Maintaining Your Aluminum Siding

Does your home have aluminum siding on it? This type of siding used to be very popular until vinyl siding came along but the qualities that made it popular are still good today. If you can repair and maintain this type of siding there is no need to hurry and make a switch to vinyl siding.

Check out these tips to keep your siding in great shape!

Painting Aluminum Siding - Bob Vila Aluminum siding first became popular in the wake of World War II, when this metal, which had been so crucial to the war effort, became more readily available. Homeowners valued the material for its weather protection and insulating properties. They also loved that, in comparison with wood siding, aluminum requires little maintenance. But when vinyl siding arrived in the late 1950s, aluminum rapidly fell out of favor, in part because it was prone to denting and its color faded relatively quickly.

That’s not to say that if you live in an aluminum-clad home, you should replace your siding. On the contrary, those attributes that once made it a favorite are as appealing today as they were in the 1940s. Aluminum remains a low-maintenance, first-rate insulating barrier against the weather. So long as your aluminum siding is performing to your satisfaction, consider preserving it by cleaning, patching, and painting your siding.

REPAIR Before painting aluminum siding, you may find it necessary—or merely desirable—to replace any sections that have been dented or otherwise damaged. After all, one virtue of this cladding material is that it lends itself so easily to repair work. Follow these simple steps: read more at bobvila.com

Exterior Remodel and Design are proud to be your Omaha roofers. We provide roof repair, replacement, siding and general contracting in Omaha and Lincoln. If you have any question give us a call today!

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Learn From Others Mistakes!

Nobody likes making a mistake. At Exterior Remodel and Design we work with precision to ensure that all of your Omaha roofing repairs are mistake free. Of course, not everyone puts as much care into their work as we do. Check out some of these big famous mistakes in architecture history.

Architectural Mistakes - 12 Infamous Goofs Throughout History - Bob Vila What do you get when you bring together forward-thinking architects, exacting engineers, and tireless construction crews? In the case of these 12 iconic buildings, you get a visual masterpiece, along with a few unintended design flaws. Click through to get the full scoop on the surprising mishaps behind your favorite famous buildings.

If not for modern efforts to safeguard Frank Lloyd Wright's design, water wouldn't have been the only thing falling at Fallingwater. As a result of sagging of the non-reinforced floors of the cantilevered balconies, the home itself was in danger of collapsing and falling into Bear Run. To restore the iconic house, a construction crew employed post-tensioning with prestressed concrete to reinforce the cantilevers and restore the original floors and walls. Thanks to the careful renovations, Wright's groundbreaking design is every bit as compelling today as it was the day it was completed.

Tourists have craned their necks—and scratched their heads—for centuries to uncover why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans. As it turns out, that famous tilt is the result of a bad foundation. The tower was built in the early 12th century on ground too soft on one side to support its weight. As each successive story was added, the foundation destabilized—eventually displacing the tower by five and a half degrees. Standing today at a corrected four-degree tilt, the lopsided landmark is lauded by architecture buffs as one of history's most beautiful mistakes.

You'd never guess by the melodic tones that emanate from the halls of the Sydney Opera House that its hidden weakness is none other than its acoustics. The discord began in 1967, when it was decided that the small sail portion of the structure, which was intended for stage productions, would house the opera, and the large sail, intended to house the opera, would serve as the concert hall. Not only did this leave the concert hall with an overabundance of seats, but it meant that the pit in the opera house was constrained to a tiny area that made it difficult for musicians to hear themselves and their fellow musicians. But sweeter sounds may lie ahead. Last year, plans were announced for a $202 million renovation, complete with acoustical upgrades, which could, at last, make the Sydney Opera House sound as good as it looks.

Thomas Jefferson famously favored frugality and eschewed excess, a philosophy that extended to his personal design sense. Arguing that staircases were a waste of space, Jefferson opted not to build a grand staircase for his home, Monticello, choosing instead a steep and narrow flight of stairs. Other amenities were similarly sparing, from a dinner table that was set up only at mealtime, to space-saving beds that folded into the walls. The most ornate fixture of Monticello, the octagonal cupola atop the western wing of the estate, housed an elegant sitting room that was seldom used because it was too hot in summer and too cold in winter. See more...

 

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Combination Roofs Are A Great Option For Your Home

Combination roofs are relatively self-explanatory; they are roofing type combinations of various styles based on the design and environment of the home. This customized option can be very practical in the sense that each area will be protected appropriately and incorporation of various types in the design will add aesthetic and architectural interest.

When considering a combination roof you want to take a few factors into consideration. What kind of statement do you want your home to make? What is your environment? Add architecture value and curbside appeal with varied types of roofing; also consider whether or not your environment experiences things like high winds, snow, or dry heat. As an example, high pitch roofing allows for snow to shed more easily and this can decrease the chance of damage.

 

One downside to this type of roofing is expense. Because of the different types of pitches, materials, and added labor time, these roofs tend to be more expensive. Because of the varied designs, the intersection points can add possible valleys and ridges. These are the weakest points on the roof and in these areas pools of water can build up and create a possibility for leakage. With proper care and consideration combination roofs will last a long time and can be a great option for your home!

Get roofing ideas for Omaha, including combination roofs from ERDR.

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Hip Roofs Information From Exterior Remodel Design

Hip roofs are recognizable by their slope on all four sides. The sides are all equal length and come together at the ridge at the top, with the “hip” being the seam where adjacent sloping sides meet. The slope on all four sides allows for easy shedding of snow and water, making it excellent for snowy areas.

Another advantage comes from the stability this structure offers due to its interior construction and inward slopes. The lack of a gable lends increased support against high winds. Hip roofs provide excellent ventilation for your home and are a great choice if you want vaulted ceilings or additions.

Like all roof types, there things to be aware of when it comes to hip roofs. Due to its complexity, the construction of a hip roof may be more expensive when compared to a gable roof. The additional seams mean an increased probability that water will penetrate areas not properly installed.

Call the best Omaha roofers for information.

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A Slow and Beautiful Transformation

This a remarkable story and we can help but enjoy hearing about their house transformation. At Exterior Remodel and Design we have the privilege of helping people transform their houses and we know what an intense process this must of been.

40 years ago, Omaha couple's house was a fairly conventional split-entry. Now it has grown to 90 feet across two lots  | omaha.com A Motel 6 in the middle of a residential neighborhood?

Omahans Frank and Nancy Metzler get teased about building just that in Maenner Meadows.

What started out as a fairly conventional split-entry home nearly 40 years ago now sprawls 90 feet across two lots on a quiet block near 90th Street and Western Avenue.

“We have more talent than sense,” Nancy says of the house that grew and grew.

The metamorphosis — in two major expansions — has been a passion for the now-retired couple, who initially knew little about construction and carpentry, had a family to raise and an auto-body repair business to run.

“We did it all without borrowing. And we did it between Frank’s four heart attacks and seven heart bypass surgeries,” Nancy shares.

“We’ll look at the early pictures and ask ourselves, ‘How in the world did we get from there to here?’ Frank would come home at 5 or 6 p.m. and work on the house until 1 or 2 a.m., and do it all over again the next day — for years,” Nancy recalls. “It’s our journey. It has been the glue to our marriage. I can’t tell you how many Sunday mornings we have sat at the kitchen table and talked about what we’re going to do next.”

The Metzler's are some incredibly talented and patient people and their persistence over the years is inspiring. If you are looking to remodel your home but don't think you have the patience to wait 40 years don't worry. Exterior Remodel & Design in Omaha is a full-service general contractor that is ready to help you with all of your projects.

 

 

 

 

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Liability Insurance

Imagine you hire a roofer (the cheapest one you could find). While inspecting your roof for damages, he slips and falls and tumbles off of your roof, breaking his collar bone. What a disaster, indeed! But if the roofer isn't insured, it could also spell disaster for you.

ALL roofing contractors should have liability insurance (as well as workers' compensation insurance) to protect you as the homeowner in the event of any accident. Liability insurance protects you from damage caused by the roofers during repair or replacement and workers' compensation insurance protects the homeowner if a roofing company's employee gets injured. 

In the case of an accident, like a roofer falling off of your roof, without proper insurance coverage, you may be responsible for medical bills and other costs associated with the injury. Your homeowners' insurance may not cover these types of accidents, so you will be personally responsible for the costs. 

This is why it's important that you ask to see their insurance certificate, but do some digging, like researching them on Better Business Bureau's website to make sure it's legitimate. Don’t just accept a copy of their insurance certificate. More than 60% of roofing contractors say they carry insurance and don’t, and will provide you either a fraudulent (workers' compensation or liability) insurance certificate or nothing at all.

If the contractor says he is insured, you should ask the following questions about his coverage:

• Does the roofing contractor's insurance cover his workers should they become injured?
• Does the roofing contractor's insurance cover you, your family and any visitors to your home if they are injured on the work site?

We ARE a bonded and insured company, so call Exterior Remodel & Design in Omaha for your next roofing or remodeling project.

 

 

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Roof Pitch

Knowing the pitch or angle of your roof is helpful when you're thinking of additions or remodels,  roof repairs or roof replacements.

The roof pitch is determined by the number of inches the roof rises vertically for every 12 inches that the roof extends vertically. If your roof rises 8 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run, your roof has a 8-in-12 pitch. 

Roof pitch determines what type of roof shingles you should consider. For example, asphalt shingles are not recommended on any roof with a roof pitch of less than 3-in-12, because asphalt shingles rely on gravity and slope for more effective water shedding.

You can calculate your own roof pitch by first taking a 24-inch level, a tape measure and a pencil and going to your attic. Start off by measuring 12 inches in from one end of the level and make a mark. Once you're in the attic, place the end of the level against the bottom of a roof rafter and hold it level. Then measure vertically from the 12-inch mark you made on the level, straight up against the underside of the rafter. That measurement will be the number of inches the roof rises in every 12 inches.

For additional help determining your roof's pitch or considering options for remodels, roof repairs or replacements, Exterior Remodel & Design is your professional roofers from the neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska.

 

 

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