Roof Valleys: Necessary but troublesome!

Roof Valleys! I get MANY  calls every year from people who say that their eavestroughs are "leaking" or that they can't handle heavy rains. Upon inspection, I encounter that the common culprit are roof valleys on a house. Roof Valley's are created when two roofs, running in different directions come together and form a "valley" as seen below:

In today's world of new home designs, the larger the home, the more roof valleys it usually has. Look at the birds eye view of the home below:

Look at the complexities of this roof! Roof Valleys are everywhere! By my count, there are 13 roof valleys on this home! Not only this, but you have roof valleys running into other roof valleys! The valleys allow the home owner to design and build a home that looks absolutely gorgeous! Without them, you could not have a house that has dimensional roofing. All you could have is a straight roof as seen below on a home we just completed in Stoney Creek, Ontario.

This home turned out beautifully. It's a simple design from the 1940's that we did with Pebble clay siding and black eavestrough, fascia, and soffit. Simple roof designs were very common prior to 1980. However, over the years, architects became more clever with their roof designs for three reasons. The first was to make the house more beautiful; the second was to maximize space, and the third was to give added dimensions to the house.

However, roof valleys create enormous problems in regards to water drainage and they also trap debris in areas that have large trees. Look at the diagram below. It shows you the direction the water flows down the roof. You can have a ton of water drain from the roof into the roof valley and the result, in a strong rain storm is a river running down them and into one small section of eavestrough!

You can see how the water runs down the roof and into the valley. The problem is that by the time it gets to the end, you can have hundreds of square foot of roofing trying to fit into 4-6 inches of eavestrough. Now that's a problem! Look at some of these problem valleys people have asked me to come out and troubleshoot for them! These eavestroughs weren't leaking. They just could not handle all the water coming into one small section of eavestrough so the water was shooting over the front of the eavestrough and onto the ground.

I did not do this eavestrough job. They only called me out to try and fix their problem of water over shooting the eavestrough. The splash guards I installed didn't even work in a heavy rain! There was far too much water coming into this eavestrough. Here is another problem job I was called out to inspect.

The above homes are absolutely beautiful and the roof valleys help create their beauty. But you can see for some, valleys are a nightmare when trying to channel water off a roof and into the eavestrough. But the problem does not stop there! If you have mature trees around, they are debris traps! This is because debris blows onto the roof and then the wind travels across the roof in different directions. The wind blows the debris into the roof valleys and traps it there. Just look at these pictures!

The old home designs were simple and there were few problems with rain water and debris being trapped on the roof. The new home designs are complex and with these complexities come problems. We will always have roof valleys and the problems that go with them. In most cases, there are solutions to solve these problems. The most common solution for them is to install a splash guard like I did on the house 4 pictures up. Failing that, the next step is to install a 6" eavestrough and 4x3 downpipes. Regarding the debris being trapped on the roof, the only solution is to clean them out twice per year.

Roof Valleys are a problem, but not insurmountable. If you have troubles with your roof valleys, give The Eavestrough Company a call at 905-902-9424 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com

Hire Reputable Companys!

I love my work. Every day is different, you meet many new and nice people and sometimes you come across things that are unique and hilarious! I know in the roofing and eavestrough business that there are some rough characters and that a good number use illegal drugs and alcohol. My workers, to my knowledge, do not use illegal drugs or have alcohol addictions. However, while out doing estimates earlier last month I was measuring a house in an upscale Burlington neighbour hood and some roofers were smoking marijuana right in their customers driveway in broad daylight! The smell was ominous, neighbours who were outside were angry, AND someone called the Police. I was sitting in my vehicle only about 30 ft away from the roofers who were lighting up and having a great time. They were getting high on pot and then were going right back up on the roof to do their work. Please don't tell me that I am the only one who sees something wrong with this scenario! :o  It's out right stupid to be high on marijuana and then get on a roof! Here is what I saw.

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There they are in their mini van! They must also be singing "One toke over the line sweet Jesus!" LOL They were having a blast until.......Halton Police rolled up behind them. The roofing stopped and they were in the back of a Police car....as seen below.

Can you imagine being the home owner having your workers arrested on your property? What an embarrassment!

Now imagine this! Do you think these workers are covered by WSIB? NO! They are a fly by night company. Who do you think is solely responsible if one of these workers are high on marijuana and fall off the roof or ladder and get hurt or killed? The homeowner, that's who!

It does not pay to hire workers like this. I encounter homeowners on a regular basis who are more concerned about the price of  the work they pay for rather than getting a great and perfect job done on their house. It does not pay to hire these guys. The risk is too high and good luck with trying to get any warranty from their work.

My advice? Hire a reputable company that would never tolerate workers like this. We, at The Eavestrough Company do great work and we back our work with a stellar 10 year warranty. And I promise you this. None of my workers will show up and smoke marijuana on your property. My workers do not use illegal drugs. If you want your eavestrough job done right, contact The Eavestrough Company at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com. We are the Eavestrough Specialists in the Golden Horseshoe area!

Steel Roofs: The Pro's and Cons

I'll come right out and admit it before I write. I like asphalt shingled roofs so this article may be a bit biased. Don't get me wrong, they have their benefits and some people prefer them. However, there are pro's and con's to both.

I have been to countless home shows and listened to all the hoopla by steel roof companies, their superiority over asphalt roofs, their warranties, longevity, etc.... It's true. They do last longer than asphalt. However, I think they have a decided disadvantage over asphalt. A great asphalt roof properly installed will last approximately 30 years. A steel roof will last approximately 50 years (despite claims of a lifetime warranty). Longevity is the only advantage I see of steel over an asphalt roof. Here are some of the disadvantages.

1. COST. They are expensive. Usually they are 3 to 4 times the price of an asphalt shingled roof. So, in my opinion, as far as cost per year goes, steel is far more expensive per year than asphalt. Even if they are twice the price of asphalt, their cost per year is more.

2. Many contractors who have to access the roof in future years will charge you more. WHY? Because they are harder to work on and around. I know, as an eavestrougher, we dislike working around steel roofs. The most common problems for us are two fold: First, they sometimes have an enormous drip edge at the end of the roof that sometimes covers up to 3 to 4 inches of the top of the eavestrough. The reason is that before a steel roof is installed, the old asphalt roof is left in place. The steel roof is begun with a drip edge that I call a "bull nose". It is a large bulky rounded starter strip. See the picture below:

This picture only shows maybe an inch or so of the eavestrough covered. Believe me, when I encounter these roofs, far more than an inch is covered. This makes eavestrough installation a chore! Sometimes even impossible! However, not all steel roofs have this bulky drip edge.

Another reason we dislike installing around a steel roof is that if you have to get on the roof for any reason, we are paranoid about preventing any denting and they are slippery! If they are wet, they are like a sheet of ice!

3. No matter what steel roofing companies say, steel roofs WILL create major ice and snow issues in winter. The reason is that when the heat from the home or the sun melts the underneath layer of show or ice, it all lets loose at once and it is like an avalanche!  When that avalanche of show comes off all at the same time, It goes over the edge of the roof and can rip off the eavestrough and/or damage whatever is beneath it on the ground. I did a major repair for a customer we installed eavestrough for 3 years ago. Thankfully his eaves trough did not rip off the house. It merely bent the front of the eavestrough and damaged about 20 hidden hangers.

Yesterday I went to do an estimate for a man in Dundas. Look at the pictures below to see what happened to the eavestrough on his house. This is a major repair!

OOPS! Half the eavestrough is gone and the fascia has major damage from a snow slide off this steel roof! Where is the other half of the eavestrough?

Oh! LOOK! I found it! We don't call this eavestrough. We call it scrap metal! Here is more damage.

These are some of the problems I see with a steel roof. Let me be clear, I am not against steel roofs if a home owner has his or her heart set on it. However, you should go into any purchase with eyes wide open. If you are getting a steel roof, I would recommend you consider doing these things before you install it.

1. Replace your old eavestrough with brand new AND install Alu-Rex 5200 to make the eavestrough super strong. Alu-Rex 5200 can ONLY be installed on new eavestrough. This will help assure that an ice or snow slide won't rip off the eavestrough.

2. Strip off the old asphalt shingle roof and make any necessary repairs to roof sheathing before the steel roof goes on. Sure this make cost you an extra $1000 but it is worth it! It will also help assure that your steel roof  company will not cover over 3-4 inches of your eavestrough! Truth be known, I have never seen a steel roof company steel roof company strip off the old roof. They ALWAYS seem to cover the old. Personally I think this could create a steel roof that is hotter than normal as well as the old asphalt shingles will be unbelievably hot underneath the steel roof. I don't care what your steel roof company says.....STRIP OFF THE OLD ROOF!

3. Install snow guards around the entire perimeter of the roof. Snow guards help hold the snow and ice back so that you do not have an avalanche when the snow heats up. Below is a picture of some snow and ice guards:

Installing ice and snow guards is not only imperative to protect the eavestrough, It is imperative so that people and pets do not get hurt if the snow or ice happens to let go when they are directly underneath!!!

There you have it! My opinion on steel roofs. I have never owned one and probably never will. I like asphalt and the only negative I can see in them is that they do not last as long. If you are determined to get a steel roof and want to replace your eavestrough, contact The Eavestrough Company at www.theeavestroughcompany.com or phone us at 905-966-2564.

Let the Professionals do it!

Let me be very clear on this! EAVESTROUGHING IS NOT A DIY JOB! Some people think they can just go to their local Lowes or Home Depot and buy all their materials, go home and hang their own eavestrough. DIY gutters are usually plastic and come in standard 10 ft sections. Plastic gets brittle, especially in the cold. It cracks very easily and it  is also impossible to have seamless eavestrough with DIY store materials, resulting in numerous water leaks. I remember a customer about 5 years ago who called me up and wanted me to "repair" his eavestrough and put gutter protection on his home. When I arrived for the estimate, I noticed he had recently installed his own plastic eavestrough. I notice water leaking from every corner and end cap! However, he was proud as a peakcock showing me the eavestrough he installed. I gently tried to discuss how plastic eavestrough had its challenges in a Canadian climate. When I asked him if his eavestrough leaked in a rain he bodly exclaimed, "Oh yes, they leak everywhere!" I had to politely tell this customer that I could not install gutter protection in his new plastic eavestrough.

That's why SEAMLESS aluminum is the industry standard for eavestrough. It never rusts and it's weather-resistant. We also want to use at least .23 gauge aluminum for all eavestrough so they will be durable and last. That's why I only recommend seamless eavestroughs done right by a professional!

Professionals, like us at The Eavestrough Company  use a roll forming machine to make seamless eavestroughs. I have made eavestroughs as long as 150'  in one continuous piece! I can customize an eavestrough to fit the length of any roof. It's the only way an eavestrough should be done and it's the only way to prevent leaks.

Professionals also make sure the entire eavestrough is sloped correctly. Otherwise, water is going to pool and can not properly drain. You want something that's going to last. Doing it right the first time means you don't have to do it again for decades. You need to bring in the right people for the right job, so get a professional to install your eavestrough.

Here's how to know if the company you are hiring is truly a professional eavestorugh company and not a fly by night company:

1. The company specializes in Eavestrough. It's what they do.
2. They have their own truck and eavestrough machine.
3. They have been in the eavestrough business a minumum of 5 years.
4. They do not sub-contract the job out to another company.
5. They do not hire another company to "roll and drop" the eavestrough so that they can install it.
6. They buy their aluminum from a reputable supplier like Boncor, Gentek, or Kaycan.
7. They have an HST number.
8. They carry full and proper WSIB and Liability Insurance.
9. They provide you with a professional and detailed estimate that fully indicates ALL work to be done.
10. They miter their corners AND DO NOT use premade factory corners.
11. They can provide references and can provide addresses that you can go and look at of work that they have done.
12. They have a strong warranty on their workmanship.

At The Eavestrough Company, we offer all of the above and do quality work. Call us at 905-966-2564 for a free estimate or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com

Ladder Stand Offs: DEMAND THEM!

When you hire a contractor to work on your roof or eavestrough, you expect them to use a ladder to climb up. Mr. Contractor, who weighs 225 lbs, shows up, extends his 28 foot ladder, places them against your eavestrough and begins the climb. By the time he gets to the top, he is now placing all of his 225 lbs squarely against your thin aluminium eavestrough and. much to your dismay, they dent. His weight also pushes down on them as he climbs on and off the ladder causing them to sag.

Perhaps you didn't notice the damage that he caused but over the years as numerous contractors use this same method to climb on and off roofs, the ladder denting and sagging will become very noticeable!

Eavestroughs are only .23 or .27 gauge aluminium! They were NEVER meant to have a ladder against them and all that weight pushing against them.

What contractors should be using is a tool called a "ladder stand off". It is so named because it enables the ladder to stand off the house. The amazing thing is that very few contractors use them!

I have been using ladder stand offs since I started in business. Below is a picture of the type of ladder stand off that I use.

Notice how the ladder never touches the eavestrough. These Stand offs cost me $150 each and prevent me from damaging my customers eavestroughs. But an added bonus for me is that it also stabilizes the top of the ladder and prevents it from sliding.

You can buy super cheap ladder stand offs for $50 from Home Depot or Lowes. You can also pay as much as $250 for a really good one called "The Spider". Dan Feldhaus is the creator of this one and he illustrates it below. Dan is a class act!

The bottom line is that if you are a home owner, a building superintendent, property manager, etc...., you should demand that all your contractors use a ladder stand off when they work on your house or building. I am preparing to do a job soon that will cost a condo corporation over $24,000. The sad part is that all the work I am doing on that complex is to replace eavestrough that have been dented by ladders. Here is a picture of the front of one of the thirteen complexes on that property.

Nearly every eavestrough on the front of every complex has been severely dented and crushed  by contractors! Look at the picture below.

Ladder stand offs just make sense! They prevent damage to your home and keep workers safely stabilized while working. Demand that all contractors use ladder stand offs when they have to climb onto your roof.

For all your eavestrough needs contact The Eavestrough Company at www.theeavestroughcompany.com or phone us at 905-966-2564.

The Difficulty of Central Hamilton Houses

Our office is near Hamilton and so it is natural for people who live in the downtown core to contact us for their eavestroughing needs. The trouble with the central core area of Hamilton is that many old neighbourhoods were built with the houses VERY close together. By close, I am talking about a space anywhere from 1-3 ft between houses.

Most home owners in central Hamilton do not know the complexities involved in tackling these homes when they need replacement of eavestrough, fascia, and soffit. Look at what I mean when I say complex:

The house on the right is a job The Eavestrough Company landed two days ago. Look at the sides of these houses. There is only 2 ft between them and, with the soffit overhang, the eavestrough of the house on the right over hangs the house on the left. To be honest, the house on the right is not that difficult once we are tied off with harnesses. However, if the owner of the house on the left wanted me to give him an estimate, I would refuse. It's just too difficult and too much of a safety issue. You can't put a ladder between the houses and it's too narrow for scaffolding.

We made a decision long ago that safety of our workers was paramount.  If we can't assure our workers can work safely, we simply won't take the job. If the house has at least 3-6 ft. between houses we require scaffolding and there will be an extra charge for the work. Look at the house below. It is hard but not impossible because there is a clear 4' in between the houses:

In addition to the scaffold set up, we also charge more to do these homes because they are a slow process and take time.

Some jobs in the city centre are not hard though. See the picture below. This is literally only a few houses away from the house above. The houses below are not hard at all!

The house on the left has only front and back eavestrough. It would be a quick and easy install! Even the house to the right of it would not be that difficult as we have more than 6 ft between the houses to put up ladders.

Downtown Hamilton poses great difficulty to eavestroughers. The homes below, I may consider if it were eavestrough only. However, if they wanted us to do soffit and fascia as well, there is no way I would take this work. It's just too unsafe and risky!

As a closing note, make sure that you always make sure that whoever you hire to work around your home has Workmans Compensation (WSIB) and has liability insurance. At The Eavestrough Company, we are fully insured to work around your house. If you hire a worker who does not have WSIB and they fall and get hurt, they are now your problem. Do your due diligence before you hire a company.

For all your eavestrough needs, contact The Eavestrough Company at www.theeavestroughcompany.com or phone us at 905-966-2564. You will get a quality job done every time! Below is a house we did recently in downtown Hamilton. It was difficult work, but it turned out beautifully!

Competitors: Keep it Positive!

"What kills a company is not competition, but arrogance. We control our fate."
~ Eric Schmidt, founder and CEO of Google

I love competition. I always have. I used to be a fierce competitor in my younger days and could run the mile in 4:40.That was back in the 70's. My mile days are over! In 1990, I started a charity and it grew from no income to over $13 million per year when I left it to start my own business. In 2007, I started my own Eavestrough business and it has flourished.

At 52, I have learned a thing or two in life and have been around the block a few times. In my  younger and somewhat immature years, I loved competition but feared the competition. I would not have said it like that then. However, there was something that I fell pray to and I have seen others fall pray to constantly that proved it! I saw it in my Track and Field "career", my charity work, and in the Eavestrough Business. It's called by a number of names, slander, gossip, negative talk, "one-upmanship", defamation, etc...

In the charity I ran, we grew out of nowhere to become the largest charity of our kind doing what we did. It was a good feeling to be on top! However, we sometimes did it by putting down others similar to us or by slandering their good name. It mattered little to me at the time until one day, one of our competitors came out of no where with information that was so wrong and defamatory, it was unbelievable! My initial reaction was that surely no one would believe such ridiculous information. But.....THEY DID! It took hours and days to put out a fire that should never have been started! However, the real corker was that, in the end, it came back to bite the organization who started it. The dispute got published in magazines and they ended up looking like petty immature whiners.

The above situation was one of those life changing situations for me. I vowed never again to do to others what that organization and person did to me!

I have seen this situation in the Eavestrough business too! Company owners attempt to make themselves look better than "the other guy" to land that job or grow their business! They concoct stories and relay it to customers or post things on the Internet. With the advent of the world wide web some 20 years ago, this has become even worse. You can write anything about anybody on the Internet and many will believe it! I like to tell people, "The internet is like a bathroom wall, you can write anything you want on it!"

However, I have learned over the years that speaking positively about others is viewed as a far more powerful statement than speaking negatively or defaming them. Ultimately, when we denigrate others we denigrate ourselves. We may find slander perversely attractive for purely selfish purposes. In the end, it has more power to harm us than the person (or company) we use it against. I love ancient proverbs. One proverb says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

It is important to understand that whatever we say is a reflection of us as people. A wise Jewish Rabbi once said, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks". In other words, "Negative people speak negative words. Positive people speak positive words."

AND, to conclude, I have learned that if you can't think of something positive to say, SAY NOTHING! Another ancient proverb says, "Evan a fool is considered wise, if he keeps his mouth shut!" I love that proverb!

We aren't the only good eavestrough company in southern Ontario, but if you would like a fair, honest quote from us, go to our web site at www.theeavestroughcompany.com or phone us at 905-966-2564.