Category Archives: Roofing Contractors

Categories News, Roofing Contractors, Roofing Safety Tips

The dangers of Ice Dams, and how they can damage your home

The dangers of Ice Dams, and how they can damage your home

The cold winter weather can be tough on your home. Heavy snowfall can cause the roof to collapse. Even the snow melting can cause issues, because of the phenomena of ice dams.

What are ice dams?

Ice dams are a buildup of ice along the edges of a roof caused by melting snow turning into water. This can happen from temperatures outside increasing or by the warm air inside the building heating up the underside of the roof enough to melt the snow. These buildups will slowly grow over time. Eventually, the ice will grow tall enough to create a dam, blocking future snowmelt from falling off the roof. Because the water has nowhere else to go, it will pool next to the ice and stay there, either freezing into more ice or seeping into the roof itself.

How do ice dams create issues for your home?

The first major issue of ice dams is the water. With nowhere else to go, it will seep into the roof, damaging the shingles and supports. After that, the water can then spread further into your attic, leading to in-home water damage. This can result in major structural damage to your home, from rotting wooden support to water leaks from damage shingles.

In addition to that, the large ice buildup of the dam can cause its own set of issues. For starters, the dam can grow icicles, which if large enough, can cause damage if they fall. The buildup of ice will also be very heavy, which can cause damage to the eaves or gutters it grows on. Heavy buildup of ice can bend the eaves and gutters, making them unable to work properly. In a worst case scenario, the ice dam can become too heavy for your gutters to handle, bringing them down and needing a total replacement.

How to prevent ice dams?

There are multiple ways to prevent ice dams from forming, but their degree of success and difficulty can range quite a bit. The easiest way is to keep your gutters clear of fall debris that can create blockages that help ice dams form. This isn’t a perfect solution, as it only lowers the risk and won’t completely mitigate it. Another simple measure to lower your risk is to use a rake or similar object to remove snow buildup from the edges of the roof, making it easier for the melting snow to fall off.

For more complex solutions, installing heating cables on the roof or gutters will help ensure the snow melts before it can ice over, keeping your house free from ice dams. There are also special venting installations that can be installed in the attic in order to keep the roof the same temperature as the eaves, preventing the warm air inside the home from warming the roof. These methods are more complicated, but they offer much better protection against ice dams.

Despite these prevention measures, there is no way to guarantee an ice dam won’t form. Be sure to regularly check your attic in the winter for any leakage, in addition to checking the eaves and gutters for large ice buildup. If you do find any damage from ice dams, give Aloha Construction a call! Our experienced professionals can restore or replace your roof and gutters to keep your home safe from the elements.

Categories News, Roofing Contractors, Vinyl Siding

Aloha’s 15th Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11th 2022

Aloha Construction Company Celebrates 15 Years in Business

LAKE ZURICH, IL – The harsh reality is that approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first ten years. Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more.

These menacing statistics give companies who hit the milestone of their 15th year in business good reason to celebrate – and Aloha Construction is celebrating just that this year! Aloha opened its doors in 2008, one year prior to the great recession. Through much hard work, keen management and skilled craftsmanship, they survived this tough period and eventually strived.

Serving all of Chicagoland and southern Wisconsin, Aloha Construction also has a division in Bloomington, IL. Aloha’s president, Dave Farbaky, shares the fact that they have over 25,000 completed projects, which is an impressive number.

Aloha Construction focuses on exterior residential work, such as roofing, siding, gutters and windows. Farbaky notes that they are also experts in working with the homeowner’s insurance companies, which is something most homeowners really appreciate.

In 2014, Farbaky found himself asking “What about homeowners who have issues inside their homes, such as flooding, mold or fire damage?” The answer to this stream of thought was to create Aloha Restoration, which handles water, mold and fire damage mitigation as well as restoration.

When asked what has kept Aloha in business for so long, Farbaky claims it’s the careful orchestration of business planning, strong marketing and most importantly, building a team of great crafts-people. He also states that it’s critical for a company to reward hard work, the importance of continuing education and providing opportunities for career advancement for all employees.

Please join Aloha Construction in celebrating their 15th anniversary celebration at AlohaBuilds.com, where they live by the motto “We Reign When It Storms.

Categories News, Roofing Contractors, Vinyl Siding

Does your home’s exterior need a Refresh?

There are so many factors that contribute to giving your home’s exterior a refresh.
Outside from normal aging, the speed and friction caused by winds and rain can result in damage to Cedar Shake and Asphalt Shingles. When is the last time your had your home’s exterior inspected?

Our services include:

  • Roofing
  • Siding
  • Gutters
  • Windows
  • and more!

We Reign when it Storms!

Categories News, Roofing Contractors

How to get insurance to pay for roof replacement | Answers inside.

Storm Damage Repair | How to get insurance to pay for roof replacement? 

A storm with high winds, hail, and heavy rain has passed through your area. Your roof is leaking and it would appear there is hail damage to your roof. You’re probably wondering how to get insurance to pay for roof replacement. Is it even possible? In short, the answer is yes, but storm damage repair is a tricky business. Sure; you’ve heard stories about homeowners with minimum hail damage roof and they get the entire roof replaced. Of course, you’ve heard the other end of the tale too. Someone with a lot of damage gets nothing covered by their insurance. Before we dive in on how to get insurance to pay for roof replacement, let’s talk about the main factors of storm damage repair.

When hail hits, it does serious damage to personal property. During a storm, wind direction and speed vary. Changes in conditions can affect the location and severity of the roof hail damage. Obviously, the hail’s size affects the amount of damage to your property. Finally, the type of materials used to build your roof absorb impact differently. When you take these factors into consideration, hail damage is a type of storm damage repair insurance companies are willing to cover.

Okay, so roof hail damage is a big factor. Does homeowners insurance cover roof leaks?

The answer here is also yes. However, without strong roofing knowledge & an understanding of how to work with insurance adjusters, convincing them to write a check will be difficult. Simply put, bring a roofer that has integrity and insurance experience to your adjuster’s appointment. Before you make a claim, have us provide you with a FREE PROPERTY INSPECTION! We can determine before you file a claim if there is any hail damage roof. This will prevent you from having your claim denied should there be no need for storm damage repair. Do not call in a claim to hoping the insurance adjuster will come out and find something. If they can save money by not replacing your roof, they will!

Notice anything off since the last storm passed through?

Let us know! We can help get your full roof replaced!

Categories Local Roofers, News, Roofing Contractors

How to fix a leaky roof? Trusted roofers Aloha Construction answer.

When one looks up how to fix a leaky roof, most roof repair answers out there point to simple black & white solutions: Look for damage. Caulk. Reapply caulk. Remove damaged or deteriorated caulk. Use a putty knife to remove excess or loosened old caulk. Clean & dry the area. Point blank, we feel the simple responses out there need some clarification.

As roofing contractors, we felt you needed to know there’s more to the question of how to fix a leaky roof than just finding the source of the leak & patching the hole. Let’s talk about the cons of going down this road. Unless your roof is close to new & you’re a pro at roofing services, your patch work will probably not match your existing shingles. Also, do you plan on selling your home anytime soon? If so, choppy patch jobs can bring property value down. A roof with a glaring patch is not appealing and won’t inspire that buyer’s confidence.

A new roof can be cheaper in the long run. While yes, if the damage is only on one side, a partial reroofing is possible; partial reroofing jobs can be a bit more expensive & sometimes only band-aide the issue. One thing we never recommend? Doing one part of your roof now and the remainder in a few years down the road. Trusted roofers know it can sometimes save you a few thousand dollars if you go for the full replacement.

Beyond the decision of roof repair vs. a roof replacement, you have to decide if you are doing a complete tear off or doing a roof over.  Doing a roof over is a DO AT YOUR OWN RISK type of job. In areas like Illinois, with high winds & storms, your new roof will have trouble staying down if you just roof over. Simply put, shingles stay in place when attached directly to the roof deck. Again, another question, like how to fix a leaky roof, that is more based around: Do I skimp, save money now & pay for it in the long run?

A full replacement can last decades. To us, the answer is simple.

Call us now!

Categories Local Roofers, News, Roofing Contractors, Roofing Safety Tips

Aloha Construction answers the question: My Roof is Leaking. Is It covered by insurance?

Every day, we get homeowners who call in saying: My ceiling is leaking water. What do I do? My roof is leaking. Is it covered by my insurance? Being bonded and trusted roofers, we felt it was our duty to give you a behind-the-scenes look of our inspection process.

When your roof leaks in heavy rain or you notice anything off, you should ask yourself the following questions:

Is your Ice & Water shield per city code?

Are your shingle rows straight?

Are water lines straight?

Are the shingles of the roof nailed in the proper location?

Are the shingles nailed per code?

Are the shingles laying down properly?

Is the ridge straight?

Is the ridge capped properly?

Are the ridge cap nails sealed?

Is there an overhang on rakes and eaves? Is it per code?

Is the rake double nailed?

Is the rake clean cut and straight?

Valley(s) installed properly?

Valley(s) clean cut and straight?

Lead stacks bent over properly?

Are PVC boots installed properly?

Is the chimney properly counterflashed?

Is the drip edge installed properly?

Are all exposed nails sealed?

Is everything painted? Stacks/Flashing

 

As always, don’t get caught with a major roofing problem that you originally diagnosed as minor. Call the experts!

Need Help?

Aloha Construction Inc.