As a homeowner, chances are you?re extremely busy and have a lengthy honey to-do list to accomplish. It?s understandable. But even when busy, it?s important not to forego proper roof maintenance and a thorough cleaning. Most homeowners figure they require a new roof or immediate repairs only when a leak occurs. This isn?t always the case, though. A leak could be the result of various roofing problems. There are a few signs to watch for.

Roof Age

First and foremost, the age of your roof will play a vital role in determining the amount and severity of repairs required. Most roofing experts agree that a typical residential roof should last between 20 and 25 years. After that, you may experience leaks, tears, and missing material. If the new roof was installed over an existing roof and is older than 20 years, chances are you?ll need extensive repairs or a replacement shortly.

Missing Shingles

If your home?s roof uses shingles, you should note any missing sections promptly. These missing portions can lead to extensive leaks and the usual wear and tear due to extreme weather conditions. Over time, missing shingles will worsen, as the edges are exposed further.

Daylight

Yep, daylight is a great indication that you need immediate roof repairs. When walking on the roof, if you happen to feel a bounce-like feeling, this means moisture has weakened the underlying decking. Check the attic first. You may notice hints of daylight peeking through the roof boards. If so, test the insulation for moisture. You may have extensive structural damage that has gone unseen for some time.

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Selecting the right shingle color that works well with the exterior body and trim of your home doesn?t have to be difficult. It can be an amazingly rewarding experience. With a little bit of time you?ll be confident that your selection is going to be the right choice for you. If you plan on doing any roofing in Colorado Springs than this video presents both traditional laminated shingles and a Presidential shake look shingle.aThis is a bonus for Colorado residence looking for a safe alternative to wood shake shingles.aI?ll share in a moment some color combinations that work well, but for now please take a look at the video at many different styles of homes and shingles to get an idea and a feel for what you like. These shingles displayed are mostly traditional colors with a bold red thrown in for your enjoyment. Keep in mind that the shingle thickness and style will impact the overall appearance of your home. Be sure to utilize some of the new software to view what your home will look like. More about that in a moment.

How to Select a Shingle Color Video

Digital Color Program for Shingle Selection

Weathered Wood and Gray Shingles

One of the most popular colors is Weathered Wood. Many builders use this shingle because it has colors that are neutral and commnonly found in nature. The brown, tan, gray and occasional blue flecks allow for an aesthetically appealing affect on your roof. Weathered Wood is a safe color to install when placing your home on the market. Many real agents recommend the Weathered Wood or Driftwood shingle color to their clients. it?s the number one shingle color in the United States. There are some other shingle colors that are predominately gray and they seem to work well with homes that have a lighter color siding or stone work. The gray color shingles really limit your ability to change the paint color on a home that has siding. Be sure to choose your grays carefully, however let me remind you that weathered wood is more than a gray color it has many other colors mined into it.

Classy Black Shingle

As you drive through areas look at the black shingles and you might notice how well accent a home. Black is a great shingle color for homes in Colorado Springs. A black shingle with brown stained wood wrapped around the house is simply rustic and all about Colorado. A black shingle with some stone work that has dark browns and rust colors is a beautiful combination. Finally if your home is mostly siding than I?d recommend dark greens and brown paint color schemes to go with the black shingle. However, a home that has white stucco with a black roof is striking. Some of these homes even have black or red trim. If you look around Platte and Union you?ll find several homes with black shingles and white stucco.

Brown and Cedar Tone Shingles

Brown and Cedar tone shingles are traditional colorado shingle colors. They are great colors to use on a roof, however when your house is painted you will be limited on colors that will complement your roof. Stick with off whites that have brown tones for the body color for the lighter and brighter look. If your looking for a shingle color to blend into the forest this is the one. I?d recommend painting your home with natural browns, greens and grays that you find in nature for that natural look. Owens Corning Desert Tan and Certainteed Reshawn Shake are two examples of cedar tone shingles. The Owens Corning Brownwood has a nice color blend of browns. The Certainteed Burnt Sienna is a Brown color with red tones and somewhat of an orange undertone. This product does well on homes that have brownish natural stone colors on the home. The more red in the stonework the less that this color works. It begins to compete or clash with any siding that has red tones. I like the Certainteed Landmark Burn Sienna on the right house. Be aware of the undertones in this shingle to make sure that it complements your home and not clashes.

Bold Colored Shingles

Greens, reds and blue look great in certain environments. These bold colors make a statement. If you own one of the older homes in downtown Colorado Springs bold color shingles may work well with any of the painted ladies or historical homes downtown. These are what I call fun colors for the older homes with character. At the same time many of the painted ladies and historical homes look amazing with a thick profile shingle with a slate or shingle look. However, as you head east of the Springs why not install a green, red or blue metal roof on your rancher. Amazing looks are created with colorful metal roofs.

Homeowner?s Association Shingle Color Approval

Please check with your homeowners association before selecting a color. If you?re in an area where the association is active than a bold shingle color that?s red, blue or green will probably not work, unless it?s in Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs or the downtown area. Nevertheless, be sure to get permission before paying a contractor to install an unacceptable color.

Every single building that has ever been constructed has some form of an architectural style ? from Gothic to Pueblo in the southern portion of the United States. There are very specific details implemented into each form of architecture, and depending on the style of the area and personal preference your home could feature different roofing styles from the surrounding area.

Roofing Material

There are various roofing materials that have become widely used across the nation. These roofs come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. For example, asphalt shingles are chosen because they are extremely practical and adapt to almost any type of arrangement the rest of the home adheres to. For the most part, asphalt shingles are commonly used in the northern portion of the country.

Another great option would be ceramic tile roofs, which are commonly featured in homes in Mission, Spanish, or perhaps even Mediterranean style areas. The clay and concrete adds a bit of definition and character to homes, with the added benefit of deflecting the sun away and keeping the interior cool.

Thinking Outside the Box

Sure, a new homeowner who is designing their abode could easily select one of the more common architectural styles, but that would be somewhat boring. Instead, a new design has begun popping up across the United States: green roofs. This type of roofing architecture combines the beauty of vegetation with the practicality of a roof. In parts of North America, the green roof is coupled with pebbles and drainage over a flat roof. Rainwater is filtered and added to a collection system. Environmentally conscious homeowners will adore the green roof architecture style.

Inspecting a roof is a complex process that you should never do on your own. Different roofs are made of different materials, and therefore, each roof can haveait's own unique set of problems.aIf you have a problem, it's nearly impossibleafor the average homeowner to figure out exactly what is happening. Certified roofing companies use advanced imaging technology and are highly trained on safety precautions to inspect youraroof.

It's often difficultato gauge the health of youraroof. For instance, ifayour neighborhood recently went throughaa severe storm, you mightaassume that the damage to your roof is the same as your neighbors'. However, the extentaof weather damage caused by the same storm can vary greatly between homesaand depends on the quality of youraroof's materials and installation.

In other cases, you may think you have a perfectly healthy roofaupon cursory inspection. But as time goes on you'll notice small problems, such as curling shingles, whichapoint to a larger issue. The best roof maintenance is precautionary, meaning that it is easier to address the problem early, before you get a leakaand seriously risk damaging your home's interior.

So how can you tell if you have problems with your roof?aWhile each roof is different, there areasome basic things to look out for. The following items can help you decide how soon to call an inspector. However, getting aacertified roofer to come to your home for a complete inspection is the only way to getaa definitive, expert opinion.a

Assessing the Age of Your Roof

Do you really know how old your roof is? Generally, about 20 to 25 years is the average life span of any roofing material. During a typical roof replacement, asphalt shingles areacompletely removed and a brand newalayer of shingles is set down. Other times, asphalt shingles just get placed over existing roofs, which covers up the problem, but doesn't deal with an underlying issue (i.e. rot). Many DC area roofing companies have even seenaroofs with several old layers of shingles underneath! Especially in a case where you've bought an older home, it's a good idea to have the roof inspected to see how old it really is.a

If the new layer on top is 20 years old, it's likely that you need a new roof. Note that you can't always tellathat replacement is necessaryaby just by visual inspection. Damage can occur in areas that you can'tasee without a certified inspector using the proper equipment. Good roofing companies will use advanced technology to aid their assessment. For instance, thermal infrared cameras can detect hard-to-see moisture, which builds up and causes severe damage over time.

Assessing the age of your roof is important, and will allow you to better plan for a roof replacement down the road.

Curling and Bucking of Shingles

You can tell a lot about your roofabased on itsashingles. If they are curling and bucking, the shingles probably need replacing. Another easyaway to tell their age is if their granules look worn. A surefire sign of shingles being past their life expectancy is if you notice shingle granules in your gutters. The more you see, the more likely your roofaneeds replacement as soon as possible.a

Shingles also lose their color when the granules shed. These worn out shingles will look darker as a result, indicating the need for roof maintenance or replacement. Explaining these noticeable problems to youraroofing companyawill help them prepare for your roof inspection.

Missing or Cracked Shingles

Perhaps you haven't looked atayour roof for a while, butayou just noticed some missing shingles. This kind of damage can occur to worn out or improperlyainstalled shingles, especiallyaafter a windstorm.aUnless you find them in your yard, missing shingles often go unnoticed. However, loss of just a couple shingles affects your home's insulation and canacause seriousadamage as they may result in a slow leak. Slowaleaks are difficult to notice, especially when in an inaccessible area, such as your attic.a

Shingle cracking is another issue you can't always detect on your own. Extreme weather canacause cracks in shingles, which are usually subtle. Several years of letting these cracks go could lead toaleaks and other expensiveaproblems.

While replacing a few shingles isn't difficult, it can look unattractiveatoahave discolored shingles around the new ones. Therefore, someapeople elect to replace the entire roof to prevent having their shingle colorsalook like a checkerboard. Talk to youraroofing companyaif this isaa concern for you.

Moss and Algae on Your Roof

When you start seeing moss and algae on your shingles, it's a good sign your roof is aging rapidly. Seeing this may prompt you to go on your roof andapower wash the algae off. However, that's the worst thing you can do! Pressure from the power washing removes shingle granules, which can in turn make your shingles wear out faster.

The good news is that mostanew shingle products are now algae and moss resistant, so when you decide to replace your roof, you won't have to worry about thataunwanted ecosystem growing on your home.

Sunlight or Water in Your Attic

Spend some time inspecting your attic. It's here that you can discover many roofing issues, even more so than climbing on your roof. Any sign of sunlight coming through the top of your attic is an immediate indication thatayour roof needs replacing. Also, use a bright flashlight to lookafor possible water stains in your attic, as manyaleaks won't be bigaenough to make it past the attic.

Roof Collapse Warnings

Obviously, a roof collapse is one of the worst things that can happen to your home. The good thing is that you'll have clear warning signs before it happens. One of the most obviousasigns is when sections of your roof begin to sag. In addition, bends or ripples in the roof structuralasupport are a very dangerous indicator of a problem. Additionalasigns can be inside your home, whichainclude cracks or sags in your ceilings and walls. Even doors and windows might become hard to open or will open on their own.

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Garden roofs or green roofs have been gaining in popularity as environmental awareness increases. At first thought, it may seem a radical idea when in reality, it can be a great way to utilize otherwise wasted space. The benefits of this kind of project are much more substantial than simply growing flowers and vegetation. With some effort, almost any roof can be turned into a beautiful skyline landscape to enjoy and help conserve energy.

When considering this kind of project, there are a number of important details that must be thought about before getting starting, the most essential one being the ability of the supporting structure to bear such weight. A typical, flat roof weighs about five to six pounds per square foot on its own, so it is imperative to know how much of a saturated load the structure can handle. Only then would it be safe to plan which type of green roof will be installed ? extensive or intensive.

• Extensive ? An extensive garden roof is lighter, smaller and requires less maintenance. Using between 2 to 6 inches of substrate, the saturated load is about fifteen to eighteen pounds per square foot, allowing for extensive plants to be grown even on metal. These gardens are usually planted with low growth plants having shallow roots, not requiring any kind of irrigation system as rain water is usually sufficient water especially if drought-resistant plants are used. Because of this, the extensive plan also provides the most runoff control since more water is absorbed with this than irrigated gardens.
• Intensive ? Intensive layouts are much heavier, consisting of deeper plant beds that require much more soil and substrate. While this allows for a wider variety of plants to be grown, it also makes irrigation a necessity as well as increases the load per square foot to upwards of 100 pounds. Add to that any other landscape or hardscape features and the load is even greater. These types of roof gardens are only suitable with structural concrete roofs and generally require a lot more maintenance.

Installation

Besides roof weight-bearing capabilities, other important factors are installation requirements to provide waterproof protection and other modifications to ensure stability. In some situations and especially with older buildings, the amount of required work outweighs any benefit, making the idea a lot less appealing. There are emergency drainage and wind updraft concerns that need to be addressed as well as fireproofing and testing of the roof waterproofing membrane before any garden plan is ready to go.

Benefits

Although this may seem like a fun and interesting project, installing a garden roof is a lot of hard work and initial expense. Once plants have been put in and are well-established, benefits will begin to be noticed. Lower cooling and heating bills and in some cases home-grown food can be the result. Environmentally, reducing storm water runoff has been known to help prevent sewer flooding and soil erosion while aiding in the prevention of elevated urban heat and poor air quality.

A garden at the top of any building can be an environmentally friendly way of reducing the cost of energy while adding a perfect touch of nature that looks great and provides a calming environment to escape the rigors of city life!

Call Schulte Roofing To Be Your Expert Houston Roof Builders!

Are you interested in finding a Houston roof firm to help make decisions about installing a garden roof? Contact the experts at Schulte Roofing at 800-367-7663 for professional advice for all Houston area customers about such a project!