A cool roof is one that has been designed to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than a standard roof. Cool roofs can be made of a highly reflective type of paint, a sheet covering, or highly reflective tiles or shingles. Nearly any type of building can benefit from a cool roof, but consider the climate and other factors before deciding to install one. Just as wearing light-colored clothing can help keep you cool on a sunny day, cool roofs material that is designed to

Using drones for roof assessments. A new breed of roofing companies is using drone technology for more comprehensive roof assessments. Several areas of concern in the roofing industry have resulted in a negative reputation for many companies and the industry at large. With high costs for repairs, inaccurate and dangerous inspection methods, and a lack of preventative maintenance, traditional ways of doing business often do not make the customer’s best interests a priority. Ho

The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting cooler. The kids are trudging off to school again with their backpacks, and leaves are falling from the trees. Yep, it’s official: Fall is here. Now’s the time to finish up any last-minute maintenance projects and get your home and yard ready. Take care of these 12 tasks to get your home clean, warm and ready for the cool days to come. Exterior prep 1. Fix cracks in concrete and asphalt Depending on where you live, thes

An unventilated attic can reach 150 degrees in the heat of summer -- 50 degrees higher than it should be. An overheated attic can bake asphalt shingles on the roof and cause them to deteriorate. And it can cause your air conditioner to work harder than it needs to and send your energy bills soaring with the temperature. To head off these problems, consider these options for bringing your attic's temperature down: Install electric ventilators and attic fans, which remove hot a

When choosing a new roof for your home, the most important factors to consider are longevity, cost, durability, energy efficiency, and sustainability of the materials that you choose. All of these elements inform one another. For example, the durability of your roofing material—or how well it holds up during inclement weather—is ultimately going to affect its longevity. The energy efficiency is going to inform the overall cost—if you choose a cheaper roofing material that is

A leaking roof is the most obvious sign that it’s time to replace your roof, but it’s hardly the only one. Many of these signs will eventually lead to a leaking roof, but identifying these problems early enough can prevent water damage and save you money for your roof replacement project. Sometimes this early intervention can also be the difference between repairing your roof and replacing your roof. You should consider part of this decision, however, the age of the roof, oth

Skylights are a popular option for bringing natural light into a home. Even a single skylight can transform a room, adding 30% more light than a window and bathing interiors with balanced, energy-saving light. At first glance they seem inexpensive: A quality 2-by-4-foot skylight and flashing kit costs $150 to $500. However, installation adds another $500 to $3,000 to the project cost — good reason to carefully evaluate whether a skylight is right for you. Until recently, roof

While it’s not necessarily wise to get up on your roof, there may be times when you need to make the climb to fix a slipped or broken tile or clean up tree debris, for instance. Here are some tips put out by Better Homes and Garden that we recommend you follow: ✓Hire a professional to do the job if the roof is steep (over 35 degrees). ✓Don’t work alone. You need someone to steady the ladder and, if you do slip, help you down or call for assistance. ✓Make sure the ladder is s

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) tracks U.S. weather and climate events that have great economic and societal impacts (www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions). Since 1980, the U.S. has sustained 219 weather and climate disasters where the overall damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index, as of December 2017). The cumulative costs for these 219 events exceed $1.5 trillion. During 2017, the U.S. experie

If you’ve ever built a gingerbread house, you know that walls crack, icing flakes, and roofs sag — if they don’t collapse altogether. And once you’ve got your gingerbread house up, you’ve got to maintain and protect it against sticky humidity and sticky fingers. In the spirit of the holidays, we recently talked with a handful of chefs who spend at least a couple of months each year constructing gingerbread houses — even cities — for private and corporate clients. Here are t