A company that provides roofing services generally deals with commercial, industrial, and residential applications alike. Experienced and skilled roofing companies can work on flat roof jobs, angled roof constructions, and all variety of architectural layouts. These companies also have experience working with a variety of roofing products and materials, from those most common in residential roofing, such as tile, shingles, or shakes, to those more typically found on commercial roofs: rubber, metal and asphalt. Companies which provide roofing services deal with the construction and design of original roof installations for a new houses, as well as the maintenance and repair of already existing roof constructions on older homes and businesses.
Always Work with Licensed Roofing Contractors
Roofing work is regulated in the United States, and every state has its own licensing and monitoring practices. These regulations make sure roofing contractors keep their work up to code and that they’re accountable for the work that they do. Licensing requirements typically also require that your roofing contractor carries proper insurance to protect their employees in the case of injury and to protect you against liability while having them work on your home. Working with unlicensed contractors can lead to hefty fines, and can leave you open to big risks in terms of lawsuits for injuries or damages. (It’s not worth the risk for whatever small “savings” you might think you’re getting from these unlicensed roofers.)
Need a Special Kind of Roof? Call a Roofing Specialist!
Given the different types of construction used across the Cincinnati area, there are roofing companies that deal with various specialties:
- Hot roofers, who use tar-based products (mostly used in commercial roof construction),
- Flat roofers, who work on form roofs or single-ply (often PVC or rubber – also largely applicable to commercial roofs),
- Metal roofers, who specialize in using metal panels (again, almost always for use on business roofs),
- Shingle roofers, who work with tiles, shakes, shingles, and other materials that they can nail onto a roof (most commonly used in home roof construction).
Many companies have contractors on their staff who can work in all four styles, so even though an individual roofer might have a specific specialty, you might find that your Cincinnati roofing company can tackle a variety of types of different roofs.
The last of those groups, shingle roofers, is the most common. Asphalt shingles tend to be the most popular type of roof in our part of the United States. Dimensional and architectural shingles are becoming more common, but these still fall under the auspices of shingle work.
Steps in the Roofing Process
Before installing a new roof, the roofing specialists must clear what is already there. They remove debris, and clear away the old shingles. This is comparable to painting the exterior of a house; before you can begin to apply a fresh coat, you must sand off the previous coats to give yourself a clean, tidy surface to start with. Replacing a roof is much the same. The new materials need a fresh surface to adhere to, so rough spots must be dealt with first.
After removing any old materials, the first layer a roofing company adds is the insulation. Then, they add a layer of tar-like substance to help seal in the insulation, topped with roofing felt. After that, it’s another layer of the tar-like substance, and another layer of felt. Repeating this step, and sealing in the seams with each layer, helps ensure that the fresh roofing products will be watertight and protected.
At Harper Siding & Roofing of Cincinnati, our trained, knowledgeable roof experts have dealt with many varieties of roof construction. If you have any questions about your current roof, or would like a roofing estimate for any of our roofing services or products, please call us at 513-444-6098.