If you’re feeling a little cramped in your home and lack backyard and side yard space, your inner gardener may be able to realize their dreams with a rooftop garden. Not only can rooftops be a great use of space for growing household herbs, flowers, and small vegetables and fruit, but they’re also spaces that draw and retain heat all year long.
First, it’s important to check local ordinances in your area to determine whether a rooftop garden is a plausible and legal project for your home. If everything seems good to go, it’s time to start planning exactly where and how large your rooftop garden will be. This is the stage where you’ll want to find and hire an architect and/or specialized contractor to provide expertise on your project from the start. Our experts at Capital Roofing are trained to replace and repair your rooftop, and know their way around any type of roof. We’re also dedicated to serving our neighbors in Colorado, and have the local expertise to help tailor your projects and wishes to your area and home’s needs.
When building your home’s rooftop garden, think light. That’s in terms of building materials, since a heavy structure right on top of your home can pose serious risks to your family’s safety and roof’s integrity throughout Colorado’s relatively extreme seasonal shifts. Consider materials like fiberglass, foam, and plastic as well as potting soil that’s listed as ‘lightweight’ on the bag. You’ll want to make your rooftop garden as wind-proof as possible while letting just a bit of air flow inside to affect the plants in their growth stages.
Then, consider how you’ll water your plants. This goes along with how accessible your garden is, whether it be via a rooftop balcony or basic rooftop access. Creating a water source requires a different set of expertise, but incorporating it into your roof’s finish and design without damaging hoses or water containers over time would require the advice of an expert roofer like those at Capital Roofing.
What’s your home improvement dream? Let us know, and we’ll help you work to make it come true.
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Why build a Roof-Top Balcony?
At Capital Roofing, we’re happy to support those homeowners that go above and beyond to improve their homes and long-term investments, turning structures into lifelong homes and sanctuaries for their family and friends.
In Colorado, a rooftop deck is not necessarily the norm among tract homes, but often pops up in older, more historic neighborhoods or custom renovations and builds. Usually, an upper-level or rooftop deck will serve as an extension to a master bedroom space. This solution not only increases square footage in that particular space—a huge selling point for future buyers—but also provides a special, private space for whoever resides in the master bedroom in your home.
Plus, with over 300 days of sunshine on average in Colorado, a rooftop deck can be the perfect way to catch extra rays in the summer, watch the sunset in the fresh air, or enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the morning before starting your day. The possibilities are endless!
At Capital Roofing, we specialize in rooftop repairs, replacements, and maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction. We’re here to help make your dreams a reality, as it pertains to your roof and it’s design and maintenance needs. If a rooftop balcony is a part of those dreams, contact one of our expertly trained roofers to ask about what might be possible in your home.
If your rooftop was not planned to have a deck from the start, the first things you’ll have to overcome is the slanted surface on which to install it. This can pose a challenge for many homeowners, since the cost of a balcony may be far more than expected as a retrofit project. However, with the right guidance, tools, expertise and planning, installing a rooftop deck doesn’t have to break the bank.
Plus, your rooftop deck does not have to be situated near the roof access point in your home. There are alternatives available to get your deck exactly where you want it.
How To Be Safe While Working on Your Roof
Ready to get to work on your roof? Slow down. No matter how important the job might seem, your safety and the safety of those working on your roof is of top priority. At Capital Roofings, we take a few key steps to ensure that anyone who gets up on a roof for repairs and replacements understands the keys to roof work safety – and we have the reputation to back it up. If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of handyman, take note of the following measures to protect yourself.
Depending on how steep your roof’s grade is, investing in roof brackets and/or a roof safety harness is one of the first steps to completing a roof job the right way. Also utilize a sturdy, preferably aluminum or fiberglass extension ladder. The ladder should be tall enough to reach about 36 inches past the edge of your roof where the gutters are located, so you have somewhere to hold with your hands while you step onto the roof itself. Make sure the ladder is level before climbing it up to your roof top. Use wood slabs to prop up one side if it’s not initially level. You can also use rope as a sort of anchor for your ladder.
If it’s your first time up the ladder (or any ladder, for that matter), do not carry anything up with you for the first trip. Ideally, roof jobs are done in partners or a group, so ask someone else to hoist up all the supplies you’ll need on demand. You can also create a sort of pulley system with a bucket, rope and ladder rung to help carry the weight of the load.
Before getting up on the roof, make sure of two things. One, use sight and touch to determine whether the roof is wet or slippery. If it seems to be either of those things, leave the work or project to another day. A slippery roof is simply too dangerous for workers to take their changes on. But, if the roof seems safe, double check the soles of your shoes to make sure you’ll have adequate traction.
When you’re on the roof, make sure to stay hydrated and utilize fellow workers in helping you move supplies and yourself across the roof surface. Always make sure you make contact with the roof in at least two places at all times.
If you have any more questions about roof work safety or would like to schedule an appointment with Capital Roofing, call today. We’re happy to answer your inquiries and help you get the job done right.
Our Top Sealing Agents
In this blog post, we break down our favorite at-home sealing agents and why they get the job done.
Silicone coating: solvent based Silicone is arguably the best base material in a roof sealant. It’s naturally occurring, and therefore biodegradable. That’s advantageous for multiple reasons, but the biggest one is it’s environmentally-friendly chemical structure. Homeowners can apply a silicone coating by spraying or rolling the coating. We suggest a reflective coating color in order to keep heat out of your home’s upper-floor rooms or attic. Silicone resists water build up longer than other types of roof coatings and easily sticks without a coat of primer. It’s also a good choice for your wallet based on quality.
Silicone coating: asphalt based An asphalt coating is generally easy to apply and come in a dark-colored finish. Since asphalt is normally solid at room temperature, solvents are used to bring it to a liquid form for application.
You’ll need more coating for your roof if you chose this kind of roof sealant, since it’s applied with a heavy-nap roller. But be careful – asphalt-based sealants may have long-forgotten asbestos left behind from previous applications.
Acrylic: Acrylic polymer is a good choice if you’re looking for a highly durable roof coating, particularly because it requires two coats of application. Not only is it built to last, but it’s also extremely cost-effective. Choose from different colored finishes, including white.
We hope you found this article helpful; especially if you plan to do your own roof repairs. But, the best way to ensure your home is protected is by working with our expertly trained team of professional roofers. To set an appointment with Capital Roofings professional team, give us a call today. We look forward to hearing from you.
How Hurricanes Affect a Roof – the Science
After hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit the Texas and Florida coasts, Maria moved over Puerto Rico. As these three communities and our country as a whole works to rebuild and move on from the devastation caused by these storms, we in the roofing business ask ourselves what can be done to improve infrastructure and homes to withstand a hurricane?
A roof will take on the most force from severe weather like a hurricane, and is often more vulnerable to damage than the rest of a home or building. After hurricanes move through an area, roof damage dominates insurance claims across the board, often because roofs were not properly replaced or maintained when it wasn’t hurricane season. Of course, strong winds topping 150 miles per hour also obviously contribute to extreme levels of damage, but regular maintenance can slightly mitigate that damage. Unfortunately, a damaged roof during and after a hurricane can lead to flooding inside the home, plus mold and infestations that come with water invading a structure.
It’s known that corrugated metal roofing tends to do very well against hurricane-level winds due to how roofing panels fit together and lock. Of course, that kind of toughness isn’t just isolated to tropical storms – it applies in the Front Range as well which sees events like hail storms, heavy snow and even funnel clouds and tornadoes throughout the seasons.
Research also shows that square homes actually withstand hurricanes better than more randomly-shaped structures. Paneled roofs can usually offset the force of high winds and more easily survive extreme weather like hurricanes. Gable and multi-level roofs also do better under these conditions. According to a 2007 study by Dr. Rima Taher of the New Jersey Institute of Technology the best results come from 30-degree roof slopes in high winds.
Contact your local Red Cross office about how you can help with hurricane relief efforts in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico.