- Welcome to Episode 12
and our final episode of our Roofing Components playlist,
where we do a deep dive
into all the major components of your roof system.
Today, we're gonna be doing a deep dive
into the optional components on your roof system.
I'm Bill Ragan with Bill Ragan Roofing Company.
Thanks for watching "The Roofing Channel".
Let's get into it.
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What you need to know about gutter guards.
Gutter guards are a way to keep all the debris
that falls on your roof from trees,
or whatever it comes from,
from getting down into your gutters
and clogging up the down spouts.
There's several different types
of gutter screen or gutter protection.
There's a gutter helmet
which allows the water to roll over and back and drip in,
and all of the stuff just falls off the roof.
There's many different types of screen,
from a mesh guard type screen,
which is a real tight woven screen
that won't let pine needles in.
And then there's like a powder-coated steel
or aluminum screen that's in a grid pattern
that just keeps all the big debris
from getting down into your gutters.
When the wind blows, it blows all that debris off of 'em
and keeps everything clear.
The best time to install a gutter screen
is either when your new gutters are getting installed
or when you're putting a new roof on
and the roof is still nice and pliable.
It's really tough to retrofit gutter screens on an old roof
because when you raise 'em up, they break off in your hand
and it could create a leak as well.
Gutter protection has a wide range
of how much it would cost.
The least expensive is gonna be an aluminum screen
that's put under the shingles
and attached to the edge of the gutter.
It's gonna run right at $4 a linear foot.
Powder-coated steel gutter screens
is gonna run somewhere around $6 a linear foot, installed.
A wire mesh type gutter screen
is gonna run $8 per linear foot.
And the gutter helmet
or LeafGuard type gutter protection systems
can run up to 30 or $40 a linear foot.
The gutter helmet or LeafGuard type systems
are franchise-owned systems
and most of those type systems are not available to roofers
or just regular gutter installers.
What you need to know about animal prevention.
When we're talking about animal prevention,
we're usually talking about putting some type
of either a mesh screen
or even a solid piece of prefinished steel,
or even copper,
over an area where animals are trying to get into your home.
A lot of times, they're trying to get in
right around where the gutters meet the roof.
They get in where an eave comes in
and underneath a soffit on a wall,
they'll try to get in up under there,
and there's signs of where they've been chewing.
They also try to come in roof vents as well
so they make cages that go over those type of vents.
The best time to install some animal prevention product
is when you've noticed animals up on your roof
or you've heard 'em in your attic.
Or, just to be on the safe side,
do it when you replace your roof
and that way you'll never have to worry
about getting animals inside your home.
The cost for animal prevention
is gonna vary widely between different companies,
depending on their overhead,
their profit margins, things like that.
If you have a problem with animals getting into your home,
call one of the professionals,
get a quote from 'em, get a guarantee from 'em.
Make sure they get the animals out of your home
before they close up all the holes
where they're coming in at.
And those guys, they're gonna know how to do that.
And if you've had an animal that gets into your attic,
you definitely wanna get that inspected by someone
to make sure that the animal
has not created a biohazard up inside your attic.
It's always better to do preventative maintenance.
If you have a lot of squirrels in your neighborhood
or you see 'em on your neighbor's roof,
chances are, if they've got access,
they're gonna get on your roof as well.
That's when it's time to take preventative measures
and make sure that you're not one of those people
that has animals in your attic, like a squirrel or a possum.
What you need to know about skylights.
Skylight is just another term for, basically a roof window
that's attached to the roof and properly flashed around it.
Shouldn't never have any trouble out of it.
A sun tunnel is a dome on your roof
that's attached to a tube that goes through your attic
to a room inside your home,
like a bathroom or a closet,
or a room that doesn't have any windows.
And as the light comes through that shaft,
it projects down into that room
to give you much more natural light.
The best time to install a skylight or a sun tunnel
is when you're having your roof replaced.
But we can also come in and retrofit those for your home.
It's gonna cost a little bit more to do it in a retrofit
than it would if we're doing it during a roof install.
There's way too many variables to quote
what each one of the skylights
and sun tunnels are gonna cost.
I would like for you to go
to the VELUX website (bell rings)
to get an education on
what are the different styles of skylights
and sun tunnels available.
And then we can provide you
with an estimate on the installation cost.
That's the end
of our Roofing Components playlist video series.
If this is the first video that you're watching,
click on the link below (bell rings)
or at the end of this video
to start back over on Episode One about decking.
I'm Bill Ragan with Bill Ragan Roofing Company.
Thanks again for watching "The Roofing Channel".
Remember to like and subscribe so other homeowners like you
can get the education that they need
before they make that huge purchasing decision.
We'll see you on the next ones.
(soft relaxing music)