Bauer Roofing Blog - Siding, Windows, Gutters, Insulation

What Happens When A House Isn't Vented Properly?

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:32:00 -0400

I received a phone call this morning from a lady who said mold had begun forming in their attic. Now, that isn't uncommon, but the way she said it made it seem as though it was a lot of mold. She said it had just started recently and was quickly getting worse.

So, as usual, I set a time to meet her at the house and look at the problem. To her and her husband (he's been in the attic to see the problem), it appeared that there was a roof leak; and through this roof leak, mold had formed on the underside of the roof decking (1/2" plywood). When I went into the attic, what I saw was bright gray and greenish-gray mold growing on the plywood. And it wasn't a little spot, it was the whole front of the house. I've been in thousands of attics, literally, and I've seen mildew and mold on plywood, but this was one of the worse.

Now came the obvious question: What was causing it? Was it a roof leak? And if so, where was the water coming from and why was it causing that much condensation? Again, I've seen tons of leaks in attics and they don't cause this much mold, not even really bad leaks.

Upon further inspection, and after some general questions, I discovered that they had new vinyl windows installed about 2-3 years ago. Also, I realized that there was no ventilation in the attic and the soffits were wrapped in vinyl and vented poorly. So basically, the moisture that used to be able to flow out naturally was being trapped in the house and attic with nowhere to go. It is equivalent to taking something steaming and wrapping it in a plastic bag.

The house was suffocating.

Ideally, when the windows were installed, the contractor would have informed the homeowners of the downside to air-sealing a home, and either fixed it or referred them to someone who could. Think about it: the moisture from taking a bath and doing dishes and washing clothes has to go somewhere. Now don't get me wrong, new vinyl windows are an excellent idea, but make sure you have proper ventilation all around the house or they can cause major problems.

What did we do to fix this ladie's problem? You'll have to wait....I'll post the solution soon.

In the meantime, check out this post I wrote earlier this year, titled, "Ventilation is Vital to the Life of Your House."

Roy Bauer

Asphalt Roofing Project: Downtown Columbia, SC

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:37:00 -0400

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

Bauer Roofing: More Than Just Roofing

Wed, 20 May 2009 17:01:00 -0400

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