Our homes constantly call for repairs and renovations. A pretty expensive and extensive job is the roof. A roof can last anywhere from 10 years to 50 years, depending on the quality of roof, weather in your area and maintenance that is done regularly. Although, how do you choose the right style roof for your home? Do you go with what you’ve always had? Or is there a better option?

Colour & Style of Roof

Take a look at the rest of the exterior of your home. You will want to find a colour and style that suits your exterior paneling  brick, doors and/or shutters. And this does not just go for colour, but textures as well. Are you looking for standard asphalt shingles or something more like concrete tiles, or “S” tiles? How important is this really? Some are just looking at the initial price and think, if I need to – I can redo the exterior later. But reality is, it probably will never get done, and picking the right roof can up your curb appeal drastically and increases the value of your home.

Consider the weather in your area

Not only are there different types of roofing solutions for aesthetic appeal, but also to protect you. Our home is our shelter, so our roof must be able to protect us in the best possible way. Consider where you live and the weather in your area. For example, if you are in a tornado region, avoid large heavy shingles, or shingles that are subject to damage easily. Instead, decide on a light weight solutions, preferably flat and less likely to be damaged or ripped off in high winds. If you are in an area here you experience heaving hail storms, it’s best to steer away from ceramic or clay tiles that can break easily.

Roofing Maintenance

Considering all your options is important, especially when it comes to maintenance. Although you may choose to go with a cheap solution now, will that mean that you need to replace it within 10 years? Or have you decided on a solution that will last you half a decade? Some roofing can be easily maintained by inspecting it on a regular basis, while others are not so simple.

The answer is yes! You really do need to put consideration and research into roofing your home. There are several options out there and you want to make sure you are deciding on the right roofing solution for you. And what is great, you have so many styles and materials to choose from, and many of them come in so many different colours to suit your home’s exterior and increase your curb appeal.

If you are ready to talk about your roofing needs and what is best for you, Contact Jackson & Associates, professionals in Minneapolis roofing & building services.

Media vs. Electronic Air Filters/cleaners

Optimizing your furnace for your family is not just about running efficiently. The quality of air your family is breathing in is very important. Many people have asked “what is the difference between media and electronic air filters?” and “What is best for my family?” Here is a quick snap shot at how these two systems work and why you would want to go with one over the other.

Media Air Filters

• Generally uses fabric filters that can be disposed of and replaced in order to trap particles in order to purify the air in your home.
• As air flows through your filter, large particles are picked up by the fabric/material and smaller particles are attracted to the fibers in the material rather than the air.
• There are a wide variety of media filters that have different efficiencies, fabrics/materials and styles.
• A good quality media filter can assist with tackling minor allergy issues
• Less maintenance than that of an electronic air filter is needed
• Change filter on an annual basis
• No ongoing maintenance or operating costs other than filter replacements in some models.

Electronic Air Filters

• Also known as ionizers or electrostatic precipitators.
• Uses electricity to remove particles from the air that is in your home. High Voltage power causes particles and pollutants to become positively charged and collected onto fin type slots and stay here until the collector is washed.
• Once slightly dirty, it loses its efficiency.
• To be cleaned on a regular basis 3-5 times a year
• Best if you have serious allergy conditions
• Releases small amounts of ozone that can, over a long period of time, cause respiratory issues in those who are sensitive to it.

Although you can get some air cleaners that use a combination of both methods and also may declare that ozone is not released, you may find that one benefits your needs over the other. If anyone in your family has allergies, and little to no reaction to small traces of ozone and you have the ability to clean it on a regular basis, an electronic air filter may be the best choice for you. On the other hand if you find you may be too busy or not able to clean it as often, and your family does not suffer allergies, you may be good using a media air filter. Now that you hopefully have a better understanding of the differences, you can have a more educated chat with your local Barrie heating and cooling specialist to help you make the write decision.

The work in construction & general contracting involves overseeing building projects from the start up to completion. Contractors have in the past been handling all the facets of the projects including mechanical and electrical installations. The team also constitutes carpenters for the installation of doors, windows and other hardware.

This has however changed and all the contractors have to do nowadays is to manage subcontractors for the completion of projects. There are ideas that a contractor seeking to venture into this business can use in order to establish a foothold in the competitive industry.

The first thing to do before starting the business is learning how the business operates and what challenges it brings along. It is therefore important to take time and research how other companies run their operations. The best way to go about this is by paying attention to how things are done in the company where one is working in order establish things that one can embrace as well as areas that need some improvements.

The contractor should then sit down and create an elaborate business plan. One can easily draft with the help of templates found in some of the word processing programs. The reason as to why it is important to have a business plan is because it helps in spotting loopholes and making adjustments accordingly. The plan is also need when it comes to looking for financing.

The contractor should then move on and get all the necessary documents and business licenses from relevant authorities. This should also involve setting up state and federal tax accounts together with worker’s compensation as per the state’s regulations. The contractor should also look for an elaborate insurance cover since this is business whose operations involve a lot of money.

One should then look for reliable financing through the application for business loans from reputable lenders after setting up a credit account. It is important though to have reserve capital for the payment of expenses for the project since most of the lenders release money after ninety days.

The success of a construction & general contracting lies in the building of strong relationships with all the industry players such as architects, clients and suppliers. The best way to building a lasting relationship is by ensuring that all the projects are professionally handled and that they are completed as per the stipulated deadlines. It is important to ensure that no project goes beyond the schedule since such a mistake could lead to millions of money being lost.