LEED Gold Star certified Residence in Orleans

Cazeault Roofing recently installed am EDPM membrane roof system with a Live Roof Green Roof. The roof and building was trimmed outt with Revere Freedom Gray Flashings. The Genertal Contractor on this project was Cape Associates and the project was recently featured in the Contemporist. Click here for more Photos & the complete story.

Time to Clean the Gutters !

We've all seen it - Neighbors with trees growing from the gutters. It doesn't take long, as debris build up quickly over the seasons. Left alone, gutters will decay prematurely. Cleaning your gutters is one of those chores that needs to be done twice a year. Once in the spring, and again in the fall. Its also a great way to get a closer look at your roof and identify any potential problems and get them fixed before they happen.
To help cut down on the amount of debris, pruning trees and tall shrubs will help keep less leaves from falling, as well as cut down on the moss & lichen that grows on shady roofs.
Gutter cleaning is a service that Cazeault Roofing cheerfully provides. Either as an automatic or on clean on request service, we clean hundres of gutters each spring and fall.

Custom Copper Finial Reproduction

We recently were asked to help with the renovation going on at the Railroad Museum in Chatham. With extensive remodeling being done, they wanted the existing finial duplicated. As you can see from the pictures, our coppersmith did a remarkable job not only creating a beautiful copper finial, but making an exact duplication of the original. Now you can view the newly created finial atop the buildings roof, while the original finial is being displayed inside the building. View more pictures on our Flickr Page

Energy Secretary Wants White Roofs

From a recent new post; Steven Chu, the US Secretary of Energy and a Nobel prize-winning scientist, said yesterday that making roofs and pavements white or light-coloured would help to reduce global warming by both conserving energy and reflecting sunlight back into space. It would, he said, be the equivalent of taking all the cars in the world off the road for 11 years.

The white revolution: How it would work

* The idea of painting surfaces white to conserve energy is being actively pursued by the US. Earlier this month, Barack Obama's chief scientific adviser, John Holdren, received a scientific memorandum on the subject.

* Scientists estimate that making roofs and pavements white or more light-coloured would counter global warming with "negative radiative forcing" – reflecting sunlight back into space. They said that retrofitting urban roofs and pavements in tropical and temperate regions with solar-reflective materials would offset about 44 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

* The scientists said it would lower the cost of air conditioning, making buildings more comfortable and mitigate the "urban heat island" effect caused by the concentration of concrete surfaces in cities.

Truth in Advertising

We all need to advertise, its how we let others know that we are out there. We also have all been on the other side too - in need of a product and service. What do people do ? Most turn to the internet or open the yellow pages. As a roofing contractor and someone who as been in the business a long time, I always scan the yellow pages to look at all the ads. Its an ever changing landscape. The Cape has three Verizon Directories and as well as two other directories (Yellow Book & Yellow Pages of Cape Cod). The Verizon directory always has 27-32 listings for roofers.  If you go back five years half of the companies have turned over. Go back ten years and about a forth of the current advertisers were listed. We are one of four who have been listed in the Yellow Pages twenty five years ago.  

Another interesting item to note is the claims that companies make. Many contractors use and list manufacture logos, implying that they are certified. However, once the yellow pages are published, its impossible to correct the error and large manufactures do not resources to fact check each directory in all 50 states. 

I've also seem contractors advertise services that I know they could not possible provide. The main culprit being tar & gravel. I am 99% sure that no tar kettles exist on Cape Cod anymore. We had the last one, which we sold about 8 years ago. So question any ads that claim they install tar & gravel roofs - its a classic bait and switch. They will tell you they can give you a better price on a rubber roof. 

its not just roofing, Ive seen ads from plumbers, electricians and landscapers to mention a few. I don't mean to sound cynical. The average consumer probably wouldn't notice and maybe doesn't care, but take care when  choosing a contractor based on claims and statements in ads and put more weight on established time-proven companies. 

Virtual Home Remodeler

GAF has a great tool on their website for those who are re-shingling and considering changing the look of their home or business. It allows you to choose a picture and see what it would look like. It also allows for different siding options (vinyl, brick, etc) and also allows you to change the color on those as well. Just go to the GAF website: www.gaf.com. Once there look for the virtual home remodeler under the residential roofing category.

Pre-Screened Contractors

Have you ever seen those sites on the internet that offer three bids from "pre-screen" contractors ? They are everywhere - Service Magic, QualitySmith, and a few lesser know brands. Would you like a little insight into the screening process ? It's simply a credit card.....if you are willing to pay - they will list you. They are trying to recruit contractors for all 50 states for about 30 different service categories. Thats a large area and a lot of contractors. They do not have time or resources to properly qualify these contractors.

It works like this, you fill out the form, whether it be for roofing, siding, a new kitchen, fencing, etc. - They take the three closest people in their network that are signed up and offer them the leads - they cost the contractor on average $ 75.00 per lead. The company will generate $ 225 for you to fill out that inquiry form. On the other end, they offer affiliates (people with websites) anywhere from $ 7.00 to $ 25.00 to place and ad or link that people can click on to take them to an inquiry form where hope the homeowner fills out the form. Net profit: about $200.00 per lead.

You the homeowner have nothing to lose by using these services. The contractors are just like the ones you'll find listed in the newspaper or yellow pages; some good - some bad. Generally, the contractors paying for these lead services are newer, less established contractors. Just be informed and realize that they are not pre-screened and you must still do you homework and check references and insurance. In short, you'll do better to ask friends and co-workers for recommendations.