Today we travel to Putnam Valley, New York, home to three major lakes as well as ample forests and nature trails. Filled with a nice mixture of new and older homes, this Putnam County hamlet is known for its quiet and rustic way of life, a perfect location for the nature enthusiast.
And with nature comes, well, nature. Sometimes in the form that homeowners never want to encounter: destructive critters that take up residency in your roof. This can include but are not limited to possums, mice, rats, birds, chipmunks, racoons, bats, and insects.
It would be one thing if these animals just respectfully set up a little place to rest in your roof and spent the rest of the time frolicking around outside. But, sadly, that’s not the case.
Rats, for instance, pose the biggest threat to your roof. They can cause chaos by chewing through shingles and insulation, those important layers of protection between you and the great outdoors. Damaged shingles mean leaks.
That’s not all. Those little buggers will chew on anything, including electrical wires, which then becomes a fire hazard.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Putnam Valley, NY
Next up: Birds. Look around. Every day, you’ll see birds hanging out on residential and commercial rooftops. You probably don’t think anything of it, maybe even considering it quaint.
However, the acidic nature of a bird’s diet makes their droppings a danger to your roof. Layers of these little gifts can literally rot your shingles.
Squirrels and raccoons don’t want to be left out of the destruction party. They, too, enjoy tearing up roofs and layers of insulation. And once they’ve busted through that, it’s likely on through to your attic for some more mayhem, causing headaches for your home inside and out, especially when bad weather arrives.
For our client in Putnam Valley, he had the misfortune of sharing his roof with some unwelcomed visitors who quickly became roof mates. These animals wasted no time, eating through the shingles and plywood on his roof.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Putnam Valley, NY
By the time he realized what was happening, the damage was extensive. The missing and broken asphalt shingles were allowing water leaks, leading to mold growth in the attic. As we’ve learned from previous posts, mold is a big concern because of health issues it can cause.
This sounds like a lot to fight through (animals, leaks, insulation, mold, damage), and it was, but nothing that your roofing professionals at Gunner couldn’t handle.
We developed a roof replacement plan with the homeowner to remedy all the issues he was having. We replaced the battered roof with a GAF architectural asphalt shingles roof. A GAF shingle asphalt roof offers great value for a new roof.
While we were repairing the plywood damage and replacing the shingle asphalt roof, we were made aware of some ventilation concerns. We created a ridge vent to give the attic the necessary airflow, as well as adding some soffit vents. Soffit vents are most effective when used in tandem with a ridge vent. Their purpose is to allow air from the outside to enter the attic at the lowest part of the roof. This will improve attic ventilation.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Putnam Valley, NY
Proper ventilation is important. During the summer weather, your roof will warm up from the blistering sun, increasing the temperature in your attic. This, too, can cause damage to your roof. Depending on how well the floor of your attic is insulated, the heat can push down further and make your HVAC work harder, leading to a higher energy bill.
During winter weather, the heat from your home will rise in the attic and warm the roof deck. The snow sitting on top of that roof deck will start to melt, moving down until it reaches the eaves, where it might get stuck. After a couple of instances, an ice dam will form and send pooled water under your asphalt shingles.
Before you know it, your roof or plywood is damaged, and you’re left with a roof deck in need of repair, or a complete roof replacement.
Back to Putnam Valley. After completing the roof replacement with those GAF pewter gray shingles and making some changes for ideal ventilation, we are happy to report our client has a much nicer living space.
GAF Asphalt Shingle Replacement
Putnam Valley, NY
And the animals? They were transported and released in a safer area that will allow them to live happy lives without invading anyone’s roof again. We’re roofing professionals with a heart!
Our Putnam Valley client was shocked at the difference a new roof and improved ventilation made for the comfort of his home, and no doubt will see lower costs on his energy bill now. He was also relieved to know he will be able to sit in comfort during a storm without having to worry about water coming through the roof.
If animals have damaged your home, call us, your tri-state roofing professionals. We’ll get you a free estimate to show you how to make your home airtight again with a new roof.
City: Putnam Valley
State: NY
ZIP: 10579
Category: Roofing
Materials used (manufacturer): GAF
Materials used (type): Asphalt
Materials used (color): Pewter Gray
Project Cost: $30,000
Time to Complete: Five days