Top 5 Roof Checks to Make Before Spring Weather Arrives

roof-checks

As winter draws to a close, it’s crucial to get your house ready for the arrival of spring. As you start spring cleaning, remember to pay attention to a sometimes forgotten area of your home: the roof! 

Before spring arrives, you should examine your roof for any external or interior damage that the harsh winter weather may have caused. Discover the five items on your roof you need to check by reading on.

1. Shingles

 

Any missing, broken, or worn shingles are the first and most apparent item you should look for. Due to the cold, ice, and snow during the winter, shingles can develop rips or cracks. You may need to use a ladder and climb onto your roof to conduct a thorough check. A dependable expert, such as those at Exterior Plus, will be able to do this for you while taking the necessary safety measures.

2. Gutters

Next, you should check that your gutters are free of debris. This material may be cleared manually by you or a professional. Once everything has been cleaned out, use a hose to spray water through your gutter to check for obstructions or leaks in the downspouts. After that, examine your gutters to ensure they are still attached to the outside of your property and haven’t been ripped away.

3. Flashing

Homeowners often disregard flashing despite being a crucial component of your roofing system. Your roof’s thin perimeter protection, built around key locations, channels water away and guards against leaks and water damage. Reduced water flow might have harmed your flashing if your gutters developed any accumulation or damage throughout the winter. So be careful to look for gaps, breaks, or missing parts in the flashing.

4. Chimney

Your chimney is another item to check. Keep an eye out for any accumulation of white spots on the chimney of your roof. These stains indicate that your chimney is accumulating water, which might result in leaks. Also, check if your chimney’s seals or exterior are damaged. Never be concerned about water entering your chimney because you could have a leaky roof if it does.

5. Attic

Following a thorough inspection of your roof’s exterior, you should go inside to see if any damage has been done. Examine your attic with a flashlight. Look for any leaks, sagging, cracks, or ventilation problems. Any of these are clear indications that your roof needs repairs quickly. Additionally, you should inspect the insulation to ensure it is undamaged and in excellent shape.

 

Conclusion

Get a professional inspection done immediately if your roof shows any signs of deterioration. You’ll save money by avoiding future expensive repairs and feel safer knowing that your roof is prepared for the warmer spring weather! Contact Exteriors Plus immediately if you want assistance with checking or fixing the roof of your house. We look forward to assisting you in making your house a top priority!

Get To Know The Owner of Exteriors Plus – Quy Bui

Quy Bui is the owner of Exteriors Plus LLC, a roofing company located in Savage, Minnesota that services homeowners across the Twin Cities.

A native of nearby Bloomington, Bui’s childhood was an adventurous one, his upbringing untainted by many of the concerns that parents today share.

“I grew up in an era where there wasn’t a lot of crime. We were able to run around the entire Twin Cities without fearing for our safety,” Bui says.

“And there was no technology. You simply got outside and you got your hands dirty. That’s how we created character.”

An energetic entrepreneur who thrives off taking the road less traveled, as a teenager Bui struggled to follow the trajectory many of his peers were on.

“I hated working a 9 to 5,” says Bui, who post-high school quickly realized that a career involving Corporate America was not feasible.

To account for his apathy toward traditional employment, Bui quickly began experimenting with various entrepreneurial pursuits.

“At first, I had a kiosk at the Mall of America that did engravings on dog chains,” Bui recalls, but soon he opened a car performance shop where they focused on installing automotive tint and sound systems.

For a few years, Bui and his associates were able to stay in business, but then the car performance industry was decimated by the emergence of e-commerce, which effectively rendered his business obsolete.

“I then got into the mortgage industry and wrote loans for a couple of years,” Bui says, but before the Bloomington native could establish himself in that industry, the American economy endured a painful recession in 2007, and Bui was once again scrambling to devise his next entrepreneurial pursuit.

America’s economic downturn is ultimately what led Bui into the roofing industry, where Bui, in harnessing his charisma and natural sales skills, began selling roofs for a local company.

Bui enjoyed the heavy commissions and fast-paced nature of life as a roofing sales rep, but he quickly realized that his employer’s values didn’t align with his.

“The way he operated his roofing company wasn’t ideal, and after a year I determined that I could run a roofing business on my own,” shares Bui, who in 2010 opened Exteriors Plus LLC in Savage.

In the thirteen years since its inception, Exteriors Plus LLC has become a reputable roofing company within the community, not just for their expert craftsmanship and attention to detail when they install roofs, but Bui has also done what so few of his contemporaries have by cultivating a stellar work culture where people are prioritized over profits.

“Roofing sales reps gravitate toward this industry because of the money, but money can be the root of all evil, and I think, if you’re in the roofing industry for the money, and not prioritizing customer service, then you’re in this business for the wrong reasons,” Bui explains.

“Here at Exteriors Plus, we have created a culture that is here to help homeowners, and we know that if we have the right intentions and execute on our daily tasks, then everything else will fall into place.”

Based on his track record that spans over a decade, Bui is consistently doing what so many other roofing contractors fail to account for, and while the humble and stoic Bui doesn’t consider himself to be the roofing industry’s premier expert, he acknowledges that there are glaring holes in the way other roofers operate their businesses.

Most notably, Bui says he has come across many roofing contractors with grandiose ambitions and honest intentions, but often these same roofers make the fatal mistake of routinely overpromising and underdelivering to homeowners.

“Essentially, they never do what they say they are going to do,” Bui deadpans.

“This includes losing communication with homeowners and not following up when jobs are in progress, and that’s when their reputation diminishes. It sounds silly, but if a roofing contractor simply does what they say they are going to do, in many ways that will separate them from a big part of the market.”

Additionally, many roofing contractors new to the Twin Cities landscape struggle with cashflow management, and even though they may understand the nuances of how to conduct proper roof replacements, ultimately these roofers can’t maintain financial integrity, and eventually their house of shingles collapses.

“Often I see roofing business owners robbing Peter to pay Paul, and as you’re doing that it is tough to create a sustainable business,” Bui mentions.

“Roofing business owners who have poor money management skills end up not being good business owners.”

Although Bui is critical of other roofers in the industry, the mastermind of Exteriors Plus acknowledges that running a profitable roofing company that specializes in customer service is no easy venture.

In fact, Bui admits that he didn’t feel like he hit his stride as a business owner until seven years in, at which point the roofing industry became inundated with new technology.

“As we grew the company and started to understand the direction that the roofing industry was going, we began leveraging technology to make our processes more efficient in order to better service our customers,” says Bui, whose keen awareness elevated his roofing company into the next stratosphere and established the entity as a staple of the Savage community.

For homeowners in the Twin Cities who may be looking for a new roof in 2023, there are a litany of traits that they should be examining when vetting potential roofing contractors, with Bui recommending that reputation and longevity be at the forefront of any search.

“It’s very simple: look at a company’s track record. The turnover rate in the roofing industry is very high. For context, 80% of roofing contractors in the first two years will fail, and then 95% will fail within the first five years,” Bui notes.

“So if a roofing company is able to be sustainable day in and day out over the course of many years, then it’s likely that they know what they’re doing.”

But Bui also encourages homeowners to discuss contingency plans with roofing contractors, should something on the job not go according to plan.

“Another thing to consider when talking with roofing contractors is try and gauge if they have your best interests in mind, meaning if something goes wrong, will they come out the next day and rectify the issue, or will they take two weeks to return your call and come up with a plan of action?” Bui says.  

“Again, those are some things that sound relatively basic, but a lot of the other roofers that I have met over the years really struggled to prioritize the needs of homeowners.”

For Twin Cities homeowners whose roofs have recently been affected by hailstorms, or may sustain hail damage in the coming years, Bui urges those who are affected to work with a roofing contractor who can repair all aspects of their home, not just high-ticket items like roofs or siding.

“The roofing portion of an insurance claim is usually the most profitable, and general contractors can do the roof in one day,” Bui contextualizes.

“But if a roofing contractor is only addressing the big-ticket items on a claim, like the roof, they’re not truly servicing the homeowner. They’re just replacing the roof and then leaving the homeowners with the scraps and little idea of what to do next.”

At Exteriors Plus LLC, Bui and his team are a full-service contracting company, meaning they can handle everything exterior related on an insurance claim, including:

Siding, gutters, windows, decks, and mesh screens.

“We are a general contractor, and we are here to service our customers and their claims, and we do that by assisting with every part of the insurance restoration process,” Bui explains.

“We’re there to make sure we can take any potential headaches away from the homeowner, and that will allow them to breathe easy and focus on their families or whatever else they have going on in life.”

As for the future of Exteriors Plus LLC, Bui is committed to owning and operating his roofing company for many years to come, but he’s also begun investing in real estate and other business ventures, the aim being to develop ancillary sources of income for both himself, and his employees.

Says Bui:

“The goal is to create other streams of income beyond just my roofing company, and that’s what I teach my team as well, is don’t just make a good living working in the roofing industry. Take your money and create a sustainable way of living so that you will be financially set.” QS

Quentin Super: Quy Bui (Exteriors Plus LLC)

Another Major Winter Storm: The Big Mess

Winter Storm Big Mess

Minnesota was welcomed with another major, messy winter storm in the form of heavy snow, freezing rain, sleet, rain, and thunderstorms from Monday, January 2, to Thursday, January 5, 2023. The storm dumped more than a foot of snow throughout the Twin Cities, putting it in the top 20 for storm-total snowfall in the city. 

This was a “warm” winter storm, loosely linked to cold air and devoid of the bitter air that sometimes accompanies or follows Minnesota’s major winter storm systems. Instead, temperatures started in the 10s and 20s F. Still, they climbed through Tuesday and Wednesday, with stations in southern and eastern Minnesota reaching temperatures over 32 degrees F for a period, despite northerly winds.

This occurred over many days, with various “breaks” along the way. Low pressure traveled from the Texas panhandle through Iowa on Tuesday before stalling in Wisconsin Tuesday night and diminishing over the following 1-2 days.

“The Big Mess”

The 15 inches of snow was called “The Big Mess” by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ climatology branch. It was the 14th biggest snowfall event in the Twin Cities since 1884.

Snow accumulations of up to 17 inches in some metro areas slowed traffic and hampered transit 24 hours after the first flakes fell on Monday night.

The 3 Different Stages of “The Big Mess”

Phase 1: Scattered Snow and Ice

When deep moisture poured in during the first phase, a thin band of snow developed across the state’s southwestern and far southern regions on Monday, extending throughout the night in some locations. To the east of I-35, snow mingled with sleet and freezing rain, producing a moderate coating on many surfaces and extremely hazardous roadways. 

On Monday and Monday night, lighter snow and mixed precipitation extended northward into central Minnesota. However, this initial phase focused mainly on the southern three tiers of counties, where many regions got roughly a half-inch of precipitation. Snowfall of up to 8 inches was observed around Pipestone and Edgerton in southeastern Minnesota, with 1-3 inches frequent east of I-90.

Phase 2: Rapid Rates of Heavy Snowfall and Ice

The much-awaited “major event” or second phase began on Tuesday morning and continued throughout the day as an area of severe mixed precipitation and freezing rain moved north. Most southern and central Minnesota’s hardest precipitation barely lasted a few hours. Even yet, it was fairly severe, with lightning and thunder accompanying fast-building ice in far southern locations and snowfall rates up to two inches per hour in the Twin Cities and most of southern and central Minnesota. 

In some places, visibility was reduced to a tenth of a mile. In the extreme south, in the afternoon in the Twin Cities, the upper Minnesota River basin, and central Minnesota, the precipitation blitz abruptly ended. Most southern and central Minnesota had 3 to 8 inches of snow during this time, with Redwood Falls receiving the most and the Twin Cities receiving around 3-6 inches. The MSP airport recorded 6.0 inches of rain for the day.

 

Phase 3: Unexpected Snowfall Overnight, with Additional Snow through Wednesday Night

From Tuesday night through early Thursday, a last wave of snow was forecast to deliver light to moderate snow to parts of central and eastern Minnesota. This snow was forecast to fall between 1-3 inches Tuesday night and Wednesday. People in the Twin Cities, especially in the near-southern suburbs, awakened Wednesday to discover that the snow they had swept the night before had been completely replaced and, in some instances, had almost quadrupled. 

Several strong snow bands fell an additional 3-7 inches overnight throughout most of southern and central Minnesota, with locations around Bloomington, Burnsville, Lakeville, and Woodbury getting 7-10 inches. This was a thick, sticky snow that covered tree limbs and seemed rough and textured, as opposed to the smooth, laminar appearance of snow blankets that developed in colder circumstances.

The snow continued to fall on Wednesday, with the heaviest precipitation concentrated in the northern suburbs and central Minnesota. On Thursday morning, the snow had stopped falling across Minnesota.

 

Total Accumulations

72-hour snowfall forecast for Minnesota through Thursday, January 5, 2023. Higher values in certain regions may be “smoothed down” by the mapping methods, making the 12-18″ zone look smaller.

Along I-90, the southernmost parts of Minnesota usually received around a quarter-inch of ice. However, some areas received more. In contrast, most of the rest of the state had snow accumulations, with sleet and freezing rain interspersed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Many southwestern, central, southern, and eastern Minnesota areas experienced snowfall accumulations of 8 to 15 inches, including Pipestone, Marshall, Redwood Falls, Willmar, Mankato, Northfield, St. Cloud, the Twin Cities, and portions of Duluth. Even higher amounts were either reported or suspected based on observation periods.

Far southwestern Minnesota, 13-15 inches totals were recorded at Marshall, Edgerton, and Slayton, where accumulations may have approached 18 inches in areas close east of Sioux Falls.

Over a large portion of central and eastern Minnesota, including St. Cloud, Willmar, and the Twin Cities, dozens of observers reported snow accumulations ranging from 12 to 17 inches. One observer near Lakeville reported 17.7 inches of snow, and a CoCoRaHS observer south of St. Augusta (Stearns County) reported a total of 17.5 inches.

Observers observed 12-15 inches of snow in the region south and southwest of Duluth, including Moose Lake, Barnum, and Holyoke.

 

Winter’s First Snowfall

While wet and heavy, the snow did not start adhering to tree branches until early on Wednesday, saving the state from the massive power outages that have happened in the past when there have been winter storms.

Until January 4, Minnesota’s five first-order climate stations recorded above-average snowfall for the season, ranging from 16% snowier than normal in International Falls to 136% snowier than usual in the Twin Cities.

Temperatures warmed enough Monday night that the snow-rich atmosphere created blizzard conditions in some areas of the state, with snowfall rates as high as an inch per hour during the overnight hours into Tuesday morning. The combination of snow and rain to form slushy, wet roads caused many people to stay home from work and school to navigate the Twin Cities safely.

 

Final Thoughts

“The Big Mess” might not have been an all-time record-breaking snowfall event, but it will surely be remembered as one of the more significant and disruptive storms in recent memory. The heavy wet snow was caused by a Mississippi Valley Low-Pressure System that pumped warm air into Minnesota’s cold atmosphere, resulting in unusually high snowfall. 

Because of the size of this storm, Exteriors Plus provided emergency services throughout its length, assisting homes with roof damage caused by strong winds and heavy snowfall, frozen pipes, ice dams, and other preventive measures.

The storm served as a warning that Minnesota’s winter weather can be dangerous. With the assistance of Exteriors Plus, homes experienced less damage from this large, messy winter storm by being prepared and seeking aid as soon as possible.

We’re your one-stop shop for all roofing requirements, from preventive measures to emergency services and repairs to complete replacements. Our team ensures you’ll have a safe, secure roof that will last for years to come.

We’re experienced in navigating these types of storms and can help homeowners protect their homes from the harsh winter months. 

Get in touch with us immediately and get ahead of whatever Mother Nature has in store.

How To Qualify Your Roofing Contractor

Roofing Savage MN

When looking for a roofing contractor for your home, it is essential to pick a roofing contractor who has both experience and a solid reputation for providing excellent customer care. The difference can be in the quality!

Roofing contractors who have been in the industry for a considerable amount of time, who are committed to the success of their company as well as their clientele, will make every effort to provide excellent service to their clientele. After all, the patronage of their clients is what drives the success of their company.

It is helpful to have a clear idea of what you want from a contractor before you start shopping for one. If a contractor possesses all seven of the characteristics listed below, it’s likely that they are the best choice to meet your requirements as a client.

 

1. They Treat Your Home As If It Were Their Own.

The process of repairing or replacing a roof can be a dirty one. The most reputable contractors will respect your property as if it were their very own. They are careful to safeguard the construction site, and once the work is finished, they will clean up any debris that was left behind.

The roofing contractor should have provided you with a contract or any other paperwork that contains information regarding the cleaning procedure. When a contractor is able to guarantee you, in writing, that they will tidy up once the job is done and remove any debris left behind, you will know that you have chosen a reliable one.

 

2.They Have An Excellent Reputation.

Reputation is essential. A roofer with a strong reputation has provided excellent service to their consumers. How can you tell if a roofer is reputable?

Although anyone can install shingles, only professionals will have manufacturer support. This indicates that the roofing contractor has been vetted and approved by the manufacturer of the brand they represent and use. This is a critical accreditation that can protect you and your roof installation investment.

Positive online reviews are an excellent place to start. Read the unfavorable reviews as well. You may discover whether contractors have recurring customer issues by looking for patterns in their internet reviews.

Referrals from friends and family are often excellent markers of exceptional performance. If you know someone who recently had their roof redone, inquire about their contractor. If they did, request a referral.

 

3. They Are Knowledgeable And Intelligent.

Whether you have discovered a good roofer, you will know it because they should be willing to offer feedback during the consultation process. This is how you can tell when you have found a good roofer. They may steer you toward particular kinds of materials that can assist you in achieving your objectives, or they may provide you with information regarding the amount of time you can anticipate your current roof to remain in good condition.

 

4. They Pay Attention And Take Notes

Any person who works in the roofing industry needs to have strong communication skills. Try to find a contractor who gives the impression that they are taking notes throughout the consultation and who has a lot of questions to ask regarding your timeframe, budget, and so on.

After you have signed the contract, the very finest roofers will keep you informed on a frequent basis, either by checking in with you via email, by calling you, or even by sending you a quick text message. They should also be ready to answer any questions or issues that may arise while you use the service.

 

5. They Have A Solid Team.

When you meet with the roofer for the first time for the consultation, it is important to learn as much as you can about his or her team. Is everyone on the squad inexperienced? Have the members of the team been working together for a significant amount of time? If the staff is steady, the company is likely to be stable as well, which is fantastic news for you as a client.

Keep in mind that contractors who have a solid team are more likely to have spent more time educating their team members, which means that they are less likely to make mistakes or have accidents on your project site. This is especially important if you are using subcontractors.

 

6. They Are Sincere And Dependable

The contractor that you choose to engage ought to be open to discussing details regarding their insurance, certifications, and licenses with you. If you are unable to locate this information on their website, you should inquire about it when you are in consultation with them. It is expected that all of their contact information, including a mailing address, will be listed on their website. Transparency is the defining characteristic of a trustworthy contractor!

To tell you the truth, a lot of people who call themselves “experienced contractors” try to break into the roofing field without having the appropriate training or credentials. As a direct consequence of this, there are typically a great deal of impostors and fake roofers.

The subject of whether or not they have a license on their person is a good one to ask right off the bat. For initiatives that cost more than $2,000, a license is necessary. Find out what kind of license they have, as this is an additional vital piece of information. Every level of licensing, from home remodeler licenses to commercial contractor licenses, has criteria that are progressively more stringent and difficult to meet. The higher the license, the more it demonstrates the individual’s level of expertise, skill, and secure financial standing.

 

7. They Enjoy Displaying Their Completed Roofs

In addition to providing references, contractors should be pleased to demonstrate finished projects for their clients. Request that the roofing contractor you are considering show you images of previous jobs that they have performed. The most reputable contractors likely have hundreds of photographs documenting successful projects in which they had a role and of which they are quite proud.

 

Hire A High-Quality, Trustworthy Roof Installation Company Today!

Exteriors Plus would be thrilled to have the opportunity to be of service to you if you are interested in having your roof repaired or replaced. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us!