“Truth is far more powerful than a lie, no matter how weak it may seem at the moment.”

If you came across our website in your quest for information about home improvement, you have arrived at one of the few places where truth will precede and prevail over profit motivated sales pitches. We have entitled this page:

"The Rights and Wrongs In Home Remodeling - A Wrong and A Right Way"

Roofing & Siding: A Wrong and A Right Way

The industry is plagued with the unscrupulous, the unknowing and the uncaring. A potential client is viewed through the eyes of many contractors as desirous of a budget meeting solution. Therefore many contractors endeavor to meet the perceived goals of the potential client by delivering an estimate that meets a budget. While doing so, the sales associate piles on value-adding sales talk and claims.

The problem comes with so many contractors that are willing to compromise the known and fitting methods of home renovations and with the manufacturers that ‘certify’ the contractors based on sales volume and not integrity. Some of the manufacturers are changing their ways, but it is too little, too late. We just want to list a few rights, and a few wrongs regarding our industry:

Wrong – Selling jobs to meet a budget while compromising integrity:
1. Overlay roofing installations, over-the-top roofing installations, layer-over, etc.
Roofing overlays cause overheating situations, and premature roof failure. Properly addressing original flashings is essential to roof life and a proper and lasting job. Read more about this.
2. Using roofing underlayments instead of goof roofing practice, and proper flashing replacement. Read more about this.
3. Installing Siding over existing siding. This is just a very poor pracice that is a cheap way cover your home with a leaking plastic facade. Read more about this. This is common when a contractor is trying to sell a cheap job. “Floating” of the siding is used in the loose nailing of the siding to achieve a smooth appearance with the use of insulation boards.
4. Installing Vinyl Siding. Read more about this. These products are notorious and the double coursing and giant laps being produced by the manufacturers are yielding exposures as high as 14” to 15” which dictates the lateral mechanical fasteners and the holding power of the overall job. We call this the “Flop Factor.” Go up to a vinyl sided wall and lightly pull at the ‘Z’ bend (the lateral middle bend between the nailed locks). You will notice the “Flop Factor.” Vinyl siding leaks like a sieve and is designated as a “Supplemental Rain Screen.” Read more about this.
5. Some Aluminum Capping – Coverall measures. Special care should be used in the capping of trim if a long and lasting job is to be realized.
6. Do not insulate a hollow wall with siding insulation that will promote the filling of the wall cavity with moisture laden air, thereby contributing to condensation within the wall and rotting wood after the new siding is installed. This is a known cause of "Phantom Leaks."
7. Ventilation must be addressed in today’s tighter homes. Especially when tightening up the very outside of the wall, ventilation is even more imperative. Follow FHA or HUD specifications because you may have serious moisture and heat damage if you forsake this very important element. Also, most manufacturer warranties, no matter how good they seem, include language pertaining to lack of proper ventilation. Take a look at our Ventilation Page along with accompanying information.
Right – Meeting goals with the proper and cost effective approach:
1. Always remove existing Roofing, Siding, etc.
2. Always repair rotting wood before installing a primary waterproofing material.
3. Always plan on the exterior product to shed water at a rate of 100%.
4. Always do the job properly, flashing, etc. to be done from scratch without relyiance upon supplemental water barriers to substitute for proper flashing practice.
5. Approach each job with logic and experience, yielding to potential client all information, even if detrimental to the sale.
6. Job cost will never be a reason to compromise a proper and fitting job.
7. Warranty every job.
8. Address ventilation issues properly to ensure job is warrantable by manufacturer.
9. Suggest the best, most mechanically correct products available, never advocating inferior products, but only those of a fitting and warrantable job.

We welcome you to link to this page as the word needs to get out to the masses:

Just copy the following code and paste it into your page:

If you have had similar problems, or you would like to post feedback or your relative URL, please drop us a line at: info@fourseasonsroofingandsiding.com