Blog - Tips & Articles

Posted by Bothell Roofing on July 19, 2012
The Seattle area is saturated with roofing suppliers, and with our weather trends this is understandable. Many of our customers ask us which supplier in their area is the best to go through and we have always given them our recommendations to write down. We however have never had an easily accessible list to be used a reference for this subject and thus is the reason for this post. Below you will find a list of who we recommend in various areas.

Allied Building Products

Allied has been a trusted name in roofing supplies for decades and we have worked with them since our beginnings. With three branches conveniently located throughout the Seattle & Eastside area there is sure to be one near you.

Edmonds
7100 212th Street S. W., Edmonds, WA 98026
(425) 776-4600

Kent
19130 84th Ave. full post
Bothell Roofing - Tag Iconseattle  •  roofing  •  suppliers  •  allied  •  stoneway
Posted by Bothell Roofing on July 11, 2012

Summer has finally come to Seattle and with it a break from the rain. This provides a limited time opportunity for those of us in the roofing industry as we can take advantage of extended dry forecasts to complete our roofs in a timely manner. During the other three seasons, collectively referred to as the ‘rainy season’, we are often interrupted by damp weather that forces us to put any projects on hold while we wait for the forecast to clear. With this in mind, Summer is the perfect time to move forward with any roofing projects you have been putting off.

In the Seattle Summer months our skilled team is typically able to completely replace a roof on an average sized home within about three days, start to finish. We typically schedule new projects to begin within two weeks which means that if you called or completed an estimate request today, you could have a brand new roof in no time at all.

Summer also provides a great opportunity for smaller roofing projects such as leak repair and weather proofing. If you have noticed a water or mineral stain on your ceiling it’s very likely that your roof is leaking or damaged. full post
Bothell Roofing - Tag Iconseattle  •  eastside  •  summer  •  dry
Posted by Bothell Roofing on February 13, 2012
A common question we are often asked is can we install a new roof in Seattle or the East side in the winter. The answer is yes but judgment must be used as to when to start the job. Most roofing jobs begin with removing the old roofing. This part of the job can not be done safely if there is a steady rain or there is a significant threat of steady or hard rains. It however does not rain hard every day. Thus the experienced roofing company will pick days where there is minimal chance of rain to do the tear off. If the roofer you hire simply "goes for it" to meet a schedule or because they need to get a job done and billed, you may expect trouble. After the old roof is removed and your home is 'dried in' the job may be safely completed in any weather except snow or very high winds. full post
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Posted by Bothell Roofing on February 09, 2012

Most all governmental jurisdictions in the Greater Seattle roofing area and the Greater Eastside roofing areas require a tear off if the existing building has 2 or more roofs (layers) to meet code requirements. So if you have multiple layers on your home it is almost a certainty that the old roofs must be removed. If you have 1 roof (layer) then you usually have the option of tearing off the old roof. The pro in favor of not tearing off the old roof is that on average, you can save about a quarter of the bid cost by not tearing off the old roof. Also in emergency roofing situations you are not as weather dependent on getting the roof completed. The major down side of not removing the old roof is the quality of the job and the life expectancy of the completed roof. There are many reasons for a shorter life of a roof if it is applied over an existing roof. We would be happy to explain further why if you wish to contact us. A complete listing of the reasons would take up far to many words. full post

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Posted by Bothell Roofing on February 09, 2012
Winter work for the Greater Seattle roofing area and the Greater East side roofing area can be done safely in the winter if the roofing contractor uses proper judgment on when he can or can not safely work. During the tear off phase of the job (if you have the option of whether or not to tear off the old roof) choosing what days to work are critical. You can not be caught in the middle of a tear off in a rain storm or water damage to your home is a real possibility. Tear offs can only be done safely on days when it does not rain or has only on and off light rain. A experienced roofing company can determine when they can or can not tear off safely. If they have any doubt the experienced roofing firm will error on the side of caution. Once the old roof is removed and properly dried in to protect the building from the elements, the actual application of the new roof (except membrane roofs) can be safely done in most any weather condition except snow and high winds. full post
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Posted by Bothell Roofing on February 02, 2012
1. By far the most popular is composition shingles. They are called composition because they are composed of a fiberglass matt, covered with tar and various fillers , and the colored granules for appearance and to protect the shingle from ultra violet rays. It is the least expensive shingle and comes with manufacturers warranties of 20 years to limited lifetime. They come in many different styles and over 90% of the homes in the greater Seattle roofing area are composition.

2. Cedar shingle and cedar shake are Northwest roofing originals but over the last ten years they have steadily lost popularity because of a combination of cost, longevity of the roof ( generally 15 to 20 years ), maintenance requirements, fire hazard, and other reasons. The main reason people pick this option is they have CC & R’s that require it or they simply like how they look.

3. Low slope or flat roofs are all ‘membrane roofs’. They are called membrane roofs because all are tarred or glued together to make a solid one piece membrane that water can not enter as it becomes one continuous piece after application. full post
Bothell Roofing - Tag Iconroof types  •  choosing  •  how to  •  seattle  •  northwest
Posted by Bothell Roofing on January 06, 2012
That is a very good question which does not have a simple answer and depends on how much time and effort you wish to spend. If you do not have lots of time to spare but want to find most of the sheep and eliminate most of the‘goats’ do the following. It is no guarantee but it switches the odds of getting a good roofer in your favor.  

a. Verify that they are a legal business so that if you have problems you generally have more ways to get your problem solved then if you get someone who works ‘ out the trunk of their car’ which often makes it impossible to have their promises honored. In Washington state you can verify they are a legal business with the State Dept. Of Labor and Industries. full post
Bothell Roofing - Tag Iconseattle roofing  •  roofing contractors  •  quality  •  how to

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