Google advanced image search. Free to share.
It might have been 1983, I really don’t remember. I was working on a chimney repair in Kingwood Texas. That’s on US59 (I69 future interstate corridor) just north of Houston on the east side. I saw some severe storm clouds approaching from the west. I lived in the Woodlands, Tx which was on I45 just north of Houston on the west side and I knew that my house was taking a beating. With a kid just about out of school for the day, I decided to cut work short and head home.
Google. Free to share When I hit the Woodlands an hour later it looked like it had been snowing. Hail was covering the ground.
Google. Free to share. For the next few weeks insurance adjusters and roofing companies were in the area thick as thieves. It wasn’t long afterwards that we began getting calls from customers who had new roofs. In almost all cases they had gone from wooden roofs to composition ones thanks to fire insurance requirements.
I will attempt to avoid using insulting terms, however, these roofs were done in a darker shade due to a lack of thought or an abundance of ignorance. Whether changing type shingles or not, all the ones calling had gone to a darker shade shingle. We were being called because their air conditioning unit was not keeping up with the heat. If you have chosen the color wrong (and neighborhood regulations force it in some locations) you have to spend money that you didn't need to spend.
I will attempt to avoid using insulting terms, however, these roofs were done in a darker shade due to a lack of thought or an abundance of ignorance. Whether changing type shingles or not, all the ones calling had gone to a darker shade shingle. We were being called because their air conditioning unit was not keeping up with the heat. If you have chosen the color wrong (and neighborhood regulations force it in some locations) you have to spend money that you didn't need to spend.
This was not a new thought for me. While still in the Navy in Guam I fought my first battle against a hot roof. Our roof was made of concrete and the rain and sun had managed to turn it black with mold or mildew. I was having trouble with cooling. In fact, I had bought an additional window unit air conditioner and it didn't make a dent in the heat.
I went topside with a bucket full of water, a brush, and a bottle of bleach. Miracles still happen. A white roof was hiding under my black one. When I went below again it was to a home that was cooling for the first time.
These temperatures are arbitrary. You cannot predict what they will be but you can say if they will be better or worse. For reasons pertaining to color and ventilation I have encountered attics over 140 degrees. Just like this drawing the air conditioners would not shut off.
I also had a flat roof in an apartment. It was black and I was allowed to paint it white. I just took a garden pump up sprayer and diluted water soluble latex paint. It made a big difference. What you usually are forced to do, however, if to look at insulation and ventilation. That is cheaper than increasing the size of your AC system. Increasing the size makes for more problems because you can’t really go bigger. That makes for humidity problems.
Google Images: Free to share If I could tell you the times I have seen somebody cut down acres of trees just to grow a lawn. This home has the right idea.
Yes you can have the green growth on the home but a little clorox and elbow grease can take care of most of that. In the winter when you want the sunshine the leaves have fallen. In the summer when you want the shade you have it.
I will be going into other things you can do. If any more free ones occur to me I will come back and add them. Make the right choice at the right time and these are absolutely free.
Yes you can have the green growth on the home but a little clorox and elbow grease can take care of most of that. In the winter when you want the sunshine the leaves have fallen. In the summer when you want the shade you have it.
I will be going into other things you can do. If any more free ones occur to me I will come back and add them. Make the right choice at the right time and these are absolutely free.
Soffit Area: There are certain types of homes that were called “contemporary” or “modern” when I went to buy a new home in the eighties. These homes were lacking soffits of any meaningful size or perhaps any size at all.
I am still trying to avoid derogatory terms but I cannot understand how someone could design such a home. Let us just say they are missing an inexpensive feature that makes southern living easier. Soffits can be huge. Porches that have continuous attic with the home are functionally an attic.
The soffit area provides an easy access for air to be admitted into your attic. When it gets hot it will rise and look for an exit. In this picture there are two.
The Ridge Vent: The highest spot for the hot air to exit.
The Turbine: The second highest logical place for hot air to exit.
Important: Inlet for air that is paired with an available outlet comprises a ventilation system. Soffits with no exits does not constitute a system. Outlets with no soffits represent the same incomplete results. When I first began working on Houston area rooftops I noticed a lot of things without really understanding. On one home there was a straight line parallel to and about five feet from the ridge of the home. Above it the roof was deteriorated. Below it was in decent condition. The turbines were five feet down. That roof needed a ridge vent. Actually it was probably short of soffit inlet as well.
An inlet that is too small or an outlet that is too small comprise an obstructed system that is ineffective. Note: there is virtually no limit on how big they may be unless there are other problems (water/vermin). If there are the system was probably built wrong. Bigger is better. I expect this will comprise a chapter sometime after the basics are done.
I am still trying to avoid derogatory terms but I cannot understand how someone could design such a home. Let us just say they are missing an inexpensive feature that makes southern living easier. Soffits can be huge. Porches that have continuous attic with the home are functionally an attic.
The soffit area provides an easy access for air to be admitted into your attic. When it gets hot it will rise and look for an exit. In this picture there are two.
The Ridge Vent: The highest spot for the hot air to exit.
The Turbine: The second highest logical place for hot air to exit.
Important: Inlet for air that is paired with an available outlet comprises a ventilation system. Soffits with no exits does not constitute a system. Outlets with no soffits represent the same incomplete results. When I first began working on Houston area rooftops I noticed a lot of things without really understanding. On one home there was a straight line parallel to and about five feet from the ridge of the home. Above it the roof was deteriorated. Below it was in decent condition. The turbines were five feet down. That roof needed a ridge vent. Actually it was probably short of soffit inlet as well.
An inlet that is too small or an outlet that is too small comprise an obstructed system that is ineffective. Note: there is virtually no limit on how big they may be unless there are other problems (water/vermin). If there are the system was probably built wrong. Bigger is better. I expect this will comprise a chapter sometime after the basics are done.
Google, free to share. This is a gable roof. The octagon with slats near the peak of the roof is a gable vent. Obviously there is an attempt here to combine form and function. It probably works well.
I am used to seeing these in the triangular shape that mimics the roof line. As you can almost see from this picture, there is more than one vent. A gable vent at each end is probably about as good as the systems described above. But if you can have soffit vents why would you not do them. It allows heat to rise and escape. That heat is trying to reach equilibrium with the temperature in your home. Insulation slows heat. It does not stop it.
These are all ways to remove the heat without cost or block it's entry. They are all cheaper than removing it once it gains entry. They virtually free when they are the result of good choices made when building or re-roofing a home. They are less expensive than air conditioning when you have to pay to have them done. With google, you can find easy ways to do anything. Use your mind and improve your home in ways that don't just have to do with frills.
I am used to seeing these in the triangular shape that mimics the roof line. As you can almost see from this picture, there is more than one vent. A gable vent at each end is probably about as good as the systems described above. But if you can have soffit vents why would you not do them. It allows heat to rise and escape. That heat is trying to reach equilibrium with the temperature in your home. Insulation slows heat. It does not stop it.
These are all ways to remove the heat without cost or block it's entry. They are all cheaper than removing it once it gains entry. They virtually free when they are the result of good choices made when building or re-roofing a home. They are less expensive than air conditioning when you have to pay to have them done. With google, you can find easy ways to do anything. Use your mind and improve your home in ways that don't just have to do with frills.
RSS Feed