If there is one thing that I like about my job more than anything else, it is getting to know an old, downtown, South Carolina home. I’ve had the privilege of walking through the attic of houses that were well over a hundred years old, and have seen some interesting things. From 60 year-old newspapers to beams (or trusses) that were made out of logs –milled from the trees that were on the property—and still had the pine bark on them.

Maybe I’m just a nostalgic, but I think that’s fascinating.

This house, in downtown Columbia near the river, is a beautiful house that the homeowner was fixing up. When I measured the house and went through the attic, rotten wood was found around the chimney on the front and throughout the house in different spots. On an old house, more often than not, you are going to find broken and split boards, due to years of heat and moisture.

The front of her house has a chimney that is nearly at the bottom of a steep valley. It had been leaking for years, causing serious damage to the inside. From the initial pictures I could see where roofer after roofer had tried to fix the chimney with all kinds of remedies, but it wasn’t until we got the shingles off that we could actually tell what needed to be done and how. We ended up custom making a “cricket” that would shed water in three different directions. You’ll have to look at the pictures to understand.

Also, the vinyl siding that had been installed years before didn’t have any soffit vents cut into them. Obviously, in order for the house to breathe, it must have intake and exhaust. When the existing siding was taken off, it was discovered that it had been leaking and a good bit of the fascia was rotted. We removed the old siding and installed new siding that was perforated all the way around. Now, the eaves can provide the proper air-intake allowing the ridge vents do function at maximum efficiency.

Once last thing that we did was remove two old windows in her kitchen and install a giant garden window. This window was roughly 6'6" wide and 4'6" tall. It was custom made with a Corian bottom, side windows that open and a wire shelf in the middle.

As for the shingles, the homeowner chose to go with a CertainTeed Landmark 'AR' architectural shingle. The color that was chosen was Hunter Green and it was a perfect choice for this particular brick and trim color.

Take a look at these pictures. If you are interested in having a new roof installed, give us a call at 803-955-0374 or click here to have a representative get in touch with you

We just finished installing a new "Standing Seam" metal roof on a beautiful home in Charleston, SC. This house sits on the waterway and has an incredible view. And because of that, the homeowners wanted a metal roof that would blend in with the style of their house, keeping in mind that it is a Coastal home. They chose to install an aluminum, hidden-fastener standing seam, metal roof.

As you can see from the pictures below, it was the perfect choice for this house. Not only do the homeowners have a roof that will last a lifetime, but they have one that will reduce cooling costs every day that it is on there.

Take a look at the pictures. If you are interested in having a metal roof installed, give us a call at 803-955-0374 or click here to have a representative get in touch with you.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

UPDATE: I've added some pictures of this house in progress. I'll post more when it is finished.

Starting very soon, we will be installing an Aluminum Standing Seam Panel on this house in Charleston, South Carolina.

They wanted to go with a standing seam panel, as opposed to a metal shingle, because of the style; they wanted the roof to look more like a traditional coastal home. They have decided to use the Bright Silver color and it is going to look fantastic.

I'm going to post a couple pictures now, and then I'll post the pictures of the house in progress and then the finished ones as they come in.

Check back soon.

We started on the back of the house by removing the old shingles and installed Palisade Synthetic Underlayment, which is more energy efficient, stronger and less water permiable than #30 felt.

Next, an aluminum drip edge was installed around the entire edge of the roof and then the first panels were installed.

The pictures below are of the first few panels being installed. I'll post more pictures when it is finished. Keep checking back.

Over the past 20+ years, we have become adept at more than just re-roofing homes. We have learned that our expertise in handling technical aspects of a roof (brick and stucco chimneys, dormers, skylights, metal eaves and rakes, etc…) has enabled us to expand into other types of product installation, mainly Siding, Windows, Gutters, Painting and Insulation.

We moved into siding, painting and gutter installation out of necessity. When we first started, as we were installing the new roofs, we noticed that the dormers and edges (eaves and rakes) around many homes were rotted due to faulty shingle, siding or wood installation. Quickly we developed a very efficient and long lasting solution to stop problems with rotting wood around dormers and edges of a house, and because of that success, homeowners began asking us to fix other parts of the outside of their house as well. Because our guys were very good at installing technical metal applicaitons, installing windows --with custom trim-- was the next step. 

Also, because we inspect attics every time we measure a house, we began noticing that a majority of homes did not have adequate insulation. Homeowners realized that it was much easier and more cost efficient for us to fix the insulation problem at the same time we were doing the roof. Plus, it allowed them to use a contractor they already trusted and they were able to skip the dreaded “contractor search” process again.

As for the painting aspect of our business, it was born out of the fact that when the wood around the eaves and dormers were replaced, they had to be primed and painted. And again, we have developed systems and processes to ensure that the roof system is installed in such a way that it compliments the edges of the house, keeping everything dry and looking good for years to come.

Here are a few pictures of house we’ve worked on recently that involved more that just “roofing”.

The first two pictures are of trim metal (fascia, soffit and moulding) that we put on a house. They had existing trim metal that was only a year old, but it was installed without enough ventilation.

The next two pictures are before and after pictures of a bay window that we removed and replaced with a vinyl, insulated, energy efficient window. The homeowners were so happy they said they have to force themselves to close the curtains sometimes.

The next two are before and after pictures of a sliding glass door. The new door looks great and works incredibly. Again, it was an insulated, energy efficient vinyl door.

The next two pictures are before and after pictures of a roof and rotted out chimney. We replaced, not only the shingles on the house, but most of the wood on the chimney, and then primed and stained it. (We actually re-stained the entire house --including the gutters, deck and garage door)

The last two pictures are before and after pictures of the same house from above. We installed a new roof and re-stained all of the wood on the exterior, completely changing the color. The finished product turned out fantastic. The homeowners, and myself, were amazed at the difference it made.

If you live in South Carolina and would like for a representative from Bauer Roofing to take a look at your house, please give us a call at 803-955-0374 or fill out our simple Request an Estimate Form and a representative will call you back.

Whether it is roofing, siding, painting, windows, doors, gutters or insulation, we have the experience and resources to give you the best possible job.

royb

NEW PICTURE UPDATES AT THE BOTTOM: 5/20/09

There are certain parts of Columbia, South Carolina where the houses are all 60+ years old and typically have leaks and broken boards. We, as a company, make it a policy to inspect the attics whenever we go to a house. I want to know whether or not the wood is in good shape, whether or not the insulation is okay, and whether or not it is leaking and, if so, where. As a homeowner, it wouldn’t do any good to have a roof installed that should last over 30 years if the wood it sits on is in critical condition.

Upon inspection of the house, we found multiple places in the attic where water was getting in and rotting out the wood. Both chimneys had issues as well as the steep valley over the front door –where three roof lines converged. Also, on the back was a small flat roof that had standing water on it –something you definitely want to avoid. The last thing we noticed was that the bathroom vents weren't vented to the outside. They were just sitting on top of the ceiling joists, collecting moisture.

We started by removing the shingles, old tar-paper and the old nails. We then went through and fixed the broken and rotten boards. Next we installed a liner in all of the valleys and covered the house in a fiberglass underlayment –instead of that old #15 or #30 felt.

In the front where the three valleys came together, we installed an angled valley to run the water off, as opposed to it just sitting there and causing problems, like it was before.

Around the big front chimney, we removed all of the old flashing material and installed both step and counter flashing. Black counter, or cap, metal was used to blend in with the color of the shingles. Most roofers around here, for some reason, use regular silver aluminum and then paint it. After a couple of years it looks horrible. Luckily for homeowners, we have found a much better looking way to install it.

As for the small flat roof in the back, we installed new rafters to put a slight slope to the roof and then installed a very heavy grade modified underlayment. Next we will be installing a rubber roof. (in progress)

To ventilate the house, we installed AirVent ShingleVent II ridge vent, which features external baffles. To help homeowners better understand ventilation and what type is best for their house, I’ve written a post,  What Type of Ventilation is Best For Your House. Check it out.

To vent the bathrooms, we simply cut in a vent from the outside and plugged the bathroom vent hose to the bottom of it from the attic.

As you can see, the homeowners picked the perfect color for their house and the finished product is turning out great. I’ll post more pictures as they come in.

If you live in South Carolina and would like for a representative from Bauer Roofing to take a look at your house, please give us a call at 803-955-0374 or fill out our simple Request an Estimate Form and a representative will call you back.

royb

PICTURE UPDATES:

THERE ARE UPDATED PICTURES BELOW FEB. 11, 2009

There are certain neighborhoods in the Midlands area where we have put a roof on what seems like every house on the street. The neighbors all know us because we put a roof on the most of their friend’s homes. Our current project, near Fort Jackson, is one of those neighborhoods. We were working down the street and were asked to look at this house.

The roof was about 20 years old and the homeowner wanted an evaluation. He indicated the plumbing vent pipe on the front had been leaking. So, when the Bauer Roofing representative got up on the roof to look at the shingles, it was evident that not only were the vent pipes leaking but the shingles were cracked and split, and had been for awhile.

We’ve only just begun working on this house but I’ve posted some “work-in-progress” pictures for you to look at.

Notice the Frost? Luckily, we don't get that much here in South Carolina.

[UPDATED PICTURES]

If you would like for a Bauer Roofing Representative to look at your house please give us a call at 803-955-0374 or fill out the simple form on our Estimate Request Page. 

Roy Bauer