Our Owens Corning Rep Milissa Westmeyer stopped by our office with a guest from the OC technical department. 

They told of all the product updates for 2012. There are a great deal of new, more vibrant, colors referred to as their "TruDefinition" shingles. 

Owens Corning also gave us a good look at their Durantion Shingles. In addition to being a great looking shingle there are some very benificial advances made with their SureNail techknology. In simple terms,  this is a shingle that is easier to install properly. (To the homeowner, our very large repair department is filled with work from other companies that have not installed things properly).

Owens Corning also offers go great enhanced warranties. These enhanced warranties can take the 10 year non-prorated warranty of a roof system from 10 years to 50. Special installation specifications are required including the use of an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor such as Bert Roofing Inc. 

To request a free estimate, you can call us at 214-321-9341 or fill out our online form.

Later this afternoon in Dallas it will reach around 70 degrees. This is how the weather pays us back for the beating we take in August. This morning was chilly and the heavy dew caused there to be a good frost on most roofs that will quickly disappear once the sun is out.

The vast majority of roofs had this frost, but there are some that have little or none at all. What does it mean? Is this a problem? What can you do about it?

This simple answer is that the attics with no frost are warmer. They are warmer becasue the attic is either poorly ventalated or poorly insulated or a combination of both. Your attic should generally be as close to the same temperature as the outside. Regarless of the cause, both situations are not good.

Having a well ventalated attic is essential. Without proper ventalation you will not have a warranty on your shingles. Moisture and condensation may build up in your especially in the cooler months. 

Most homes have less insulation than they need. Dallas homes should have close to 20 inches of insulation in the attic. With inadequate insulation you are spending far more on utilites than you need to.

So next frosty morning, look at your roof!  

Our GAF Territory Manager, Jo Ann Moreno, was at our office yesterday to talk about newly introduced GAF products.

The first was Monaco . Monaco is a Lifetime Designer shingle that has the beauty and sophistication of tile with the affordability of a composition shingle. 

The second product was the Timberline American Harvest . This addition to the Timberline series offers a new rich line of colors. It also is the wieght and thickness of the old 40 year product placing it between the Timberline HD and Timberline Ultra in terms of weight and thickness.

When most shingles moved to lifetime warranties (all of which are very limited without a systems warranty) GAF and most other manufacturers eliminated the old 40 year products. The problem created was what to use on insurance replacement jobs when the old shingle was a 40 year when no great replacement shingle exist. Many bad contractors sold homeowners new lower quality Lifetime products that were a lower weight. This new American Harvest product solves that problem.

Bert Roofing Inc. is a GAF Certified Contractor.

Recent news has told us that gas prices have risen 13 cents already this year. It is expected that gas will be above the $4.00 mark soon in LA and New York. Some projections have gas in our area at $4.50 by Memorial Day. I hope this is not the case, but we all have little control over this.

What most people do not know is that the largest two cost components to shingles are asphalt and transportation cost. Both of these are directly tied to petroleum. In 2008 the wholesale price of shingles doubled from the start of the year to the end as gas went from $2.50 to $4.00 a gallon.

Award reflects businesses’ consistently high level of customer service

Bert Roofing Inc. has been awarded the prestigious 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the businesses rated on the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

Bert Roofing has won this award now for five consecutive years.

“Only a fraction of the businesses rated on Angie’s List can claim the sterling customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “The Bert Roofing Inc. can claim Super Service Award status speaks volumes about its dedication to consumers

Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service business ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2011 Super Service Award logo next to business names in search results on AngiesList.com.

It was just announced today that Bert Roofing Inc. has won an NTRCA "Golden Hammer Award" for community service for their project with the NFL Retired Players Association "2011 Holiday House" . The NFL Retired Players builds a house each year for a low income family in partnership with the Dallas Housing Authority. Bert Roofing Inc. installed the roof at zero cost to the charity.

Special thans also to Rick Mclaughlin and Wholesale Roofing Supply for their donation of materials on the project. This is the 9th Golden Hammer Award Bert Roofing has recieved from the NTRCA and the 4th time for Community Service.

A little over a year ago almost all the major shingle manufacturers changed their warranties on almost all their product lines to Lifetime. The Warranties had been 30, 40, and 50 years in legnth with the shingle getting significantly heavier and thicker as that warranty became longer. Today almost all these very different products have the same Lifetime warranty.

The real problem comes with insurance claims. Weight and thickness is a more appropriate measure of what is on your exisitng roof. Since all products have become "Lifetime" we have see the vast majority of old 50 year shingles (know in insurance lingo as "Delux Laminated" written up as 40 year (call Laminated High Grade) now

When your have an insurance claim, it is very important that you have a Contractor that knows the products and does not simply ask you to hand over the adjuster's estimate.

GAF Announces for 2012 it's "Roofs for Troops" program.

For 2012, any Active Military, Verteran, or Retiree may be eligible for a $300.00 rebate from GAF on the purchase of a "GAF Lifetime Roofing System!"

There are some limitaions and restrictions which can be found on the GAF web site here

http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential/Promotions/12_01_01-Roofs-For-Troops/Roofs-For-Troops.aspx

Bert Roofing Inc. is a GAF Preferred Contractor. This rebate is available only when a GAF approved installer, like Bert Roofing Inc., is used.

The Email below arrive in our inbox this week.

"Hello My Name is Carlos and I don’t need a new roof. I did however what to thank you for taking a stance against the loser roofers who give away everything and leave us ethical roofers having to give unreasonable offers in order to make a living. Waiving of deductibles is the sole reason I got out of the industry. Whenever I’m in need of a new roof I will be sure to contact you. Thanks again. "

Waiving a deductible is illegal and unethical. It is a practice we do not participate in. It is frustrating when we loose jobs to roofing contractors we know to have a shady way of doing business. You can read a good deal on deductible at http://www.bertroofing.com/Learning%20Center/insurancedeductibles.html

This week, ending January 6 2012, we had a significant quantity of materials stolen from one of our job sites. We had materials delivered and started the project near Church & Audilia Road in 75238 on Tuesday morning. This was a good size project that would last longer than one day. Materials were take sometime after 6 when the crew left and before they arrived again in the morning. The homeowners did not hear anything. They took only field shingles and left accessories, decking, and ridge alone.

Roofers really do not work much after dark. If you see and suspicious activity please call 911 and let the police handle the matter.