?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.

Schulte Roofing has once again won the title of ?Best Roofing Company? in the annual Reader?s Choice Awards, provided by The Eagle Newspaper, in Bryan-College Station, TX.a The Reader?s Choice Awards is a local award given to the best local companies.a Awards are given based on votes cast by local residents. There are categories for each type of business and competition is always tough.a Every year businesses step up their game and reputation to try and compete for the award because it carries great brand recognition with local residents. Schulte Roofing President, David Schulte, believes that this award is a reflection of their work ethic.a ?We strive to provide the best service available.? according to David Schulte.a ?That means when customers get properly educated on their choices, get thousands of options to choose from, and a warranty that backs all of it.? Schulte Roofing is known as ?The Home of the Bulletproof Roof« Guarantee?, which a promise of 100% satisfaction on your roof, or it?s free.a The guarantee has been with Schulte Roofing since the company?s beginning in 1994 and has made all of the difference in the world. With over 100 years of combined experience, Schulte Roofing has seen it all.a ?We have seen every sort of roofing problem you can imagine.a If there is ever an issue where we need to go back and fix something ? it?s done, without hesitation.a It makes it a lot easier on us and our customers.? Schulte Roofing also performs background checks, drug screening, and continual education to all employees.a ?A roof is supposed to protect your home and everything in it.a In order to do roofing right, you need the right professionals doing the work.a We want our customers to know that only proven professionals work on their homes and this is one way to help ensure that?, David Schulte states. It?s not just the quality that wins awards for Schulte Roofing, it?s also the pricing.a ?We can design and build a roof for any budget.a Because there are so many options we can create the perfect roof, no matter what your goals are?, company spokesman Josh Schulte contributes. Common roofing goals include energy savings, hail resistance, high wind resistance, specific appearances, custom design roofing systems, and solar systems.aa All roofing systems are protected by the warranties and guarantees that Schulte Roofing provides to all of their customers.a Company motto states: ?There are no holes in our installations or the guarantees that back them up.? states: ?There are no holes in our installations or the guarantees that back them up.? Schulte Roofing is a College Station roofing contractor serving the Bryan-College Station and surrounding areas for the last 18 years and looks forward to proving everything all over again next year. a

ASAP ROOFING has been on the forefront of sustainability and energy efficiency, and has seen a lot in terms of energy alternatives, but Dow Powerhouse?s latestasolar panels amaze even the specialists at ASAP ROOFING. Why? The solar cells are embedded into the roofing panels. No longer do the solar panels simply lie on top of the roofing shingles, these roofing shingles provide both protection from the elements and solar energy.

Custom designing to your needs and energy saving goals, this new roofing solution comes complete with an inverter that converts the Direct Current (DC) power into Alternating Current (AC) to power the home. The best part, however, may just be the monitoring system that provides real time feedback on electricity usage.

And not only do the credits that show up on your electric bill, they show up on your tax returns as homeowners can receive a 30% Federal tax break for using solar energy.

Growing at a rate of 40-50% annually, solar is the fastest growing energy source in the world, and for good reason.

One of these reasons is simple ? it?s financially smart. Dow claims that according to a study developed by U.S. Department of Energy?s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, for every $1 more you invest in a DOW POWERHOUSE roof, you?ll receive up to $4 back in energy savings, and 70% of your investment back in added value to your home.

But as with any new technology, there will be doubters, and the most vocal concerns have been related to durability and longevity. Anticipating these complaints, Dow has put its solar panels to the test,a earning seven certifications for both performance and safety, which means they?ve been tested, retested, validated and certified to stand up to the worst of the worst ? including 110 mph winds and hail as large as 1?.

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So could Dow?s new solar panels become the norm in solar roofing options? Well, the specialists at ASAP ROOFING offer many alternatives in roofing, they, like the Federal Government have been impressed with Dow?s new solar panels. In fact, the company received a $20 million federal grant in 2007 to integrate solar cells into building materials, and the hybrid shingles are the first product from that research. Last year, U.S. Department ofaEnergyaawarded Dowa$12.8 million to develop more and cheaper solar building materials.

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So with these exciting developments, ASAP ROOFING is proud to say that solar roofing is well on its way to becoming mainstream. For more information on ASAP ROOFING, or solar roofing, just visitawww.asaproofing.com.

Written by Nick Dorotik

nick@asaproofing.com

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

References:

www.dowpowerhouse.com/

http://www.forbes.com

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/home?garden/home-improvement/solar-roof-shingles/16935267001/62903925001/

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs, while not a particularly wide-spread choice among home owners, for the standard standing seam roof can prove to be a valuable and cost effective investment. The standing metal seam roof is simple in beauty and has a wide variety of colors. It is a gorgeous roof and one the consider if money isn?t an issue. One of the reasons why people are deterred from getting metal home roofs is the price, as metal home roofs tend to be about three times the cost of standard asphalt-shingle roofs. This extreme price difference can be attributed not only to the fact that metal roofing materials are more expensive than asphalt-shingle roofing materials, but also because theainstallationaprocess of a metal roof is far more technical andarequiresamore time and more high- skilledalaborers. In this post we?ll dive a little bit deeper into the reasons why a metal roof may or may not be the best choice for your home.

Life expectancy and durability of metal roofs

We briefly touched on some of the draw-backs of metal roofs, including the fact that they are far more expensive than standard asphalt shingle roofs, and due to the technical anature of the installation processathey also tend to take far more time to install than the standard asphalt shingle roof. However, one of the reasons that many home owners decide that installing a metal home roof is the correct decision for them, has to to do with the life expectancy of metal roofs compared toaasphaltaroofs. Metal roofs typically last two to three times longer thanaasphaltashingle roofs, the average life-span being anywhere from 40 to 60 years. Compare that to the average life-span of an asphalt shingle roof which ranges from 12 to 20 years. aGoing hand-in-hand with the long life-span of metal roofs is another advantage that is gained from that same durability; less frequent repairs. In fact, most high quality metal roofs almost never are in need ofamaintenance. These reasons are why many homeowners who plan to be in their home for many, many years decide that a metal roof is that best option for them.

Insurance Cosmetic Clause for Metal Roofs

I think many of the metal roofs that are available today for residential properties are simply beautiful. The biggest downfall for a Colorado resident to a metal roof is what happens after a hailstorm? The recent trend in the insurance industry is to not pay for cosmetic damage to a metal roof. Now, if you have the money and you can take a financial hit from a hailstorm and your able to pay for a new roof out of pocket, skip this part. Most people in Colorado will factor this truth into their grid for considering whether or not a metal roof is worth it. Most roofing companies in Colorado Springs have witnessed the shock when a homeowner gets a report from the insurance adjuster that the roof will not be replaced after a hailstorm. The cosmetic clause in an insurance policy will not pay for aesthetic damage to the metal roof system. What this means is a metal roof can appear as though someone beat the entire surface with a baseball bat and the insurer would technically not owe to replace the roof. Another way to describe this is by taking an opposite approach. The insurance adjuster assigned to a hail damage claim will look for functional damage to the metal panels or metal shingles. This is understandably just because the language the insurance policy clearly states that they will only owe for functional damage. Here?s the catch, it?s unlikely that most metal roofs that go through a hailstorm in Colorado Springs will be damaged. The reason is functional damage to a metal roof must be such that it diminishes the roof systems ability to shed water or it significantly decreases the life expectancy of the roof system. Neither one of these will occur from an average hailstorm. In order for the roof to an experience potential leaks the hail stone would have to punch through the surface of the metal. The other potential is that the hail stone would cut, tear, puncture or rupture the metal roof system. On metal roofs the seams could be functionally damaged from a hail stone that is around the size of a baseball. So, there you have it! Take this information into consideration before purchasing a new metal roof on your home. The brown metal roof to the left is an example of cosmetic damage. This roof wouldn?t qualify for roof replacement because of the cosmetic clause.

Aestheticavarietya

Over the past few years we?ve installed several metal roofs and they turned out gorgeous. I personally appreciate the appearance and variety of metal roof products on the market today. If the insurance companies took a different approach in writing insurance coverage on metal roofs we would install many more of these roof systems. As it is the insurance companies will not reverse their decisions, therefore we will personally recommend to our clients to consider allowing us to install a class 4 hail impact resistant shingle on their home. One of the things that we?ve been doing for our clients that our set on metal roofs is to mix some metal products with asphalt which makes for a striking roof.

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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/