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Benefits of a Wood Roof
Wood roofs are usually made of cedar or redwood. They are preferred by some homeowners due to their natural looks and character. A wood roof also helps insulating the attic, allowing the house to “breathe”. However, wood roofs generally have shorter life expectancy than other kinds of roofs due to mold, rot and insects, unless …
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Benefits of Slate Roofs
Slate is one of the oldest kinds of roof and nowadays usually shows up on upscale homes. It’s durable (natural slate may last 100 years), resists fire and wind quite well, requires almost no maintenance and offers a very natural look. Slate roofs are significantly more expensive than asphalt ones. They also cannot be walked …
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Metal Roof vs. Asphalt Roof
Metal roofs are more expensive than asphalt, however they last longer, are more wind resistant and more energy efficient (reflecting a lot of heat, rather than absorbing it). They also require almost no maintenance and are fire resistant. The most common metals used for roofing are steel, aluminum and copper. Metal roofs look like this:
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What are asphalt roof shingles?
Asphalt Shingles is the most widely used roofing material today, used in 80% of U.S. homes. It is also the most economical option for roofing, hence its popularity. They can be nailed right over an existing roof, require almost no maintenance and are fire resistant. However, they are not as wind resistant as some other …
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How large is the ground floor of my house?
You have two easy options to figure out the area of the ground floor of your house: If you know the dimensions of the ground floor of your house (length and width), multiple them together to calculate the area Find your house on Google Maps, use “measure distance” to find out its approximate length and width (see the …
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Should you replace a roof or install a new roof over the old one?
Replace existing roof (recommended). Most homeowners choose this option. The contractor will tear off and dispose the existing roof before installing the new one. If there are any hidden leaks or water damages, the contractor will have a chance to fix them before installing the new roof. Install new roof over the old one (a.k.a. …
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How do I know if my basement is unfinished or not?
Your basement is unfinished if it looks like the example below. Basements can be partially unfinished as well.
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What size heater do I need for my home?
Here is the easiest way to find out the size or capacity of your existing heating system: Go to your indoor unit (furnace) that looks like this: Find and take a picture of the label that looks like this: Look for Input BTU number — that is heating capacity of your system (in the example above it is …
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What size air conditioner do I need?
Here is the easiest way to find out the cooling size or capacity of your existing air conditioning system: Go to your outdoor unit (condenser) that looks like this: Find and take a picture of the label that looks like this: Find one the following codes in the model number — it will tell you what …
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How do you measure efficiency for a heating system?
A central furnace’s efficiency is measured by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). AFUE is a measure of how efficient the furnace is in converting the energy in its fuel to heat over the course of a typical year. Choosing a higher efficiency will increase the cost of your project, but will save you more on energy …
