Blog

While many Americans achieve the American Dream of homeownership, few are prepared for the frequent repairs and projects that go along with it. With the easy spread of information possible with modern technology, more and more homeowners are choosing the DIY method for many household projects. While DIY is a great way to learn a new skill and gain a sense of personal accomplishment, there are many repair tasks that require years of practice and trial-and-error to achieve the necessary level of competency and safety. At the top of the list – and the top of your home – is chimney repair, a task which is best left to the experts – like the chimney repair experts at Over The Top Roofing, your best bet for chimney repair in the Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls areas.

Chimney repair work is especially susceptible to the problem of DIY overconfidence. Countless articles exist online about repointing brickwork, filling splits or cracks, or even replacing spalled brick. As chimneys are often in need of some work, many look to these articles when contemplating how to fix their masonry chimneys. While these might seem like helpful resources, in the long run, they can cost you more in time and money than contracting with the masonry experts at Over The Top Roofing.

Mortar is of utmost importance in chimney repair and masonry work, and many DIY articles online don’t emphasize this importance to the extent that it deserves. Mortar that is too soft, or too hard, can result in damage to the brick and can compromise the structural integrity of the chimney, leading to a dangerous condition.

If the mortar is mixed so that it is stronger than the surrounding brick, temperature changes actually cause the mortar to squeeze, and thus damage, the brick. This causes the bricks to spall. Spalled bricks cannot be repaired, and must be replaced before further damage accrues. If incorrect mortar mixture is the cause of the spalling, the mortar must also be replaced to prevent further damage.

Mortar that is too soft, on the other hand, quickly deteriorates and requires premature replacement or repair. If it deteriorates faster than surrounding mortar, this can create instability in the masonry, and if left unchecked can even cause collapse.

It’s important to seek an expert for your chimney project, not only because the work itself requires years of experience, but because of the danger inherent in working on a roof. Our team of roofing and masonry experts has seen and done it all when it comes to chimney repair. We’re available to get your job done right and avoid the dangerous and costly mistakes that can occur due to DIY overconfidence.

Have complete confidence in Over the Top Roofing as your chimney repair contractor!

In need of chimney repair on your home? We’re ready to give you a FREE consultation and estimate today. Call us at 414-531-ROOF, or visit our website to Contact Us today!

Your home’s roof is in disrepair, with buckled, cracked shingles and numerous water leaks. The solution: replace the roof and call it a day, right? Wrong. Many times, there are problems in your attic that need to be addressed as well. If you leave those problems as is, you may not get as many years out of your new roof as you expect. This becomes an even larger problem in the winter when escaping heat melts the snow on your roof and creates ice dams, hazardous icicles and other problems which compromise the structure of your home and severely harm your roofing materials. Over The Top Roofing is your roofing and attic insulation expert in Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls, and we would like to share some information with you about 3 common attic problems and how to solve them.

Problem #1: Inadequate Air Sealing

In our climate, where we experience all extremes that Mother Nature can dish out, sealing gaps in your attic is of critical importance. In the winter, warm air inside the home will be pulled towards the cooler air outside, resulting in lost efficiency and increased costs as the heating system compensates for continuous heat loss through the attic. In the summer, air leaks let warm, humid air into the attic, leading to moisture problems, damaging insulation and increasing cooling costs.

Over The Top’s experts are skilled in sealing up attic spaces. We’ll eliminate the tiny gaps around windows, chimney flashing, and other utility components, and ensure that air leakage is stopped while allowing for normal, healthy airflow.

Problem #2: Inadequate or Poorly-Installed Insulation

Well-insulated attics are energy efficient and promote comfort throughout the home. Uninsulated walls or ceilings let heat and moisture move through building materials, resulting in heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer and reducing your comfort. This inefficiency is compounded by the increased costs of requiring heating and cooling equipment to run longer to maintain temperature.

If the attic space is uninsulated or under-insulated, or if the insulation that’s in place is old, compacted, or extremely dirty, your attic is probably not sufficiently energy efficient. Over The Top offers expert insulation services for your home, bringing true efficiency to your attic space.

Problem #3: Inadequate Venting

While inadequate air sealing must be addressed to prevent unwanted air infiltration, your attic still needs to “breath” properly, and controlled airflow is a requirement to prevent excess moisture buildup and problems like ice dams, which can damage your roofing materials and result in serious problems like mold and mildew.

Attic venting requirements vary from home to home, and it requires skill and experience to properly vent an attic for our unique climate. The experts at Over The Top Roofing deliver exceptional skill in terms of attic venting, ensuring that your roofing job is ready for decades of service, and that your attic efficiency is maximized.

Have complete confidence in Over the Top Roofing as your roofing contractor!

Interested in a new roof, attic insulation or sealing, or attic venting for your home? We’re ready to give you a FREE consultation and estimate today. Call us at 414-531-ROOF, or visit our website to Contact Us today!

 

When it’s time for your roof to be replaced, you may feel overwhelmed with the amount of roofing contractors available to take the job. How do you know who is honest and who is going to give you the runaround? Should you go with one of the major companies, or look for a smaller group that can deliver more personal service? Where should you look? Over the Top Roofing has decades of experience in the roofing industry, and we know that homeowners are faced with these questions and more when it comes to roofing contractor choices. While we believe that we are the best roofing choice in the in the Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls area, we can back it up with some factual advice that you can use when choosing your contractor.

Make sure you’re dealing with a reputable contractor.

Your choice of contractor should depend heavily on their reputation. First of all, only deal with bonded and insured contractors. If a contractor lacks license bonding and insurance, it’s a good indication that either their credit is bad, or there are issues with how they do business. Over the Top Roofing is fully bonded and insured.

Second, look for certifications, accreditations and testimonials. Over the Top has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, we’re a recipient of the Angie’s List Super Service Award, and we’re long-standing members of the National Roofing Contractor’s Association, NARI, and Metropolitan Builders Association. In addition, we have tons of testimonials from happy customers available on our website.

Once you’ve made your choice, make sure you receive an accurate and complete estimate, and read your contract carefully before signing.

Less scrupulous roofing contractors may try to skim on the work to save costs, or omit details from the quote or contract to save time and make the job easier. A roofing job can be labor-intensive and dangerous, requiring several workers with years of experience to get it done right. Some contractors will underestimate this need and try to cut corners later on.

Over the Top Roofing will work with you to make sure you get the new roof that you want, and that the work is done exceptionally well. We will give you an itemized estimate, detailing every aspect of the work that will be done, and the price breakdown. Once the estimate is approved, our drafted contract will be easy to read and understand, and will include the details of the estimate as signed. We won’t pull one shingle until we’re sure the contract is completely understood and the full scope of the work is fully agreed upon.

Have complete confidence in Over the Top Roofing as your roofing contractor!

How to Choose a Roofing ContractorInterested in a new roof for your home? We’re ready to give you a FREE consultation and estimate today. Call us at 414-531-ROOF, or visit our website to Contact Us today!

They blend into the design of your house and you don’t give them a lot of consideration, but your gutters are incredibly important to the overall health of your home. Without them, rainwater would collect near your foundation, eventually infiltrating your basement and causing major damage to your foundation in the process. Over the Top Roofing is your gutter expert in Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls, and we’re here with all the information and experience needed to ensure that your gutters are doing their job. Let’s take a look at the history of this essential part of every home:

Historians have seen evidence of primitive gutter systems dating back to as far as 1500 BC. These systems were crude, and probably didn’t do a very effective job of removing rainwater from the foundation walls, but they were a start in the right direction. It wasn’t until the Romans brought their more advanced gutter technology to Britain in 47 AD that gutters started to see widespread use. The shift in architecture and resultant changes in roof styles of this era required a solution to rainwater management, so these stone approximations of today’s gutters would suffice.

As the centuries passed, many different materials were used in gutter systems, but stone and wood were the most plentiful. These systems may have served their purpose as well as one would expect, but they did not do as effective of a job as today’s gutters, contributing to a shorter lifespan for the typical construction of the day.

In the early 1700s, with cast iron becoming an affordable and plentiful material, the modern gutter began to take shape. Replacing lead as the main gutter material, cast iron proved to be extremely durable, versatile, effective and attractive. Early designs evolved into the common V-shaped gutter, which was an effective and aesthetically pleasing solution for the homeowners of this era.

When the 20th century arrived, and the ensuing industrial revolution, new manufacturing techniques brought about new designs in the gutter industry. Metal rolling machines produced new, half-round gutters that were very popular with consumers. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the next revolution in gutter technology occurred, with the invention of the seamless aluminum gutter machine. Allowing installers to create custom-fit, seamless gutters that provided an affordable and highly effective solution to homeowners quickly made aluminum the new material of choice in gutters, a position it still holds to this day.

Although many changes have occurred to the common gutter system over centuries, the same principals apply, and the same importance of channelling water away from your foundation still exists. At Over the Top Roofing, we’re incredibly passionate gutter and roofing contractors who enjoy the opportunity to bring this storied technology to your Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls area home.  

Over the Top Roofing is your Gutter Expert!

Interested in a new or replacement gutter system for your home? We’re ready to give you a FREE consultation and estimate today. Call us at 414-531-ROOF, or visit our website to Contact Us today!