofing contractors.

• References and Licenses ? Always look for references and licensing. Be sure to gather as many references as possible during a review of their previous roofing projects to determine if they are the roofing contractor appropriate for the job. Remember that roofers should back their work with guarantees or warranties.
• BBB Rating ? Another important aspect to check for is an ?A? rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Their many years of service and expertise can be measured by checking to see if they have had any customer complaints with BBB. Reputable Houston roofing contractors should be very particular with the brand of materials they use and the workmanship that they perform.

Many roofing contractors are flooding the building industry. They all have sweet tongues and good stories to tell. Do not be deceived by their false exterior. Always use common sense and select the right roofing contractor!

Standing Seam Metal Roofs and Metal Shingles

Our website visitors most often navigate to our standing seam page rather than to any of our metal shingle pages. Our website analytics make that clear. Yet we?re known in the industry and, in our own minds, as a manufacturer of metal shingles. So, how this this all work out?

Ultimately, our desire is to help homeowners choose a product that is appropriate for their home while also meeting the criteria they?d like to accomplish with their next roof. Sometimes that is standing seam. Sometimes it is one of our metal shingles. Sometimes it isn?t one of our products at all. In the end, if they received the right product for them and for their home, that is all we care about.

Standing seam metal roofing is very popular right now. It is the most commonly available type of metal roofing and, once homeowners begin to do their research into metal roofing, they quickly find a variety of standing seam products. They may like its looks, or maybe they find it looks too commercial, industrial, or even agricultural for their neighborhood.

Many folks, though, when they research standing seam, actually end up with what we call through-fastened or exposed-fastener metal roofs. They are not standing seam roofs. By definition, standing seam roofs come in continuous lengths, have hidden fasteners, and have some mechanism built-in that allows for the metal?s natural expansion and contraction during thermal changes.

Through-fastened metal roofs have screws right through the face of the panel. Those screws try to hold the panels tight and have no flexibility for expansion and contraction. The screws have a rubber or neoprene gasket or washer to help allow water from entering at the hundreds or thousands of screw holes on the roof. They work well at first but, after a few years, homeowners will find the screws have worked loose, broken, or the washers have cracked.

Again, through-fastened metal roofs are not standing seam roof. These corrugated types of products have overlapping panels rather than interlocking panels. That can be another area of water infiltration. Being used extensively in agricultural markets, through-fastened products are increasingly being used residentially. In many cases, we?re concerned that homeowners are not getting the metal roof they think they are getting. We often hear homeowners and even contractors refer to these roofs as standing seam roofs. They are incorrect. One additional concern is that, because they compete in the highly competitive agricultural market, many of these products are produced from lower quality metals and feature lower quality finishes.

Metal shingle roofs come in a variety of profiles from wood shake to slate to wood shingle to tile, as you can see on our own website. Most homeowners ?oooo? and ?aaaahhh? over the beauty of these roofing systems. They tend to complement any home and neighborhood very well. Most of them have hidden fasteners as well as higher quality base metals and finishes.

Oftentimes when folks see the metal shingle roofs, they assume they are more costly than standing seam metal roofs, because of their increased aesthetics and assumed increased complexity. While every roof can have its particular nuances that affect final cost, compared to a high quality standing seam,a metal shingle roofs are usually very similarly priced or even lower priced. This causes homeowners to often say things like ?Wow, I had no idea that I could all have that for the price of that.?

Let us know if you?re researching metal roofing. We will answer your questions openly and straight-forward. We?re successful only when you have chosen the roof that is right for you and for your home. You can call us at 1-800-543-8938. You can also visit our own well-respected metal roofing industry expert, Todd Miller, on his educational metal roofing website.

Tags: exposed fastener, metal roofing, metal roofing expert, metal shingles, profiles, standing seam, styles, through fastened

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Much like the typical homeowner, the owners at ASAP ROOFING can often feel like salesman are a dime a dozen. Especially when throwing out catchy sales pitches that more often than not turn the customer off, salesman can seem evasive, pushy and unreliable ? all the characteristics that often lead to disgruntled customers.

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Wanting to change that image, not just for the company but also for the salesmen themselves, ASAP ROOFING from its inception has focused on building good moral character, teaching rapport building skills, fostering social intelligence, and even practicing these skills in mock customer interactions.

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A typical day at ASAP ROOFING starts with a 2 hour training session reviewing the works of authors such as Daniel Pink, Dan Ariely, Martin Seligman, Shawn Achor, and Daniel Goleman ? all top researchers in their fields of psychology, behavioral economics, and positive psychology. So why would the owners of a roofing company want to review the work of psychologists?

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According to Igor Kublitskiy, one of the three company owners, ?When we teach our sales people to achieve what they thought was not possible in our roofing company, it pervades to all areas of their lives, which just makes them even better at sales.? It?s easy to see then the benefit this sort of learning environment would have for both an employee and an employer, and Kublitskiy relates that, ?Since we?ve been using this approach in our company, our sales have increased by 60%, but even more telling is our contract retention rate. When customers are happy, and feel they are treated well, they don?t cancel deals, it?s just that simple.?

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And the effect seems to be paying off. ASAP ROOFING, a Denver based national roofing company has enjoyed tremendous success in the last few years, quickly opening offices in both Indianapolis and Dallas. However, the success has not just been in numbers. ASAP ROOFING has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings, and at this point, a waiting list for sales people.

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Igor shares that future employees now come in saying that they heard about ASAP ROOFING?s approach and want to be part of the cutting edge approach. And cutting edge it is. The next step is to develop online training classes, videos and webinars.

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Written by Nick Dorotik

nick@asaproofing.com

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For more information about ASAP ROOFING, visit http://asaproofing.com/