roof flashing brooklyn
By Construction • Do It Yourself • Management • Roofing • Tips and Tricks 13,735 Comments

Proper Roof Flashing

One of the largest causes of leaks in roofing in Brooklyn and Queens that we see are the areas where the roof intersects with walls, skylights, pipes, vents, and more. These penetration points can cause a world of problems if cheap materials or improper flashing methods are used to seal off these intersections. It’s important that as a homeowner you know the correct way of getting it done when it comes time to replace your roof, so you can ensure it gets handled properly.

Ice and Water Shield

It’s important to install a leakproof barrier directly onto the roof deck and slightly up the intersection as a last line of defense in case water get’s beneath the flashing. Many contractors still use tar paper, which can still cause leaks where the nail penetrates the paper. We choose to use GAF’s Ice and Water Shield in these vulnerable points to make sure it’s sealed properly and the wood below is protected. It is self sealing like a run flat tire, so when a nail goes through, it seals around the nail not allowing any water to pass through to the wood.

Aluminum Flashing

On most intersection, with the exception of vent pipes, the intersecting point is protected by a bent piece of aluminum called an aluminum flash. This sits right into the intersection so that if water get’s between the shingle and the intersection, it doesn’t go directly to the wood. Where the flashing goes up the wall, it can be sealed into harder surfaces like brick, or tucked underneath for softer materials like vinyl siding.

Pipe Collars

When a vent pipe is coming out of the roof, we must use a pipe collar to flash it properly since aluminum won’t fit around a small round intersection. Many roofing contractors will use a rubber pipe collar. Over time, like all rubber, it becomes dry rotted and cracks, allowing water to get through. At Five Borough, we opt to use a pipe collar made of Neoprene, the same material used for wet suits. It won’t wear out and crack over time, ensuring you’re pipes are sealed up properly from the start.

Shingles/Cap Sheet

Once the intersection is covered with ice and water shield and proper flashing, then the shingles are cut to go right into the intersection where the aluminum flash is bent. The shingles are installed as they usually are, with nails securing them on top, and a tar strip sealing it to the row below on the bottom.

By Do It Yourself • General Information • Tips and Tricks • Windows 15,022 Comments

What To Look For in a Energy Efficient Window Replacements

In Queens and Brooklyn NY, the buildings are old, the winters are cold, and energy bills are through the roof. Any homeowner knows that from December to March, we cringe when that National Grid letter comes in the mail. Any way you can save energy during the winters is a win, and one of the best ways you can do that is by going with energy efficient window replacements.

With so many options out there, it can seem overwhelming when you sit down and start window shopping. What features should you be looking for that will help you save money? This article will educate you on what to look for in a window and what questions to ask your contractor.

Window Frame

The frame of your window can come with mechanically fastened corners or welded corners. Cheap windows come with fastened corners that are held together with screws, which over time come loose. This will make it difficult to open the window, but more importantly, will create openings where cold air can come into the house. Also, many windows come with foam-injected frames, meaning they fill the hollow cavity of the frame with a high R-value foam that insulates and blocks out noise pollution.

Window Glass

When it comes to glass, you have many choices to make as a homeowner. There’s double pane, triple pane, low E, argon gas filled, and much more. Obviously a triple pane will insulate better than a double pane, but it’s not always a practical option. A window gets very heavy with 3 panes of glass, and they’re expensive as well. Many window manufacturers are building windows with argon gas sealed in-between the window panes. Argon is an extremely heavy and dense gas, preventing any air from transferring from the outside to the inside. This is a good option to look for in an energy efficient window.

Meeting Rails

Usually, the meeting rails aren’t on the top of your priority list when window shopping, but they have a huge impact on the longevity of the window. Most people have experienced a window where the locks on the meeting rails don’t meet up, and the window doesn’t lock. Over time, vinyl will sag and the meeting rails are no longer flush against one another. Not only does it pose a security threat because you can’t lock them, but it creates a large gap where cold air comes swirling into the house. The best way to prevent this is to find a window that has metal reinforced meeting rails as opposed to hollow vinyl. This will help the window maintain its structural integrity over time, ensuring the meeting rails are always tight against one another and no cold air is leaking in.

Window Installation

This is by far the most important part of the window. You can buy the most energy efficient window in the world, but if it’s not installed properly, it will be just as drafty as a $100 window. Five Borough uses an expandable foam with a high R-value to seal the small gap between the window frame and the house frame. This seals up the entire perimeter of the window so no air can leak in. Many contractors will use caulk, which will dry & crack over time, creating space for cold air to make its way in.

These are the some of the more important factors when looking at energy efficiency. Be sure to ask the right questions and make sure the window replacement company you hire uses the right materials and best practices when installing windows in your home. If you’re in Queens or Brooklyn, be sure to call Five Borough for a window estimate!

By fiveboro General Information • Management • Roofing • Tips and Tricks 1,118 Comments

Roofing 101: Ice Dams – Cause and Effect

Happy New Year from the roofers at Five Borough Remodeling! Winter has finally reared its head in Queens and Brooklyn NY, and with it comes a long list of preventative measures homeowners must take to protect themselves against the bitter cold. When it comes to winters in NY, one thing homeowners must consider is the affect ice dams can have on their roof.

What is an ice damn? Simply put, an ice dam occurs when a layer of thick ice builds up along the eaves of your roof, effectively causing a “dam” whereby water cannot pass. If you’ve ever driven by a house in Queens or Brooklyn and noticed a thick layer of snow and ice along the edge of the roof, and the rest of the roof is melted and visible from the street, that would be an ice dam. Many don’t realize that this can have potentially damaging effects to your home, but before we get into those, let’s look at what causes ice dams.

Cause: Poor Attic Insulation: Most roofers will tell you that the root cause of ice dams is poor insulation, and they wouldn’t be wrong in saying that. When you’re attic isn’t insulated properly, heat from your home escapes into the attic, which will heat the plywood of your roof and melt the snow above it. Eventually that water makes its way past the exterior wall and over your soffit, where there’s no more indoor heat to keep it from refreezing. There it will refreeze above the soffit, creating an ice layer along the edge of the roof.

Cause: Poor Roof Ventilation: What many roofers will neglect to tell you is that ventilation plays a big role in all of this as well. When a roof is ventilated properly, it can air out any excess heat that gets trapped in the attic during the winter, preventing the melting from occurring in the first place. This will ensure the snow will melt evenly on the roof, and not only on the top where it will refreeze along the edges.

Ideally, your attic should be the same temperature as the outside of the home at all times during the year, even in the summer. However, an overwhelming percentage of roofs do not have proper ventilation, which causes excessive heat during the summers and ice damming during the winters.

Effects: Ultimately, an ice dam will prevent water from draining off the roof. It’s called a dam for a reason: water will end up sitting right behind it instead of draining off the edge. Any roofer will tell you that where water sits, it will eventually permeate and leak through. Now think about what sits directly below the edges of your roof: your wall cavity. If you’re lucky it may just rot out the plywood along the edge of the roof, but if neglected over time it will make it’s way down into your wall cavity, which can cause your drywall to become not so dry, and it can even lead to mold or electrical fires in severe cases.

Solution: Preventing ice dams is very simple. Check your attic insulation to make sure you’re at least at an R-value of at least R38, or about 13” of fiberglass insulation from your drywall ceiling to the top of your attic insulation. If you’re at any less, call up Five Borough to come and lay down some extra insulation so your keeping heat in. That will not only prevent ice dams, but save you valuable heating dollars during the winter. While we’re there, we’ll check to see if your roof is vented properly, which will help you save energy and be more comfortable in the home year round. Give us a call if you have any questions!

By fiveboro General Information • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Leaves Are Falling – Are Your Gutters Ready?

Fall is full swing in Queens, and with it comes cooler weather, pumpkin spice everything, and clogged gutters!  All you have to do is look outside to see the leaves changing, and while it’s a beautiful thing to see it presents an issue for your house’s drainage.  Soon those leaves will fall, and it seems like a majority of them end up in your gutters! 

Homeowners in Queens, NY know this better than anyone, and if you’ve every gotten on a ladder to clean your gutters yourself, you know it’s no fun task.  First you have to climb up the ladder, sometimes up two stories.  Then you must blindly dunk your hand in that cold wet putrid black gunk, grab a handful, pull it out and deposit it into your black garbage bag.  Don’t forget to do it again and make sure you get it all!  Once you’re done you can climb back down, move that ladder over about two feet, and repeat for about 6 hours until you make it around the whole house.  Fun stuff!

We at Five Borough know that a lot of homeowners skip this yearly task of cleaning gutters, because we usually end up fixing the damage caused by clogged gutters.  What inevitably happens is their gutters get filled with decayed organic matter that causes overflowing, clogging, and leaks.  Your gutters are your houses water management system, and when your gutters get clogged at roof level, the water has nowhere to go but backwards into your fascia board, soffits, and plywood.  From there it follows the path of least resistance and goes down into your wall cavity, where electrical outlets, wiring, and insulation lay wait.  This can lead to house fires, mold, wood rot, and water damage that could not only end up costing you thousands of dollars, but can pose a serious hazard to you and your loved ones.

There’s a better way!  Installing seamless gutters with micro guards will ensure that you have a maintenance free gutter system that’s built to last.  At Five Borough, we install Englert seamless gutters with Microguard leaf protection to keep leaves out and water in.  Englert has been the trusted name in gutters for over 50 years, and they pioneered the concept of seamless gutters.  The Microguard gutter protection sits on top of the gutter and gets nailed down for security, ensuring that it never sinks into the gutter or flies off.  It’s the best system out for water management, and it’s guaranteed for the lifetime of the gutter. 

For a limited time, Five Borough Remodeling will be offering free gutters with any roof replacement project in Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island.  Give us a call today for a free estimate, and forget about having to clean gutters for good!

By fiveboro Do It Yourself • General Information • Roofing • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Roof Repair 101

As homeowners, it’s difficult to tell when it might be time to replace your roof. It’s not as if it has a check engine light that pops on when it needs a repair, and the sad reality is most homeowners will wait until there’s a leak to do anything about a problem roof, and by then it ends up cost more in collateral damage! On top of that, many of the homes in Queens and the metro area are very old with many layers of shingles, which can make it hard to assess the condition. So here’s a guide to follow to see if it’s time to start looking into roofers in NYC to fix the issue!

Streaking – If your roof has streaks going down the shingles, making it almost appear as if it were wet in certain areas, this is a sign your shingle is retaining water and you should replace it. It’s a common problem in Queens where there’s little sunlight during the winter to dry wet roofs.

Algae growth – Similar to streaking, it’s evidence that the shingle is retaining water instead letting it fall into the gutters.

Lifting Shingles – If shingles appear like they are popping up, this is evidence that there’s excessive heat and poor ventilation in the attic. It may be time to consider replacing the roof and adding some sort of ventilation system to protect the wood sheathing underneath your shingles.

Cracked Rafters – This one will require you to climb into the attic and check the structural wood of the roof, but it is extremely important to do time to time, as this is the support system of the entire roof. If there are cracked on a significant number of rafters, you may be looking at a big project.

Leaks – While your in the attic, take a look at the sheathing underneath to check if there are any water spots. If there are, times up, it’s time to call a roofer in Queens NY!

This are just a few of the warning signs you should look for as a homeowner to see if it’s time for a new roof. If your at all in doubt, call up 5 Boro Remodeling! We provide a free inspection with every roof estimate we give!

Roof Repair Queens NY

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By fiveboro Construction • Do It Yourself • General Information • Roofing • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Choosing the Right Roofing Contractors

If you’re in the market for a roof, chances are you’re going to get estimates from several roofing contractors in Queens.  A roof replacement is one of the most important home improvements you can do, and in New York you have plenty of options, so it’s important you find the right roofer.  After all, your roof protects everything underneath.  That’s why it’s important to know exactly what materials and methods your roofer is using.  It’s good to get multiple estimates from several roofing contractors in the Queens area so you can properly evaluate all options, but it’s even better if you know the right questions to ask so you can better evaluate each contractor.  This article will tell you what questions you should be asking as a homeowner when considering roofers. 

Ventilation – More than just staying cool

Ventilation is one of the most important aspects of roofing.  This is what separates a roof with no warranty to a roof with a 50 year warranty.  Excessive heat in the attic will warp shingles, rot wood, crack rafters, and could even lead to mold.  That’s why it’s critical that a ventilation system is installed with a roof.  Make sure you ask your roofing contractors what they do about ventilation.  Most will install a ridge vent, but in most cases that’s not enough.  The ridge vent is the exhaust, but you need a place to bring cool air into the attic for ventilation to occur properly. So be sure to ask if they are going to install soffit vents or some other air intake system.  Without it the ridge vent is useless. 

Roofing Contractors Material – Underlayment

What’s underneath your shingle is important because it’s the last layer of protection between the outside and your wood sheathing.  Most contractors are still using tar paper, which is not the best material to use.  Years ago tar paper was made of much better material, but at this point its been relegated to construction paper dipped in asphalt.  It’s paper thin, tears easily, and most importantly it traps moisture.  Any condensation and vapor that get’s trapped in the attic cannot permeate through the tar paper, thus getting trapped onto your wood sheathing.  This can cause leaks, lifting shingles, and wood rot.  There are better underlayments than tar paper available on the market.  Five Borough Remodeling uses a state of the art permeable underlayment that’s waterproof on top, but permeable through the bottom, ensuring your deck stays dry and doesn’t trap moisture. 

Roofing Contractors Material – Shingle

Make sure you confirm that your roofer is doing a full tear and not a layover.  Adding a layer of shingles is never a long term solution to a roof issue, and up until about 10 years ago it was the thing to do in Queens.   It’s not unusual to find 3 layers on a Queens home.  If you want the roof done correctly, you’ll have to tear off all of the existing layers and start from the wood underneath.  Ask what type of shingle they’re using.  At this point, all roofing contractors should be installing with an architectural shingle, not a three tab.  If a roofer is using a three-tab shingle, chances are he’s trying to cut corners to cut costs.  Ask what the warranty is on the single, and also the wind rating.  These are all important questions when it comes to your shingle. 

Obviously your need as a homeowner will vary depending on your budget and your plans for the future, but your goal should be to get the best value for your dollar.  So be sure to ask the right questions, and you’ll know what are your best options, and what roofing contractors are delivering the best value.

5 Boro Remodeling – The Best Roofing Contractors