As a home inspector in Atlanta, we do roof inspections all across the North Atlanta area.  Just recently we had to provide a gentleman with four different roof inspections because the roofing contractor continued to make the repairs incorrectly on a brand new roof.  Now one would think taht knowing that an individul home inspector in Atlanta was going to be coming back out to check your work, then you would get it right at least by the second go around.  This roofing contractor didn’t and that makes you wonder how many homes may be having leaks within a very short time of having the new roof installed.  Most people never even think about having a home inspector in Atlanta come out and take a look at the project before making the final payment.  A roof inspection cost very little compared to the cost of having to get the roofing contractor to come out several years later, that is if he is even still around and able to be found.

A new roof can put money back in homeowners’ pockets

(ARA) – A 2010 survey by American Express indicates that homeowners will spend more than $6,000 on average on home improvements this year. For one lucky homeowner this money may come back not only in the form of enhancements to their home, but also thousands of dollars right back in their pocket. For others, installing a new roof could mean getting a little money back in their bank account. It’s as simple as installing a roof and sharing the picture for all to admire.

According to a recent report by the Pew Research Center, 80 percent of Americans say owning a house is the best long-term investment a person can make. The study adds that about 48 percent of all homeowners state that the value of their home has declined during the recession. A smart way to dramatically enhance the look and value of a home is with a roof makeover.

Traditional plain black and brown roofs are losing popularity to more colorful shingles, which reflect the personality and style of the homeowner and can increase the home’s curb appeal. Homeowners are confidently choosing beautiful color palates such as Summer Harvest, Sand Dune or Merlot shingles for the top of their abode. Owens Corning, a leading manufacturer of insulation and roofing products, offers the Duration Series Designer Colors Collection of shingles with seven vibrant color combinations that come with SureNail Technology for maximum performance and wind resistance of up to 130-mph winds. The company even offers a free online color personality quiz to help homeowners select the shade best suited for them. Just visit www.roofing.owenscorning.com to learn your color personality.

“Homeowners are looking for ways that they can significantly increase the value of their home and its physical appeal,” says Sue Burkett, marketing manager for Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt. “A new roof can be a major makeover for some homes, adding valuable aesthetic appeal for the homeowners and neighbors to enjoy.”

Owens Corning recently announced its first-ever national competition to find the home with the best roof makeover using the company’s Duration Designer Colors Collection shingles. The just-launched “That’s My Roof!” contest welcomes homeowners to show off their new roof and have a chance to win prizes.

“The contest is a fun way for us to interact with homeowners and provide a venue for them to show off their redesigned exterior of their home,” adds Burkett. “In addition, other homeowners get to vote and comment on each make-over submission. Refunding a new roof to the best overall submission is our way of showing customers that we appreciate their business and we’re dedicated to the same thing that they are – making their home look great.’”

To enter, homeowners can visit www.thatsmyroof.com and submit before and after photos of their Duration Designer Colors Collection roof through Oct. 15. The contest will run through Oct. 31, 2010 and feature monthly winners. One grand prize winner will receive a refund for the cost of the roof up to $10,000.

For homeowners, updating their roof with designer shingles offers more than wind and weather protection and overall value to the home. The increase in color choices helps enable homeowners to add a splash of personality to exterior and fall more in love with a home that is reflective of his or her style.

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Atlanta home inspector, David Lelak, inspects this Atlanta roof and finds that the shingles were not installed properly – manufacturers suggest 4 nails per shingle, too few nails were used per shingle.  This is one of the minor things that David always looks for especially when he is proving a roof inspection on a brand new home or a roof repair.

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The cost of a home inspection from a certified Georgia home inspector is very small when compared to the potential cost of troubles a simple home inspection might uncover.   I often find different items on almost every roof that I walk, most of the time it is not a big issue, but sometimes the entire roof may need replaced.  I also check in the attic, because one of the things that I have found is, if the roof has been leaking then you can have damage to the roof flooring, the insulation and the ceilings of the home.  I don’t know if you have checked the prices on a new roof or even roof repairs lately, but I just had mine replaced and it ran nearly $15,000. That’s a pretty big price to pay out simply because you didn’t get the house checked out. Before you agree to purchase your next home do yourself a great big favor and order a home inspection by a certified Atlanta home inspector. You will be glad you did in the long run.

 We also provide roof inspections for those who have just had roofing contractors come out and replace or repair their roof.  When we provide this service, we walk every area of the roof and the last roof inspection we provided we had over 60 pictures of items on a brand new roof. 

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When David tells people that he is a home inspector everyone thinks that’s great until perhaps they hear some of the stories that he tells. One of his favorite sayings is “This Atlanta Home Inspector walks the roof” and he is not joking. And that is what he did during an Alpharetta Home Inspection today.

This is the house that David decided to get up on today and of course I am thinking, “Okay are you crazy”. So many times as a home inspector you go places and do things that normal people don’t even think about doing. And of course while he was up there this is a couple of pictures that he took.

Of course he found several issues on the roof alone, below is a shingle tab missing, but there is no signs of leaking inside, probably because the roof is so steep the water doesn’t have a chance to get inside.

And of course in the picture below you definitely have the birds eye view.

David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock, Atlanta and all of North Georgia. Be sure to visit us at www.AskYourGeorgiaHomeInspector.com

You can also schedule your own home inspection online today!

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time.

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our inspection report.

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Atlanta Home Inspector gives you several reasons why you should never buy a new home without a home inspection. So many times we think we’re getting the best home possible without the issues that an older home would have. I mean, let’s face it “it’s a brand new roof, and a reputable builder with great contractors.”

Well I just had the privilege of doing a home inspection on another brand new home and one of the main issues was the painters failed to finish painting the area around the upper roof line and it would not have been seen if I had not walked the roof. But the roof alone once again had several small issues and I ended up with over 25 pictures. Now nothing that I found was a deal killer, but it was definitely issues that the home owner needed taken care of. When I inspect a new home I go out of my way to let the new home owner know that I am gong to point out even small stuff, so that the builder is not stuck with it later on, right now the contractors are still around, who knows what will happen in a year, the contractors may still be there or they may not. So let’s take care of things right now.

Please let me encourage you, to encourage your new home buyers to have an inspection done. It is such a great way to have your check list ready.
David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock, Atlanta and all of North Georgia. Be sure to visit us at www.AskYourGeorgiaHomeInspector.com

You can also schedule your own home inspection online today!

We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time.

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our inspection report.

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So your purchasing a brand-new home and you don’t think that you need to have it inspected. You might want to think again. I’ve been on several home inspections lately where I have spotted several issues that may or may not have been caught at the walk through. One of the main issues that I have found is defects up on the roof. These defects would not have been found if I had not walked the entire roof area. Most of the time people can’t believe that I would even get up on this type of roof but if you look closely you can see my shadow in the picture.

In the picture to the right you can see where there’s a cracked shingle that may not look like much, but on a brand-new home it could be considered a big deal. Shingles are layered for a reason, when installing a shingle roof the bottom shingle has nails and then the shingle on top of it is supposed to cover those nail holes so the water does not penetrate the roof.

While the builder had the roofing contractors come back to redo the shingles on the peak of this home, this is the way that they repaired this. This repair is simply a Band-Aid and over a period of time, the caulking that they have put up here will deteriorate and break down allowing water to begin to seep into the home unnoticed. While this doesn’t look like a big issue would you want your brand-new roof to look like this and to possibly have these types of errors in the future?

This is only one instance that I found while inspecting brand-new homes.

Stay tuned more more bloggs about The common found errors on brand-new homes.

This is also one of the first homes that sold in this neighborhood. It’s not like they were on the last home and rushing to get done. It was caught in the very beginning of a new subdivision. Lucky for this homeowner they chose to go ahead and do a home inspection on their brand-new home. This also helped the builder because he can still go back to the roofing contractors for them to fix the situation.

David Lelak of IHI Home Inspections serves Canton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Woodstock, Atlanta and all of North Georgia.  Be sure to visit us at www.AskYourGeorgiaHomeInspector.com

You can also schedule your own home inspection online today!
We create Peace of Mind ONE Home Inspection at a time.

Also download our free report “How To Avoid The Blind Home Inspector” and a sample of our inspection report.

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