Solar Energy

By Jamie Beliveau

We all agree that greener energy is necessary for the sustainability of the planet. But looking at all the green options that are available what is best for you and your family? Solar energy is a subject that often comes up. According to BC Hydro the average BC household uses 122.2kw of energy per day.

There are two options when it comes to solar energy. Photovoltaic, which converts solar energy into electricity, and Solar Hot Water Heat, this takes solar energy to heat your water. The first one is the one that is most thought of; photovoltaic panels. These panels are the ones that we hope will get us “off the grid.” Great idea but the typical problem that occurs is the cost of these panels. For a family of 4 these panels can cost about $30 000 and take close to 100 years for the panels to pay for themselves. Also, with the way we consume energy, the panels do not provide enough energy to for us to rely on them independently.

Another issue photovolatic’s have is that you need about a 12 panel system for a family of 4. They need to be installed at a specific angle on your roof, which makes them very visible from the ground. This takes away from the overall design of the house.

Still want to do your part for the environment? An alternative to photovoltaic panels is Solar Hot Water Panels. These cost about $8000 and will pay themselves off in approx 6 years. In the first year of installation homeowners’ noticed a reduction of 30-35% in their energy bills.

These panels do not take away from the design of your home because they can be mounted directly onto your roof without you able to see them from the ground. For a family of 4 members, you only need to install two 4 X 8 ft panels. The solar hot water panels can be used year round even during the winter months. The Canadian government has also made this process a little less painful by adding a $1750 rebate to those that complete their project.

Keith Kinvig from Absolute Roof Solutions, who has being installing Enerworks Solar Hot Water Systems in the lower mainland says, “It is the only panel that is CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approved and there is no permit needed if you follow your roof line. As well it only takes 3 people to install and 1.5 days to complete it.”

So if you are thinking about reducing your carbon footprint, Doug Kerr, a local contractor from Kerr Construction says, “There are lots of incentives from the government for home energy improvements. The 2009 Budget is offering up to $1350 in tax credits on top of the LiveSmart BC and SolarBC rebate programs. We also make it easier for the homeowner by taking care of the energy audits.” This makes it a perfect time to build you and your family a health and sustainable home.

Government Savings for Vancouver Home Owners

With the economy still in recession Stephen Harper’s 2009 Budget gives Vancouverites a positive reason to invest in their homes.

Starting January 28, 2009 for 1 year the government is offering tax credits to homeowners of 15 per cent on all spending over $1 000 to a maximum of $10 000, giving homeowners a maximum tax credit of $1 350.

“We have not only been pummeled by the snow. Throw in the suffering economy and you get job losses and a decline in building projects throughout the construction industry in the lower mainland,” says Doug Kerr, president of Absolute Roof Solutions. “ This has made it tough on homeowners to do the up-grades and repairs that they need.”

Now with the new budget out and the industry slowdown it is a prime opportunity for the homeowner to take advantage of the tax credit offers. The government is also offering up to $12 325 in rebates for home energy improvements. Additionally, in your favour the projects will take less time with trades more available. According to the budget report the offer lasts one year.

“This is a great time for those homeowners looking to do necessary up-grades to their homes,” says Kerr. “ The basic Vancouver roof will cost about $5 000 with this tax credit you will save yourself $600.”

Absolute Roof Solutions celebrated its 10th year as one of Vancouver and surrounding areas leading roofing contractors and publishes the “Roofer Madness Booklet” for homeowners.



For Further Details
Please contact Jamie Beliveau
Telephone 604.263.0343
Fax 604.263.1501
www.absoluteroof.ca
www.kerrconstruction.ca
Jamie@kerrconstruction.ca

Roofs Feeling Weight

Jan 7/09 from 24hours

Heavy rains are wreaking
havoc on roofs around the
region.
A warehouse in Burnaby
collapsed on itself yesterday
and a townhouse complex in
Port Moody was evacuated
because of a partial roof collapse.
Kerr Roofing operations
manager Keith Kinvig said
snow on rooftops would
increase in weight as it sops
up a steady supply of rain
over the next couple of days.
A roof covered with 25 cm
of snow can weigh upwards
of 300 kilograms per cubic
metre.
“If people have a lot of
snow on their roof and it continues
to rain, they should be
concerned,” he said of homes
30 years in age or older.
Environment Canada predicts
up to 50 mm of rain
today followed by another 10
mm of rain tomorrow.
On the bright side, temperatures
could climb as high as
7 C over the next two days,
causing snow to melt rather
than stick around and pose a
risk.
- Dharm Makwana, 24 hours

Roof Collapsing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamie Beliveau
604.263.0343
Jamie@kerrconstruction.ca


COLLAPSING ROOFS

Vancouver is now being pelted with rain after weeks of heavy snow and ice. Media has already reported roofs collapsing under the weight of the snow. Meteorologist state that up to 40mm of rain could fall in the next 24 hours; this makes the snow and ice on your roof even heavier.

This brings to mind the question about your roof – what do you do?

One experienced roofing contractor and author of “Roofer Madness”, Doug Kerr president of Absolute Roof Solutions warns of the legal liabilities on dealing with your snowy or icy roofs.

“Do handle your roof, but don’t take risks. Injuries can happen when you least expect it causing broken bones or worse. A fall from a roof can be fatal. Only professionals with the correct safety gear should be anywhere near your roof,” says Kerr. “Following these tips will safeguard you from injury or suits.”

Absolute Roof Solutions celebrated its 10th year as one of Vancouver and surrounding areas best roofing contractor. “Our dedication to superior workmanship and quality products has been our promise to our customers,” added Kerr. “

Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts:
-Don’t let the snow cause you legal litigation
-Don’t shovel the roof yourself it could cause damage to your roof
-Don’t go on a roof without proper safety gear you could cause serious injuries
-Don’t hire the neighbour’s son, you will be liable if they injure themselves on your property
-Do call a professional roofer for consultation and handling your roof

For more tips on how to deal with your roof and find a roofer you can call Absolute Roof Solutions (604.263.0334) and get a FREE copy of “Roofer Madness.” Or click on their website to order a booklet www.absoluteroof.ca
This informative booklet exposes you to all the in’s and out’s of how to hire the right roofing contractor – education material for the home owner.

Snow Suing

NEWS RELEASE

SNOW SUING

VANCOUVER - December 18, 2008 - Don’t let the snow cause you legal litigation. Remember these points if you are thinking of shoveling your roof.

-Don’t shovel the roof yourself it could cause damage to your roof
-Without proper safety gear you could cause serious injuries
-Don’t hire the neighbour’s son, you will be liable if they injury themselves on your property

Call Absolute Roof Solutions (604.263.0334) today to get your FREE copy of “Roofer Madness.” This informative booklet exposes you to all the in’s and out’s of how to hire the right roofing contractor.

“I wrote this booklet because there is a real need for a roofing company to educate their consumers,” says Doug Kerr president of Absolute Roof Solutions.

This year Absolute Roof Solutions has celebrated its 10th year as Vancouver and its surrounding areas’ best roofing contractor. Our dedication to superior workmanship and quality products has been our promise to our customers.



For Further Details
Please contact Jamie Beliveau
Telephone 604.263.0343
Fax 604.263.1501
www.absoluteroof.ca
www.kerrconstruction.ca
Jamie@kerrconstruction.ca

To Buy or Not to Buy

This is the question…The other day I attended a seminar presented by the GVHBA discussing some of the economic and real estate forecasts for Vancouver. As the Marketing Director for Kerr Construction and Absolute Roof Solutions, I was interested in attending for the obvious reasons of figuring out what our future market will bring us. But, personally I am interested in purchasing my first home as well.

Since September the media has bombarded our heads with negative stories of the “world coming to an end.” The words…Foreclosure…Bankruptcy…Bailouts and Recession have oversaturated our conversations. But how is the economy affecting Vancouver?

We can all admit that there is a slow down in the economy or as Michael Audain, Chairman of Polygon Homes Ltd refers to it as, “A correction in the economy.” Our hot real estate market of buying homes for the last two years could not stay sustainable forever.

So let’s look at the numbers from CMHC: the actual year to date housing starts is down only 5% from the same November period last year (18,481 from 19,491). 2007 was the best year since 1993. They also state that in 2008 $7 billion dollars will be spent in B.C. on home renovations or improvements, with 65% of those dollars spent in the Lower Mainland.

The economist predict that by late spring next year the housing market will pick up again but not quite as significant as the last two years. Following this the economy will stabilize along with the cost of real estate and commodities. This will be due to an increase in consumer confidence that will be aided by the 2010 Olympic Games.

So in the mean time the smart consumers will look at the great opportunities that these times present and realize it is an excellent time to renovate. For instance:

- Trades and Labour are cheaper
- Supplies arrive faster and can find better prices
- Contractors can start your job sooner
- Interest rate decreases
- Tax free savings plans put savings toward your home
- $12, 325 in government renovation rebates

I believe that 2009 will bring tougher times to our industry but Vancouver residents know that they live in the “Best Place on Earth” and would rather renovated that move. There is equity in your home that is better than stocks or commodities because you get to use and live in it while it appreciates. As well 2010 promises to be a monumental moment with the spirit of the Olympic Games showcasing all the great things Vancouver has to offer.

On the West Coast

With the first fall rains this year Absolute Roof Solutions has received a surprising number of calls from homeowners who have concrete tile roofs that were leaking. I could hear the discontent in their voices as they described roof leaks all over the house. With Concrete Tile roofs they are made to last a very long time, so when I get a phone call from an owner with Tile roofs that leak, I have a sinking feeling in my heart as I can often guess what the problem is.

Of course when it comes to roofing I will be the first to admit I can be wrong and so comes my first statement about roofing. “Mr. Customer! I might be wrong but it appears your Built in gutters are leaking”.

Obviously I get the customer to tell me all the problems and leak symptoms he can observe, but after a few minutes and if the signs are typical it is usually fairly easy from that point to realize that the persons Built in gutters or EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomers) gutter liner has either failed, worn out, seams released or in rare cases been physically damaged.

As a matter of fact EPDM rubber has recently received an award for the longest, most durable roofing system. So when you hear of them leaking it just doesn’t sound right, especially to the homeowner.

So what is my point?

My point is that the EPDM rubber membrane gutter liner in this case must be applied according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Very important. When they are not installed per the manufacturer’s instructions, eventually the seams that overlap each other (usually at corners and drains) release from each other and water can work its way through and leak into the soffits.

A very important point for installing EPDM gutters or Built in rubber gutters in Vancouver is that the adhesive glue must be applied at 10deg. Celsius or better for it to work properly. This means that come mid October you pretty well can’t do many EPDM gutter installs. Now of course the roofer can use a heat gun or hair dryer to assist the adhesive in curing or “flashing” but it is slow and if you are doing a whole house with many corners and drains it could take a long time.

So temperature plays a big part in achieving a good seal with EPDM rubber and can make the difference between lasting 5-10 years and lasting over 20 years. Another problem with installing EPDM rubber for gutter liners is that when you get to a corner the rubber has to be laid and cut so as to lay flat and not lift up or curl up, this is called “tenting”. When this happens you have a restricted flow of water around the gutter corners, the water level has to build up higher, to make it around each corner. Compounding this issue is that “tented” corners restrict the flow of water along with needles and leaf debris and it creates a dam at the corners and then overflows the gutter edges.

Some people mistake this overflow for leaking EPDM gutters. It can really be an annoyance when that part of the roof is over a walkway causing people to get wet and possibly ice up side walks too.

One way to help prevent the tenting is to ensure your EPDM gutter liner is glued down to the gutter bottom. In case that sounds too simple, don’t worry we’ll make it more difficult. You cannot use the same adhesive to glue the rubber to the wooden deck as the adhesive used to Glue rubber to rubber. Sometimes the roofer doesn’t have the right glue, other times the glue may be from a partial can already opened and does not apply as well. Some roofing suppliers only carry one type of the adhesive and the roofer has to drive across town for the right one. (Doesn’t bother!)

If all the above still doesn’t sound too bad then let’s add the last one, my favorite. “How to seal an EPDM gutter drain.” Nail the drain into the wood and glue the rubber down right? Nope sorry it will leak soon afterward.

There are several ways to seal a copper drain in an EPDM gutter system that will last over 20 years, a diagram of the layout and some technical descriptive passages to describe it would get it done properly by the roofer. These are available at the manufacturers Web sites.

But after all that is said and done, in reality it is sometimes worse than all the above. Take the wooden deck under the old rubber liner, often does not have a flat bottom and the drain hole that has been drilled into the soffit is at a 45 degree angle facing the house and the hole exits the soffit only 3-4 inches from the house wall making the new drain hard to install flush and connecting the down pipe at the underside is at an odd angle. Then there is the situation where the drain has been placed next to an odd corner or to make it even worse a 3 way corner. After all the corners are cut and sealed, the drain is ½ to ¾ of an inch higher than the surronding areas and there is always water sitting there.

At the end it feels like you’re one of Jim Carey’s customers in a comedy movie, but you aint laughing and the roofer IS Jim Carey and he’s laughing hysterically, not because he doesn’t care but because he does and he has gone into complete glee with all the complications.

EPDM is a GREAT product; it just needs to be done right.

Keith Kinvig
Absolute Roof Solutions

www.absoluteroof.ca