Why Solar Installers Conduct Evaluations in the Winter

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I would love to say solar installers in the Northeast take the winter off, but they don't. The work for sewer tie in southeastern, ma  does not stop just because snow is on the ground or ice is on a roof. In the snowiest and coldest parts of winter, a lot of companies spend time catching up on design, engineering, rebate, and permitting work as well as outreach to their customers and the community. However, a majority of solar installers will still be doing evaluations. We just can't afford not to!

I will be one of the first people to say that New England hasn't been the most conducive climate for solar work in the last year. Massachusetts just had its second hottest summer on record and a roof can be 20 to 30 degrees warmer than the ground in full sun. I'm sure that doesn't sound fun to most people! The winter hasn't been too forgiving, either. With the latest storm bringing in 12 inches, a roof in Massachusetts could have accumulated more than 18 inches of snow. With the anticipated cold front, forecasters do not believe the snow will melt on its own.



That probably leaves you with two questions. Why do we still conduct solar evaluations in the winter, and how the heck do we do it? Once we sign a sewer tie in southeastern, ma , it could be one to three months before we can start work depending on where you live. There are a few reasons why we can't begin work immediately and most are beyond our control. The main issue is usually the state-run rebate programs. We are required to submit an application and wait until it is approved before we can start work. In one project, the state had our application for three months before we got the go ahead. If you have a municipal utility, the process is usually easier and rebates can be approved within a week. However, our company still has a few hurdles with engineering, permitting and interconnection, not to mention scheduling other projects, so one month is a good case scenario.

With the generous federal and state incentives available in Massachusetts and Connecticut, more and more homes and businesses are going solar. In the last quarter of 2010, Massachusetts gave rebates to install 167 PV systems that will generate 2.7 MW of renewable energy. The popularity is expected to grow, and the industry is running to catch up. Some of my customers have told me that other solar installers are scheduling five months out because of their current workload. My point is that homeowners and businesses should act now if they want a PV system installed by the spring or summer.




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How Finishing Your Basement Can Help Sell Your Home!

sewer tie in southeastern, ma
Can you imagine a Southerner who is not shocked when moving into the northeast's housing market? The northeast is known to have a pricey housing market, and then there's that inconsistent weather. But, not all hope is lost!

Some buyers aren't moving to the northeast by choice, but because of job relocation, or family matters. Whatever the reason, there is probably a sense of discontentment when the buyer goes house shopping and realizes his/her money may not have even half the purchasing power it had in a previous town. sewer tie in southeastern, ma .

Although a bit disgruntling, there has to be something that can help. What people don't understand is that as long as buyers don't want to buy, homes will not get sold! So, sellers, lose the stinginess. If you need to sell your home you have to go about it right. There is one particular home improvement that can increase your home's desirability. It's all about the bottom line, right? Well, you're close.

The Logistics

Wanting to sell your home at a "good sewer tie in southeastern, ma " price is not shameful at all. Waiting for the best offer on your home isn't such a bad idea, either. But, you may run into problems if what you want for your home isn't exactly reasonable, and if the offers coming in are considerably lower than your asking price. Maybe you should consider what buyers are saying to you.

What they offer is what they are willing to pay for your home. Now, any good negotiator knows that you should always offer a low bid and then work your way up to your limit. You may never have to pay your limit, if all goes well!

However, when the negotiations tend to stop at a particular price, what does that say to you, the seller? Maybe it is time to check out the asking price of homes in close by neighborhoods. This isn't so that you can feel worse or better about your home, it is to see what you could add to your home to make it stand out as a ripe deal to the buyer!

If you don't want to decrease your asking price, then you must find a way to differentiate your home from the rest of the homes for sale in your market.




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5 Reasons Not to Have a New Roof Installed Over an Old Roof

sewer tie in southeastern, ma

So you need a new roof and are trying to decide whether or not to try and save some money by having the new roof installed over an existing layer of roofing. This technique is quite common in many areas and many roofing sewer tie in southeastern, ma  don't see any problem with this method and have no problem trying to sell homeowners on a lay-over or go-over as this technique is called. They are wrong.

5 Top Reasons A Lay-Over Or Go-Over Is A Bad Idea When Re-Roofing

1.) Areas that have or had leaks can't always be addressed properly

There is a good chance that your old roof had some problem areas including possible leak spots, whether you noticed them or not. Without tearing off the old roof and properly identifying these types of trouble spots and determining where the leak was coming from and traveling to it is impossible to tell what areas of your roof may need some special attention.

2.) Any rotted wood under the existing roofing will only get worse

There could be areas that have rotted wood hiding under the old roofing. These rotted areas need to be identified and replaced before a new roof is installed. Obviously if your roofing sewer tie in southeastern, ma  is only doing a lay-over roofing installation then these rotted areas will remain covered up and only get worse as the years go on. Also the nails holding down the shingles in areas with rotted wood cannot properly do their job and you have a much higher risk of shingles blowing off in those areas.

3.) Eaves, rakes and valleys need special treatment

This is a big one. The eaves, rakes and valleys of your house need special attention when your home's roof is being installed. This is especially important in colder climates like Massachusetts, where we are located. In the winter time the eaves of your house are under attack by Mother Nature, whether it is through ice dams, snow build up, or just the constant freezing and thawing that occurs throughout the winter season. When a new roof is properly installed the roofing contractor needs to put new aluminum drip-edge around the entire perimeter of your roof.

Next they need to apply a 3 foot wide section of ice & water barrier around the perimeter as well as in any valleys on your roof. Then they can begin to install the new roofing. Without tearing off the original roofing there is no way to properly install the new drip-edge or ice & water barrier. On a lay-over type of roofing install, the roofing contractor is counting on the existing products on the home's roof to still be up to par and be able to handle the winter conditions. All too often the old products fall short whether it was because they have outlived their lifetime, were sub-par to begin with, or maybe they were never there to begin with (all to often the latter is the case with ice & water barrier).

4.) Extra roofing weight is no good for old rafters

One of the more obvious problems with a lay-over re-roof is the added weight of the extra layer of shingles. On most newer homes this is not an issue, however many older homes have rafters that are considered undersized by today's framing standards. It is not uncommon to see 2×6 rafter systems on many of these houses. Now in most situations a 2×6 rafter is undersized to begin with and you certainly don't want to be adding the weight of a new roofing layer on top of an old roofing layer to these already undersized rafter systems. With newer roofs using 2×10, 2×12, engineered trusses, etc. the weight isn't always as much of an issue.




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