Ice dams can develop at the edge of your roof and keep the melting snow from draining. Ice dams become a problem when indoor heat warms the roof and sends melting water downward until the water reaches the colder section of the roof. That’s when the water forms an ice dam. As you can imagine, water pooling on your roof is bad news, soaking under shingles and down into your ceiling. You can avoid ice dams by keeping your attic temperature consistent through ventilation and insulation.

You may notice buckling (essentially a wrinkle in your roofing). You may see missing shingles or missing granules on the aging shingles that remain. Spots may appear on your ceiling, caused by leaks in your roof. You may observe rotting in your shingles, which is most common in organic-based roofing. Are your shingles curling up or blistering? All of these symptoms indicate that you should call Silva’s Roofing & Siding Ltd.

It depends on the square footage of the surface of your roof. Measure length and width of each plane of your roof and then multiply length times width. The result will be the square footage of that plane. Add the square footage of each of your roof planes together for total square footage of your roof. For every 100 square feet, you will need a “square” of shingles. Don’t forget that, for a new roof, you’ll need the same amount of underlayment. Now add 10% to all material totals for trimming purposes. Let Silva’s Roofing & Siding Ltd. take care of this complex calculation for you.

All ratings have been developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials, a voluntary organization tasked with setting roofing standards. The Class A rating is the highest fire-resistance rating. Class B means that roofing materials can resist moderate exposure to fire; Class C indicates that the roofing can withstand only light exposure to fire.

Natural ventilation is smart. Roofers can install ventilators at strategic points in your attic to take advantage of natural air flow, drawing stale air out and fresh air in

The length of the manufacturer’s warranty is what determines the label. The weight and thickness of the shingle also figure into it. For instance, 30-year shingles tend to measure between 265 and 300 pounds per 100 square feet, which makes them heavier per “square” than 25-year shingles. More weight equals more durability and better performance, of course.