Fourth Quarter 2014

Willis Sinclair Homes

The Lowcountry’s Premier Custom Home Builder”

 

Willis Sinclair Homes

family

wish you and your family

a very

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year

24 Gabriel Road

Lodge, South Carolina 29082

www.WillisSinclair.com

Sales@WillisSinclair.com



843 846 2500



Forth Quarter 2014


The Willis Sinclair Crew

From the left:
Mandy Burdick, Debby (Burdick) Ponds, Henry Ponds, Willis Ponds,
Jane Ponds, Genie Ponds, Jessy Burdick, Will Ponds, Bill Burdick,
Kandie Ponds, Kandy Burdick, Jerry Ponds and Abbey Burdick. 

(Bill, his wife of 48 years, 4 of his 8 children, 1 of his 5 son/daughter-in-laws and 6 of his 30 grandchildren)

We hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


From the desk

of Bill …

2014 is quickly winding to a close. Perhaps this is a fitting time to pause and consider the blessings we all have had.

Of course, there have been trials and struggles. There always are. I don’t know about you, but in my case, all too often my struggles and trials are self inflicted.

Still, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world – not a flawless nation, but certainly the most kind, generous, compassionate and exceptional nation ever on the face of the earth.

It is significant that we have immigration quotas. Millions of people want to live here. The world knows our country is exceptional even if some of those in position of leadership here don’t understand that.

We at Willis Sinclair like to model our company after our country. We strive to be exceptional. Like our country, sometimes we fail. If we do disappoint you, please tell us. We will always do our best to correct any problems.

If you need any help with a remodel, new structure, house checks or just changing a light bulb, call us. We can help. We build superior homes, but we also do small tasks. Our goal is to exceed your highest expectations.

Bill

Vice President, Willis Sinclair, Inc.

Professional Engineer, Retired

bill@willissinclair.com

843 846 2500

www.willissinclair.com


Roofing Maintenance

Your roof is one of the more important parts of your home. The purpose of the roof seems simple enough: keep water out of the house. There are some things that can go wrong, however.

Consider the fact that roofs, for the most part are not waterproof. They simply shed water. As long as water runs down the roof things are fine.

If for some reason water backs up on your roof, it can penetrate the water barrier your roof establishes. How can this happen? The most common way here in South Carolina is a leaf dam (snow and ice can also cause dams in northern climates). It is not uncommon for leaves to pile up in the valley of a roof. Shingle roofs are more susceptible than metal roofs, but metal roofs still have the problem.

Once water that should be running down your roof hits the dam, it backs up. If the dam is bad enough, water will back up into cracks and can cause your roof to leak.

Fortunately, leaves are easy to remove. Often your landscaper will blow off your roof while they are doing maintenance work. Be sure to check your roof every few months, particularly in the fall. If you see leaves accumulating, have them removed.

Another area to watch is your gutters. Leaves will quickly clog the downspouts and cause gutters to overflow. Water can pour down the fascia (the board on the edge of your roof) and eventually cause it to rot. This overflow can also happen if your gutters are too small. Sometimes builders or homeowners will try to cut costs by installing small (less expensive) gutters. Replacing gutters with the proper sized ones does cost, but not as much as repairing rotted roof edges. We can check your gutters for proper sizing if you call us.


A pipe flange like this may be on your roof.

Another potential problem area is penetrations you may have in your roof. Most homes have plumbing vent lines that penetrate the roof for venting purposes.


A metal roof with screws backing out.

The part of the flange that seals to the pipe is usually rubber. For some reason, this rubber sometimes will fail and crack or break. The South Carolina sun contributes to this deterioration. If the seal around the pipe breaks or cracks, water will run down the pipe into the attic. Often, you will not see a leak inside your house, but damage is being done. Defective pipe flanges can and should be replaced. Check them when you are looking at your roof.

Metal roofs are excellent roofs. They should last many, many years even in the hot southern sun. They are not without problems, however. Probably the biggest problem, assuming the roof was installed properly, is the phenomenon of the fastening screws backing out.

You can easily look at your roof and watch for screws that are not firmly against the roofing. Loose screws can cause at least two problems. If the screw is not tightly against the roofing, it is not sealed. Water will run beside the screw through the metal roof to your wood sheathing. Before too long, the wood begins to rot and tightening the screw no longer works because the wood that should hold it is rotten. A second problem occurs in high winds. They will be able to lift the roof panel a bit and if the wind is strong enough to get under the panels, they may be ripped off your house in a big storm – just the time you really need your roof.


A standing seam roof.

Standing seam roofs have hidden fasteners, so you cannot see screws back out of them. The screws are hidden under the panels, so they won’t leak. Standing seam roofs have a different problem particularly if they are not installed correctly.

Panels of a standing seam roof are normally attached to the roof with screws at the top of the panel. As the panel expands and contracts (from getting hot and cold), the panel slides in the hidden clips.

If the panel is not attached to the roof sheathing at the top, everything will be fine … for a while. You may notice the panels begin to slide down the roof a small amount. This is particularly true where there is some vibration such as garage door openers. As the panel slides down, the margin at the top which prevents rain from blowing under the cap is decreased. The bottom edge of the roof also becomes unsightly with some panels extending farther than others. It is very difficult to slide panels back up where they belong, but they can be repaired.

Shingle roofs work well, but sometimes shingles will be blown off in heavy winds. Although a missing shingle will not cause a leak typically, it reduces the redundancy you have on your roof.


Nail pops can cause problems

Nails can back out on shingle roofs. Each time this happens, you have a potential leak.

Another issue you need to understand about shingle roofs is their lifetime. Typically a shingle roof will last ten or twenty years here in the hot southern sun. Once they get near the end of their life, they tend to get brittle and will break in high winds.

If you would like for us to examine your roof and look for small problems before they become big problems, give us a call. We can help.

Willis Sinclair Homes – the premier home builder in the Lowcountry.

 

Willis Sinclair Homes

We will never knowingly disappoint you!

Call Us

843 846 2500

info@willissinclair.com

www.willissinclair.com

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