5 Upgrade Ideas for Re-Roofing Your Home

What is your first reaction when you think of re-roofing your home? It is probably not the excitement that you feel when you think of upgrading your kitchen cabinet or living room furniture. However, when undertaking the necessary activity of changing your roof, you can make the best of the process and arrive at a beautiful, durable, and functional roof.

Although you are about to spend a lot of money on a roof that you probably can't show off to your friends or share pictures of, you can make it glamorous, appealing, reduce maintenance expenses, and keep it relevant for a long time.

Let us discuss five upgrade ideas for your roof when it is time to replace your roofing system. They are charming and worth the effort.

1. Install a flashing system

When re-roofing your home, consider adding eave flashings, which are bituminous membranes that you stick on before shingling. When you apply the eave flashing, the membranes seal up about your roofing fastener, and then form a seal over the eaves. The seal is watertight and protects the part of your roof that is more prone to damage from ice dams.

 You can also find bituminous eve flashings to stick around your skylights, on top your valleys, and around the dormers
 

2. Replace chimney cap with an airtight version

Metal and masonry chimneys do a great job of keeping birds, insects, and rain out, but you deserve a more functional chimney. This is where the airtight chimney comes in.

Airtight chimneys perform the functions of the masonry and airtight chimneys, but they go further to save your energy.

If you don't own an airtight chimney, then it means anytime you aren't using your fireplace, warm air escapes out of your home through the chimney in the cold weather. This movement happens because your firebox damper is not airtight.

When you install an airtight chimney cap, you can open and close them at will using a spring. When you pull on a cable in your fireplace, the chimney cap will open. When you are done and your fire is out, you can pull it again to close the cap completely. It will also ensure that birds and other animals don't make a nest in your chimney.

Discuss with your home roofing expert and find out how you can install an airtight chimney cap in the process of changing your roof.
 

3. Purchase energy-efficient shingles

Before now, the decision-making process for purchasing shingles was simply to select a white or light-colored shingle for a cool roof. However, homeowners were quick to get dissatisfied with the colors as they weren't appealing enough.

Recently, we have reflective shingles with a wide array of colors ranging from wooden tones to slate. The modern granules also reflect the radiation of the sun and release most of the heat it absorbs hence, its energy efficiency.

Energy-efficient shingles can save you as much as 15% of your cooling expenses, depending on your climate and how your home is constructed.
 

4. Invest in better roof ventilation

A poorly ventilated attic can become really hot and uncomfortable in the summer. When the heat builds up, it moves into the rooms situated below the attic and they become hot and uncomfortable for the residents.

To prevent extreme heat and maintain a cool home, ensure that the roofing expert places ridge vents over your rooftop. These vents are hardly noticeable, but very efficient. They will allow air to move under the ridge cap shingles for better ventilation.

The vents under the eaves will draw cool air into the attic at the same time as hot air is taken out. You can also use gable vents, which you fix near the topmost part of the exterior walls to improve airflow.

Investing in a cooler attic means that you spend less on cooling in the summer and still enjoy comfort.
 

5. Replace old gutters with low-maintenance gutter

You might think it unnecessary, but when re-roofing your home is the best time to replace your old gutters with new installments. It is especially necessary if the old gutters leave a lot to be desired because of their misaligned nature.

Modern gutter systems are easy to maintain, and they have curved hoods built inside them. This design allows rainwater to move smoothly down the curved hood, get into the gutters, and avoid leaves that can cause blockages. The easy movement also prevents clogs, stains, and overflows.

With low-maintenance gutters, you no longer have to climb a height with a ladder to clean them. The gutters handle themselves.

Lookout for gutters that have seamless operations, have sufficient sizes to handle severe downpours and other related incidences.

 These gutters also have unique colors that blend with different roofing, trim, and siding.