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Reaping the Benefits from an Insured Florida Roofer

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Matthew Housh

It’s a beautiful January mid-afternoon and the roofing contractor you hired is making progress on your new asphalt roof. Suddenly a worker near the chimney slips and falls off the roof. He lands on the ground and breaks several bones, including his neck. It’s a terrible accident, but luckily he survives. Then you find out the contractor you hired doesn’t carry any insurance. How lucky do you feel?

In Florida, non-insured roofers are more common than you may realize. Even an apparent roofing pro with a sparkling company logo on the side of his company vehicle may not carry adequate (or any) insurance. If it’s a topic you’re not discussing before a project commences, finding out after the fact may create a whole lot of issues that will catch you by surprise, such as the issue of liability if a worker falls on your property while uninsured.

As part of an initial inspection meeting, asking to see the contractor’s certificate of insurance helps you more effectively qualify a Gulf Coast roofing contractor. And the type of insurance coverage is important too. Does the contractor carry general liability? Does the contractor carry workers’ compensation? A brief discussion at the beginning of the process can reduce the risk from trouble later. You can even take it a step further and ask for proof of insurance from the actual insurance company, rather than merely taking the word of the contractor.

You may have encountered and even hired non-insured roofing contractors in the past. Perhaps it was a new company without insurance or a part-time contractor. You may have saved some money going this route. Yet hiring a single contractor or a company that is not insured is a risk that should be avoided. At the end of the day (or the end of the project), you don’t want to be financially responsible for an error or negligence on the part of your contractor.

In Florida, insured and licensed roofing contractors are available for roof repair and roof replacement. Seeking them out saves you an unnecessary hassle later. As a GAF MasterElite Roofing Contractor, Arry’s Roofing maintains an adequate level of insurance, and remains committed to operating with licensed roofing professionals only. Tampa Bay property owners can learn more by visiting www.arrysroofing.com or by calling 727-938-9565.

Before Tampa Bay Bids Adieu to 2011

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Matthew Housh

2011 is almost behind us. Before we officially send it off, we’d like to take a few moments to reflect on what we’ve accomplished over the last 12 months. But we can’t do it alone. We need some feedback from you.

As one of the Gulf Coast’s premier contractors, Arry’s Roofing has traveled all over the area every week to improve homes and businesses, repairing or replacing failing or faulty roofing systems in Tampa, St. Pete and beyond. Whether you’re a residential customer in Clearwater who upgraded from asphalt to metal roofing or you’re a commercial customer in Palm Harbor who relied on us for roof cleaning, we thank you for trusting our experience and expertise when making your decision.

If you were one of the property owners in Florida who turned to Arry’s Roofing for residential or commercial services in 2011, we want to hear from you. Last time, you likely called our toll-free number, 727-938-9565, to contact us. But this time, we invite you to share with us in writing how our team made a difference in your life in the past year. Whether it was a big project or a little one, we welcome any stories or comments about the ways we enhanced your home.

Testimonials, like the one you can provide, allow potential customers to make more informed decisions and discover the benefits of turning to a GAF MasterElite Roofing Contractor. So think about your experience. Was it your first time using Arry’s Roofing? What impressed you most? What pleasantly surprised you during the process?

We encourage you to share your comments or stories below this blog. Whether you write a hundred words or just a few, your personal perspective is welcome. Thanks again for considering us for your residential or commercial roofing needs in 2012. Your continued patronage is always appreciated.

Tampa-St. Pete’s “A-Team” in Roofing

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Matthew Housh

It’s an ideal time of year to thank every valued team member at Arry’s Roofing. The dedication and expertise of our “A-Team” are the reasons we’re able to satisfy our customers all around the Gulf Coast. Some of them you see in person; others you may only talk to on the phone. But each one of them makes our overall operation run at an exceptional level.

You don’t get to stay in business these days by accident. One advantage at Arry’s Roofing is hiring only licensed roofing contractors to work on residential and commercial roofs. Our production team includes a host of roofing professionals. Having more than 20 years of roofing experience is not a rare feat among this crew. These are lifelong roofing professionals who came to Arry’s with solid credentials and impressive work ethics. For each one of them, we are grateful.

Every successful company has a dedicated sales force and Arry’s Roofing is no different. Well, actually we are a bit different. Our sales staff knows roofing inside and out. These professionals go far beyond square footage measurements to guide a commercial or residential client through the roof replacement process with an expertise that’s second to none in this area, including one sales pro with nearly two decades as a state-certified roofing contractor. We are blessed to have each one of them on our team.

Our next group of professionals may be behind the scenes much of the time, but they’re always delivering well above expectations. The Administration Team is a vital part of our operation, keeping us on track daily, setting our sights higher and higher, and finding more exceptional people to join us. Even without stepping foot on a customer’s property, their influence can be felt throughout the entire process of a roofing project in Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater and beyond.

We look forward to putting our collective efforts into your roofing project in 2012. Visit us at www.arrysroofing.com or call 727-938-9565 to schedule a free roof inspection and estimate. From the entire team Arry’s Roofing, Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Tampa Bay Roof Repair in 2012

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Matthew Housh

The gift-giving that accompanies the holiday season usually provides a few good mysteries, presents that provide no obvious clue about what’s inside until you unwrap them. You may eye a particular gift sitting under the tree for days and wonder what delight awaits you. These are the heartwarming mysteries of the season, unlike the mysteries at home that will follow in 2012.

One of those mysteries is how much your home improvement and repair projects will cost you over the next 12 months. There are some point of references available online related to overall maintenance and repair costs related to a new or older home. You may see figures like 1-2% or 3-4%. Usually a higher percentage of a home’s original purchase price is tied to the anticipated costs of annual repair. New homes and homes in the 5-10 year-old year-old range tend to cost less to maintain annually. But this “ballpark” figure does not do much to help you determine the cost of roof repair or replacement should it become necessary in 2012.

Due to the extensive variables related to roof repair, there is no way to easily pinpoint a cost on your own. A professional contractor can give you an estimate based on type of roofing material, square footage, pitch, and other factors including hours of labor. So while your neighbor’s roof repair may cost $12,000 next May, your roof repair the following month might cost more or less.

So how do you prepare for a figure that’s best determined by an experienced roofing contractor? One approach is to avoid being conservative in your estimation of all potential repairs. If your review of 2011 reveals that your actual improvement and repair expense was 2.5% of your home’s original purchase price, move your 2012 estimate to 3.0%. Another aspect to consider is the age of your current roofing materials. If those 20-year shingles on your home were installed well over a decade ago, replacement will become necessary very soon. Also, consider the potential damaging effects of weather here along Florida’s Gulf Coast, which can experience everything from tropical weather to hurricane force winds in a given year.

Once you’re ready to find a reliable roofing contractor in Tampa Bay, choose among the premier professionals with proven track records of service in this area. As a GAF MasterElite Roofing Contractor, Arry’s Roofing stands above the competition by providing superior workmanship, a team dedicated to ongoing training, and a fully licensed and adequately insured operation. Free in-home consultations and estimates are available by calling 727-938-9565, and more information about Arry’s Roofing is available online at www.arrysroofing.com.

Habitat for the Holidays

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Matthew Housh

As a past participant in a Habitat for Humanity project, Arry’s Roofing has seen the benefits of lending a hand to someone to in need. With more than 25 years of service here in Tampa Bay, helping homeowners live more safely and comfortably is what we do best. Now we invite you to help your local Habitat for Humanity this holiday season.

Three Ways to Help Tampa Bay Habitat Programs
Volunteer
You don’t need to be a roofing expert to make a difference. Even without knowing what apron flashing is, you can help in a big way by volunteering your time. Most Habitat programs have an online application that makes it easy to get started. Let them know if you have technical skills, such as experience with drywall, electrical, plumbing or flooring. Perhaps your area of expertise is filing, bookkeeping or data entry. Those are valuable assets too.

Donate
If time is too limited, a monetary donation is always an easy way to support your local Habitat for Humanity organization. Your cash, check or online donation helps cover the essentials of any project. Even a small donation is appreciated. Just consider, $10 could help buy a box of nails; $35 helps buy roof shingles; $75 means a window can be purchased; $100 helps buy the kitchen sink.

Feed
If your area of expertise involves cooking, baking or preparing meals, imagine the appetite that a volunteer crew works up during a day on site. Contact a Habitat program, such as the West Pasco organization, and offer to make breakfast or lunch for the crew. Feeding the people who are diligently working to build a much-needed home for a family is a great tradition to start this holiday season and carry forward throughout the coming year.

Thanks for being a great neighbor this holiday season. Let us know how we can help you with your roofing needs now or in the future. Visit us at www.arrysroofing.com or call us at 727-938-9565.

West Pasco Habitat for Humanity

Decorating Without Damaging Your Tampa Roof

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Matthew Housh

Decorations on a multitude of homes from Tampa to St. Petersburg make this a festive time in Florida. Thanks to our mild weather in December, putting up lights and other holiday decorations is a more enjoyable activity here than it is in cold climates where overnight lows have already dipped below the freezing mark. Yet home decorators in any part of the country can unknowingly cause damage while decorating if they don’t recognize potential hazards.

The most common type of decoration is lighting. It’s wise to test your lights before putting them up, and discard any lights that malfunction as an electrical short is a common cause of house fires during the holidays. But the roof is not a recommended place for holiday lights due to the need to secure them. While many lights can be wrapped around a tree or stapled around windows, the use of staples or nails to secure lights on the roof may permanently damage your roofing materials. Even a relatively small hole in a roofing system can allow moisture to penetrate your roof and begin rotting or causing leaks. A safer option would be to secure light strands with clips along the eaves of the roof.

Some homeowners will decorate with giant inflatable products in the front yard or on the roof. This fun and colorful items are attention grabbing, but can also be damaging if they are secured to a roof using staples or nails. If your decorations from the store don’t come with directions, a reliable and safe alternative for securing them can come from using zip ties and small sand bags for weighing them down in the valley of the roof, for example. Tying large decorations to a chimney is also an option.

Regardless of how you decorate, always use caution and practice a safety-first approach to ensure your holiday is a trouble-free and pleasant one. Then, once the holiday decorations come down and you’re ready to talk about roof repair or replacement, give Arry’s Roofing a call. You can reach us at 727-938-9565 or visit us at www.arrysroofing.com.

A Truly Clean Tampa Roof

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Matthew Housh

If you were to give one gift to your home this holiday season, would it be the gift of a clean roof? That’s probably not your first thought. There may be other ways to tend to your Gulf Coast home in the next several weeks. But professional roof cleaning makes a significant difference in the life of your roof.

For homeowners who choose not to keep roofs clean the risks are great. Growth on a roof can compromise its protective qualities and shorten its life span. Dirty roofs also generate more heat than clean roofs.

Other homeowners may choose to clean the roof while using ineffective or potential harmful methods. For example, pressure cleaning can damage shingles or tiles. Certain cleaners, especially ones not intended for roof cleaning, also can damage roofing materials.

For a truly clean Tampa roof, find a local contractor who understands the nature and limitations of roofing materials. This type of contractor generally knows how to provide a cleaning service that gets visible results without compromising the integrity of whatever roofing materials installed on your home. In addition, this contractor is less likely to recommend an universal cleaning approach to every roof type, including asphalt shingles, tiles, slate or metal.

At Arry’s Roofing, we bring our expertise in your home’s most important protective element to our cleaning services. The chemical cleaning system we use contains mild detergents. It also contains a thickener to minimize run-off.

Regular cleaning services from Arry’s Roofing can benefit a home in several ways, saving energy and helping a roof to reach its maximum life expectancy. A clean roof eliminates the threat of debris causing cracks which can lead to roof leaks. Also, there are health benefits associated with the removal of growth which can lead to the growth of mold and fungi. Another notable benefit is the enhanced curb appeal and property value that comes with an immaculate roof.

Arry’s Roofing provides roof cleaning to Tampa, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, Palm Harbor and surrounding areas. Learn more about roof cleaning services from Arry’s Roofing by visiting the link below. You may also call 727-938-9565 to schedule a free roof inspection today.

ROOF CLEANING

Ten Days on a Tampa Roof

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Matthew Housh

If you look at the 10-day forecast for Tampa as of today (November 16), you’ll notice the threat of rain tomorrow followed by several days of sunshine leading up to a couple more days of rain. While we’re not in the business of predicting the weather, the extended forecast provides an opportunity to think about the work your roof does day in and day out. Beyond protecting your home from the elements, a high quality and well installed roof does so much more.

Let’s take a look at the various ways a roofing system from a reputable contractor helps you and your home. Each scenario will incorporate the weather condition from the current 10-day Tampa Bay forecast. For the sake of this example, we’ll reference the advantages of a metal roof system that’s been professionally installed by Arry’s Roofing.

Day 1: Partly Sunny. A metal roofing system is reflecting radiant energy and minimizing your energy costs.
Day 2: Thunderstorms. A metal roofing system is easily withstanding stronger winds that accompany storms.
Day 3: Mostly Sunny. A metal roofing system is adding value and curb appeal to your home.
Day 4: Mostly Sunny. A metal roofing system with a skylight is lowering energy costs by providing hours of natural light during the day.
Day 5: Mostly Sunny. Thanks to a built-in venting system, a metal roof reduces the heat in the attic, lowering your cooling costs.
Day 6: Mostly Sunny. Even in the midst of periods of extensive sunshine, a metal roofing system resists fading.
Day 7 Mostly Sunny. A metal roof requires little or no maintenance so you’re free to handle other home and property projects today.
Day 8: Mostly Sunny. Even after 15 years on your home, a metal roofing system needs no replacement.
Day 9: Scattered Showers. Thanks to several levels of materials, including radiant barriers, you’re not hearing the rain drops hitting the roof.
Day 10: Scattered Showers. A quality metal roofing system is sending the rain water where it belongs—away from your home.

When you’re ready for roof repair or replacement, or you’re unsure about the condition of your roof, licensed professional contractors in Tampa Bay are ready to help you. At Arry’s Roofing, we’ve been providing superior service to your Gulf Coast friends and neighbors for more than 25 years. In addition, our commitment to excellence has also led to the designation of GAF MasterElite Contractor, one of the few in Florida to carry that status. Learn more about the difference a MasterElite contractor offers by calling Arry’s Roofing today at 727-938-9565.

What Sets Apart Some West Florida Roofers

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Matthew Housh

When you’re looking for a roofing contractor in Tampa Bay, word of mouth helps. But no word is as reliable as that of the Better Business Bureau. Homeowners all over the country turn to their local BBB chapter when checking out a business. Along the Gulf Coast, residents rely on the Better Business Bureau of West Florida.

What makes the BBB so reliable a source for company information is the way a company’s profile is created. Due to the stringent criteria, not every company will earn accredited status. Only a fraction of companies in any given field or industry meet the accreditation standards. For residents prepared to hire a home improvement contractor, it’s essential to know how those standards are set.

According to the BBB website, the BBB Code of Business Practices is “built on the BBB Standards for Trust, eight principles that summarize important elements of creating and maintaining trust in business.” Not only does a business or organization meet the set of standards, it agrees to abide by them going forward. While you can learn in more detail about them on the BBB site, let’s take a look at two of the standards as they apply to the roofing industry.

Building trust is the first standard listed. A BBB roofer not only has established a positive track record, the company also has been in business at least 12 months. The BBB roofer also fulfills all licensing requirements at the time of accreditation and maintains them currently. In addition, the BBB roofer is not facing legal action due to unethical business practices. The contractor’s rating and relationship with the BBB are other key factors. A contractor who quickly addresses a complaint, whether rectifying it or demonstrating its lack of validity, honors settlements, and cooperates with the BBB’s efforts is seen as a business worthy of retaining BBB accredited status.

The second standard listed relates to advertising honestly. A BBB roofer follows federal, state/provincial and local advertising laws, provides evidence for all advertising claims, if requested by the BBB, and agrees to correct any advertising and selling practices, if directed to do so by the BBB. A BBB roofer also agrees to participate in the resolution of any disputes connected to the roofer’s advertising in any medium, from print and broadcast to web and signage. In addition, the BBB roofer does not attempt to mislead or confuse customers by suggesting relationships with roofing material manufacturers or other business entities when those relationships, sponsorships or endorsements don’t actually exist.

You can read about the rest of the standards at the link below. Then, once you understand how carefully the businesses are evaluated, you’ll be more informed when it’s time to compare roofing contractors and determine which one to hire. You’ll find Arry’s Roofing there as both an accredited roofer and a BBB sponsor, and we always welcome your inquiries at 727-938-9565.

West Florida BBB

Gutters from Arry’s Roofing Help Tampa Bay Go With the Flow

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Matthew Housh

November is historically the driest month in Tampa with an average rainfall of 1.62 inches. That’s a significant drop from a month like August which typically sees 7.60 inches of rain fall on the area. But even a month with the lowest amount of rain can lead to problems at home if your gutter system is inadequate.

A malfunctioning gutter system fails to provide the proper protection against the elements. In fact, a failing gutter can lead to water leaking into your home. Water leaks can lead to serious structural damage and potentially expensive repairs.

A period of low rainfall is a excellent time to evaluate your current gutter system and take action, if necessary. It’s helpful to make a point of inspecting gutters and downspouts twice a year. Potential issues may stem from a system’s design, age or installation.

In addition to providing superior roof repair and replacement services for Tampa, Arry’s Roofing can help homeowners with our expertise in gutter systems. Our factory-trained gutter contractors design and install gutter systems, from durable troughs to wide downspouts, for many of your Tampa neighbors. Whether rainfall is light shower or a heavy downpour, a gutter system from Arry’s Roofing will send water where it belongs—away from your home.

Strong, long-lasting aluminum gutters from Arry’s Roofing will always be the right size for function and appearance. Your new gutter system will effectively handle an expected volume of water while not looking too small or too large relative to the size of your home. Plus, 25 options in color choices ensure you can find one to match the trim and house colors.

When you’re concerned that your current gutter system is not going with the flow, a quick call to Arry’s Roofing can restore proper protection to your home. We provide inspection, adjustment, and replacement, with gutter cover systems and downspouts available. It’s just takes one call to Arry’s Roofing today at 727-938-9565 to schedule a free inspection.

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