Nida Pervaiz | Infinite Roofing & Construction Roofing Blog

Thinking about what to do with that tax return? Here are 3 projects homeowners are taking on with their tax return!

May 21, 2019 by Nida Pervaiz Leave a Comment

Tax season just passed and with that many of you got the benefit of getting a tax return. According to the IRS, Americans receive up to $3,000 on average in their tax return check. While some people may spend that on luxuries, a vacation, or a clothing spree, many Americans are opting to put their money where their heart is: their homes.

When a person invests any money in their home, whether it be adding decorative touches like backsplash tiling in the kitchen, new lighting fixtures, or large projects like completely reflooring their home or installing a pool, every upgrade means an increase in the overall value of the house.

Knowing what improvements to make depends largely on how long you intend to stay in the home. Regardless of your intentions, the prevailing opinion by experts is to focus on the exterior of the home in the form of large-scale projects over more superficial additions like decoration-centered remodeling. If you have nothing that needs immediate fixing on your home, the most popular home improvement options that most people are choosing this tax return season are the following:

#1. WINDOWS

If eyes are the windows to the soul, as many believe, then the windows are the eyes of the house. Your windows can be functional and stylish at the same time, providing anything you might wish for, but there are many things to take into consideration when selecting a window concept for your home but most importantly: are you replacing the whole window plus frame entirely or just the glass and working parts?

While replacing the frame of the window entirely is more expensive than just the glass and “innards” of a window, the frame can incur significant damage over time and often gets overlooked. Window sills, particularly, suffer damage the most but are rarely attended to during a replacement process. If you are considering gutting the whole window and frame and replacing the entire unit, make sure to use a professional roofing contractor.

#2. SIDING

Whether you just want your home to have a face-lift or you are repairing damage (warping, mold, dry rot, peeling paint, etc.), purchasing new siding for your home is a major decision and there are many factors to consider. Like windows, siding is potentially both an aesthetically pleasing choice as well as a functional one.

Many feel a fresh coat of paint is just as good, but this is not true. Siding is far more durable and will last for a much longer time than paint, which can chip and wear down over time from inclement weather. As an investment, it’s one of the best. You can recover approximately 93% of what you spent on the project when selling the house.

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that beholder might be your Homeowners’ Association (HOA) and let your professional roofing contractor know about the restrictions. Make sure to check bylaws and statutes for your neighborhood when picking siding material and color in case there are any rules against certain hues. There are some neighborhoods that have a specific palette from which to choose. It’s harder to ask for forgiveness rather than permission when making a major change to your home like siding.

Many professional roofing companies like Infinite Roofing and Construction offer siding installs too, We are James Hardie and, CertainTeed certified to install siding on your house.

#3. ROOFING

Of all the home repairs and upgrades listed, the roof is the most important, which is why it is last on the list. While most people will not have friends and neighbors over when they replace their roofing by a professional roofing contractor to show it off, it is a vital part of the home. If you doubt its significance, try to imagine your house with a leak in the roof and you understand immediately why it’s so important.

Replacing a roof adds significant value to the home and a roof’s age is often the deciding factor for people when buying a house; knowing you have to replace a roof within a few years because of its advanced age would make anyone wary about purchasing a home. Get a free estimate from your local roofing contractors to get an idea of how much you may be expecting to spend when getting a roof replacement.

The region you live in is the most important aspect when selecting roof material because certain areas require certain roof characteristics. The most common types of roofing are:

Asphalt Shingle

This is the most cost-effective option and generally can last a long time. A drawback many homeowners find is that it looks flat and unattractive and, if a dark color, can heat up quickly in the sun, making the house too hot.

Wood Shingle

where asphalt is relatively inexpensive and low on the beauty factor, wood shingles are the total opposite because they tend to be higher priced but definitely more pleasing to the eye. Someone who lives in an area with a danger of fire damage should never choose a wooden roof, due to its combustibility.

Slate

This is an extremely high-end and visually appealing option with a price tag to match. It is also very heavy and slippery to walk on, therefore hard to repair when damaged.

Composition slate

These are synthetic material tiles and a green option with 95% of its composition being recyclable materials. This option is gathering popularity because of its sustainable properties, durability, and it’s lightweight.

Metal

Also very durable, metal roofing can come in a variety of materials from aluminum to steel to copper to zinc and mixed-metal alloys. While it is more expensive and requires a specialist to install or repair it, it is a highly durable (making them cost-effective) and attractive option on any home.

If you choose to use your hard-earned tax refund on a roof this year, make sure to call Infinite Roofing, the leading roofing contractors in the Albany region for new roof installation or a repair. Infinite Roofing and Construction has single-handedly been making customers smile with quick and professional service backed by a 10-year in house warranty. Call or SCHEDULE A FREE ESTIMATE ONLINE to talk to our expert about starting a plan for a new roof today

5 Most Amazing Roofs in the World!

May 17, 2019 by Nida Pervaiz Leave a Comment

While most roofs your see constructed and completed by your local roofing companies may not strike the eye that much. They may seem just like any other roof in your town, something you see every day. These typical roofs are constructed to weather the elements and help regulate temperatures. There are times when you get to travel the world or even just in your home country and you get a chance to see the amazing architecture around, and some of those buildings have the more interesting designs that contain unique architectural features hyper-functionality or fantastic panoramic views, qualifying them as tourist attractions. When it comes to roofs with a high degree of visual appeal, here are some of the most amazing roofs in the world.

Cube Houses

Cube houses are a set of innovative houses built in Rotterdam and Helmond in the Netherlands. They are based on the concept of “living as an urban roof. These cubed roofs are tilted on a conventional house 45 degrees and are rested upon a hexagon-shaped pylon. His design represents a village within a city, where each house represents a tree, and all the houses together form what may seem like a forest. The central idea of the cube houses around the world is mainly optimizing the space, as a house, to a better distribution of the rooms inside.

Brazilian Leaf House

Just outside of Rio de Janeiro, sits a beautiful little house by the amazing blue water, with a flowering roof that protects and shades like a tropical banana leaf. The open-air abode designed by Mareines and Patalano is meant to encourage interaction and connection between man and nature. With verandas and open spaces in between rooms and no corridors, the tropical beach house is perfect for parties and social gatherings. The open layout also takes advantage of trade winds that blow in from the sea which provide natural ventilation and passive cooling.

Grand Palace

The king of Thailand has some pretty sweet digs, Located in Bangkok, Thailand this palace grounds span about 2.35 million square feet. These images portray the top of the throne hall (known as Phra Thinang Dusit Maha Prasat). The adornments are extremely complex and beautiful, but each one is chock full of symbolism pertaining to Thai history and Culture.

Sydney Opera House

The curvaceous shapes atop this opera house in Sydney, Australia makes this structure unique throughout the world, East of the “shells” are concrete panels covered by over a million Swedish tiles. 14 years of work and around 102 million Australian dollars were put in creating this majestic and very famous roof.

Marina Bay Sands

Opened in 2010, the SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is truly a roof with a view. This rooftop oasis, complete with tree and flower garden paradise, stands over 650 feet in the air and is constructed from 7,000 tons of steel.

Did a hail or wind storm just affect your neighborhood? Will your Insurance cover the damage to your roof?

May 14, 2019 by Nida Pervaiz Leave a Comment

Your insurance typically covers roof damage, and any structural damage caused by a covered peril. Roof damage to your garage or other structures of the property are also covered under this section of your policy.

However, not every cause of roof replacement is covered under your policy, and roof damage can happen in a multitude of ways.

If your roof has been neglected over the years and deteriorated because of that cause, the damage to your roof may not be covered by your insurance company, and your claim can be denied. You may also be out of luck if your roof was damaged by an earthquake, flood or mudslide unless you have additional coverage for those perils.

Damage caused by wind, or hail are typically covered under a standard insurance policy, but it is common for insurers to require separate deductibles for those perils.

Does homeowners insurance cover wind and hail damage to my roof?

A standard home insurance policy usually covers Wind and hail as these are two common causes of roof damage. However, in states like Kansas and Oklahoma which experience these hazards more frequently than other parts of the country, insurers are more likely to increase the cost of their policies to reflect the high risk and recurring claims.

The severity of the damage may also determine how much and if you would qualify for your insurance company paying for the damage. For example, if a few shingles on your roof had slight nicks in them after a hail storm, your home insurance company may classify it as “cosmetic” damage, which is a common dwelling coverage exclusion. As a matter of practicality, it may not be worth filing a claim for aesthetic roof damage anyway, as the deductible may end up higher than the total damage cost.

Does homeowners insurance cover roof leaks?

Your home insurance company will cover a roof leak if:

The leak was caused by a peril that’s covered in your policy, and the damage was swift, sudden and didn’t accumulate over a number of years.

This can be an area of contention in home insurance policies, though, as a leak that came as a complete surprise to the homeowner may be perceived as an instance of neglect to the insurer.

For example, if you live in a wintry climate and your roof gets layered with snow every winter, you may not notice its gradual deterioration until that big storm hits and a large section begins leaking. Even though the event that triggered the leak was a big storm, your insurer may view the damage as gradual and deny your claim.

Can my claim be refused by the insurer if my roof is too old?

After you sign your homeowners’ insurance application, the insurance company will send out an insurance adjuster for your roofing insurance claim to make sure everything you claimed in the application checks out and determine if coverage adjustments are needed. It’s not just about coverage limits though, the insurance company wants to know if you’re even worth insuring based on how likely you’re going to be filing claims; they’ve been known to deny applications post-inspection.

The roofs quality and how old it is; is one of the key structural components of your home that they inspect. If the roof age has eclipsed 20 years some insurers refuse to renew existing policies without passing inspection first from a roofing company in the roofing insurance claim process.

Other insurers simply won’t write new policies for homes with roofing that’s 15 to 20 years old, and if they do, they’ll specify that it’s only covered under an actual cash value policy. Which means that, if your roof gets damaged or destroyed, the company only pays out whatever the value of your roof is after 20+ years of depreciation.

Replacing a roof can get expensive, contact a roofing company to get quotes on how much it would cost to have your roof replaced, While the costs provided by the roofing company may seem expensive, you may not have much of a choice if your roof is ancient, as doing nothing could mean having no homeowners insurance policy at all.

Filing a roof replacement claim

Contact your insurance company immediately if you suspect that your roof was damaged after a storm or got attacked by an army of squirrels. Always take pictures of the damage done to your roof to provide evidence of your roofing insurance claim process.

Usually, before and after pictures tend to do the trick, but even pictures of just the damage after the storm or the incident can help the claim and help the roofing company in your area determine how much it would be to repair or have a roof replacement without coming out to your house.

Provide evidence of your claim

Schedule an insurance claim inspector to come by and survey the damage

The damage needs to be repaired as quickly as possible, find a local roofing company to give you an estimate and do the repair for you. Not only does having a leak or hole in your roof provide unwanted access points in your house, but you’re also risking further damage to everything inside.

Infinite Roofing and Construction gives free estimates for roof repairs and replacements, we can deal with your insurance company to get you the best roof replacement that your house deserves with the best roofers in Albany to do the job for you.