Saturday, June 8, 2014
SOLUTIONS FOR REROOFING YOUR HOME
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Written by Blanche Evans Reroofing is necessary maintenance, depending on your roof’s materials. Finding a roofing solution that is the most cost effective and longest lasting can be confusing - how do you find what’s best for your home and budget? The average roof consists of three layers of material. Resting atop your rafter boards is the first layer, known as the solid decking. On top of that is a layer of felt underlay, and finally comes the roofing shingles. Extra materials include flashing, a kind of siding that extends the roofing protection to the sides of the house, eves, and chimneys, and rain gutters.You may only need to replace the underlay and shingles, but chances are good that you may need repairs to rafters or to the decking. So, the first thing you need to know is how your roof is constructed. If there are multiple layers of shingles on your roof, building codes may require you to strip all of them and start over from your deck. You can get opinions from a housing inspector or a contractor, and get estimates from different roofing companies. Make sure they
Saturday, June 8, 2014 inspect the roof from the interior of the attic as well as from the street. To help you decide what to spend, think about how long your family intends to stay in your home. A new to fairly new roof is always an asset when you’re trying to sell your home, but reroofing adds very little to your home’s resale value according to thestreet.com’s report on home improvements. Most homeowners are only able to recoup 60% of the project’s worth. If you don’t plan to stay in your home more than a few years, asphalt shingles are the cheapest option, but what you save in cost is what you pay in durability. Basic asphalt shingles last at most 15-20 years and that’s without harsh weather conditions like snow or strong winds which can break down the material faster. Newenglandmetalroof.com says asphalt begins to deteriorate upon exposure to these elements. The roofers recommend it only for the cost-conscious consumer who may wish to sell their home before the end-life of the roof. If you plan on maintaining your home for many years, you may want something more durable for your roof, such as clay tile or metal. Clay tile is very expensive but can last well over forty years. Clay is not suited for every region however; it is best in mild climates as freeze-dry climates weaken the material fast, says pathnet.com. Clay
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tile does crack occasionally too, so repairs should be completed soon after damage is noticed to avoid further deterioration to the underlying material. Metal roofing is increasing popular across the country. Consumers are finding that it’s highly durable in almost every climate, easy to maintain and lasts upwards to 20 years longer than asphalt. Metalroofingwholesalers.com says other benefits of metal roofing include reduced energy costs for heat and air, reduced home owner’s insurance, and a wide variety of styles available to find a custom fit for your home. This is a premium material though, so expect to pay more than asphalt. Whichever material you choose, be sure to contact your insurance company and let them know you are planning a new roof. You may get a better rate on your homeowner’s insurance, especially if you’ve removed old layers of roofing. Government ratings through ENERGY STAR show that qualified roof products can help reduce the amount of air conditioning needed in buildings, and can reduce peak cooling demand by 10-15 percent. Check Energy Star’s roof list for tax credits.
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Saturday, June 8, 2014
GO BIG! NEW HOMES’ SQUARE FOOTAGE GROWS Written by Phoebe Chongchua
Is the minimalist approach on its way out? According to new Census Bureau figures, it appears big is back when it comes to home size. The housing crisis didn’t just shrink a home’s equity, it also shrank it’s square footage. Smaller and highly efficient homes started to gain some attention. But not for long. In 2013, the average new single-family house built was about 2,600 square feet. It seems not only do we need more square footage, but we also need air conditioning and more bedrooms and bathrooms. In 2013, of more than 569,000 new homes built, more than 251,000 had four bedrooms or more. A mere 59,000 had two or fewer bedrooms. Most new homes built had air conditioning installed. And plenty of bathrooms, 188,000 homes had three or more. Only 27,000 had oneand-a-half or fewer. As the economy improves, builders are going big and claiming that’s what homebuyers want. A big home certainly costs more to operate but it seems the historically low interest rates are helping encourage the sale of bigger homes. But big isn’t necessarily the McMansions we once saw. KB Homes is one of the developers that is seeing the rise in square footage. According to the Wall Street Journal, the developer reported a 13 percent increase from last year. Buyers are interested in their model homes that are pushing over 3,500 square feet. So what do buyers want in a big home? Not the same as before. They want practical amenities. They’re not necessarily buying a large home for its vaulted ceilings. Instead buyers are attracted to additional rooms such as a granny flat or a larger great room that helps add to a flowing floor plan. These larger homes are on the rise in some cases because families are bringing elderly parents in to live with them. The added family and low interest rates are steering buyers to push for higher square footage since
they can get a few hundred feet more and still be within their budget and, in some cases, not have to make larger mortgage payments. That’s making it so they don’t have to buy a smaller home and later face needing to remodel it. The convenience of having the extra space to begin with affords buyers the opportunity to decide how to use it –- for an office or an elderly parent, for instance. But even when household size wasn’t being increased, (by extra family members moving in) buyers still leaned toward purchasing bigger homes. Also fueling the desire for bigger homes is the optimistic attitude of consumers who today are feeling more confident in the economy. Some of these consumers have been packed into smaller homes and were afraid to trade up. Now, as things improve, they’re ready to go big and upsize. Larger kitchens, more rooms, three-car garages, two or more stories, patios, and spaces to spread out are all part of the “bigger is better” attitude that once again is beginning to prevail in America.
Saturday, June 8, 2014
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