Weather Tight's Money Saving Blog

You may think that the little leak from your gutters is no big deal and not a top priority. If ignored a leaky gutter can cause serious damage to your home and even cause health problems for your family. Here are a few issue that can stem from leaky gutters:

-Over time water it can create mold, mildew, and stains sometimes in places you can’t see. Most mold is usually an easy thing to take care of, however it can cause people with allergies and asthma some complications.
-A gutter leak that finds its way into your home can damage wood, drywall, and even carpeting which can be costly for your family.
-A larger leak can inhibit rainwater from saturating your lawn and eventually causing a leak into your basement. This can cause foundation problems.

The important thing to remember is that as soon as you notice a leaky gutter, you should take the time to fix or replace it as soon as you can. If you need your gutters replaced, call Weather Tight at 414-459-3874 for a free consultation.

Thinking of adding a room onto your home? Need an additional bedroom, or another living space? Dreading the cost and the extended time of construction? Think about adding a SIP (Structurally Insulated Panel) room addition instead of traditional construction!

Benefits of SIP Rooms:

>>Walls are made with dense foam and incased with wood and drywall. This means it is super insulated, and there is no need to search for a stud when hanging pictures!

>>Extremely well insulated walls come pre-made. This means no errors in measurement, or raw construction in your yard.

>>Less expensive and faster than traditional construction.

>>Looks just like a part of your home with traditional siding, windows, roofs, etc.

Contact Weather Tight for more information about how you can save energy with our new SIP rooms!

1. Better Business Bureau-The Better Business Bureau is a great place to start researching a company’s reputation. The organization is an impartial non-profit organization. Each and every complaint is thoroughly investigated and companies are allowed an opportunity to fix misunderstandings. Each company is given a letter grade, don’t even consider a company whose rating is less than a B.

2. Check for Referrals-Ask your family and friends for recommendations. Word-of-mouth is very powerful, if a company has a history of ripping off consumers, chances are you’ll hear about it. If you know someone who has had a positive experience, most likely you’ll have the same experience.

3. Verify licenses & Insurance-Licenses and insurance are a big deal in the home improvement industry. Companies who are legit will have no problem showing you their credentials. Be skeptical if a company refuses to show you. If one of their employees gets hurt at your house and they don’t have insurance, you could be responsible for their medical bills.

4. Ask for references-Quality home improvement contractors will be able to provide a list of references relatively quickly. Make sure to call these references and ask not only about the quality of work, but also the experience working with the company. For large purchases like roofing or siding stop by a home that they have completed to check on the quality of work.

5. Look for reviews online-Although online reviews can be manipulated by contractors, take the time to look for red flags. If multiple sites have negative reviews about a company, be very skeptical. Angie’s list is a great subscription based site that closely monitors their reviews to maintain integrity.

Each year, Sunrise Windows (the manufacturer of Restorations Windows – the brand that is carried by Weather Tight) looks at customer feedback and ranks the retailers in the replacement window business. The companies are ranked according to performance and trustworthiness.

Sunrise Windows has chosen Weather Tight as the replacement window retailer that demonstrates high levels of professional leadership in customer service, technical knowledge, installation, and after the sale support to our customers.

The owner of Sunrise Windows, Gary Delman, also added that he can see the energy, enthusiasm and values that Weather Tight has that allows us to offer our customers “the best overall value in replacement windows.” We are honored to have earned this award.

Weather Tight appeared on the Fall 2009 cover of Replacement Contractor Magazine. Below is the article that appeared:

In May 2008, Weather Tight opened a 4,500-square-foot home improvement showroom in Milwaukee featuring window, door, sunroom, roofing, and siding displays in a brand new 25,000-square-foot building that also houses the company’s offices and warehouse. The $3.5 million investment could be seen in several ways. The first is that it was just plain nuts. The U.S. economy was five months into the worst recession since the 1930s, and consumers were already reining in their spending. Who would come?
The other way to see it was the way eather Tight’s owners and managers did. Given the level of planning and how hard the company’s people had worked to make the project a success, how could it possibly fail?
Read the entire article

1. Shopping based on price only- If you choose to get several quote and notice that one company is well below the average, there may be a reason why. Cost alone should not be your determining factor. Professionalism, reputation, and quality workmanship should also weigh heavily on your decision.

Questions you need to ask include: What is the total price of the job? Does this include sales tax? Can I obtain financing through the contractor? When are the payments due? What is the interest rate? Does the price include removal of the old roof? Any hidden costs? Does this company carry workers’ compensation and liability insurance? What is their Better Business Bureau rating?

2. Going with your first quote-The process of calling, meeting, and evaluating roofing contractors can be a long process. Don’t allow yourself to take the shortcut and go with the first company that comes out. Make sure to get at least detailed 3 quotes and take the time to fully understand how each company is going to approach the project.

3. Not comparing apples to apples- When you receive your quotes make sure that the contractor puts in writing what brand and style of materials they will be using. Some contractors will use high quality long lasting materials while others will use inexpensive unreliable materials.

4. Choosing a company because they can start right away- It’s understandable that you want your roof project completed as soon as possible, but be careful. This is usually a red flag. If a company has no other work you should take a close look at why that is.

5. Falling for a deal that is too good to be true- Good respected contractors will not be offering half off deals for roofing. Most roofing contractors have very little wiggle room in their prices. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount, but be leery of a deal that is too good to be true.

When thinking about home improvements and ways to make your home more energy efficient, most think about purchasing new windows, or watching how they use electricity in their homes. Attic insulation can be just as important as other home improvement projects to ensure that your home is ready for all of the climates Wisconsin has to offer.

>>  Most homes in the U.S. do not have enough insulation. An estimated 60% of homes do not meet the level of needed insulation to keep energy bills at their lowest. The odds are stacked against us, since more than half of all homes do not have proper attic insulation.

>>  Adequate insulation provides temperature control. Feel the ceiling in the top level of your home on any given afternoon. Can you feel a temperature difference? The difference can come from the sun beating down on your roof all day long, heating your attic. Oftentimes when the attic is not properly insulated, you can feel the temperature difference as you climb the stairs during the summertime. Adequate attic insulation can help keep the warmth in the attic and avoid unnecessary hot flashes every time you go upstairs.

>>  My home is more than 10 years old. Chances are, unless you have recently added insulation to your attic, the levels of insulation are lacking. Newer homes may or may not have the proper levels of insulation and should also be checked.

>>  How much insulation should I have? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it’s all in the R value. (A number used to measure the resistance of heat flow a material has – the larger the number, the more resistant.) This number should be between 49 and 60 for attic insulation.

Weather Tight was honored by Replacement Contractor Magazine as their Contractor of the Year. This is a national award honoring Weather Tight for its quality, ethics and integrity.

Windows help maintain the temperature in your home, keeping the cold out in the winter and the heat out in the summer. To capture upon the benefits of windows, it is important to have well sealed, efficient, and double or triple paned glass window. The benefits to having quality windows are endless, including tax rebates and improving the look of your home. Below are the top 5 reasons to replace your windows before winter.

Energy Efficient Windows : Savings
1. 2009-2010 $1500 Tax Credit. The Government is offering a $1500 tax credit on qualifying windows. The credit is applied to your taxes and is 30% of the cost of the window not including installation. The windows need to be installed in the tax year to qualify for that years credit. Since ordering and installation can take 8 weeks or more, you should really act soon.

2. Save money on energy bills. Quality windows ensure that the home uses less gas to heat the home. This commonly results in a noticeable reduction in your monthly utility bills. Imagine the money that will be saved each month and at the end of the year! When you add up the savings, the new windows will essentially pay for themselves.

3. Old windows are dangerous. Cracked and broken become even more dangerous once winter arrives, as the glass becomes brittle and cold. If you have children in the home, they are in great danger if they play or sleep in a room with old windows. Further concerns are the drafts that old windows cause, as well as the potential illnesses these drafts can cause your family members.

4. Many old windows are made of dangerous materials. Old windows may contain lead paint, which is dangerous for children and adults alike. Upgrading not only reduces bills and increases the aesthetics of a home, but it may also protect your health.

5. Old windows are commonly single paned. Double paned windows lock out more moisture and cold than old, single paned windows. These old windows have a tendency to freeze open or shut, and they feel icy to the touch. In addition, they are known to develop frost on the inside of the window, increasing the chances of breakage, which causes damage to the home.

All conscientious homeowners should be aware of ice damming and how it works. It is really quite simple…An ice dam is ice that forms a ridge on the edge of a roof and therefore prevents melting snow (water) from draining off.

 What causes Ice Dams?

 There is a complex interaction among the amount of heat loss from a house, snow cover and outside temperatures that lead to ice dam formation. The snow on a roof surface that is above 32° F will melt. As water flows down the roof, it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32° F and it freezes.  Voila!—an ice dam.

What damages occur from Ice Dams?

 The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. Moisture in your home can lead to the growth of mold and mildew which we all know can cause a variety of health concerns.

As their money literally “flies out the roof”, homeowners are looking at their existing roofs and wondering what they need to do to protect themselves from such occurrences.

Short term solutions include using your ladder and a “roof rake” and/or broom to clear the snow from your roof. (Be careful, you can damage your shingles!) If water is already leaking in, you can make a channel in the ice dam to help drain away the water.

A long term solution could be increasing the insulation in your ceiling/roof. (Codes suggest  R-Value 38)

The perfect solution would be a new roof system. Weather Tight did a lot of research to make sure we could offer our customers the very best, most protective, energy efficient, attractive roof system out there. The roofs we install are Owens Corning, a familiar household name. They offer high performance roofs that contain a well balanced ventilation system consisting of both under-eave soffit vents for intake and rooftop vents for exhaust.  In addition, they have a rubberized ice and water shield and Hip & Ridge shingles which increase protection and durability. It takes more than just shingles to create a high performance roof.