THE ROOF FORUM

The Weather and My Life

2011-12-30T06:41:00.000-06:00

The personal experiences of my life are recorded in my mind along with the weather. Yeah I'm a nut but so are most of us. That's beside the point so hush up.

I graduated from college in 1979 and the following year it was the hottest ever here:1980. My first son was born in a year with few storms, 1985. The next year hail tore up 75062. The big car wreck was in a year of very little work, so I know it happened in 1998. I had bought the inventory of Flintkote shingles from ABC Supply for a song and dance because the company was changing names to it's new parent, Genstar, and the wrappers would be obsolete.

The year I did nothing but work was 2011 and it is spilling over into 2012 too.

My point is that many of us would never remember what year we lost an ear unless we tied the incident to our jobs or school. I can't remember what year that dog I bit ripped off my ear because I wasn't in school. i didn't start crying until my mother freaked. Then I knew I was in trouble. They put my ear back on.

When I look back on my life I tag incidents to hailstorms, tornadoes, and droughts. Even this year a few things happened.

I'd like to take this moment to thank our customers and apologize to those we couldn't get to. We couldn't even answer the phone it rang so much. there will be very few new roofs to put on after the remaining roofs get replaced, unless the skies get angry again. That is why we also do siding, window replacement, and solar. This helps insulate us from the ravages of calm weather.

My best wishes to everyone. Have a safe and happy New Year. God bless.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Fake Roofing Companies

2011-12-26T13:18:00.000-06:00

google has a policy that the location or map page of a business must be a legitimate place of business. I assume, because I'm that way, that Yahoo, Bing and the others do to. years ago it was okay and I went to a seminar that showed us how to just put a comma in the address line with the city hall zip code of the city you wanted to optimize in. I thought it was okay but looking back it was deceptive.

The thought police that run these search engines have done a good job of writing rules that stop people from committing these practices. I learned my lesson. I paid dearly as did a computer geek friend, Half Price Geeks, did. He put white letters over a white background that the all seeing spiders could see but mere mortals could not. "So why did I land here in this cyberspace location?" manipulation.

The mantra today is transparency and honesty. But it ain't happen' baby. Follow this:

First go to yahoo and google, er I mean yahoo, the words "Irving Roofer."
The first address doesn't even exist. Some other locations use zip codes for Irving I didn't know existed. They are post office box zip codes.

Now go back to Google and try the same. do a little digging and put some of the address in the search bar with the word FedEx attached. Ah ha! A postal or mailbox center. No office there. At least three that come up in Google Maps are not there. Where are they? Their websites don't have physical addresses on them either.

Now go dig around their online comments. Notice anything strange? Rhythmic comments with the same writing styles, adjectives, and punctuation errors. maybe there were six comments in a week, twice, but not in between. Coincidence? How about the fact that the commenter has only made one comment in their online history. Dig back. Look.

These skills will help you find people who are willing to falsify comments that make them look good. Maybe you can find that nothing exists about them a year ago, including BBB recognition. That is why Angie's List is growing. Her success is so great that not only will there be copycats, there will be attempts to scam her site too. they do a pretty good job but if you build it, they will come. Every time.

So do your research. dig, snoop, and listen. Why not just call them and ask where their office is. That's pretty easy. That way before you sign away thousands of dollars in commitments, you can go see them. I would.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Insurance Companies Dumb Down Roofs and Cheat GAF

2011-12-26T08:35:00.000-06:00

By systematically paying for lower grade roofs than the homeowners have, insurance companies are saving millions and cheating homeowners and the manufacturers, primarily GAF.

I'm not sure of the statistics but I do know that since the 1980's forward, the middle grade of three architectural shingles, last know as a 40 year, was the mainstay of roofing materials. As hail hit roofs, people replaced their roofs with like kind and quality. when they put the new roof over another roof, especially wood shingles, they tended to install the 40 and 50 year versions of the product.

I'm using 2001 to 2010 language here.For the most part, before the 2011 warranty change, 25 year shingles weighed 250 lbs per sq., 30 year weighed 300, and 40 year weighed 340. Easy to remember 25=250, 30=300, and 40= more than 300. the point is, most homes with laminates that were built before 1985 or roofed after that, had 300 lb. shingles.

Until this year, the insurance companies were paying correctly, for the most part. That has ended. They now say all laminates are the light weight version, the 240 lb. In fact, we have to continually explain to them that the language changed in 2001 so that a 25 became a 30, a 30 became a 40, and a 40 became a 50. They've used lab reports and shingle gauges and other flimsy wiggledly wham methods, including stalling, to cheat the homeowners.

And the mushroom roofers who pop up after hail storms are more than willing to put on a 30 and bill for a 40. until recently we thought all 40 years were gone but State Farm, in an exhaustive project, found a material that was classified as a 40 but weighs only 165 lbs. We never even knew it existed.

So GAF, which was huge before it took over the massive Elcor, Elk shingles for those of you from the real world, Tamko, and Owens Corning, who all discontinued their 40 year version, are out of the game and State Farm, the biggie in the insurance biz, is sending it's clients down a path to lesser products.

The insurance companies always talked weight in the past but they keep squirming until they find a way to keep costs down. They say "it's always been that way" or "I've never heard that." Shut up and speak up once you know something other that dumbing down. It really turns my stomach how they don't care about their customer's homes but advertise they are friends and neighbors.

Every week or two they come up with something and claim it has always been that way. I've been here for 32 years selling roofs and was an installer for years before that. They don't know jack. I left off the last half the word.

Do you think it is fair to put a shingle that weighs 71 to 88% less? You might even think it was good for the environment but these new roofs won't last a long.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Interesting Article on Corrrupt Roofers

2011-12-12T09:47:00.005-06:00

Here''s an interesting article written by Jim Strickland of WSBTV2. It came to me via email plagiarized by an insurance adjusting firm employee for a seemingly in house email. But it escaped into the public and didn't just stay with his staff. Roofing industry stalwarts have been circulating the story amongst themselves as if it were written by someone else.
The original link is directly below. The email is after that.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/officials-sting-shows-roofers-creating-storm-damag/nFjb2/

Home> News> LocalPosted: 3:17 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, 2011Officials: Sting shows roofers creating storm damagecomment (10)SharefavoriteVote (0)View Largerroofer sting photoBy Jim StricklandATLANTA —State agents are working hard to enforce a new law passed following a Channel 2 Action News investigation into unscrupulous roofers, and recently invited Channel 2 cameras to take part in an elaborate sting.Roofers are no longer allowed to pay storm victim's insurance deductibles or file claims on their behalf following an investigation by Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland.Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said he wanted to send a message and asked to use Channel 2 cameras to help. Undercover state agents targeted Ronnie Baker and several other roofers on orders by Hudgens. State officials say Baker advertised a promise that sent up immediate red flags, "Storm victims pay zero deductible.""We're trying to get the bad actors out," Hudgens told Strickland.To set up the sting, the state rented a house and first brought in a certified inspector. Channel 2 and the Fraud Squad with the Insurance Commissioner's office had separate hidden cameras."It's in good condition. There is no hail or storm related damages," certified inspector Frank Domonousky told Strickland after he looked at the house."Over here there is no damage, not a single mark," Domonousky said on top of the roof.When Baker arrived, cameras showed him doing more measuring than inspecting. He claimed the house needed a new roof and offered to a bargain. "Don't tell them I'm paying your deductible or they'll just deduct that from us. Legally I can't do that," Baker told the undercover agents.Baker returned later to photograph the supposed damage. Channel 2 was there and recorded the front and back of the house and watched as Baker dug his finger into the shingles. Baker did it over and over again, each time ending with a chalk mark for the insurance company. Baker even took a bolt from the TV antenna on top of the house and used that to twist into a shingle and manufacture damage.RELATED VIDEO: Whistle-blower helping state with roofer stingThe roof deemed hail free by an inspector suddenly appeared to be a peppered and pelted mess."You can see how big that area is and it is where the granules have been scraped away," said Billy Sullivan, lead agent of the undercover operation.Baker insisted the damage was there and he was only making it easier to see."I'm not a crook. I don't have to. I don't have to commit a crime to get paid," Baker told Strickland as he was being handcuffed by undercover agents. "I think it's outrageous." Baker said.Baker was not the only one."Man, I'm just glad you're covering this damn deductible for me," said an undercover agent to one of the roofers."Oh yeah, that is no problem, man," said Daniel Barry, another roofer who showed up for an inspection.Barry and Kenneth McKenzie work for American Roofing Co. Barry actually used a penny to scratch off the granules on the shingles."That's where the granules on the shingles actually took off the copper off the penny. It's manufacturing hail damage," an agent showed Strickland afterward.When agents moved in, McKenzie denied manufacturing storm damage."What's your reaction to your arrest?" Strickland asked McKenzie."I have no idea. It's quite a surprise to me," replied McKenzie.When asked what they were doing on the roof and why the used the penny, Barry replied, "I saw the damage there and I was trying to open it up to where it was more visible."Domonousky told Strickland it is more like vandalism."He actually rubbed right through the shingle to the fiber backing on the bottom half, and basically damaged this shingle for life," said Domonousky.Hudgens told Strickland felony fraud charges against all three roofers caught allegedly roughing up the roof will stand."When it's not prosecuted the message doesn't get out and it says it's perfectly OK to defraud an insurance company. Well it's not," Hudgens said.Three roofers whose inspection did not warrant arrest will get warnings for the promises to pay the deductible.In addition to the three arrested for felony insurance fraud, investigators are still gathering evidence against a fourth roofer.The insurance commissioner's office told Strickland that 12 to 18 percent of the money homeowners pay in premiums goes to cover the cost of fraud.

Now here's how it was emailed to me:

Advanced Claims Concepts
November 23, 2011

Field Staff,

ATLANTA -

State agents are working hard to enforce a new law passed following a Channel 2 Action News investigation into unscrupulous roofers, and recently invited Channel 2 cameras to take part in an elaborate sting.

Roofers are no longer allowed to pay storm victim's insurance deductibles or file claims on their behalf following an investigation by Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland.

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said he wanted to send a message and asked to use Channel 2 cameras to help. Undercover state agents targeted Ronnie Baker and several other roofers on orders by Hudgens. State officials say Baker advertised a promise that sent up immediate red flags, "Storm victims pay zero deductible."

"We're trying to get the bad actors out," Hudgens told Strickland.

To set up the sting, the state rented a house and first brought in a certified inspector. Channel 2 and the Fraud Squad with the Insurance Commissioner's office had separate hidden cameras.

"It's in good condition. There is no hail or storm related damages," certified inspector Frank Domonousky told Strickland after he looked at the house.

"Over here there is no damage, not a single mark," Domonousky said on top of the roof.

When Baker arrived, cameras showed him doing more measuring than inspecting. He claimed the house needed a new roof and offered to a bargain. "Don't tell them I'm paying your deductible or they'll just deduct that from us. Legally I can't do that," Baker told the undercover agents.

Baker returned later to photograph the supposed damage. Channel 2 was there and recorded the front and back of the house and watched as Baker dug his finger into the shingles. Baker did it over and over again, each time ending with a chalk mark for the insurance company. Baker even took a bolt from the TV antenna on top of the house and used that to twist into a shingle and manufacture damage.

The roof deemed hail free by an inspector suddenly appeared to be a peppered and pelted mess.

"You can see how big that area is and it is where the granules have been scraped away," said Billy Sullivan, lead agent of the undercover operation.

Baker insisted the damage was there and he was only making it easier to see.

"I'm not a crook. I don't have to. I don't have to commit a crime to get paid," Baker told Strickland as he was being handcuffed by undercover agents. "I think it's outrageous." Baker said.

Baker was not the only one.

"Man, I'm just glad you're covering this damn deductible for me," said an undercover agent to one of the roofers.

"Oh yeah, that is no problem, man," said Daniel Barry, another roofer who showed up for an inspection.

Barry and Kenneth McKenzie work for American Roofing Co. Barry actually used a penny to scratch off the granules on the shingles.

"That's where the granules on the shingles actually took off the copper off the penny. It's manufacturing hail damage," an agent showed Strickland afterward.

When agents moved in, McKenzie denied manufacturing storm damage.

"What's your reaction to your arrest?" Strickland asked McKenzie.

"I have no idea. It's quite a surprise to me," replied McKenzie.

When asked what they were doing on the roof and why the used the penny, Barry replied, "I saw the damage there and I was trying to open it up to where it was more visible."

Domonousky told Strickland it is more like vandalism.

"He actually rubbed right through the shingle to the fiber backing on the bottom half, and basically damaged this shingle for life," said Domonousky.

Hudgens told Strickland felony fraud charges against all three roofers caught allegedly roughing up the roof will stand.

"When it's not prosecuted the message doesn't get out and it says it's perfectly OK to defraud an insurance company. Well it's not," Hudgens said.

Three roofers whose inspection did not warrant arrest will get warnings for the promises to pay the deductible.

In addition to the three arrested for felony insurance fraud, investigators are still gathering evidence against a fourth roofer.

The insurance commissioner's office told Strickland that 12 to 18 percent of the money homeowners pay in premiums goes to cover the cost of fraud.

Sincerely,

Cliff Goodson

Advanced Claims Concepts, Inc.

Cliff Goodson, CFO

Office: 888-251-7448 Ext. 701

Cell: 386-334-8467

Fax: 407-641-9777

Email: cliff@acc-claims.com

Website: www.acc-claims.com

"Large enough to do your claims work nationwide, but small

enough to care about it"

Cliff Goodson should be ashamed of himself. Plagiarism is theft and against the law.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Dallas Roofing History

2011-12-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

The first big roofer I remember was Gideon Roofing. He had a complex of stores over off Cayuga Drive in Dallas. Besides his roofing company he had a sheet metal shop, a fastener store, and a roofing distributorship. My first babysitter lived on that street too. Good old Mrs. Oneal is long gone now.

He went down leaving room for Latham to take over numero uno. As his company went down the Lon Smith, Needham, and Hollingsworth dynasties began.

Today there are lots of roofing companies in Dallas, as there always has been but a dominate company no longer exists. Some guys do a lot of business but no one company overshadows the region.

The big suppliers of yesteryear like Burris and Dallas Wholesale have been replaced by at least 20 stores. ABC, Southern, Shelter, Bradco, Home Depot, and Gulf Eagle all have multiple locations.

But there are some behemoths in the industry: the manufacturers. GAF, Certainteed, Tamko, Gerard, Owens Corning, IKO, and the evil ones: Atlas and Malarkey, have gobbled up all the mom and pop shingle factories. Gone are Elk, Celotex, Fry (showing my age), GS, Genstar, Flintkote, Georgia Pacific, Allied, Masonite, Johns Manville roofing shingles, and Dura-Loc while Bird has been pushed into the northeast.

Many of their product names still exist like the presidential, once a Celotex product and now by Certainteed, or Flintlastic modified, from Flintkote to Genstar to GS to Certainteed.

Boy did we love to yell "get the Bird pookie" and watch the homeowners freak

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The initiation of Jon as a Roofer.

2011-12-05T09:21:00.000-06:00

Children believe that history began with their own consciousness. Even though we grow to know better when we have our own little rug snatchers, we feel like they were always with us. Maybe it has something to do with String Theory and multiple dimensions and possibilities. Naw. It is just the arrogance of man. Anyway I'm going to narrate the history of roofing through my eyes.
Chapter 1:
Just kidding.

One morning my father got me out of bed. There was this big huge giant pile of stuff in the driveway and my father told me that my job was to get it on the roof. Come on! This was going to be worse than the summer I had to break up a patio cover with a sledgehammer and wheelbarrow it to a trailer in front of the house. How I longed to just sit and separate the screws, washers, nuts and bolts of hundreds of kinds that was another task when daddy brought home several footlockers full of them. He has enough for generations.

So I go outside and I can't even budge the package. My father has me start with a fraction of a package. Soon the little stones are sliding down my back and into my underwear and socks. Thank the Unmoved Mover that this was pre-fiberglass times.

Due to the youth of an 8th grader, I didn't get sore the next day. I piled more destruction on my body and when the soreness came on the third day, the sea parted from the land. Dad didn't let me off and wasn't going to on the 7th either. This is the role model that Newt is talking about. Pharaoh!

When my ancient uncle showed up, and I never saw him before or afterwards, the real toil began. I tell you, a plank one by twelve deck really holds a nail. And there where three layers!!! Cccount themmm.

Once this epic task was completed we were ready for the forty days and nights. And so was another uncle that I knew well. I never knew he was such beast. He had procured me by right of blood to toil in his quarry, his parking lot, and his roofs. He was a man of many hats but had no sons. So, thus having completed the first job so well, I was sent off to never be heard from again.

Yeah, I did come back but soon discovered that people actually got paid for doing this work. food and shelter no longer sufficed.

When i went to college I looked for jobs and could only find work in bars and sweaty sheet metal shops. Then it happened. I met a roofer with the need for help. Imagine in the 1970's being 19 years old and making $150.00 a day. Thought about dropping out as we all know 19 year olds are immortal and time does not pass.

I watched my new boss measure roofs in his peculiar way while he asked me to spell "tear off" and "valley." So I changed from a science major taking Spanish to Political Philosophy and Italian, speculating that the upcoming wave of Italian immigrants would take over the roofing labor force.

Once I graduated from the University of Dallas, I couldn't find a job as a philosopher making my required $150.00 per day, so roofing was it. Besides I got to hire a lot of those students and teach them the value of an education.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Roofers and Website Plagiarism

2011-11-25T10:22:00.002-06:00

This preface was written within an hour of the initial posting. After googleing the words "Notify your mortgage and insurance companies the day your roofing job begins. This will expedite the inspection and payment processes" I discovered many roofers with the same page with exactly the same wordage or some slight changes. There was one named "John White Roofing" but he changed his name a little. Ha! After reading below come back and click the link above but not until then. Now to my original jump the gun conclusion:

"What a joke. These guys use other roofers stuff verbatim without shame. They must not have had that course in school. you know: plagiarism. Just glimpse over the first two examples. Too much time to read all.
Example one from a roofer in Kansas:
Free Estimate
The first step in the Garrison Roofing process is handling your estimate request. Whether you call in and speak to us or submit an online estimate request form, we will be able to provide you with a free estimate handled by one of our roofing professionals.
The Contract
Once a roofing professional has come out, you will receive a proposal for the work that we are able to perform. After your approve the proposal, call our office for help with your color choice.
Scheduling Your Job
The third step in the Garrison Roofing Process is to prepare for the work to begin. We will select the best crew for your project and a time for the work to begin (weather permitting). You will be notified with a date for work to begin.

Example two from North Carolina:

FREE ESTIMATE
The first step in the Graham Roofing Process is handling your estimate request. Whether you call in and speak to one of our team members or submit an online estimate request form, we will be able to provide you with a free estimate handled by one of our roofing professionals.

THE CONTRACT
Once a roofing professional has performed an estimate, you will receive a proposal for the work that we are able to perform. After you accept of offer, your job goes directly into the scheduling department to be setup for completion.

SCHEDULING YOUR JOB
The third step in the Graham Roofing Process is to prepare for the work to begin. We will select the best crew for your project, and a time for the work to begin (weather permitting). Once we are ready to begin the job we will order any material that is needed, and have it delivered, or brought to the job site by the roofers themselves.

Now for the dilly whopper. Here's something I noticed on an Irving Roofer's page:

10. For each day it rains, work on your roof will be delayed. Trident Roofing roofers are instructed not to tear off more shingles than they can replace in one day so that your roof is not exposed to inclement weather.

The problem is that this is not from Trident Roofing's website. The plaigerist forgot to remove the name of the company he lifted the piece from. In fact, the whole page is a copy of Trident's page. Here's some more:

Notify your mortgage and insurance companies the day your roofing job begins. This will expedite the inspection and payment processes.
Be prepared for the noise! There will be constant hammering for one or more days, depending on the size of your roof. You may want to plan a day away from the house while the job is in progress.
When shingles are delivered to your home, please check the color. Notify Evans & Horton Roofing immediately if the color is not what you ordered.
Remove all loose items from wall shelves and walls: pictures, plates, figurines. Hammering may create vibrations that shake these items off of shelves and walls.
Do not loan your tools or equipment to the roofers.
Remove all items from around the house where roofing debris or bundles of shingles might fall: patio and pool furniture, potted plants, gardening equipment, and grills. Leaves or blooms may be knocked off plants near your home during the job. We try to protect the plants but many times the layout of the landscape prevents us from doing so.
Precautions are taken to prevent gutter damage. However, there are instances when damage to gutters is unavoidable, especially on very steep roofs or ones that are completely surrounded by gutters or homes with rusted gutters. Your homeowners insurance should cover any damage.

Now here is Tridents:

Preparing your Residence for a Quality Roofing Job

Notify your mortgage and insurance companies the day your roofing job begins. This will expedite the inspection and payment processes.
Be prepared for the noise! There will be constant hammering for one or more days, depending on the size of your roof. You may want to plan a day away from the house while the job is in progress.
When shingles are delivered to your home, please check the color. Notify Trident Roofing immediately if the color is not what you ordered.
Remove all loose items from wall shelves and walls: pictures, plates, figurines. Hammering may create vibrations that shake these items off of shelves and walls.
Do not loan your tools or equipment to the roofers.
Remove all items from around the house where roofing debris or bundles of shingles might fall: patio and pool furniture, potted plants, gardening equipment, and grills. Leaves or blooms may be knocked off plants near your home during the job. We try to protect the plants but many times the layout of the landscape prevents us from doing so.
Check heater vents upon completion of your roof to make sure that they haven’t become loose in the attic. Also check hot water heater and stove vents. The roofer will do this for you if allowed access to your attic.
Occasionally, we will use power tools to cut decking or shingles. When we do so, please check your power breakers and outside electrical outlets to make sure they are operating correctly.
For each day it rains, work on your roof will be delayed. Trident Roofing roofers are instructed not to tear off more shingles than they can replace in one day so that your roof is not exposed to inclement weather.
We will need access to your driveway to load shingles and clean up. Please park your cars, motorcycles, bicycles, boats, etc, out of the driveway/garage.
Keep small children and pets away from the work area.
Nails that fall from the roof during the job will be picked up with a magnetic nail roller. We will make every effort to pick up all nails. Please be advised; however, that a few nails, hidden in the grass or shrubbery, may remain.
Make all payments to Trident Roofing. Please do not pay in cash and do not make checks payable to salesmen.

If this was purchased content, then the second guy got ripped off. I think the second guy just left some evidence in #10 and I noticed it.

I hope no one is offended because I saw something that I was taught was wrong. Reworking a good piece of writing is great but lifting it verbatim is downright plagiarism. Here's what Webster's says:

pla·gia·rize

verb \ˈplā-jə-ˌrīz also -jē-ə-\

pla·gia·rizedpla·gia·riz·ing

Definition of PLAGIARIZE

transitive verb

: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

intransitive verb

: to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

— pla·gia·riz·er noun

See plagiarize defined for English-language learners »

See plagiarize defined for kids »

Examples of PLAGIARIZE

He plagiarized a classmate's report.
She plagiarized from an article she read on the Inte

Enough enough. Believe it or not this goes on everywhere, just like false Google Reviews, see Eclat in Dallas and dive back on the people's reviews and see how many places they review all over the country, or John Wade Roofing's attempt to put a low rating on 103 or so roofers in one day. Brad Carver at BC Roofing was really mad as was Ark Roofing, Heartland Construction, Joe Hall Roofing, and the few who saw it before it was taken down. I got pics though.

Hopefully Google, our benevolent leader will police these actions soon and keep honesty as much a part of the net as it can be. Until then keep your eyes open.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Ventilation or Radiant Barrier?

2011-11-23T08:14:00.000-06:00

This post is like eating watermelon in January. it is out of season. But as winter here last about two weeks and summer can last up to ten years, I wanted to beat the heat to the punch, because if you're buying a roof now, don't forget about Ra, Huitzilopochtli, Mithra or Apollo. They won't forget about you when your inadequate attic becomes the blast furnace that eats you alive.

The raging debate amongst the illiterati is whether to vent or to reduce heat with all the newfangled products like Cool Series and Energy Cap by GAF, Solaris by Certainteed, Energy Star colors by Gerard Roofing Technologies, or the new underlayments like Polarium and Energy Q. Below that is the best of the best, Techshield and the imitators like Solar Board. The radiant barrier foil backed decking is, hands down, the best. Painted on reflective coatings and staple on foil don't work near as well.

As heat goes where heat isn't and aluminum has very low emissivity, having the foil on the decking is the best place to have it. Putting it on the attic floor is a giant mistake because convected head lives there and the foil gets loaded with dust. Then all sorts of bad stuff happens. Like your ceilings fall in from humidity!

The answer is in the balance of the two, just like when Plato, using Socrates as his mouthpiece in "The Republic" asks if it is better to use the old country doctor who knows what works or the recent graduate of medical school who knows why something works. Even though this book was written over 2300 years ago, the debate rages.The answer is neither. You want both, the experienced doctor who keeps up his education on leeches, blood letting and spells. (you know Hippocrates called vinegar the first medicine and raw unpasteurized vinegar with mother mixed with local honey cured me of arthritis, acid reflux, and allergies.)

Back in the attic the sun's photons are doing their job and making the temperature rise to millions of degrees kelvin and the pot roast went from frozen to done in minutes. So what's a homeowner to do? Both!

Here's the math: reduce the load in factor of heat with any of these Energy Star products and keep the Venturi Effect racing from the soffits to your favorite exhaust point and the attic won't fill up with excited molecules that keep running into each other because they are hot. Less heat gain and more heat removal equals an attic closer to ambient temperature.

If you use foil faced decking, make sure it is not applied directly to the lathe of the old wood roof because the near 50% coverage results in a lot of conduction. This is why aluminum was used for wiring for years. it conducts. This will super heat your attic.

But ventilation also works in the winter by keeping down humidity and preventing ice dams. If covering your turbines makes your house warmer, you have major problems. you need that old fashioned energy saver called insulation. Once the heat passes your sheetrock, it is gone. Warm attics help no one. You always want your attic to approximate outside ambient temperature. Don't cover your turbines! Never, unless they are leaking. That's leaking water or lava into your attic, not heat outside, contributing to global warming, a plot by the Greenlandic scientists to increase tourism.

Less in, more out. That's the ticket.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

George Harrison's Roof. Ten Years Gone: 29 November 2001

2011-11-19T20:49:00.000-06:00

25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001. Those were the years George Harrison was on this rock and did he roll. the song 'While My guitar Gently Weeps" makes me do just that even those his doesn't anymore except on you tube and some of those fancy devices ya'll have that will be obsolete by next week.

now here is his roof, if you wondered what was going on:

Now why would he do this to the poor roofers. Look at it. high enough to be a widowmaker and complicated enough to be a head buster (Spanish for puzzle:rompe cabeza).

Now here's a more friendly roof that George built:

Now let's take a look at the first monstrosity from above:

Notice that the roof looks so tall but this is just a mirage. The steep slopes hide the flat roof above keeping costs down in many ways. Less material and labor is needed to build the home. Less time is needed because there is less work making those bankers mad, or happy, or who knows what these days. Also those real expensive materials you can see, like imported Italian tile, which aren't any better than those made in Chicago, are not in is great a demand.
So when you get your first hit album you too can build a mansion that looks more expensive than it really is.

George has been dead for ten years now and very few of us ever call him our favorite Beatle. just listen to one of my favorites and reminiscence;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ITrQXES8kU

on Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

2011-07-27T07:40:00.003-05:00

It's coming. The big one. And all those nail gunned roofs put on this hot summer are in peril. As previously harped upon, the roofing gets very soft when it is new. Asphalt is a frozen liquid. The natural state is liquid but the temperature is a little too low for it to run. But the softening point has been met.

As the Linda Richmond used to say on SNL's Coffee Talk. "like butter."

Remember how your bicycle tires used to pick up the fresh road asphalt and then the rocks? The softening is almost as bad on a roof. The road asphalt is of a little higher quality because it has to take more of a pounding but the basic long chain carbon molecule is the same. The fillers, a word that does not mean what you think it does, are different. But the newer the roof, the softer the asphalt.

Now here comes the driver blade of a roofing nail gun. And all the force is put into the nail and is not stopped by the roofing surrounding it like a hatchet is. What do you want to guess? 200 mph? 300? How about 1400 feet per second. Yee haw mama! Try 954.52 mph. That's the speed of an FFAR 5" Rocket. And the AGM-114 Hellfire. Actually the nail is going 4.52 mph faster than either rocket.

This takes the work out of nailing, the part that keeps the roofing attached to the house. Don't you think that is important? Why do the manufacturers, ARMA, and the NRCA allow pneumatic nailing? Because they put in the caveats about over-driving or driving at an angle, symptoms not possible with a hatchet.

And Holy Moses, try blowing on a roof when it's cold. Crack! No brainer.

Now go measure the thickness of the new roofing on your home. Look to see how over driven the nails are. Just 1/64th of an inch and you are counting on the self seal to keep the roof on until the Great Blow arrives.

And it will. Again. Just like it always does even though it does not always hail. And where a hail damaged roof might not leak, the wind ravaged covering on your home, that protects everything you own, will, especially if the carpetbagger reused the felt, added new felt but didn't install it according to the manufacturer's specs, or just did a shabby job because he thinks the felt is just a temporary covering. If it is then why do the manufacturers ask that the felt goes over the eave metal edge, under the rake metal edge, offer different grades of deck protection, and offer different grades of leak protection (peel and stick).

I stumbled upon this roofing vocabulary list I thought you might enjoy.
Roofing Glossary

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The Important Parts of A Roof: Ventilation and Warranty

2011-07-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

The two top issues with roofs are ventilation and warranty. Without minimum balanced ventilation you have no warranty and without certification your roof has a prorated material only warranty. That deductible might seem like a big hill right now but when you go to sell your home in ten years and the home inspector fails the roof because you used cheap shingles like Atlas or Malarkey, or you failed to meet the 300 Rule of Balanced Ventilation, you might be surprised to find yourself coughing up over $10,000.00 of your equity to roof the home to complete the selling processes.

If you don't meet the intake and exhaust requirements, don't place the vents properly ( most aren't), your minimum and limited material warranty is void. If you followed the 300 Rule, you'll have a good prorated material only warranty. If you use a Master Elite Roofer or a Shingle Master Roofer and follow the 300 Rule of Ventilation and use the appropriate accessories, you'll have a 100% material and labor warranty for up to fifty years.

If the roofer isn't certified , your warranty is compromised.
If the ventilation is not balanced according to the minimum rules of ventilation, you not only do not have any warranty, your roof will fail early. So will your HVAC, paint, health, insulation, and deck.

Man it is hot out there. One customer was telling me how the shingles burnt his hand. Because the shingles are now thinner than ever, and still hot, the ventilation has become much more important. The roofing is hot, there is less asphalt, the warranties have been upgraded to fifty years pretty much across the board, but the caveats discrediting the warranties have increased.

Application of the roof, ventilation, system components, and accreditation have all come into play to keep these pronouncements of better warranties in play.

Don't let these caveats come back to burn you. Follow the rules and you'll have a great money saving roof. Don't follow the rules and your last child might only go to junior college rather than that wonderful college your other kids went to. And they'll end sentences in prepositions too.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Roofer Irving and Search Engines, Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

2011-07-10T17:18:00.001-05:00

Coming up in search engines is important for roofers today, especially in places like the 75062, 75063, and 75035 areas of Irving that have a lot of hail damage. Homeowners sometimes want to use local roofing companies and use key words like "Irving Roofer" or "Irving Roofing Company" when they search Google, MSN, Yahoo, and Bing.

"Hello, I'm an Irving Roofer (with an 817 area code.)
"Howdy neighbor, I'm a local roofer from Irving." Response: "Can I come see your warehouse? Roofers with roofing companies have roofing warehouses for their roofing materials don't they?"
"I've been in business in Irving for years as a roofer." Response: "Then you have roof customers here going back years if you are an Irving roofer?"

Yahoo search and Google search, are just starting points. Ask to see the dude's drivers license, insurance and registration. Roofers are registered with the city. References? Certifications? Bank checks (lists address)? If you catch him in a lie, tell him to come back later for a deposit check and don't be there.

The other day I looked and we weren't on the top of Google anymore so I made a few changes to the website and bang, we were back on top of the maps. We stayed in the organic search but fell in the little box at the top with the maps. You know, the A, B, C ,D..where the map search comes up with businesses..

I noticed that a lot of new companies were showing up in Irving as well as some companies that weren't from Irving. So I went over to Yahoo and we were no where to be found. I've tried to make us come up and had a little success but who cares about being number 25 on a map list. No one will see you but your grandmother. She'll thinks it's fantastic.

Here's the point. Many companies post false comments about themselves. We never did that. Dig down into the comments on the Google Homepage and look to see if the verbage is similar, the dates are clumped, the people who left the comments never left another anywhere, or so on. Dig. Then they lie about their location. We did it through vagueness and got punished but we did it in an era that let it go. After our flogging at the Great Hall of Google, we are submissive little puppies doing everything right. Those sins we committed were a long time ago and stood the test of time, or the test up until the rules changed. We just listed the company by name and city without more than a comma for a physical address in many towns. This was not a sin then but the rules changed.. Pronouncements came out that monkey business was to be stopped but we wanted our cheese and didn't think much about it.

I will admit the timing of their punishment was bad for us but our penance having been completed we are now good denizens of the e-verse.

But in times like these when roofers are all over Irving crushing the life from doorbells, how can a pleb that lives under a holy roof be assured that the knock on the door, or the Yahoo or Google search, has produced a legitimate bearer of roofing talents.

He can't. He never could. Being local just means it will be easier to bother him in person rather than having papers served far away.

If there are false comments on Google, Yahoo, etc., many complaints at the BBB (even answered resulting in an A rating), bad comments on Google, Yahoo, City Search, Yelp, Yellowbot, or they have no certifications, then you are probably dancing with a minor evil deity. If all the comments are clumped date wise or are all recent, you do the math.

Having been certified with GAF and Certainteed means a lot for our customers but the best of bests for consumer protection, at least at this stage in human development is Angie's List. Otherwise just put the roof on yourself. Don't use a door knocker.

This is the worst blog I ever wrote.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The Difference Between a Roofing Company and a Roofing Contractor

2011-07-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

The differences between a company and a contractor are pretty important and a lot of it boils down to customer service. Companies do some contracting but they usually have their own staff and employees for sales, warranty work, supervision, and other administrative duties.
Contractors sell jobs and have subcontractors do all their work. They usually have no staff to watch their jobs and perform all the supervision themselves. If the contractor has a lot of leads then his jobs go unsupervised.

With the recent hails storms all over north Texas, all established companies have lots of leads. The contractors are out canvassing door to door because nobody knows them. Now they have to find help because they will get some jobs. The comes the rub. With strangers on their roofs and more doors to knock, they usually let the job take its own course.

Time will tell, if the next wind storm doesn't, whether the contractor was good or bad and just like every time a storm comes through town, the people of Irving will find out if they had a roofing company or a roofing contractor. Those with companies with roots planted in the community will be there to service their roofing customers while those that had contractors will be lucky to find them.

Even though companies do some contracting, they have an infrastructure to handle situations as they become more or lass difficult.

After you've done your research on your roofer, you might want to visit his office. If he has no warehouse or equipment, then your suspicions should rise. Check with Angie's List, the BBB, the city building inspectors office, old customers, Complaints Board and other social sites, but don't just listen to the fast talker.

Does the roofing company have insurance? Are they certified in the product you're installing? Check with the roofing manufacturer.

With so called roofers canvassing Irving, Coppell, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Lantana, Prosper, Dallas, and other towns, the good installers are pretty occupied. Best to take your time and get a good job.

Also make sure you get the enhanced warranty that covers material and labor for 50 years rather than the prorated material only warranty. When you go to sell your house it could save you a fortune,

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The History of Class IV Roofing, UL 2218

2011-07-08T07:36:00.000-05:00

Just how did we get here and where are we going on impact resistant roofing? I was there, in the field, not in the lab, and have watched the changes, so here we go:

Before, back in the day(I hate that saying), the ways roofing were made more hail resistant, also known as impact resistant, was to make sure you had a firm deck, proper ventilation, and, if you were lucky, had a steep roof.

The angle of a steep roof allows for deflection on large straight falling stones or one side damage on somewhat vertically zooming stones. But the roofers are lucky because they risk their health and lives when installing roofs on high pitches.

Insurance Companies Want To Increase Profits

Most of the greatest single losses by insurance carriers are hurricanes. They even get names, unlike hailstorms. But the hailstorm is the mass of losses as there are so many every year and the insurance carriers have accountants that see this. So after the 1995 storm, that surpassed the mother of all hailstorms in 1992, we had to change the name of 1992's storm to "that other storm that caused shortages of materials." 1995 became "the big one." We couldn't call them Charlie or Bob so we used phrases like ooh and awe.

But the losses were great and the mother of all insurance companies, State Farm, was pissed. If we speak internationally the mother is Lloyd's, the step grandmother of State Farm. Now I get serious.

People noticed that the SBS modified bitumen flat roofs held up pretty good against hail despite there relatively thin design. The great minds at SFI began to swirl and bob and someone shouted "we can exchange discounts if people will spend more money on roofs that won't come back to bite us in the rear.

Ha ha ha! Just like Texas tried to save energy with dual glazed glass statutes for windows, the evil manufacturers jumped up to ruin a great deal for the consumer. Do you really think a builder would put in a decent window on a $50,000.00 home. He won't even do it on a $5 million dollar one. So the energy efficient window fails in a few years and now you have a fogged non energy efficient window that makes your house look like doo doo until you have to pay to have it fixed when you sell it. Now the new buyer has a repaired cheap builder grade window.

Similar happenings happened with roofing. The great culprits, Atlas and Malarkey, who never easily pay out a warranty claim, started making class 4 garbage. If I stumble across one of them that is over seven years of age that has not blistered, I think something is wrong with the product. I learned this in 1980 in the great organic shingle failure wars when Atlas and Masonite (another member of the crappy product lobby, although their namesake was a historical class action suit they now make awesome products) used to sell their factory back and forth and constantly claim the product was made by the other.

So these dogs come in and make a product that will withstand the dropped ball test when new, but not when exposed to the sun for a little while. That is why many insurers are getting away from the class 4 discount program.

If I haven't lost you yet I'll get back to some very interesting history:

State Farm invented a hail gun and started shooting man made hail, otherwise known as ice, at roofing products. Boy wouldn't have like to have seen the parties if they had done that in the eighties. Corporate drinking was phased out in the 1990's by the accountants because they can't hold their liquor.

But State Farm needed a standardized test so they hired the experts, the Underwriters Laboratories. The white frocks of SFI and UL began their research hand in hand. somewhere after the "Mother of All Hailstorms" in 1995. They took steel balls, and not the Italian iron balls concept, of various sizes at different altitudes, and dropped them on different roofing products. After having gathered the data in a legitimate fashion by paying UL, the standardized testing agent everyone respects, State Farm went to the Insurance Board, which is staffed with insurance execs, and started the process of passing mandatory discounts for impact resistant roofs.

Caveats were laid out like that after January I, 1999, each and every shingle has to be individually stamped with its class 4 rating and manufacture date. Also appearance allowance disclaimers were written in but the homeowner had to sign a form to get his discount. I don't want the cheese anymore, I just want out of the trap.

So by giving back large discounts on premiums the insurers hoped to cut their losses. And they did at first. But the evil roofing manufacturers products started failing and some insurers wanted to give back the cheese too.

A few insurers like State Farm, USAA, Met Life, still push the non-mandatory discount program but Farmers and Allstate have opted out. Farmers has gone to a quality and newness discount program that incrementally raises your rates.

I believe that the products made by GAF and Cetainteed, as well as Gerard, will continue to hold up. We've had several calls here in Irving this year on Decra roofs that have been totaled but none on Gerard. Aluminum roofs fail under any circumstances. So does copper.

Never forget that proper ventilation is the best tool to keep you roof newer and better resistant to the forces of nature. If your roofer does not comprehend the minimum ventilation rule, the 300 Rule of Balanced Ventilation, then he's not much of a roofer. If he doesn't inspect your soffit vents then he doesn't care.

As James Burke said, "the only constant is change," we'll see what the future brings in the roofing industry. I expect it will be more synthetic materials that fail, as that seems to have been a constant for the last 25 years.

I recommend you stick to composition, steel, or even fire resistant number one perfection class 4wood shingles and class 3 shakes.
.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The Roofs of Our Founding Fathers

2011-07-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

When I read the other day that 2/3rds of our children do not know the three branches of government, I wondered if they knew what the 4th of July was all about: the right to build the roof of your choice without some regent telling you no.

Thomas Jefferson, my favorite American Revolutionary, flirted with sheet iron, pine shingles (although they were too expensive for the cost conscious tax revolting hero), and some interesting "Zig Zag" structure design made out of short planks mitered together rendering rafters unnecessary for his great dome on Monticello. He got the idea from his stay in France. Later he was enamored with tin and fortified his dome with a "hundred year roof." When he went with tiles, the cheapest product of his day, also weighing about the same as slate, he lost his boast of his roof not leaking. Tile roofs leak. They need underlayments.I could have told him that. He was just a professed amateur at building.

Jefferson's verbal sparing partner, John Adams, the Bush of his day as his son became president too, had a great roof quote about the White House he made on his second day there. I cannot resist:
"Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof."

While Jefferson mastered many talents, Adams was the political philosopher, like me. Yet I fail to find anything on his roofs. Thus I'll tell you the best part of the story of these two men's entwined lives:
Adams retired to his farm in Quincy. Here he penned his elaborate letters to Thomas Jefferson. Here on July 4, 1826, he whispered his last words: "Thomas Jefferson survives." But Jefferson had died at Monticello a few hours earlier.
I lifted these quotes from a government website but was already aware. Here's where to go
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnadams

I did find some pics of Adam's house and the first ones appeared to have wood shingles and the more elegant one later in life had slate.

Now for good old George Washington. This was copied from a site on Mount Vernon:

Hand Riving Shingles

Although the shingles currently on the roof are not original to the house (wooden shingles, depending on the type of wood, have a 25 to 50 year lifespan), they are the same shape, size and material as the ones George Washington used. It was through research and physical evidence that the roofs original appearance (and paint color) was discovered.
The roof you see today was installed in 1994 and uses over 60,000 hand rived cypress shingles. A froe is used to split the thin shingles off of a larger block of cypress. After the shingles are removed from the block they are then rounded with a saw to give the "fish scale" appearance to the roof that George Washington liked so much.

Love that hand rive.

You really need to thank these men because they;re the reason you get today off. They risked their considerable fortunes for an idea, that you could be free. And you are and will continue to be as long as you read your history and keep up with how many branches of government we have. Because if that changes we've got a real problem.

God Bless America!

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Angie's List , the BBB, Google Comments, and Roofers

2011-07-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

For years the Better Business Bureau has been a trusted source for checking out a business. People may put in a complaint and the company has to respond. If no response is made, even if their is only one complaint, the company gets the dreaded "F."

Rarely do you see "B" or any other rating besides "A" or "F." Some companies have forty complaints and still have an "A" and that might be legit if the company is a behemoth. Rarely is that the case. The fish rots from the head down.

One crooked roofer had an "F" in Fort Worth so he opened a listing in the Dallas BBB and had an "A" even though he was using the same website and phone. His address was a post office box. Whoopee! Pays some dues for protection money and learn to write a reasonable response and you can continue on your murderous ways forever. Even BBB employees have voiced their disdain for some of these brutes to me personally.

Angie's List works differently. The customer writes a review on his experience with the company and rates the personnel on their:

Overall

Price

Quality

Responsiveness

Punctuality

Professionalism

That came from our last review. Yeah! Or was it our last ten? Anyway there is the constant threat of retribution. But the customer may write a review that cannot be forced down like the BBB does. The company may write a response but the review stands.

Angie's List allows for an ongoing forum on a company's performance before a jury of it's peers, no clients. No going back. What is done is done so don't join if you can't consistently perform in a professional way.

We were honored to win the Super Service Award last year and hope to again but that might be hard to do a repeat or three-peat.

In response to the BBB's minimal policing of business this Angie's List thing is growing madly. It's not for everyone but it does seam to add the best level of security one could expect to find in this era of false self posted Google Reviews along with the other sites like Kudzu and City Place.

Try goggling "Irving Roofer." Look at the second guy on the maps and try to find out how an Irving roofer has an *!& area code. Look at the poorly written reviews all done within a short period of time: March 3, April 1, May 12 and 23, and June 6 , 9, 10, 12. Only one has written more than one review and he did it the same day he wrote the one on this company.

The last rating , done June 21,was bad with no write up. That guy, if you look at his twenty reviews, writes about roofers lying on their reviews but seems to have written well about roofers in several states. Is it blackmail? Look at Eclat and all his paid reviews. What a joke. Pepper alone has written 72 reviews all over Kingdom Come.

These kinds of issues have fueled Angie's List.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Irving Hail Storm Update

2011-07-01T18:53:00.000-05:00

With the recent hailstorms in Lantana and other suburbs, the parade of roofers has been diluted. Besides there have been storms in Kansas and Colorado and the wimpier roofers have fled north for cooler climes.

Still the bad work has begun. One realtor in Plano kicked her roofer off the job and had us dry in her roof that they had left open all night. She had to use another roofer because our crews are behind a week to two weeks. We'd be further behind but some materials are not available.

Another house had no starter shingle and the nails were placed high on the shingles. When the wind blew it looked like a flag parade. I wonder if we should stop selling better starter shingles and just advertise that we use starter. Start bad, finish bad.

No felt, no metal in the valleys, nail guns, no certification, weak decking, all the ten commandments of roofing are being broken. No wonder it's so hot around here.

At least I get to hear from people I haven't spoken to in over twenty years. One sent me a copy of a contract we signed October 20th, 1980. I was a kid fresh out of college and loved working in the sun, getting tan, staying trim and healthy. Now this old man with a belly hopes he doesn't get skin cancer. I feel like Red in the "Shawshank Redemption"

Red: There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. Not because I'm in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then, a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone and this old man is all that's left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It's just a bullshingle word. So you go on and stamp your form, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don't give a shingle.

Well, it's not that bad but who knows. Now I struggle not to burn my palms when I get on the roof.

The best advice I can give to anyone right now is to chill out and get an extension on their claim. Some companies are only giving six months, and not the traditional year, without an extension. Then you lose your recoverable depreciation.

And you trust the insurance company more that the guy you want to put on your roof. They told you not to show your insurance papers to the roofer because they don't want him to show you all the money they left off the claim. besides they won't pay for leaks from bad workmanship or small wind damage claims. Deductibles are very high. So if you don't trust the roofer, why are you using him? Do you think you're a better roofing consultant? Can you use Xactamate to figure a full roof?

Good luck.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Reusing Metal Edge on Gable Homes Is against Code.

2011-06-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

I'm going to prove that if you have a gable home the insurance needs to replace your metal edging.

The International Residential Code governs how municipalities write their building codes. The cities adopt the codes and then make addenda for their particular needs.

Here's their recommendation for flashings:

Top Previous Section Next Section To view the next subsection please select the Next Section option.

1510.6 Flashings. Flashings shall be reconstructed in accordance with approved manufacturer's installation instructions. Metal flashing to which bituminous materials are to be adhered shall be primed prior to installation.

Top Previous Section Next Section To view the next subsection please select the Next Section option.

That's it. The baton has been passed to the manufacturer.

Here's what GAF says about felt.Underlayment:
Standard Slope–4/12 (333mm/m) or more
Application of underlayment: Cover deck with one layer of underlayment installed
without wrinkles. Use only enough nails to hold underlayment in place until covered by
shingles. Application of eave flashing: Install eave flashing such as GAF-Elk Weather
Watch®, StormGuard®, or other GAF-Elk Leak Barrier in localities where leaks may be caused
by water backing up behind ice or debris dams. Eave flashing must not overhang the eave
edge by more than 1/4" (6mm) and extend 24" (610mm) beyond the inside wall line.

See the pretty drawing?

Here's what many insurance companies are saying: We're not paying for metal edge because it's not damaged. Translated that means they're not going to pay you enough to replace your roof correctly, so that your eaves don't blow out or your home doesn't pass inspection. And if the product fails early this is one of the caveats the manufacturer can use to deny your claim.

Don't settle for less that right. The flashings need to be changed or you don't have a new roof, you just have a badly repaired roof that will haunt you.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Metal Edge, Insurance Companies, and Home Inspectors

2011-06-28T07:59:00.001-05:00

All the good roofers have been arguing to no avail with the insurance companies about new metal edge. They don't want to pay for new metal edging. Everyday of every year they look for a way to dumb down the roofs. "I've had it. I've had alls I can stand and I can stands no more." I've eaten my spinach and I'm coming out swinging.

http://www.google.com/search?q=felt+metal+drip+edge&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Just read a few of the links on the page I've pasted the link for and you'll see uniformity from everyone that the felt must go under the rake metal edge. No exceptions. GAF, Certainteed, NRCA, RCAT, and anybody who's anybody agrees.

You can't put the felt under the rake metal without taking it up and then it is full of holes and all bent up. So if we follow State Farm's procedure and the home inspector for the buyer of your home catches it, you will be forced to correct it, maybe even replace the roof. I certainly wouldn't buy a home with the metal on the rakes over the metal edge. This is an installation violation that may void your warranty, besides water rot and paint being messed up.

Now for the kicker. The International Residential Code, or IRC, which governs how cities enforce their building codes, says that the manufacturer's specifications rule here. Here's a video from GAF

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPTec_tIyCQ

Point made. Let's make the insurance companies replace your roof right.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Irving Roofer

2011-06-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Just who is an Irving roofer? There are about five of us who were operating in the city prior to the storm. The most active were Scot Horton's two businesses, Moore Roofing and Construction I believe and Evans and Horton. I never met the Evans guy and doubt his existentialiality. Robert Murphy worked for Mr. Moore for years and paid him too little, as was his nature. He promised Robert the business but when it was time to sell it he offered it to his two sons who wanted nothing to do with it. You see, they were his roof slaves as little children and learned their lessons and became some sort of engineers. I met one on a roof one day. He looked around and said" what am I doing here?" He left.

I warned Robert that Mr. Moore would not honor his verbal agreement and Moore didn't. Robert's last laugh was that he had his own phone number in the Yellow Pages add for after hours service. He just took the jobs. Plus a lot of the customers called him because he was the only field contact. Scott Horton has a salesman or two.

These two companies are pretty good guys but we have an edge. We are Master Elites. I believe Scott has renewed his Certified status after letting it go for a few years.

Adela and her boyfriend started their company a few years ago, American Roofing and Siding, and have done well chasing storms all over the country but have pulled in the reigns to their homes here in Irving. I always found it a little funny that a couple of Mexican immigrants, who are full fledged Americans and live here, call themselves All American. Sometimes the convert is better at something than those branded early in life.

All these Irving roofers are pretty good but might be a little weak in the balanced ventilation area. They are definitely better than the invaders.

I've seen some other names now and then but I don't know them. Of course I'd prefer you used us but if we can't get to you then I recommend one of them rather than one of the carpetbaggers. At least you'll keep the money here in Irving and if you have a problem they'll be here to take care of you.

So let's here it for the Irving roofing contractors. Protect yourself and make sure the roofing company is from at least 20 or 25 miles away. Otherwise you better know them well. You can investigate through the BBB, but that is not as good as it used to be. Don't just look at their rating but at the number of complaints. Angie's List is a great resource. You should join before you pick a roofer and check out what his customers have said about him. Also make sure the roofer is certified in the product he is installing on your home. The warranty is soooo much better. It goes from a prorated material only warranty to a 100% material and labor for 20 years on 25 year product and 50 years on lifetime. You'll never need to pay for a roof again.

Check on insurance too.
Don't use a canvassing carpetbagger. If he was any good he'd be buried in business. And don't get in a hurry. If they need an answer now the answer is no.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

OSHA IS BACK JUNE 13th for Roofers

2011-06-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

Starting June 13th the regulations that were suspended fifteen years ago are back. The small things like drinking cups, hospital locations, and bailing wire on extension cords are not the big one. Fall protection is.

The 120 new enforcement officers for OSHA will certainly descend upon Irving due to the massive hail storm and easy pickings. Sure they want the money but that is how they teach:fines.

The conundrum is the safety harnesses that keep roofers from falling make the work much more difficult. Imagine trying to tear off roofing with a lasso hooked to your back that keeps getting wrapped around pipes, chimneys, skylights, toe board brackets on steep roofs... and your legs. These guys are going to trip and stumble but they won't get killed in a fall. They will fall a little more often but die less often too.

In 1995 we complied with the rules and purchased the equipment. The roofers would put all the protection in place and then not hook the rope to their backs. Many roofers went next door to roof for the guys who didn't enforce the ruling. Chaos reigned and costs soared.

We invoiced the insurance companies for more and they went out and took pictures of the guys whenever they released the hook. If only for a second the y claimed the provisions were not being followed.

Anyway, the fights begins between myself, the roofers, and the insurance companies. I just don't want to fight OSHA, because I won't win that one.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The Ten Commandments of Composition Steep Slope Roofing

2011-05-21T07:20:00.000-05:00

1) Always remove the existing roof.
2) Install the felt in a waterproof method, including integration with the metal edge.
3) Follow the 300 Rule of Balanced Ventilation.
4) Never use pneumatic nailers. Only hand nail composition roofs.
5) Use a certified roofer for better installation and warranty.
6) Replace old or plank decks with solid decking.
7) Follow all local building codes. They are modified from the IRC basic codes with consideration for local extremes.
8) Always inspect the attic, especial after the roof is completed so you don't kill the residents with carbon monoxide.
9) Never shingle beneath a 2/12 pitch and use two ply felt, even if it is synthetic or peel and stick, when roofing beneath a 4/12 pitch. I don't recommend roofing beneath a 3/12 because if the roof sags you might cross the line.
10) Replace all chimney, skylight, and wall flashings.These are problem areas and the nail holes might come back to haunt you for your sin of cheapness.

Many other issues could be brought up but these are the basics. Better felt, leak protectors, better rated roofing materials, insurance, and other items may make for a better roof but these are the basic items that must be followed. Some would disagree on some of these items, especially the hand nailing part, but I disagree.

Follow these rules and you'll get a decent roof.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Big Roof

2011-05-18T08:58:00.000-05:00

While everyone is guffawing about Arnold and his so called "love child" I was looking at his roof. What a spread. There must be 300,000 lbs of concrete up there.

Did you know if a house with concrete tile is on fire the firemen won't usually enter. Too dangerous. Maybe Arnold should stay out too. We seem to think that Arnold has an indiscretion but what if Maria told him that their children weren't his? She didn't, she won't, and Arnold has fallen from the high mountains of Olympus to mate with a mere mortal. He left the world of giants to mix genes with a human and there will be a cost.

The love of his wife will never be the same if at all. His children will be inextricably attached to the other woman out of curiosity for their half sibling just like Senator John Edward's deceased wife knew her children would be around the other woman forever as she prepared for judgement day.

The lesson is that people who can afford expensive roofs are just as human, if not more so, that the rest of us who really work for a living. Too much free time allows you to commit indiscretions you would never forgive another for making.

I feel for the pain Maria Shiver feels. I hope she gets to keep the roof. My respect for the man has just gone out the window, which we install also.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The History of the Roof Granule

2011-05-15T08:59:00.000-05:00

Over 100 years ago the first attempts at making asphalt shingles began. They couldn't be shipped because they would stick together and when they got to where they were going they didn't last long. The UV rays of mama sun ate them up in a hurry. Organic materials don't do well in solar wind. Thus the roofing granule was invented and all was well in the universe. Then all hail broke out and the storm chaser industry was born.

The little pebbles began as larger rocks smashed into smithereens, a rarely used roofing term, and thrown onto the shingle just like a miniature gravel road. Aesthetics and function found harmony in the new cheaper roofing product that helped build homes much faster and with less lumber than was required for the traditional tile, slate or wood roofs. Sure wood roofs don't weigh much but then it rains and they are brutally heavy. Their wet weight reaches close to tile.

Without these little pebbles the asphalt in the roof would be digested in a short time by sol and the roof would look bad and leak.

Nowadays many insurance adjusters think that granule loss without fabric tearing does not constitute hail damage to an asphaltic roofing product and amounts to a cosmetic damage only. Well hoot-a-nanny. Ask any home inspector, home buyer, roofing, manufacturer, laboratory expert, or bird what they think of granule loss and they'll tell you all bets are off and the roof is ruined.

Some fire resistance is offered by the granules because without them the burning brands used by the testing labs would catch the asphalt on fire and leave the roofing without it's A or C fire rating. I've always wondered why we never heard of a class B fire rating. Maybe someone could phone in the answer. The third caller gets a free shingle.

In retrospect, granules serve four primary purposes and one secondary one: to provide evidence that hail hit the roof and fill up the local motels with riff raff.

Someday I'll right about the evolution of the granule from natural to synthetic for color steadfastness. Did you know that roofers lose most of their fingerprints from grabbing those rough old shingles? That's why DNA testing was invented.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Choose The Roofer And Then The Price

2011-05-11T13:36:00.001-05:00

So you weren't planning on buying a roof and all you want to do is avoid costs. You might be setting yourself up for mountains of costs if you let your greed take over. Some of the homeowners fall real deep into the trap and try to profit from their insurance claims. I'm not faxing that fake bill and going to prison. You do it.

Here's how to stay out of the trap. First find a good source for roofers like one of the big three certified roofer groups:GAF, Certainteed, or Owens Corning. Then find out what he can do it for, what he'll do for what you got, and how much can you get done. Apply your greed to a better roof, better ventilation, better looking roofs, or anything that makes your home more valuable, more sell-able, or saves you money on utilities or insurance premiums.

If you fall into the "knock, knock, knock, I'll save your deductible" trap you might lose the entire check paid by your insurance and have to do it over out of that fat wallet you think you own. These words will be wasted on the greedy but will resonate with those who are wise or have suffered at the hands of those willing to steal. Just remember, you're next.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Why You Might Not Have Any Warranty On Your Roof

2011-05-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

You have a new roof and don't know what the 300 Rule is. You have a limited warranty, or even an enhanced warranty from a Master Elite like myself but balanced ventilation means nothing to you.

You're going to replace your roof sooner and maybe the deck. Your kids might be breathing sewer gases because of negative pressure in your home. Asthma is rampant in your grandchildren. You neighbor has the same A/C, the same size house, and the same frugal Judeo-Christian civilized culture with an overlay of Protestant work ethic but your utilities are higher. You can't even sell your home.

That is what is going to happen to 90 something percent of the homes even if it hails again and the roof gets replaced.

That sure is a lot of money to give to someone who knocked on your door, is not certified, and has little more than a BBB membership.

It is time to read and study because the wind will blow, the rain and ice will come, the home will be sold some day, and definitely the sun is going to beat down on your roof every summer cooking your roof and attic.

It's your decision to make. Do your homework. Read and investigate. The roofers haven't and hope you won't too.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Insurance Money is Treated Like Food Stamps

2011-05-11T13:35:00.000-05:00

Free money is often wasted while hard earned money is spent wisely. Have you ever won at gambling? I bet you didn't spend it as well as you did the money earned. In fact, you probably wasted the lucky money faster than you did the earned money.

Remember last year when Bloomberg said we should allow people on food stamps, or whatever it is called, to buy sugary drinks because they cause diabetes? Have you ever noticed how those with the Texas Card buy frozen dinners, like they don't have time to cook like me the single father who cooks almost every night. I call it kitchen karate. High-ya! The rest of us are buying meat, milk, vegetables,flour, and other items our skilled hands can turn into healthy and delicious nourishment for our families.

How will you spend your roof insurance money? Like free money not earned, only to be used unwisely and causing you to give diabetes to your air conditioner and all the other things I rant about here. Later this lottery money might make you poor. Why not hire an adviser that can direct you toward long term savings that can end up being in the tens of thousands of dollars over the next few years or a lump sum when you can't sell your home.

Don't use the wise roofer and you will have to replace your roof out of your own pocket after replacing your HVAC, insulation, deck, and repainting your house.

If you don't understand just go back and start reading my early blogs. That deductible is a hook that can really make you bleed.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Who's Worse: The Carpetbagger roofer or the Cheap Insurance Company

2011-05-09T17:45:00.000-05:00

My kudos to State Farm. They don't buy every roof but when they do, they buy it right. They need about seven hits per square but Allstate needs eleven. Eleven! Since when! Since I've been in the business, six, seven, eight, but never eleven.

Allstate said that they wouldn't replace the sewer vents or the flashing on skylights or chimneys. First, these are leak prone areas, part of the roof system, they are full of holes, they get beat up and dented in the tearing out of the shingles, the supply house does not provide the parts for free, my roofers want to be paid for doing the work, and the NRCA guidelines as well as GAF and all the other roofing manufacturers say they should be replaced if they are not in "like new" condition.

We take it in the pocket book, or as my father likes to say:we pass it one to the consumer through reduced profits. I hate that. We already have to carry insurance, go to roofing school to get our credits, and keep a good local reputation. Plus the manufacturer sneeks around behind us and surveys our customers and then has the gall to place those ratings on our listing at their site.

Somehow a few insurance companies feel that their clients aren't due as good a roof as other insured are. And why does the program they all use, Xactamate, have provisions for these things. Plus Allstate wants to use Home Depot as a price gauge, which is something we are not willing to do. Their Timberline shingles are not the same ones we use. Neither are their sewer flashings, nails, felt, valley metal and starter shingles.

Now after you get squeezed by your insurance company, along comes a roofer saying he'll save your deductible and might even toss in a better shingle and some money back. Well, I've been around the sun almost 54 times and I haven't seen the inside of a pokey since I was 18, when I failed to pay a parking ticket. My girlfriend had to drive my big 460 F-250 pick up with a broken power steering unit to her parents house to get the bail money. My tickets get paid now. That was 1980.

Seriously, if you don't replace the metal edge, don't bill the insurance for it. Nor anything else fraudulent. Two wrongs don"t make a right.

Remember that if someone will steal, they will steal from you too. Would you want that false billing carpetbagger finding your wallet. You may not know where the line is but you know when you've crossed it.

Bargaining for a better job, getting referral fees, and better warranties are all fair game but false invoices to an insurance company can translate into wire fraud, mail fraud, or just plain old fraud, the kind your bootlegging carpetbagging slave owning fifth cousin five times removed used to do.

Do you know why they call it the pokey?

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Certified Roofer Versus 18th Century Roofer

2011-05-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

Is your roofer certified?
What does that mean?
(Read prior blogs)
It means that instead of a 100% full coverage replacement policy for 50 years you get a
prorated material warranty only.
So what? It's going to hail.
Really. Are you sure? That $4000.00 roof in 2003 is now a $10,000.00 roof
and in another eight years it might cost $40,000.00 and the insurance
companies will find ways to cover less of that cost or they will have to
raise your rates even more. Probably both.
If there is no hail, and ask any Realtor if they have had clients whose
roofs have failed inspection and have had to buy a new roof that the buyer
got to enjoy, you'll have to pay for a new roof to leave your home. Or, if
you used an illiterate roofer who did not know about fluid dynamics, Ideal
gas law, Venturi Tube, and Bernoulli, then you probably have no warranty to
fall back on to at least cover the fraction of the materials left in your
prorated material warranty. No 300 Rule and no warranty.
But if you have a certified roofer and you upgrade your warranty, you'll
have 100% protection for 50 years on most roofs, and could have a 25 year
leak guarantee.
That's crazy.
So you believe it will hail before too long again? If it does, the insurance
needs to put it back like it is. If you have a reputable and well made Class IV impact
resistant roof, the roofers will need to leave you alone. And if it doesn't hail,
ask your Realtor what is happening every year in Carrollton, Coppel, Farmers
Branch, and Lewisville.Homeowners replacing roofs from their kid's college funds.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Slow Down, Don't Move So Fast. Roofer

2011-05-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

Ask yourself a few questions before putting on a roof.

Did I have the attic, deck, structure, and ventilation inspected or did I just go with it.?
Am I just putting on what I had or did I consider options for beauty, energy savings, longevity, and insurance discounts?
Is my roofer certified by the manufacturer we're using?
Is my roofer insured?
If you don't care then just go ahead and burn right through those thousands of dollars the insurance has handed to you.
One more question. Why are you in a hurry? Haste makes waste and if you have no deadlines then go into mosey mode. That roof may be up their for the rest of your life. sure it probably won't but you might also have to replace from your pocket when it is time to sell and in a few years asphalt roofing will cost as much as metal roofing.
And metal is not a bad idea either. Looks great. Tastes great. Less filling.
Don't just get a roof to get a roof. Do some of your own homework and make sure your roofer is certified by the manufacturer. That way you know some vetting has been done and you'll get a much better warranty.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Crime and Roofing

2011-04-30T13:04:00.000-05:00

Already phase one of the hail storms has come to pass: the Mushroom Roofers have popped up. They'll go shoot on some roofs with nail guns, collect some money, and leave people with badly ventilated roofs and roofs that look lumpy, won't last as long, and will experience problems with leaking and blow off, as usual.

More sinister demons are coming. Labor liens, mad supply houses, all kinds of legal stuff but still other manifestations are going to appear.

The cost of materials is soaring. Shortages will occur. Tamko lost a major production facility to the deadly tornadoes. Gas is going up. Between rising transportation costs, higher raw material costs, and the influence of supply and demand, the price of materials will skyrocket to levels never seen before. Soon a square of Timberline shingles will fly by $100.00 faster than a badly nail gunned roof on a windy day.

Here come the thieves. If materials are delivered the day before the roof is to be put on and left in the driveway, the carpetbagger's scalawag roofers will pull up to take what they need to finish their job down the street. This happened to us two years ago in the storms in Keller. Then we couldn't finish our jobs.

Be patient with your roofer. We have entered a lawless stage and it is only going to get worse. The crime rates of Carrolton, Coppell, North Dallas, and all the northern suburbs is going to go up. And it is not just theft of roofing materials. These are seedy people. When you introduce seedy people into a neighborhood and they climb all over your home and learn your habits, they will sometimes come back. They now know when you leave and come back. What doors you use. Believe you me a construction guy can get in your home real easy. Skylights, siding, windows, are all 30 second break in points.

And you might not have hired them. If your neighbor has hired them they now know your habits. From a roof you can peer all over the back yard and into windows. And these guys will be gone soon enough.

Did you know that something like 85% of people on death row have connections to the roofing industry.
Protect yourself unless you are real lucky and nothing bad ever happens to you.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Who Is That Knocking On Your Door

2011-04-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

Why would you let some vagabond going down the street knocking on doors do your roof? Why would you let him on your roof or into your home? Now he knows what you have and how to get into your home. Through a skylight or side door? What have you done? If he were legitimate he'd have a lot of calls to do.

Pushy, pushy, pushy, now, now, cheap, hurry...this is your home.

http://www.theroofforum.com/2009/12/santa-is-not-only-stranger-on-your-roof.html

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Why Snow Came in Your Vent Ridge

2011-04-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

When the dry snow hit McKinney, Prosper, and Denton two years ago, a lot of homeowners had a lot of snow penetrate their attics. The roofers instinctively blamed the manufacturer. My wholesaler reps were calling me to ask why this was happening. Wasn't happening to my customers. Not one. But the neighbors had problems so our customers called us to inspect their attics. We told them it wouldn't happen to them because we had mono-altitude exhaust vents and balanced soffit vents. They had forgotten the pitch so we had to go through it all over again. We also pointed out that they didn't have ice daming problems because of their roof/attic ventilation system.

Most roofers apply the most basic of gas laws when they install exhaust vents. They only relieve pressure. The concept was first outlined described in Boyle's Law, circa 1662, in that at a constant temperature the volume and pressure of a gas is constant. Later researches found the relationship between the volume of gas and pressure is affected by temperature. By the 18th century the gas laws grew more comprehensive, culminating in the Ideal Gas Law.

If this is the only application of physics your roofer does, he is draining you financially, physically, and emotionally. Vented only roofs wear out everything. The roofing fails early, the warranty is void, your kid's doctor reaches a higher tax bracket, the utility company executive gets a bonus, the painter is employed, your insulation mats, the air conditioning repairman buys a new truck, and later the manufacturer expands their facilities. If you believe in climate change, you sin when you use lo-tech roofers.

What most roofers do is 16th to 18th century technology. Well trained roofers use fluid dynamics to ventilate. Air comes in the soffits and out the mono-altitude exhaust, creating a giant Venturi Tube. Any interference between the top line exhausts and intake vents and the system shuts down like a soda straw with a hole in it. The classical example is the "Chimney Effect" but we prefer the straw because a chimney heats from the bottom but a straw is used to pull just like the sun's energy heating the attic air, speeding up the molecules. Excited air molecules move up. Slower ones don't.

When you first cut a hole in a non-vented roof, the rush of air will blow your hat off, then slow down. If their are soffit vents the rush will continue and only decrease as the temperature drops. As the hot air leaves, ambient air comes in soffits. With the removal of heat and humidity from your organic material infested attic, the spores die and your doctor needs to sell his car. The kids asthma goes away. The air condition doesn't run as often.

If you over exhaust and do not increase the soffit intake to match and you have a modern home with house wrap and energy efficient window, a new bogyman arrives. Radon gas and his other under-worldly buddies come seeping up. Your water might boil faster but your home will smell like sewer gas. You can clean all you want but until you find a professional roofer, your house might stink.

But your lower vent ridge might also become an intake vent, sucking in rain and snow.

Sorry for the lack of clarity but I've been interrupted about 50 times this morning and can't keep a clear thought.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

The Invasion of the Roofer Mushroom People From Outer Space

2011-04-19T08:30:00.002-05:00

When the hail stones first pummeled Prosper I thought that the "Parade of Carpetbaggers" had begun as it always does after a storm. But I was wrong. Remember how the Martians came down the energy beams to their machines in the 2005 version of "War of the Worlds?" This time the invaders came from inside the hail stones themselves.

The stones were just the first wave of the attack. The mushroom roofers sprouted from the stones embedded in the earth. The sacrificial mushrooms hammered roofs, fences, gutters, and other property in an attempt to cause pecuniary damages and steal our gold. Money started to flow into the affected areas in order to stop the hemorrhaging. Then the mushroom roofers emerged from the soil with signs of unknown company names. They knew from previous studies of our species that we are only the masters of what we can survey. After having seen the name of one of these mushroom roofer companies several times, the affected assumed that they were legitimate companies. No track record, no history of service, and sometimes no Texas drivers licenses. Even then the Texas zip code may be farther away than Kansas.

Rapidly they set upon the unsuspecting property owners, the backbone of our republic, mumbling things like "cheap, free, wave the deductible." With their magic wands the waving of the deductible ceased to be a crime, a felony, an offense punishable by incarceration.

Having the humans by the greedacles, the mushroom invaders will soon begin to remove the roofs of the humans and install an environment changing roof causing sickness throughout the home. Remember that "The Univeral Gas Law" allows only from the relief of pressure and not the positive bottom to top ventilation of a balanced system that removes humidity and heat that mingle with all that organic material causing spores. These spores attack the pulmonary systems of the young the most severely while draining adults of precious funds for electric bills and HVAC repairs. Shortened paint, insulation, deck, and roof lives also attack the pocket.

At first I thought that this was just hail but with the subsequent hail storms I began to realize that this was a full scale invasion of mushroom roofers. After 25 to 50 have rang the doorbell, knocked the door, and chased you across the yard while mowing on Sunday morning, you begin to believe this is normal behavior. But look into their eyes, ask for an electric bill, a manufacturer's certification, driver's license, auto insurance, references from last month within 50 miles, a DNA sample, and you'll find that the infectious mushroomers have come to your town. They intend to take your insurance claim money and put on the cheapest materials they can find from mushroom helpers. Notice that they speak strangely. Their eyes dart side to side.

Folks, mark my words. These are not the words of a soothsayer, an oracle, or even a modern day Nostradamus. These are the musings of an experienced Texan, someone born at Florence Nightingale (Baylor) and educated in Dallas. These are the warnings of a man who has been a roofing contractor for 32 years with accreditations, certifications, an "A" at Angie's List, and the BBB, but that doesn't mean what it used to mean.

Watch out. If you need an answer now, the answer is "NO!" Take your time. Study. Research. This is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make and if it is based on criminal activity, be careful. Why not take the opportunity to negotiate with a good local guy on a better roof and manufacturer's warranty that is not prorated and covers materials and leaks too. You can even get a Good Housekeeping guarantee. They do underwrite roofs if you have the right roofer.

Your kids health, your resale value, your marriage, could be at stake here. Just go back and read earlier posts and you'll understand.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

www.jonwrightroofing.com

Roofing Advice To Prosper, Little Elm, Denton, and Oak Point

2011-04-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

Here comes the parade of roofers.
Do you know how many roofers it takes to sell a roof?
All of them to say they'll do it cheaper....and sometimes better.

Texas will not protect you. Your town might require a license, which may require insurance, but it has been but a pittance. Prosper requires a $1000,000.00 general liability policy. No provisions are made for completed operations or product liability.

Translation: If your roof leaks later or the manufacturer will not honor the warranty, you are alone. Your homeowner insurance only covers sudden acts like fire, hail, wind... but not roofers, dogs, termites, pests, raccoons, rats, bad workmanship, or Atlas or Malarkey shingles.

If you want protection use a certified roofer. GAF Master Elite, Certainteed Shingle Master Roofer, or Owens Corning Preferred Contractor. That way you'll get a great warranty from a roofer that has been in business for some time, has insurance, has passed a test, is committed to ongoing training, and has a great local reputation. Otherwise you have a goofball on your roof. This is the status of roofing today: certified roofers or carpetbaggers.

Due to the seeming decline of the local BBB organizations into dues collecting outfits, you can turn to Angie's List.

Ask yourself this question: What was this guy doing last week? Where did he get his roofers? Has the ink dried on his card? Ask for December, January, February, or March references and then some older ones too. Look at his license plates, drivers license, and see if his BBB report is more than three years old. Most roofers, 80% according to the yellow page people, are out of business in two years.

What about hand nailing with hot dipped galvanized nails rather than shooting the roof on with electroplated nails?

This hail storm has sent you a new roof whether you want one or not as well as gutters, screens, windows, A/C repairs, and other stuff. Why make a quick decision? Take your time. If he needs an answer now the answer should be "No!"

What about the 300 Rule? Does your roofer know it? Too simple not to.

Take your time. Your roof is too important. It protects everything you own.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

Responses to Two Good Questions from Reader: Nat

2011-04-12T10:51:00.000-05:00

nat said...

Why do you call Malarkey an evil manufacturer?

Because Malarkey says they will investigate a warranty claim and then completely ignores it. Their warranty is a worthless lie. Even their officers lie to the consumer and the contractor. They have no intention of ever taking care of defective material unless sued. I was in shock when their rep said he went by a job, after about two years of complaining, and never picked up the materials from the ground where we left them, after having waited for hours with no call or cancellation. He lied and said the roof was improperly ventilated when the roof was a poster boy for perfect ventilation. Lies upon lies warrant nomination for evil. Theft also places one in that category.

nat said...

How would liability insurance make anyone a better roofer? Insurance protects the one who purchases it. Mandatory auto insurance never made the roads safer. Envy is the driving force. "I pay insurance to protect myself. I am going to make everyone else get it so they have to pay, too."

Great question. The answer has several layers. The first is that any company that protects its customers from its own actions is providing a superior service. Insurance covers more than disaster while the job is in progress. Completed operations and product liability can keep a customer from having to file on his own insurance or keep him from suing someone later down the line. If drivers had higher ethical standards, then by virtue of having higher standards, they are improved. Maybe the actual skill set is not improved, but an invisible hand makes the consequences of his bad decisions less. Protecting yourself versus not protecting yourself is a virtue and virtue is virtue. A virtuous driver is better than a non-virtuous driver. Homeowners have certain minimum expectations from the businesses they invite onto their property. Even a good contractor may find that circumstances have put him out of business, for example health, and if his customer is protected from failed work, then a superior service has been rendered.

Homeowner's insurance does not cover bad workmanship nor the damage it causes. By virtue of being able to be insured, a homeowner knows his roofer has some stability. Ask any roofer. It is hard to get. To be a certified roofer for GAF, CertainTeed, or Owens Corning, a contractor must be insured. When we put on a roof there are no other drivers. There is only one. The insurance may not make a roofer's nails work better but if he does a repeatedly poor job and gets sued, he won't be able to find insurance. Maybe insurance is just indicative that a roofer possesses superior business qualities, and that, too, is part of the overall performance of a roofer.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

2011-03-09T08:59:00.000-06:00

Roofing felt has different names. The vernacular is tar paper but this name will soon be obsolete. With all the new synthetic felts out today, like the recently released TigerPaw by GAF, the word felt is a misnomer. Here's what Dictionary.com has to say:

1)a nonwoven fabric of wool, fur, or hair, matted together by heat, moisture, and great pressure.

2)any article made of this material, as a hat.

3)any matted fabric or material, as a mat of asbestos fibers, rags, or old paper, used for insulation and in construction.

–adjective

4)pertaining to or made of felt.

–verb (used with object)

5)to make into felt; mat or press together.

6)to cover with or as with felt.

–verb (used without object)

7)to become matted together.

Except for Opus Roof Blanket , and not the penguin,the new synthetics are not really mats of any kind. None have paper or rag in them. None have asphalt.

So roofers need new terminology. So says Dave, the roofing guru hired by GAF to pump us up once a year. Dave says we shouldn't use roof jargon and instead should call it what the homeowners call stuff.

Out goes the word felt and in comes deck protector, either tar paper (it hurts me to say that) or synthetic.

Next comes leak protector. Many call it ice and water shield but this is a name brand of Grace Products, like Coke is used by us Texans for all sodas. Grace calls it an underlayment and want you to use it as such. Sure cove the entire deck with it. Then call the doctor because the fungus amongst us is about to reach Steve McQueen's Blob size.

GAF makes StormGuard, Underroof 2, and WeatherWatch. Certainteed makes WinterGuard, and who cares what the evil manufacturers Atlas and Malarkey make. Tamko has removed itself from the game by not having a certification program and enhanced warranties but their products are fine. Owens Corning put the screws to me back in 1981 and I'm still sore from it. That's $6500.00 in 1981 dollars that this poor roofer made good to the customer out of his own pocket. I guess it was lost in their bankruptcy.

A prudent and knowledgeable roofer will use leak protector around all roof penetrations: dormers, pipes, skylights, chimneys, and roof to wall. Deck protector, the sticky felt like product, may be used in valleys but it is not a substitute for valley metal. The guy that wrote that he likes closed valleys because you don't need expensive metal in the valleys should have his valleys stomped out. One little hole in the valley and you'll think King Kong is on the roof the next time it rains.

If you are going for an enhanced warranty you'll need to use deck protector on the eaves too. This helps prevent ice dam leaking but if you vent properly this should not be a problem.

Write this down and memorize it: It'll never snow a foot here in Texas.

These leak protectors and synthetic deck protectors, coupled with balanced ventilation, professional starter strips, and heavy high profile ridge, and not the 20 year three tab, enhance your roof from good to great. They make everything in the home last longer.

Your factory certified roofer can now take the proration from your material warranty and add labor costs to the warranty, almost removing the word "limited" from the warranty. Now it becomes an NDL, No Dollar Limit, warranty for 50 years in most cases.

That is why you must use a factory certified roofing company, the higher the certification the better. In GAF's case, you have Certified, which means little, and Master Elite, the top of the food chain.

Read what this dude has to say about it here: InspectApedia.

Here's GAF's propoganda. That means click it granny..

Jon Alan Wright

2011-02-13T10:32:00.000-06:00

Right now the roof of the world is Egypt. Tile, concrete, and thatch are all I can find on the Internets, as W. used to say. He was right too. There seem to be several of them tied together. Otherwise Hosni could not have shut his down. Facebook became Scmacshbook, My Space went otter space, and Twitter went twatter. He controlled information by stopping it rather than sending out misinformation. No news is googleless news. Now the people were pissed!

What happened in Egypt was a webolution from the ground up. We now face a new type of potential anarchy or a reinforced dictatorship as the oracles of infodata realize their omnipotence. The direction of this new world wide web of power is in the direction of the autocrat, as in the Great Firewall. By golly, they don't even collect the taxes. How is that for an "in your face" to the state.If the Aristocrats behind the browsers grow drunk with their newly realized political power, they could become the Oligarchs. How will we know if the data, the Facebook pages, and My Space spaces are organic or controlled by men or machines. Floods of falsity, mountains of lies, scientifically gathered info on the end user, the portal being, sponging whatever glop is splashed on his flat screen, now in 3D. And if you want, you can get the sputum in your pocket via 4G.

The fears of Terminators from Skynet from or Colossus from The Forbidden Project, Tron, Doctor Strangelove's Doomsday Device, Hal the "I wouldn't do that if I were you Dave" killer red eyed classical music copumomonster, Proteus, The Matrix (pretty close), W.O.P.R.(pretty bad wasn't it), and Logan's Run decisions over procreation or death.

Give me procreation or give me death. For it is better to die your hair on your feet than live on your knees. For that is the question. Alas I knew him well.

So here we are trusting all we can read over and over until it becomes fact, including those fake reviews shamelessly put out by roofers like Eclat, Bill Sharp, and Vertical Roofing. Not a Shrek of truth.

When researching your potential home improvement contractor, the dude that is going to determine the future stability of your home and maybe your marriage, do your due diligence. Search for other portals and do not let the Mubarack channel determine what you see and read.

Angie's list, Complaints Board, Boardhost, random snippets of viral cyber DNA floating out there waiting to enlighten you, anything but info from the mouthpiece of George Orwell's 1984, as in these two lovely quotes:

"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened-that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."
- George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 3
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed-if all records told the same tale-then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"

My vote goes to the Lawnmower Man because he is up front about what he wants to do. Plus I love the new twist on the old evil laugh.

You voluntarily put that eyeball looking camera on your computer, didn't you? Why? Can't someone with more skills than yours turn it on against your will? How far are you willing to go to risk everything just to communicate now.

This is where we might go if the evil convict roofers get their way:

"He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

Big Brother Roofing, founded 1984, just when the first of the Terminator movies was released. How about Skynet Roofing, or V Roofing, "we come in peace, always."

"They did a Gerard roof in one day and metal did save us a lot on energy..." even though the roof was put on in January(or was it put on at all) and the review was done in January, by a company that started in January 2010, eight years ago. Members of everything but never listed.

Look, listen, read, compare. You are alone out there and you have to sort it out. You can't stay in Tajir Square forever.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

Master Elite Roofer: (Scroll to the bottom)

Mexican Electricity, The Red Sea, Dallas Roofs

2011-02-12T15:35:00.000-06:00

The word "conundrum" is like music to my ears. Just love it. Can't explain, won't try. Why do you love your wife? Your kids you love, I know, because of a complex series of physical and physiological changes that have occurred because of the metabolic changes that have happen to you, the mom, or to the father, because of what has happened to the mom. The dad gets pregnant too. He should, at least, anyway. but as far as conundrums go, I love them.
Here's the best two this week:

Mexico infiltrates our grid with electricity. These guys, with chaos and reckless (why no "H" I do not know) abandon ruling the place, had to send us some electricity to keep things going. Well, what do you know? So much for first world.

Egypt:"Yeah! We have a military dictatorship again." The same people are ruling that they kicked out. Yeah! They've been in charge since 1952. Hosni "Fly Boy" Mu-Barak is gone only to leave the leader of the ruthless internal security forces in charge. Maybe their ideas of democracy are a little different. We are all Egyptian this week. Let's see what happens. We have no choice but to watch how the going plays out.

What does this have to do with roofing? A whole bunch. Prices my friend. when the oil giants figured a way to extract more fuels from the garbage they sold to the roofing manufactures, this trash called asphalt becomes black gold...Texas Tea...and the same Egyptians who controlled the Suez Canal, the place down the road from the Somali Yacht Club, might realize that the western world has cause a conundrum that is their own ass-fault.

Thus, when we had cold feet, we turn to Mexico for another import besides people: electricity. Hearken, I shout, for to be free and warm, and not live under the spell of a cold tyranny, we need Elektron and her little bro Foton. Not futon, but a balanced ph with solar panels upon well made roofs.

Do you know how close you came to being miserable like some of those other Texans who went for hours without electricity? Maybe you did? Maybe you heard "Daddy, I want to go to school." Rolling brown outs cured with Mexican electricity? Who'd a thunk it?

Both conundrums you can cure if you start your homework now. We're here for you. Better roofs and free electricity. You just need to invest in a little save the planet machinery, while you take a tax credit and a huge property value increase.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

Master Elite Roofer: (Scroll to the bottom)

Hot Water and Furnace Flues on Roofs in Dallas

2011-02-11T14:09:00.000-06:00

One of our customers has what she believes is a roof leak. The leak never occurred before. Now that winter has arrived, their is moisture and daylight around the furnace pipe.

As for why it never happened before, I can't say but the HVAC guys had to work on the double walled pipe when we did the roof because it kept coming apart. Maybe the pipe had come apart before and the spent gases where being eliminated in several places. Those guys say the pipes are fine but we know better.

The local municipal building official agrees with me that the double walled pipe should, by code, pass through the roof line for two feet past the nearest obstruction or roofing within four feet. As the roof has a 12/12 pitch, a twelve foot rise in twelve feet, the roofing four feet away is four feet higher. If the pipe is not near the ridge, adding two feet to the altitude of the furnace flue should mean that the piping terminates six feet above the point of exit.

The by-product of burning natural gas is water and heat, or water vapor, and carbon monoxide. Carbon mono-what! The fact that the pipe does not extend past the roof line but only into a vent means that the pipe does not have the proper type B gas cap on it also. But I am ashamed to admit, but only a little because I now know, that if the pipe angles too much or is too large, the water vapor might condense before it extracts itself out the top of the pipe.

This makes perfect sense but I never considered the math behind the pipe. I knew there was some but just like most people consider dentistry and exact science, I assumed that licensed HVAC people knew the simple rules. Now I must master the nuances of furnace and hot water boiler repairmen because they are effecting my business.

And they might kill my customers and leave me with a manslaughter charge or two to deal with. At 53 years of age I'm not ready to take on a life of crime. I'll leave that to the experts. My line of work is protecting your home and health. Read previous blogs.

The pipes in this scenario also fell easily when touched. How secure could they have been. When the pipes are perfectly vertical they sometimes have no strapping. They should. Something to keep the things that go bump in the night, in the attic, from knocking them loose and causing a lot of clanging and bashing from going on.

When the pipes are angled and are fit together with adjustable elbows, they should be strapped at each end. The seams of the joints should also be sealed with the silver HVAC tape that resists the high heat.

Once, when I was scaling a steep roof, I reached for a 3" double wall pipe, usually for a hot water heater because 5" and larger are for furnaces, and intended to only use it for a little help. Before I felt a thing I heard the hiss and searing of flesh somewhat reminiscent of an old locomotive engine. I knew what this meant for me in the upcoming weeks.

Skip the crying and go directly to yell. Do not collect $200.00. Burns get worse before they get better.

Back at the gas farm, the science of furnace flues has become clearer to me. I knew that chimneys had to be two feet higher than any part of the roof within ten feet of the chimney and I now know that gas flues need to be two feet higher than roofing or obstructions within four feet. That is the word of the Southlake inspector.
When asked if we could change the flashing and add a double walled extension to short pipes, he reluctantly said yes. you could tell he didn't want us there but he gave me special dispensation after listening to my chants.

If you missed it, the condensation usually reveals itself in colder and more humid environs. Next time we have those, run to the attic and see if you have attic drip. The headache you save might be your wife's, a carbon monoxide pain.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

Master Elite Roofer: (Scroll to the bottom)

The First Course and Amount of Overhang on Composition Roofs

2011-02-10T09:38:00.000-06:00

The last section of my index finger is the universal measurement of composition roofing overhang. I can back this up with the Universal Building Code, GAF, the NRCA, and the plethora of other roofing gurudom because my index finger is the perfect 3/4" length needed for perfection in asphalt roofing overhang.

The felt under the shingles needs to go over the metal edge on the downside eave and on the rakes, the part of the roof edge that goes up the sides, the felt needs to go under the metal edge. If you use a leak protector like GAF StormGuard and WeatherWatch, Certainteed WinterGuard, Grace Ice and Water, Owens Corning WeatrherLoc, Tamko Metal and Tile and MoistureGuard, or Tarco MS300, you need to install it in the same fashion as the felt.

The metal edging has stiffening beads or ribs on the topside that goes under the shingles that act to keep water wicking from water tension between the starter shingle and the metal edge. The face of the metal edge has no beading because the customers would scream there was.

The next part is the starter shingle. Most roofers use a twenty year shingle turned upside down and backwards rather than use the professional starter shingle that have come out in the last decade. This cheap shingle used even with high end roofing can result in the ladder, or whatever attacking force encounters the roof edge, breaking the first row of roofing. Thus water enters the overhang, the paint on the eave goes bad, the wood rots, and water can end up on the floor having passed down through the outside wall. Plus the roofer needs to offset the starter at least six inches to keep the water from penetrating the eaves.

The starter also helps prevent "blow off" as it has a stronger tensile strength and has additional self sealant near the bottom of the roof 's first row. The three tab starter also causes a bulge further up the roof because it laps too much, lining up the top of the starter and first row. On roofs less than a 6/12 pitch this can help lead to water infiltration.

The soffit is lower than the ceiling and any water that reaches the top of the soffit will not make it to the ceiling. But it can run down the inside of the wall and come out at the baseboard or work its way under the floor to lurk and create primordial soup long strand amino acids waiting for the electrical short from the water logged wall socket.

It's Alive.....

There is a metal edge called "D" style, which by the way is not shaped like a "D." Whoever he was he had a corrupt sense of humor. The manufacturer seems to think that the extra overhang of the "D" style, which is the same as my index finger, means you don't need to extend the shingle past the edge of the metal. I don't like it because the tightness of the shingle laying in the metal allows water to wick just like water between two pieces of glass. There are extra stiffening beads that act as wicking inhibitors and I've never seen it to be a problem but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Shake Roofs: We always left a one and a half two two inch over hang on wood roofs, which, by the way, do not use metal edge. At least that is the case hear in Dallas Texas because we don't, ad can't, put cedar over solid decking. The plywood would rot,. We use spaced sheathing, also called lathe. With both the thinner wood shingles, which lay together tightly, or the shakes, that are rough and loose and require a felt underlayment to keep the water out, we need a double course of wood shingles or tapersaw to keep the overhang dry. The shakes also use multiple layers of felt on the eave.

Tile, standing seam, and synthetic roofs use the 3/4 rule too but Gerard and Decra, the stone coated steel tiles and shakes, fit tightly over a fascia metal. This metal is rather wide, which adds protection to the eave that is lacking from having an overhang.

Today's lesson is that roofers are held responsible for the interior of the home in how their roofs function but rarely to property owners realize that the rotting wood and peeling paint on the exterior of their home is the result of poor roofing practices.

Then their is the old Jon Wright mantra of ventilation. Besides the high energy bills, house stink, sick kids, HVAC repairs, and radon gas, you can add the painter's and carpenter's bills to the list of costs that cheap roofer left you to pay.

Ask you roofer this: Does the felt go over or under the metal edge? There are two separate answers. They differ depending if it is the eave or rake and if he gives only answer one he is wrong. Maybe he knows a painter too? And maybe you know an attorney?

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

Master Elite Roofer: (Scroll to the bottom

Education And Manual Labor, Not An Educational Blog About Roofs

2011-02-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

My Twelve year old son, who decided that education is only for adults, asked me tonight if you could still be married and have a bachelors degree. He proved my point. Education is consummate with your age. If you don't get one you might end up working for me on those hot, I mean, cold Texas roofs. If you have a fine education, you'll hire my services, no doubt, because you can detect a learned and continual self educating roofer versus the ex-con type who already knows it all.

That brings me to the twenty year old slate roof I climbed yesterday. The roof was falling apart, already had been patched numerous times, had only one layer of 30 lb. felt for underlayment, had galvanized valleys, galvanized step flashing, and galvanized nails. With the humidity and rain we have hear, the massive mineral content of the slate has washed out and started a war with the galvanized metals and is winning.

But, hey, he has a slate roof. And his beautiful crown molding is rotting, his deck is rotting, the sheet rock is damaged, and there are pieces of slate everythere.

No doubt the work of the convict roofer, who might have been able to elude capture up to this point. If I can pry the name I'll expose him, and if any of you doubt it, just stick around for part II, "Convict Roofers From Hell, The Destruction."

So, do you need an education? Boys and girls, it never stops, and if you think it does or you've had enough, one day they'll come pull you out from your desk and deliver you to me for re-education services. first we'll go to the conditioning camp, then heat/cold tolerance. We lose about 80% on the long march but the whistling is great while we build the bridge.

During my four year sentence to post high school, I served my time in the gulag learning to quote Aristotle, Hobbes and Locke, Rousseau, Marx (Groucho,of course) and Monty Python. Even a little Robert Marley, who many of you who only know him as a musician named Bob. I sweated, suffered, and laid the groundwork for future precancerous cells only to emerge from my cocoon to be a moth, damit, but a good one at that. Yet in the last chapters of my life I do not suffer, I do not toil, but I send others to our own purgatory to suffer for you.

One of the advantages I have is I'm one of the few native English speakers, and my Spanish is much better than all but about six gringos I've ever met, that has actually bleed repeatedly on a roof and understand what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and how to get 'er done without running the horses into the ground.

If your having trouble explaining what an education means to your progeny, send them to me and they'll see that one summer can be an eternity. But be careful, they might like it like I did. The part they also need to remember is that our moving parts wear out and spares are not easy to come by. Roofing is grueling, hard labor, best done by young men under the supervision of physicists and mathematicians. Even an occasional philosopher or two might find their way in to the conversation also.

Roofs are up there, heavy, nailed down, dirty, moldy, stinky, hot or cold, and that is just the tear off part. The loading, nailing down, cleaning up, and the physical and mental challenges of never forgetting that a few feet away is a precipice or structurally insufficient part awaiting a foot or knee will always be part of the job.

Somebody buy the guy a coke. I bet there's not a dry eye in the house.
Go finish that bachelor's degree and get a wife... I mean life.

Happy Valentine's Day from you favorite roofer.
Felicidades en el día del Amor y la Amistad,
Avete un giorno felice San Valentino

And for our friends in Egypt who are struggling to have what we as Americans take for granted :

لديك الأحبة يوم سعيد
Of course I used Google Translator.

Jon Alan Wright

Jon Wright Roofing, Siding, and Windows

1915 Peters Rd., Suite 310

Irving, TX 75061

972.251.1818 Office

214.718.3748 Cell

972.554.8090 Fax

jonwright@jonwrightroofing.com

http://jonwrightroofing.com/

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