Home – Hail and Wind

The purpose of all roof material is to shed water and prevent the H2O from entering your house and causing problems. All of the roofing shingle manufacturers on the planet promise that your roof material will last 25 – 50+ years, but do they actually last that long? What if I said, “yes they will”? After you stop laughing….remember there’s a catch. “With proper maintenance”, they will.

Do you drive your car mile after mile without changing the oil, or checking the tires (excluding my wife :)? If you drove your car continuously without changing the oil or checking the fluids, after a while your engine would seize up and could cost $2,500.00 to $8,000.00 to replace it. And a monthly $19.95 oil service at the nearest Jiffy Lube could have kept your car running well, indefinitely.

Your car takes you to and from work, but your roof continuously covers 90% of your most valuable belongings, not to mention your family. The sad truth is that your roof doesn’t have gauges flashing in your face several times a day like your car dash board, so out of site is out of mind. And a total roof replacement generally costs 10-12% of your home’s entire value (several thousand$). Why wait until the last minute to be concerned?

Your roof is a just a series of sealants and flashings that wear out over time. If they are properly maintained on a regular basis, then your roof can last up to 50 years. This will not prevent hail from falling down and smashing your shingles, but large hail doesn’t fall near as often as the high winds pick up. Wind is the number one cause of roof damage in America, and the wind loves to pick on the old, weak shingles with dried up sealant first. With proper maintenance, there is much less of a chance for your roof to be damaged during a bad storm.

Caliber Roofing and Restoration has a revolutionary maintenance program that counters the common roofer’s philosophy. About 9 out of 10 roofers will tell you that you need your roof replaced whether it is necessary or not….. that’s how they make 98% of their money! Caliber has a completely different philosophy. Not every roof has to be replaced, most just need some TLC, and Caliber has the experience and training needed to tell an anxious home owner exactly what is in their best interest instead of the roofing contractor’s best interest.

You can learn a little more about Caliber’s fantastic Roof Maintenance Plan by calling (405) 923-3879 , or you can visit www.RoofMaintenancePlan.com

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5 Months After Our Last Hail Storm

by Greg CannonOctober 15, 2012no comment

5 Months After Our Last Hail Storm…

…..It is the middle of October. The rain and the cold-fronts are here, and the holidays are on the horizon…..oh yeah, and your roofer went back to his home state (or his REAL job) even though he promised that “we are local now and here to stay”. Sound familiar?

I frequently work as a consultant to law firms, corporations, and homeowners. I help resolve contract disputes, workmanship issues, and at times I appear in court as an expert witness. Last week I was asked to help a homeowner determine the quality of workmanship provided by the roofer he had contracted to replace his roof after the May 29^th hailstorm in Edmond. To shorten this story I will jump straight to the part where I found out that the owner of this “roofing company” just recently owned a printing shop that went bankrupt, and had very little experience in the roofing industry. During my inspection of the new roof, I found several building code discrepancies, and the overall quality of work wasn’t poor, it was horrendous. It is actually going to cost the homeowner $2,300.00 to fix the “new roof”, and the irony is….the homeowner hired this particular company because they promised to wave his $1,400.00 insurance claim deductible (illegally).

The fact is that after a hail storm in Oklahoma, tons of people start up new roofing companies, and the out of state storm chasers flock to the Sooner State. Why? Because of the lax registration, the nonexistent licensing, and absence of enforcement. It’s the perfect feeding ground. An important point to remember is that roofing is a skilled trade, yet many people think they can just jump into the business to make a quick buck. Secondly, the major source of incompetent new roofers is local, rather than from out of state (at least the guys from out of state are actually roofers.)

If you look up the list of registered OK roofers, you will s

ee air conditioning repairmen, landscapers, and even plumbers and excavation companies (just as in the picture below), all registered as roofers and trying to make a quick paycheck at the homeowner’s expense.

Every company starts somewhere, and not all new roofing companies are incompetent or predatory. But unfortunately because of the lax registration, the nonexistent licensing, and absence of enforcement, most new companies are incompetent or predatory. If this article is offensive because you or a buddy of yours is one of these incompetent new roofers …tough. These people offend ME, and their antics give the entire roofing industry (my industry) a bad name.

If you would like to learn to protect yourself from becoming the prey, you can read the “Storm Damage Secrets: The Must Have Guide to Choosing a Roofer in Oklahoma”.

P.S. For those of you with friends and family in Texas, they are worse off than you because TX doesn’t even go through the registration motions like Oklahoma does. Tell them to get, “Storm Damage Secrets: The Must Have Guide to Choosing a Roofer in Texas”.

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Take your roof back to the stone age with a stone coated metal roof

by Greg CannonAugust 15, 2012no comment

Every Oklahoma Home owner knows the sinking feeling of hearing the hail start and wondering what kind of mess you will have to clean up when the clouds part. Knowing that you insurance company has got your back may relieve financial worries, but it doesn’t fix the fact that nobody wants the noise and mess of having to have a roof replaced!

Stone Coated Steel Roofing from Decra can make that sinking feeling virtually a thing of the past. This revolutionary new product combines the strength of steel with the weather resistant ruggedness of stone.

Since most of you are not roofing experts, we thought the specs would be less useful than a few frequently asked questions, but we could not resist mentioning that when tested for wind resistance, this product out performed every available wind tunnel. That’s right! They cannot manufacture a wind strong enough to gauge just how strong it is!

On to the FAQ: Many potential customers worry about noise with a metal roof. This is one of the benefits of adding a stone coating. Customers report that the roof deadens rain and hail noise effectively.

You might assume that a metal roof would transfer heat into the home, but the exact opposite is actually the case. The roof acts as a solar barrier, and most home owners report lower energy consumption for heating and cooling!

Decra roofing also: poses no threat due to lightning, can be walked on, and may save you money on your home owners insurance.

Now for the biggie, cost! Yes, Decra roofing is one of the most expensive products to initially install, however, it is also one of the only to offer a class 4 hail rating, the highest available, saving you money on your insurance in most cases. In addition, the warranty of 50 years is the longest in the industry, with a 20 year materials and labor “replacement” warranty. It is guaranteed against winds up to 120 mph, and penetration against ANY size of hail. Those factors, combined with energy savings make Decra the best value on the market over the life of the roof. Plus, you may never have to see a roofer again.

So, if you would like to get an assessment on your property for Decra, or any of our other fine roofing products, contact Greg at 405-923-3879

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Summer Fires Wreak Havoc

by Greg CannonAugust 11, 2012no comment

When we talk about weather here at Hail and Wind, it tends to be of the severe variety. But, one type of severe weather that Oklahoma has that may not get as much attention is the heat. This Summer is no exception. In fact, it is one of the hottest in recent history and a long dry spell has contributed to cause high risk of fire. Many have sprung up and many families have lost their homes. We work closely with Caliber roofing and will be taking donations to help families effected by the fire. Here is one news story that captures some of the devestation!

Alex Williams, manager of the Jiffy Trip convenience store in Mannford, Okla., west of Tulsa, said light rain Saturday helped, but visibility remained poor. “The last couple of days, it’s just been a massive cloud of smoke,” he said. At one point, Williams said, flames were visible about a half-mile from the gas station.

The fires have caused widespread power outages and destroyed dozens of homes. “Everyone knows someone who’s lost something in this, so it’s really kind of been tragic,” Williams said. “There’s not a whole lot you can do other than grab what you can and get out — everyone that I’ve talked to pretty much has what’s in their car or on their back.”

The fires even surprised Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who was touring the state by car Sunday and came across “a huge grass fire” west of Tulsa. Fallin watched as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze, which threatened a home. Last week, she declared a state of emergency statewide.

Reached Sunday by telephone, she said, “We’re going to pull out ever single resource we can to help our local communities, help those who have lost their homes.”

As of midday Sunday, no deaths were reported statewide. One fire near Oklahoma City had claimed at least 56 structures, and the total was expected to grow. Authorities suspect that fire may have been intentionally set: The Oklahoma County sheriff’s department was looking for someone in a black pickup truck seen throwing newspapers out a window after setting them ablaze.

Vaccaro of the weather service said “constant heat and dryness” this summer in the region — and elsewhere in the west — has helped spawn wildfires. More than 60% of the USA is experiencing some degree of drought, and dried grassland, forest and brush are “the fuel that can help feed and keep these wildfires going,” he said.

This year so far is on record as one of the most destructive wildfire years in the past decade: More than 4.4 million acres have burned. Full-year totals for the past 10 years average about 4.3 million acres.

The nation has seen somewhat fewer fires than usual, said Roberta D’Amico of the National Interagency Fire Center, but we’ve had “some significantly large fires this year.”

Forecasters said wildfires potentially could develop next in Northern California, Nevada and parts of Oregon, Idaho and Washington state.

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Attic Breeze Solar Powered Vents!

by Greg CannonAugust 2, 2012no comment

At hail and wind we love to find new cool stuff that helps home owners live more comfortably, and save money, and this week’s product of the week is no exception! Attic Breeze is a leader in solar powered attic ventilation, and that’s about as cool as it comes! They are made 100% in the USA, and come with the best warranty in the business.

Many home owners do not realize that their attics require a way to “breathe”. Without air circulation, no amount of insulation can keep your attic cool. The Attic Breeze fan units are self contained, wireless, and run entirely from a battery inside the solar collector unit. They come in a wide variety of colors to blend into most roof surfaces. The rugged exterior is built so tough, that Attic Breeze offers the only lifetime warranty in the industry!

One issue that can arise with other types of solar ventilation units is the “always on” mode that is set to start and run the fan when attic temps reach certain point. This evacuation of air can cause what is known as depressurization, a condition that exists when outflow is greater than inflow. Safeguards built into the attic breeze line prevent this. Wireless control units are also available for multiple fans, allowing the temperature to be set where you want it, when you want, and also allowing for settings that kick the fan into action when humidity is high inside the attic.

We work with Caliber Roofing here in Central Oklahoma to provide these and many other great attic products! Be looking for our attics and ventilation book coming out later this month! For a free assessment of your insulation and attic ventilation call Greg Cannon at 923-3879. Now is the time to fix it!

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Storm Chasers

by Greg CannonJuly 11, 2012no comment

So many times when Oklahoma and tornadoes reach media attention is through the description of an individual with more dogs under the porch of their trailer than teeth in their head. We get that, we really do. There are a lot of good down-home, laid-back country folks in Oklahoma, but sometimes you want to see the other side.

We found it in this story about storm chasers first published on ABC News.com

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

By MATT GUTMAN (@mattgutmanABC)

CANTON, Okla., May 24, 2011

Within minutes of joining the Storm Chasers, a group of scientists and filmmakers from the Discover Channel who hunt down tornadoes to capture stunning severe weather video, my producer Seni Tienabeso and I nearly ran into a massive multi-vortex tornado.

Hail plunked off the exoskeleton of the Chasers’ “Dominator” (a converted Chevy suburban), prowling country roads like some prehistoric creature at 80 mph.

Our driver and Storm Chasing vet Kevin Barton lowered the Dominator to the ground, saying, “That way the wind doesn’t pick us up and toss us.”

He hooted that we’d entered something chasers call the “bear’s cage” — the area within the storm cell where a tornado could strike. And directly overhead this giant swirling cloud, a giant overhead whirlpool nearly perfectly formed.

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It rippled the wheat fields in a nearly perfect circle.

Barton now shouted against the wind: “You guys are members of the zero meter club. … That means you’ve now been zero meters from a tornado. My third intercept in three seasons…”

They seemed to anthropomorphize the storm, calling it “beautiful,” as archeologists would a rare find.

“It’s rare to see it this close,” Barton said. “Not too many people see that. Absolutely gorgeous tornado, guys.”

We drove on, finding another giant twister churning near Canton. The air smelled of freshly cut grass, the result of so much splintering and hacking of the forest. The debris field was immense, like a giant lawnmower had moved through a forest.

We moved on, and hours later we were back in Oklahoma City.

The Storm Chasers move so fast, we spent hours just trying to catch up with them. Reed Timmer and his crew literally stop for no man.

Finally, as they were forced to hook a U-turn, we simply drove our car in front of one of the Dominators, blocking it, nearly ramming it.

Clumsily, but quickly we swapped cars, jumping into the Dominator, for a ride of a lifetime.

SOUNDS AWESOME! So, when the storm finds You, please give us a call. at 1 (405) 923-3879

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Open up and Let the Sunshine in

by Greg CannonJuly 9, 2012no comment

Many brand names have become synonymous with the product line they are part of. Take Kleenex, Jeep, and Frisbee for example. Another comes from our industry, “Solatube” . While Solatube was one of the first solar tunnel lights to make a splash in the American market, it is not the only quality device being installed.

The Velux solar tunnel is one of the highest quality solar roof lights available. The Sun Tunnel light from Velux comes in a variety of styles. The small glass lens on top, focuses the sun’s light down through a highly polished aluminum tube to a diffuser lens that delivers even, white light into any room.

The benefits of solar tunnels, over traditional skylights are many. First, the light is more efficient, providing more illumination, even on less than brilliantly sunny days. Second, the low profile flashing and solar light lens survive the high winds and violent storms of Oklahoma better, with a replaceable top that is simple to remove and install, without reinstalling the whole light.
We here at Hail and Wind, represent Caliber Roofing Systems of Oklahoma, a preferred installer of Velux brand Sun Tunnel lights. For more products and information on other brands, check out our partners at Energywise Showroom. http://www.energywiseok.com/On the inside, the benefits are even more apparent, with most solar tunnel lights presenting very similar to a flush mount electric light fixture. The diffuser is designed to spread natural light without glare, or “hot spots”.

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The Calm before the Storm

by Greg CannonJuly 5, 2012no comment

(Newser) – Summer storms continue to take a toll on East Coast: In North Carolina, a sudden violent storm struck yesterday, uprooting trees and killing three people. One 77-year-old man was killed when a barn collapsed while he was inside, and a husband and wife died after a tree fell on their golf cart, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. Dozens of homes were damaged by falling trees, two airport hangars were destroyed, and more than 16,000 customers were left without power.

And the death toll from Friday’s violent storms in the eastern US has been raised to 14, the AP reports. The search for one man, who went missing while boating off Maryland early Saturday, has been suspended. More than 3 million people were still without power in yesterday’s 100-degree heat, and officials are still saying it could be days before electricity is restored everywhere; cell phone and Internet service was also spotty yesterday and gas stations were closed.

Don’t forget folks, in Oklahoma, you’re always in the storm or the calm before, and be prepared! Here is our new guide to getting the best roofer/contractor when the storm does get around to us again! This is the best money you’ll ever spend on storm reovery. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087UYOPC