Cost of New Gutters

If you start seeing any puddles of water around the house or any water leaks in the basement, this might well be caused by damaged or clogged gutters. Once this happens, you should take action immediately since in the long run the seemingly small problem can cause great damage to your house, basement, or the driveway, which can be very costly to repair. In the case of clogged gutters, you can easily clean them yourself at no cost at all: all you need is a ladder, tool belt and some tools and gear that you most probably already have – a ladder, bucket, salad tongues, garden hose, and a towel are typically all you will need in order to unclog the gutter.

However, when your gutters are damaged and need to be replaced, then you will have to spend some money on new ones and you might have to pay for labor as well. Replacing the gutters of your house yourself is likely to save you roughly 50% of what a contractor would charge and is something that can be done fairly easily, as long as you are comfortable with heights. If you don’t think you’re up to the task you can get started by comparing contractor quotes here and find the best price on gutter replacement.

First, you will have to decide on what gutters to buy – the most popular ones are made of galvanized steel, aluminum, copper, vinyl, and stainless steel. Some of these are more expensive than the others, but what can add to the cost is the ease of installation as well – stainless steel gutters used to be the norm a few decades ago, but installing them requires skills and is also costly. The aluminum gutters, on the other hand, are what most people use today and for good number of reasons: they are much easier and therefore cheaper to install, can be easily painted in different colors in order to match the colors of your house, and, unlike the steel gutters, never rust.

The cost of replacing gutters on your house will also be influenced by their size: the aluminum gutters are typically either five or six inches and the latter are probably necessary only if you live in a rainy area or city. Keep in mind that replacing five inch gutters with six inch ones might require some planning and more work. The way the gutters are attached to the house also matters and using floating hangers instead of the more traditional ferrules and spikes might add to the cost, but will also improve the longevity of the gutter system. Another factor to keep in mind is that seamless gutters are typically pricier, but they aren’t as watertight as many salesmen would like you to believe – with time, they are just as likely to develop leaks and get damaged.

If you have to hire a contractor to install the gutters for you, you will once more have to use some common sense that can save you money – call three or more local contractors and let them give you an estimate, but keep in mind that the cheapest bid might not be the best. Always choose a contractor that has been around for a while, is known for his high quality work, and is likely to be around if any problems arise a few months or even a few years down the line.

© Cost of New Gutters

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New Roof Estimate: Minimizing Your Roofing Estimate Cost

It’s not easy to sell a home these days. The housing market continues to be a competitive one, with buyers more choosy than ever about which homes they bid for. A new roof, though, can set your home apart from others on the market. Unfortunately, the cost of a new roof is expensive. The key to not paying too much lies in obtaining the best new roof estimate possible.

Before signing a contract with any roofing company, you must make sure to order a new roof estimate. This estimate isn’t binding, unfortunately. But it will give you a good idea of what a contractor thinks it will cost to install a new roof on your home. This gives you an opportunity to set your budget for the roofing project.

But new roof estimate rarely reveal an exact figure for the cost of a new roof. How, then, can you be sure that a contractor is giving you a fair estimate? How can you be sure that a contractor isn’t giving you a lower estimate as a way to trick you into working with him rather than his competitors? The answer lies in getting as many roofing estimates as possible.

It may be a bit of a pain, but you should request estimates from at least seven roofing contractors. This way, you’ll have a large enough sample of estimates.

Most of these estimates should be fairly similar in size. If you find one estimate that is significantly lower than the others, you should be cautious. It may be tempting to accept this roofing estimate. But an estimate that seems too good to be true often is. Sometimes, a roofing contractor isn’t including all the costs of a project. Other times, a contractor is simply underbidding deliberately to get the job.

Remember, the cheapest estimate isn’t necessarily the best. You want to work with the roofing contractor who will get your new roof installed quickly and properly. A cheaper contractor will often run over budget and over time. He may also do a poor job. The only thing worse than an old roof is a new one that a contractor hasn’t installed properly.

When looking at a new roof estimate, then, be wary of any that comes in at a far lower figure than the others. This might be a sign that the bidding contractor is far from the professional whom you want working on your home.

© New Roof Estimate: Minimizing Your Roofing Estimate Cost

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3. Cost of Solar Roof Tiles

Cost of Solar Roof Tiles

In today’s rough economic times, homeowners want to save as much money on home improvements as possible. This includes reducing their energy bills. One effective way to do this is to install solar power roof tiles.

These roof tiles, which blend in seamlessly with a home’s existing tiles, draw in and store the energy of the sun. A home then uses this energy, which comes free, instead of electricity from the public grid. This can save homeowners a significant amount of money each month.

These tiles used to be fairly uncommon in residential homes. But that is changing today. Today’s homeowners are tired of dealing with expensive and unpredictable energy bills. It’s hard to set a yearly household budget when electric bills – such an important line item of that budget – are so difficult to predict.

Solar roof tiles keep energy bills low. Some homeowners even report that there are months when they don’t have to pay anything for electricity and what’s even better is that in some areas you can plug in to “the grid” and any energy you don’t use, you get paid for. This can help pay back some of the initial cost of the solar panel tiles.

Solar roof tiles are also popular among homeowners interested in living an environmentally friendly lifestyle. A growing number of homeowners realize that they can take steps to reduce their own impact on the environment. One way to do this is to consume less energy. Solar roof tiles help them do this.

These roof tiles aren’t cheap. But over the long haul they will save homeowners money thanks to the lower electric bills they cause. Today, though, it’s a bit easier financially for environmentally conscious homeowners to invest in solar roof tiles. Depending on the state in which homeowners live, they can qualify for cash rebates, renewable energy credits and other financial incentives for those who install solar roof tiles.

The federal government even offers its own 30-percent tax credit for building owners who install solar roof tiles. Congress made sure to extend this credit because of the environmental benefits it brought. With the new administration it is also very clear that environmentally friendly prdocts are a big part of their agenda so I wouldn’t anticipate these tax credits ending any time soon either.

Solar roof tiles, once they are installed, required no extra maintenance from homeowners. Basically, they operate the same as do any other type of roofing panel. Homeowners won’t have to give their solar roof tiles any extra attention.

If you’re looking to slash the amount of money you throw away on electric bills each month, consider investing in solar power roof tiles. Your neighbors won’t be able to notice a difference when they look up at your roof from their front lawns. But you’ll see a huge difference every time your mail carrier drops your monthly utility bill in your mailbox.

© Cost of Solar Roof Tiles

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How much does a new roof cost? Analyzing the cost of a new roof

A new roof is one of the most important investments you can make in your home. Not only does it keep your house dry when it rains or snows, but it insulates, protects, and increases the resale value of your home for the future. Many people dread replacing it though with the cost of a new roof scaring them away at first glance. The good news is investing in a new quality roof is a great investment and is well worth doing, even if it costs you a little more in the short term.

When looking at new roof options most people look at asphalt shingle roofs exclusively, but there are other options available depending on how much money you wanted to spend. Options like a new tile roof cost around twice as much as asphalt, but they are more resistant to fire and depending on the area of the country may have extra benefits like keeping insects away or holding up better in the hot sun. Wood roof costs a little more than asphalt roofs as well, but some people prefer the aesthetic benefits of a wood roof over asphalt. In my opinion though I would rather have an asphalt shingle roof as they last longer and are more fire resistant than wood.

Typically most roofs asphalt shingle roofs cost between $1-3 dollars per square foot, but this depends on a lot of factors like where in the country you live, the availability of your roofing materials, how many roofing contractors work in your area and what kind of slope your roof has… just to name a few… so just use this roofing cost estimate as a rule of thumb, not written in stone.

There are a number of factors to consider when reviewing the cost of a new roof. First, if you are handy like me then you may want to consider doing the roofing labor yourself. Typically roofing labor costs can be anywhere from 50-75% of the cost of a new roof so if you can do the job yourself (and can do it RIGHT) then you may want to consider it. If you aren’t prepared to do it yourself you may have a friend or family member who can do the job for you as well for a reduced price, this is always an option but is not available for everyone.

If you wanted to save money on a new roof you could put on a less expensive asphalt shingle roof with a shorter warranty period. Typically a new shingle roof will last approximately 30 years but you can get a less expensive quality which will last between 15 and 20 years. Since the roof doesn’t last as long it costs less and saves you money in the short term, but is more expensive if you plan on living in the house for a long period of time. If your house costs $5,000 for a 30 year roof but a 15-20 year roof costs $3,500 you are saving $1,500 right away, but if you plan on living in your house for the 30 years you would need the roof done twice which would wind up costing you $7,000 instead.

Another thing to think about if you are considering a lower quality roof is that the cost of everything goes up after a few years so a roof that might cost you $3,500 today may cost you $6,000 or more in 15 years, so you may end up paying close to $10,000 for 30 years worth of roofing. Obviously if you don’t have the money and need an emergency roof replacement now then the lower quality roof is a better option, but if you can afford it you are better off with the good quality roof and spending a few extra dollars.

I know that roofing costs can be scary, especially in this economy, but a good new roof is really is one of the best investments you can make in your home. There are a lot of ways to save money either by doing it yourself, finding less expensive materials or compromising on quality, but don’t let the cost of a new roof dissuade you from making a good long term investment in your home.

© How much does a new roof cost? Analyzing the cost of a new roof

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Skylight Installation Cost

Skylights are a great way to bring natural light in to any home, and they can make a real difference brightening up your room. Many people however overestimate skylight installation cost, thinking they are too expensive for their budget, but honestly they really aren’t. There are a few ways you can save money on a skylight installation, let’s take a look at a few.

First, you can save money on the cost of the skylight itself. There are a lot of great brands of skylights out there and they are easily available at the big box hardware stores that seem to be sprouting up everywhere. Most brands are of comparable value, but some perform better in certain areas so you’ll want to get the thoughts of your hardware store rep.

Skylights come in all shapes and sizes so if the really large size is out of your price range, perhaps a smaller one will save you some money and give you that natural light you wanted in your house. Remember also that skylights are not great for insulating so while you may be able to afford a really big skylight, you may also pay more in heating and cooling bills as a result. For most homes however, the difference in heating and cooling costs should not be a big one.

Another great way to save on a skylight installation cost is to install it yourself. I realize this is not for everyone, so if you are unsure at any point, it may be best to call your local skylight professional and let them do the job for you. Whatever you decide to do, you want to make sure that the skylight is installed correctly or you will wind up with a leak near where it is installed. Our house had a skylight in the bathroom that leaked whenever it rained which resulted in some heavy water damage simply because the previous owner wanted to save a few dollars on the cost of skylight installation.

If you are considering getting a skylight, you definitely should… they’re fantastic, however make sure you do your homework on what brand, what model and what size skylight is the right fit for your home. Also be sure to research contractors in your area and determine which are least expensive and which have the most experience installing the model of skylight you choose. If you do your homework right you’ll surely have the perfect skylight installation cost for your budget.

© Skylight Installation Cost

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Emergency Roof Repair

Over the past few years we have been no strangers to extreme weather conditions which can damage your home pretty severely. Perhaps no part of our homes are more important in a bad storm than our roof, after all it keeps the rain off our heads. If your roof has been severely damaged in a storm you may be in need of emergency roof repair, especially if more bad weather is on the way.

Most commonly emergency roof repair is needed in the case of a bad leak. As mentioned in our article about basement flooding, water damage can be extremely damaging for sheetrock, insulation and can cause issues with electrical wiring, so you don’t want to take chances.

Make sure you locate the source of the leak, which is likely in an area where the shingles have been damaged or perhaps even blown off. Sometimes locating the roof leak can be tricky because it may seep through the ceiling in a different place, depending on the slope of the roof. You may need to actually get on the roof to figure it out.

If you can’t fix the roof properly with a new set of shingles, you may need to set up a layer of tarps, rubber sheets or perhaps a spray on sealant to stop the leak until it can be repaired properly. Even duct tape has been known to be used in extreme emergency roof repair situations.

If your roof is in need of an emergency repair you are best off to call a professional. Professional roofers are fast, efficient and they know what they are doing. They have the experience to understand what type of roofing you need in your area, can solve any potential issues you may have with weather conditions and can explain to you the differences in the quality of roofing materials.

I would not recommend doing an emergency roof repair yourself unless you really know what you are doing. Roofs are obviously high up and can be treacherous if you don’t know what you are doing. Even professional roofers are prone to accidents and can become very injured or even lose your life so don’t take chances to save a couple bucks on the cost of a new roof if you aren’t prepared to do a do it yourself roof repair job.

Bottom line you really need to do whatever you can (or have a professional do whatever they can) to fix your roof temporarily until it can be done right. With emergency roof repair there really is no right way to do things, you just have to stop a leak as best you can.

© Emergency Roof Repair

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