Ernie Smith & Sons Roofing Company

Ernie Smith & Sons has recently completed several new roofs for folks in zip code areas 77510, 77517, and 77563. The two towns of Santa Fe and Hitchcock, in Galveston County, recently experienced extreme hail damage. If you live in or around Santa Fe or Hitchcock please give us a call – we’ll come out and check your roof for free.

We’ve been re-roofing homes in Santa Fe and Hitchcock and the entire Galveston County area for over 20 years. (We’re actually located in Santa Fe. We’re THE local roofing company, and we’re definitely worth waiting for!)

We have thousands of satisfied customers. And when it comes to working with insurance companies, we’ve got more than enough experience. (We’re still helping process claims on insured losses from Hurricane Ike.)

If your roof has hail damage, we’ll work with your adjuster and walk you through the paper work from start to finish. We do composition shingles, tile, flat roofs, and standing seam metal.

PLEASE BE AWARE that storm-chasers from all over Houston have descended on the area. These roofers may or may not be ‘legit,’ and they may not be familiar with TDI Windstorm codes for Galveston and Brazoria County. Forewarned is forearmed!

We install all our roofs according to high-wind application guidelines, at no extra charge, even where it’s not required.

‘High-wind application’ means we follow the Texas Department of Insurance Windstorm code. Their inspection and certification is mandatory near the coast. You simply follow the shingle manufacturer’s high-wind installation guidelines printed right on the product packaging. We’ve been doing it for over twenty years.

At Ernie Smith & Sons, we’ve never let a roof warranty lapse, and our TDI inspection compliance and success rate is immaculate.

We also include, at no extra charge, six nails per composition shingle (though usually not required), and all our roofs are hand-nailed.

For a free roof inspection in the Santa Fe/Hitchcock area call our second-generation family business at 281-534-3521, or 409-925-8843.

The vast majority of homes in Houston and the surrounding communities are topped with composition shingles. (Still referred to simply as asphalt shingles by many.) So most roof repairs tend to be composition shingle repairs.

(‘Lifetime’ roofs however like metal and synthetic are common along the coast, especially right on the water.)

Composition shingles are ‘composed’ of asphalt and fiberglass. They’re by far the easiest type of roof to install and also to repair.

Fortunately most roof leaks are pretty straightforward, and can often be quickly and readily traced to the source by a pro.

Leaky roofs in Houston and along the Gulf Coast in general are caused by a variety of reasons, including poor installation, cheap material, general wear and tear, and of course storm damage.

The ideal roof (as far as leaks are concerned) is a simple straight-up gable design, like those sprawling one-story ranch homes – without any so-called ‘penetrations.’

Penetrations are things like chimneys, skylights, exhaust vents, and even roof walls. Most roof leaks, and ultimately roof repairs, tend to be around penetrations because water congregates (albeit temporarily) in these areas as it travels down and off the roof. Likewise with ‘valleys.’

By the way, roofs should be kept free of piled-up leaves and pine needles for this reason.

Steep roofs have a great advantage in that water rolls off the roof quickly.

Besides penetrations, exposed and popped-up nails are a common problem. The former is caused by sloppy nailing and the latter is a result of a nail hitting a void in the wood decking. For these reasons nail guns aren’t recommended for composition shingles.

It’s always a good feeling, when you have a roof leak or other roof-related problem, when your roofer comes out and declares that a simple (or even complex) repair will do the trick, and you won’t need a whole new roof.

But did you know you can have a roof leak for years and never even know it?

It’s true. In fact roughly half or more of the composition shingle roofs we remove here in the Houston area have at least some rotted wood due to some protracted undetected leak. Even if the house is still relatively new.

What happens is the plywood decking and the insulation ends up soaking up all the water. The wet wood can lead to mold and mildew and eventually rots, attracting termites and other insects (especially in humid areas).

But don’t panic. Most roof repairs in Houston cost less than you might think and can be done in a day, bad wood replacement and all.

One way to locate longstanding hidden leaks is by walking your roof periodically, looking for suspicious sags, dips, and depressions.

Assuming your roof is easy to walk (not steep). Check especially around the penetration-type areas mentioned above. Better still, have an experienced roofer do this for you – they’ll check the roof for other possible problems at the same time.

The point is to see if any depressed areas feel unusually spongy compared to the rest of the roof.  If an area feels firm to the ‘step’ then it’s probably ok. (Very large sags and dips that tend to be visible from the ground, but are firm, are usually not a problem.)

Right after a hard rain is a good time to check your (non-steep) composition shingle roof. Make a mental note of any areas that tend to ‘pond’ – areas that are still holding small amounts of rain water even after most of the rest of the roof has dried.

You can also look for hidden leaks after it rains by scanning the attic with a good flashlight. Check for wet spots (but not natural plywood stains, which can fool you). Watch your head when lowering an attic ladder, and don’t step through the ceiling!

NEVER climb on a wet roof though. Wait for one of those drenching Houston summertime showers where the sun burns everything dry quickly. Plus, avoid steep roofs and two-story roofs unless you know what you’re doing.

And never get on a roof if you’re not steady with a ladder or comfortable with heights, and especially if your wife (or husband, or kid) is standing below you frowning, arms firmly crossed, with an “I told you so” look on their face.

Finally, some honorable mention (weird and rare) miscellaneous causes of leaks and roof repairs in the Houston area and the entire Texas Gulf Coast.

• Once in a blue moon condensation can build up on a pipe inside an improperly vented attic and mimic a roof leak (so don’t seal off attic vents in the winter, especially here in the humid Houston area)

• Occasionally some penetrations (like metal exhaust pipe vents) can leak a bit from vertically blown rain in a really bad storm

• Curious or hungry or thirsty animals can sometimes dig a hole in a composition shingle roof and even chew away heavy lead pipe vent covers

• We’ve repaired our share of serious roof damage from lightening strikes here at Ernie Smith & Sons Roofing

• Windows of course can and do leak, and we’ve even seen water enter one particular house through a tiny area of peeled wall paint!

• Tree branches can scrape and damage composition shingles, or even pierce a roof during a fierce storm

If you need help please give our family roofing business a call at 409-925-8843 or 281-534-3521. And for lots more roofing info please visit our website.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

That old adage holds true even in this brave new (and confusing) world of computers and the internet. Your local BBB is still one of the best places to check out a roofer in Houston – or anywhere else in the U.S. for that matter.

Most roofers in the Houston area who’ve been around a while aspire to become members of the Better Business Bureau. They realize that the BBB is still revered by consumers (the BBB is famous for “promoting good business practice” plus the conspicuous BBB logo is part of the national ‘psyche’).

Of course a referral from a satisfied family member or friend is hard to beat when you need a new roof or repair. But it’s still a good idea to look into a business a bit further before you commit. (After all, even unscrupulous contractors have good days sometimes!)

And that’s where the BBB comes in. You can easily access the track record of any Houston area roofer by going directly to their BBB ‘page’ online (i.e. through the internet).

A contractor’s online Better Business Bureau page will have their particular BBB rating (from A Plus to F) and the reason for the rating. You can see how long the roofer’s been an accredited BBB member and how they’ve handled past complaints, if there’s been any. Here’s our BBB page.

Once a business becomes a member of the BBB they’re usually fairly zealous about keeping their complaint levels to a minimum and getting any problems resolved as quickly as possible. (Which has the effect, at least to some degree, of ‘keeping an honest business honest.’)

The BBB is good about calling businesses out (publicly) for ridiculous claims or false advertising, and they often work with authorities to help expose scams and rip-off artists. You wouldn’t want to do business with these guys for example.

Of course a company actually has to be a genuine bona fide member of the BBB. Some businesses will blatantly display the BBB logo when they have no affiliation with them whatsoever. (Shocking we know.) Here’s an example.

The BBB also does dispute resolution and mediation, and, for what it’s worth, they also deal with charities. (Maybe that helps to keep the BBB honest?)

The Better Business Bureau is still inundated every year with requests from homeowners across the country after big storms.

Thousands of people call for info about roofers and contractors to help with huge amounts of insured losses. It was that way with Hurricane Ike here in Houston and more recently with some big hail storms in Dallas.

The BBB isn’t a perfect organization, but neither are the newbie copycat ‘review agencies’ spawned by the internet, like Angie’s List and Service Magic for example (which makes for a whole ‘nother post … but once these guys get an iron-clad and tinker-proof review process down we’ll certainly consider joining one or two of them).

Like great roofing companies that started before the technology revolution, who’ve had to adapt or perish, the Better Business Bureau (founded 1912) has had to do the same. So, if you anguish over learning about and navigating the internet (especially older folk like me), they feel your pain.

That’s really one of the best things about the BBB – how long they’ve been around. (A century is a good bit of time.)

And they’ll probably be around for some time to come. In fact the BBB is more relevant now than ever. According to their website, the BBB is a “widely-recognized leader in international efforts to promote business self-regulation online.” (Of course there is the slight possibility of a bit of bias here

Like some old familiar face standing out amidst a dizzying and befuddling new (digital) world, the BBB has blazed a trail for a lot of us, bringing decades of acquired knowledge and experience along with them (all free via their website and numerous publications).

We’re proud of our own Ernie Smith & Sons Roofing’s exclusive A Plus BBB Gold Star rating. The accreditation means no complaints in three years. That’s rare in roofing.

For more information about finding a good Houston roofer see our articles listed on our website’s home page.

A lot of roofing companies have tried pneumatic nail guns at one time or another for composition shingle installation. (These high powered guns shoot real roofing nails by the way, not the infamous staples.)

Most of these roofing companies still use air guns for nailing down wood decking, which is usually either plywood or OSB board (also called wafer, or chip board). But they often become disillusioned with guns for roofing.

We talk about the negatives of using nail guns for composition shingles on our website – see our article on how to choose a great roofing company.

If you decide to use a roofing company that favors guns, ask them to at least slow down a bit when they do your job, and tell them you’re concerned about the quality of the nailing.

The potential for high-powered pneumatic air guns to save money by speeding up the roofing process and trimming labor costs is pretty significant.

And who would benefit more from these automatic weapons of the construction world than roofing companies? Roofing crews often install from 75 – 100 lbs. of roofing nails per job, per day. And all by hand!

So what’s the problem then with using nail guns to install composition shingles? Besides the fact that most roofing crews can’t afford all the gear required? And they prefer the craftsmanship and control of an old-fashioned roofing hammer anyway?

The main problem with these high-powered air tools is just that – high power.

Although the gun pressure can be adjusted by the individual shooter to (theoretically) ensure quality control over nail penetration, when it comes to composition shingles perfection is elusive.

For example, nail guns can easily drive fasteners too deep, perforating and tearing the somewhat fragile surface of composition shingles. This can seriously compromise the integrity of the entire roof installation if faulty areas are left uncorrected.

Composition shingles contain asphalt, and as air temperatures fluctuate throughout the day, the asphalt in composition shingles is constantly heating up and cooling down. This affects the texture and thickness of the shingles (cold shingles mean a harder nailing surface whereas hot shingles are more malleable), and air gun pressure must be continually monitored and adjusted accordingly.

Nails should sit flush with the surface of the shingle. Problems can occur, like shingle blow-off for example, when nails are either over-driven, crooked, or left protruding. (Unfortunately all of these scenarios are distinct possibilities with nail guns.)

Also, air guns can’t distinguish between solid wood and a ‘void,’ or crack, in the decking, leaving loose nails that can eventually work themselves back out and cause trouble.

For these and other reasons inspectors, like TWIA for example, have a harder time certifying composition shingle roofs that are gun-nailed, especially in areas that are deemed ‘high-wind’ (like the Gulf Coast).

Finally, air guns and compressors are extremely noisy, they require constant maintenance, and they’re heavy to transport.

We’ve used nail guns at Ernie Smith and Sons Roofing in the past. They’re pretty neat, and they save a lot of time and energy. But if you have to slow down every second or third shingle to adjust air pressure and correct nailing problems – all by hand of course – it kind of defeats the whole purpose.

What about others out there? Any thoughts or suggestions about using nail guns for composition shingles? Let us know by leaving a comment!

A roofer was called out to fix a leak on a large home. He grabbed his caulk gun and tools and proceeded up the ladder. Amidst a maze of skylights and vent pipes plus a wall and two chimneys, the roofer went to work.

A few minutes later he came back down the ladder, and met a puzzled-looking homeowner. The roofer wrote an invoice for $375.00 and handed it to the customer.

“Three hundred and seventy five dollars!!?” the customer cried out. “It took you all of 30 minutes from the time you arrived!”

“Yes,” the roofer explained. “I had to open a tube of caulk. It’s $75 for the caulk and application, and $300.00 for knowing where to apply it.”

For some people the idea of metal roofs might conjure up images of the cheap and rusty corrugated iron atop great Grandma’s chicken coop. Or perhaps the barn.

But today’s modern metal roof, called standing seam, is a beautiful and elegant solid steel product that graces both commercial and residential buildings across the country – especially in the west.

Standing seam metal is a favorite with architects and also the ‘cool roof’ crowd because metal reflects heat well and is a recyclable and ‘sustainable’ building product.

And of course the great thing about metal is how long it lasts, and how well metal roofs hold up to the weather. Some original metal roofs that now top many iconic and historical structures are still functioning successfully after over a century.

So metal roofs are one of the most durable roofs you can buy (and by the way, they’re not noisy).

But standing seam metal roofs often aren’t allowed in many parochial and deed-restricted neighborhoods that feature laminated composition shingles or tile.

And that’s where stone-coated steel comes in – our vote for possibly the most enduring, most beautiful, most maintenance-free, and most versatile roofing product on the market today. (Though stone-coated steel has been around since World War Two.)

Stone-coated steel is exactly that. Climate-tested ceramic earth-tone granules baked into an acrylic coating over a panel of 26-gauge (American made) galvanized steel. (And unlike standing seam, you can easily walk on stone-coated steel without worrying about dents.)

Here’s what’s neat about stone-coated steel. Stone-coated steel roof panels are factory-crafted to simulate all the leading residential roofing products, including laminated composition shingle, clay and concrete tile, and thick cedar shake.

So with stone-coated steel you get the best of both worlds – the longevity of steel plus an array of styles (and colors) to suit any and every region and neighborhood across the world. Stone-coated steel is currently installed in over eighty different countries.

Stone-coated steel is virtually indestructible – it won’t crack, break, burn, curl, split, or rot, and it’s “freeze-thaw” resistant. Stone-coated steel has a Class 4 Impact Rating (the highest allowed by insurance) to resist large hail plus a 120 mph wind warranty.

And though stone-coated steel is actually surprisingly light, it has the strongest backing in the business – a lifetime warranty that’s non pro-rated and fully transferable. Insurance companies will often reduce premiums by as much as 35% for stone-coated steel.

Stone-coated steel also offers an Energy Star product line that nets both federal and state tax credits and rebates. But when it comes to energy efficiency that’s only the beginning. Since stone-coated steel is uniquely installed over a wood batten system, a vented dead-air space (or buffer zone) is created, that not only stops radiant heat ‘cold’ (pardon the pun), but also insulates against heat loss in the winter.

Plus, ventilation is improved greatly as warm air flows freely through this vented dead-air space, then upwards and out through the attic ventilation overhead.

And here’s a little-known secret (and advantage) about stone-coated steel’s unique batten installation system. Because of the resulting dead-air space, a radiant barrier can be applied directly to the deck of a stone-coated steel roof during installation, (bypassing a costly attic retrofit), dramatically reducing heat build-up even further.

(Avoid so-called radiant barrier products applied directly underneath – and therefore touching – the actual roofing product. True radiant barriers require true dead-air space.)

Finally, stone-coated steel can be easily installed right over your existing roof, creating an additional layer of insulation between you and the elements, and eliminating the need for a labor-intensive ‘tear-off’ and subsequent trip to the landfill.

You don’t get much ‘greener’ than stone-coated steel.

So it’s easy to see why we think stone-coated steel is the cat’s meow. The benefits seem endless. (Did we mention the increased resale value of your home?) Or all the stories about homes with stone-coated steel roofs still standing after devastating forest fires and hurricanes? Or stone-coated steel deflecting softball size hail stones?

Stone-coated steel costs more than composition shingles, but in the long run you’ll save. And imagine having a roof over your head that’s as tough as the brick that’s surrounding you or the concrete below you.

Stone-coated steel is truly the roof of a lifetime – the last roof your house will ever need. Peerless protection. Pass it on … literally.

Everybody gets their information from the web nowadays. Like roofing information for example. But how do you know where to go on the internet for reliable and accurate information? Information you can truly trust, whatever the topic?

Remember not so long ago when computers and ‘desktop publishing’ first came out? All of a sudden everybody was a graphic designer!

Well, nowadays ‘blogging’ is all the rage. (A ‘blog’ is basically just a public journal, or newsletter, ‘posted’ on the internet for all to see. In fact, it’s what I’m doing right now.) There are blogs all over the internet these days, and thus all over the world. In fact, there’s millions of blogs, on just about any topic or subject imaginable.

Anybody can ‘blog.’ It’s easy to get started, and it’s free. Blogging really is nothing more than instant ‘self-publishing.’

Blogging is all about writing. So now, everybody’s a writer! And boy do people write. There’s almost literally no end to the amount of opinion and information available (much of it gratuitous) on the web right now.

It’s just like the Wild West. No, it’s worse than the Wild West. There are basically no rules, whatsoever. There are no journalistic guidelines. No bosses, no editors, no proof-readers. And worst of all, there’s a real problem with accuracy.

Which brings us to our point. The web (or internet, whichever you prefer), is a magnet – and a powerful one – for millions of wannabe writers. Typos and all. Some of these writers are surprisingly good, and many are awful. Some are trying to make a buck (hard to do on the internet), and some just want to see their name ‘in print.’

Here’s an example of what goes on. Someone decides to write an article, and randomly chooses the topic of how to buy tires. Then they do a search on the internet for 45 minutes to get up to snuff (and who knows where they’re getting their information), and then, voila, an article!

These low-quality articles (sometimes English is not the writer’s first language) are often ‘keyword-stuffed,’ in an attempt to get higher page rank results with Google and other search engines. (For example, with our “How to buy tires” article, you’ll see the keyword ‘tires’ mentioned in the article over and over again, sometimes every other sentence.)

The article is then sold, usually for peanuts, or simply given away for free, to an ‘article mill.’ An article mill is a place on the internet where people can purchase cheap, generically written articles, or ‘content,’ to use for their website. The writer gives up all rights to the article. It can be a real pig in a poke affair.

So there’s no shortage of flawed and even downright misleading information on the internet. (Albeit for the most part it’s probably unintentional.) People are positing themselves as experts when often that’s far from the case.

What’s going on in the world of writing for the web is similarly happening to professional photographers and illustrators (commercial artists). Once upon a time, before technology changed things, these craftsmen (and women) were hired to do custom work … like maybe a photo shoot of Times Square, or a nice illustration of GM’s latest car.

But nowadays ‘off the shelf’ stock photos are replacing custom photos, and computer-generated ‘art’ substitutes for real illustrations. Like writing, these things are becoming more and more like a commodity, because it’s cheaper. And the ‘real thing’ is falling by the wayside, casualties of technology and the ‘information age.’

So, here’s a tip when you’re surfing the internet to get educated about something. The best thing to do is stick with businesses and company websites that are specialists in their respective fields. Like roofing for example! And be careful with any seemingly ‘arbitrary’ websites and/or articles. Or at least compare them to the real thing.

Also, you can almost always find, on the internet, the same people you trusted and followed in ancient times, in the days before computers (like about ten years ago). For example, Consumer Reports, non-profit places, and so on.