ASK SCOTT: Q&A FOR CONSUMERS

Ask Scott: Q&A For Consumers

What is the importance of having proper insulation in the attic of your home?

Proper insulation in the attic of your home is essential for maintaining a healthy roof and energy cost savings alike. 90% percent of the attics that J&B Construction Co. inspect do not meet the U.S Department of Energy recommended R-values (resistance to heat loss) or ventilation guide lines. Having proper insulation is extremely important, especially in our part of the United States. 40% of heat loss in a home is lost through the ceiling portion of a home. Having your attic insulated to an R-value of 49-60 as recommended by the U.S Department of Energy will not only make your home more comfortable, but will save you significant dollars in heating and cooling costs. Please give J&B Construction a call today, for a free, no hassle attic evaluation. Family‑owned for over 68 years and three generations, J&B Construction has been protecting local homes from Mother Nature with trusted roofing, siding, gutters, skylights, and attic insulation. We’d be honored to share our experience and earn your business.

What is the importance of having proper venting in your home?

No matter how well you’re insulated, ventilation is just as important. Note that there are several different types of exhaust vents you can choose and some of them you should not mix. Ventilation is essential to reduce attic condensation in the winter and excessive heat in the summer. An overheated attic is the #1 cause of premature shingle deterioration. A healthy attic temperature should be as close as possible to the exterior temperature. To assist in this you need to draw-in exterior air through your soffits and allow stagnate air in your attic to exhaust through the roof venting areas. Note that there are several different types of exhaust vents you can choose and some of them you should not mix. You are not trying to heat or cool your attic, think of it as nothing more than equalizing the attic’s interior temperature with the exterior temperature. Family‑owned for over 68 years and three generations, J&B Construction has been protecting local homes from Mother Nature with trusted roofing, siding, gutters, skylights, and attic insulation. We’d be honored to share our experience and earn your business.

What can happen if you have improper attic insulation and ventilation in your home?

When heat loss occurs through your walls, windows and doors it exhausts to the exterior of your home, causing no harm or damage to your home. Without having proper attic insulation and ventilation, the heat transfers to the attic space and can cause an increase in temperature resulting in the melting of snow on the roof. This process can cause ice damming in valleys, eaves and the potential increase of condensation in your attic. Condensation in your attic can cause premature breakdown of your roof decking as well as potential mold growth on framing and sheathing areas. During the summer months, improper ventilation will cause a pre deterioration of your asphalt roof and shorten its life expectancy due to elevated temperatures in the attic space. These are just some of the reasons ventilation is imperative to complete a healthy attic system. For a complete evaluation of your attic please call J&B Construction Co.

What is Ice damming and how can a homeowner prevent it from happening?

Ice damming is a build up of ice at the eves and valleys of your home. The ice blocks the melting snow from draining off your roof causing it to back up under your shingles and leak into your home. Don’t forget that shingles are not waterproof, but water shedding. Adding additional ice and water in certain areas of your home will not prevent ice damming but it will help with the existing problem. Ice and water shield does not change the existing circumstances on why your attic is having ice damming issues. When selling a new roof system to a customer that experienced bad ice damming in the past it is important to evaluate both the attic insulation and ventilation. The temps of a healthy attic should be as close to the existing outside temperatures as possible. Resolving an ice damming issue is a correlation between insulation and ventilation. Family‑owned for over 68 years and three generations, J&B Construction has been protecting local homes from Mother Nature with trusted roofing, siding, gutters, skylights, and attic insulation. We’d be honored to share our experience and earn your business.

What to consider when doing work on a flat roof?

The majority of projects that J&B Construction Co. inspects has some form of a flat or low-slope roof system (Roof pitch under 3/12). Most homeowners grow frustrated with these areas due to performance failures. As a second generation owner with over 45 years of roofing experience most failures I have seen have been due to poor installation or short cuts taken by contractors. It is important to work with a contractor that has extensive flat roof experience. Many residential roofing contractors do very few flat roofs. When getting bids, let the contractor educate you on what your project needs. A comprehensive bid will help you understand what you need and why. Many times the installation of a flat roof will need other products such as siding, shingled roofing, rail systems and doors. Properly tying the new roof system into any of these is extremely important to its serviceable life or longevity. Family‑owned for over 68 years and three generations, J&B Construction has been protecting local homes from Mother Nature with trusted roofing, siding, gutters, skylights, and attic insulation. We’d be honored to share our experience and earn your business.

Enjoy Peace Of Mind

The only complaint I have is when I have J&B do my roof in another 30 years or so, is Dave their sales man (a great guy) would not guaranty I could get the same great crew I had this time. They did a fantastic job. Much better than the last roofing company did. A nice bunch of guys. Did a very nice job cleaning up. I'd give them 10 stars but 5 is the limit. If you need a roof done this is the company you want to do it. One more point I need to make. The guys that did the chimney flashing are artists. I went up on the roof when they were done and was very pleased with not only the roofing job but the sculptured sheet metal work. It's kind of a shame it's on the roof and not hanging on the family room wall :). You get the point. Hire em. You'll like em.

Dave H

We live in a historic designated neighborhood and recently had our 30 year wood shingle roof replaced with another wood roof and new gutters. From Day 1 of the project to the final day, the entire team was responsive, professional, and very competent. When some minor changes were proposed by us they quickly and effortlessly complied. After going through this experience with J&B, I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a roof and gutter replacement, whether it be a simple or complicated project.

John Lamb

J & B did an amazing job from start to finish. The initial meeting at my home took place exactly at the time that was agreed upon and Scott was thorough in his explanations and transparent about costs. When the time came to begin the project, the team that showed up was friendly, professional and timely in getting the project done. The cleanup afterward was such that it looked like they hadn't been there at all. The roof looks great, there were no surprises and Scott came by to inspect the work and explain the warranty upon job completion. I would highly recommend them.

Kenneth Simons

My neighbor had their roof replaced and I was really impressed with the speed, carefulness and quality of the work I saw. Asked her for her experience and she told me she would highly recommend J & B. I called Scott to set an appointment. He showed up on time and was very thorough in his assessment, also letting me know about some other issues and advise on where to get help. J & B is a fantastic company to deal with - their people are incredibly careful about the work they do, clean up and leave the property in the same condition as when they started, were careful about plants and the house, and work very efficiently. The office staff is great about following up, checking in and very responsive to anything that comes up. I was happy with the price charged. If you are looking to replace your roof, you should be calling J & B to get the job done.

David W.

We had work done by the J&B team at a commercial property and were very pleased with the whole process. Their estimator met us onsite and communicated with us every step of the way. They went over the scope in detail and the work performed exceeded what we were expecting. They found some additional concerns during the installation that were quickly addressed and communicated to us and to our surprise, there was not an additional charge. Our tenants reached out to share how respectful the employees were during the installation and how clean everything was left afterwards. As the project was wrapped up, we were walked through the completion paperwork and provided the warranty information. Very impressed with the professionalism of this company and would not hesitate to refer their services or use them again in the future.

Jessie C.