our roof installation process

We Offer an Executive Roof Installation Process

The most crucial day in the life of a roof is the day it is installed. Honest Abe Roofing is a trustworthy and reliable company dedicated to installing a roof that will last a long time. Using quality products is important, but if those products are not installed properly, your roof will not last. Our certified professionals have developed our Executive Installation Process to ensure that you will Never Roof Again.

Quality Underlayment Makes for a Strong Roof

The roofing process starts with the underlayment. Before the roofing material is applied, the underlayment is installed to act as a temporary water barrier. Depending on the underlayment, your home could be protected for a few months or even several years before installing a roof.

There are a few different forms of underlayment available including:

• Asphalt Saturated Felt – This is the most commonly used underlayment. It is water-resistant; however, once it is saturated, it can create leaks in your roof. It deteriorates over time and is easily damaged.
• Non-Bitumen Synthetic – This is water-resistant and sheds water rather than absorbing it. It is very strong and will not deteriorate over time.
• Severe Storm Shield – This has a rubberized membrane that allows it to self-heal around nails and fasteners that penetrate it. It is waterproof and incredibly durable.

Most contractors choose to use Asphalt Saturated Felt because it is the cheapest, but we believe that using quality underlayment is important. Every Honest Abe roof gets the best form of underlayment—we call it the Secret Service Underlayment because our underlayment method will protect your roof like the Secret Service protects the president. We use the Severe Storm Shield on all areas that are especially susceptible to moisture intrusions like eaves, rakes, and valleys, and around all penetration areas such as pipes, chimneys, etc. We opt to use the water-resistant Non-Bitumen Synthetic underlayment on the rest of the roof to allow warm moist air in the attic to dissipate and escape, which reduces humidity within the home.

Proper Ventilation for a Healthy Roof

A home needs to breathe, not only to protect the roof from premature aging but also to ensure that the home stays comfortable. Without adequate ventilation, the warm air that rises within your home will just sit in the attic, increasing your energy bills and, worse yet, increasing the amount of humidity in your home. Without proper ventilation, the lifespan of your roof will dramatically decrease.

Providing Your Home with Healthy Intake

In order to understand roof ventilation, the first thing you need to know is that a home has to breathe in (intake) and breathe out (exhaust). Intake comes from the bottom of the roof through the soffits. Soffits must be vented to allow this to happen and, if they are not, Honest Abe Roofing has a few solutions.

There are two ways to take care of unventilated soffits. These are:

• Install new vented soffits. Doing this can add to the cost of the roof and add time to the installation process.
• Install smart vents. Installing smart vents is a much less invasive way to get intake. A smart vent is installed under the shingles, so it will not add time to the install. It will also not add a lot of costs, so most customers choose to use this method.

Effective Exhaust for Your Roof

Once we have taken care of the intake, we must tackle the exhaust. The exhaust occurs towards the top of the roof. Fresh air enters the attic and travels up towards the exhaust. The higher on the roof the exhaust is placed, the more effectively the house can “breathe.”

Most roofing companies will use box vents. These box vents work properly, but their appearance is unappealing to most homeowners, and they add extra penetration areas that lead to leaks over time.

The absolute best way to get proper exhaust is to use high-flow ridge vents. These vents are installed at the peak of the roof and sit under the ridge cap shingles. High-flow ridge vents give the roof a much more “finished” look. and, they do not add any penetrations to the roof. Honest Abe Roofing only installs high-flow ridge vents to ensure our customers receive the best exhaust system.

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