It’s a date many people won’t forget around here: September 1, 2021. It’s the day the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the Northeast, leaving a path of destruction.
Hurricane Ida was the second-most devastating hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana. The storm was so intense, it sent shock waves all up the East Coast of the United States.
Ida’s presence was felt in New York, where it prompted the National Weather Service to issue its first-ever flash flood emergency warnings. More than three inches of rain fell in an hour, resulting in flash floods. Water and heavy wind tormented the area.
Damage to businesses was extensive. Thousands experienced damage to homes. Extreme weather in Port Chester devastated a client’s home.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Port Chester, NY
Ida destroyed many parts of her house and the entire basement. Her roof already had been leaking in spots, but Ida made things way worse – missing shingles, new holes, and increasing the size of the ones already there. Plus basement leaks.
She called us desperate for help. This was an emergency.
Fortunately, getting expedited work permits was not a problem because of the circumstances. The state wanted to get residents’ homes back into shape as quickly as possible. They knew with damage this bad, it would take months if not years to recover.
When we arrived at the house, we knew immediately how dire it was. There was extensive damage. Leaks all over the house. The roof was the main priority. Once we were able to replace the roof and stop the leaking, our client would be able to salvage what she could inside the home.
We immediately got to work. Due to the extensive damage, we first had to replace all the plywood on the roof. This decking is an essential part of the roof. It acts as the support base for shingles and aids in protection from the elements.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Port Chester, NY
Damaged or rotted plywood can cause lots of issues. Rotted plywood at some point will be unable to support the weight of your roof. Nails in rotted plywood can slip and slide around, compromising the integrity of the roof. This could create holes in the roof or even a total collapse if the problem were severe enough. Wood rot is due to moisture.
One complication was that we needed to maintain the awning over the roof. This was housing our electrical source. We resorted to utilizing our own power supply because a roof beam had blocked the house’s electrical source, and we didn’t feel comfortable trying to remedy that situation. We reasoned that if something happened to the power source, odds were not good that we could find an available electrician to fix, given the many emergencies everywhere. We proceeded with extra caution using our own power.
After the plywood and shingles were in place, we replaced the entire gutter system, which was old and also damaged further by Ida’s fury. We also replaced trim around the house, as it was rotted as well.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Port Chester, NY
We also made the homeowner aware of issues she didn’t even know she had. It can be difficult for an untrained eye to catch every problem that can arise with your roof, which is why it is a good idea to have a roof inspection every so often.
For this homeowner, her issue was that animals were making their way through the exterior of her home and causing damage. We were able to rectify this while doing our other work, and we also gave her tips on what to look for in the future. That way, if the issue was caught early next time, it’s not such a major problem. Left unaddressed, animals can harm your house in many ways, from structural integrity to incidental property damage to even electrical and HVAC failure.
It was hard work given the circumstances, but we were able to complete this roofing project quickly. When we informed our client the job was finished, she burst into tears of relief. She had been through so much recently and was grateful to have her home feel brand-new again.
A couple of months later, our product manager crossed paths with our client at the grocery store. She was obviously still excited about it all, saying how thrilled she was every day about everything being so perfect, about not having to worry about water pouring into her room at any moment.
In fact, she called us back later and asked to have her siding replaced. Roof referrals followed. After seeing her home repairs done by roofing professionals, three neighbors called with requests of their own.
It can sure be a heartwarming business sometimes!
City: Port Chester
State: NY
ZIP: 10573
Category: Roofing
Materials used (manufacturer): GAF
Materials used (type): Asphalt
Materials used (color): Oyster Gray
Project Cost: $17,000
Time to Complete: Four days