Proper Ventilation of your attic has multiple benefits for your home and your health of your family. Building codes have required that ventilation be installed in every region of the United States.

Proper Ventilation:

Will Help extend the life of your roof shingles by keeping the roof cooler in hot weather.

Will Help reduce cooling costs by allowing the heated air to circulate out of the attic.

Will Help prevent moisture build-up and the growth of mold and mildew that can affect your family's health and  rot the framing which can cause expensive damage.

Will Help in the winter to prevent ice damming. In freezing temps during the day, the attic is often warmer than the outside air. Snow will melt in the higher areas of the roof where the heat accumulates in the attic and refreezes when it cools off by the eaves.

How does proper ventilation help your attic to breathe?

We need to breath to get fresh air in and out. For the same reasons your attic needs to breath as well. Most homes have a passive venting system which requires a balance between the intakes  and outlets. Intakes and outlets are placed strategically to allow the greatest amout of circulation. As hot air rise, intake vents placed at lower points in the attic with outlets higher up. As the hot air escapes throught the outlets vents, it creates a minor vacuum that draws in fresh air through the lower intake vents.

Powered vents can also be used. These vents use electric powered fans to force air throught the vents.

Determining how much venting you need?

The size and placement of vents depends on the roof configuration and the size of the attic. Placement of attic vents should be determined by the size and shape of the attic area as well. Care should be taken to verify that the vent locations will vent all attic areas. If sheathing or fire stopping blocks off an area of the attic, additional vents may be recommended.

How do you know if you are having venting problems?

A through inspection of your attic space should be done to determine if you are having any problems that can attribute to poor venting.

Check for frost on the underside of the roof or on the rafters. This is caused by warm moist air that has been trapped and condensened subsequently freezing on the wood.

1. Look for water-stained or blackened wood, signs of mildew, mold, or rot.

2. Check for rusted nails or other metals. This is also a sign of condensation.

3. Is there any matted down insulation? This could be a sign of a roof leak from ice damming or other damage to your roof.

What are the best solutions for creating a well ventilated attic?

Make sure that your shingle manufacture's guidelines and building codes are followed for proper attic vent design layout. This will reduce the amount of condensation and excess heat that can build-up leading to a longer life of your roof and sheathing. Also proper ventilation will help remove the excess heat in the winter reducing the chances or forming ice dam which can backup in your attic causing water damage, mold, and rot.

Midwest Roofing Services can Help

Midwest Roofing Services has been in the business of installing and repairing roofs for 55 years throughout the Midwest. Ventilation is a part of the roof installation process and if your suspect that you are having ventilation problems give us a call.  We will inspect your attic, roof and ventilation sustem and determine what needs to be done to make your home safer and healthier. 

Midwest Roofing Services Going Green One Step at a Time!

Midwest Roofing Services teamed up with Creative Design Tees on the making of bright  fluorescent green colored T-shirts for residential crews and embroidered black polo shirts for our sales and Service Writers to wear.  We are excited about the new fresh bold look the T-shirts give our crews and Service Writers while working.   Creative Design Tees out Wichita Kansas did a excellent job on the screen printing  and embroidery of our logo. The company Creative Design Tees has been doing business for 14 years and has been dedicated to providing the highest quality of screen printed and embroidered apparel. The apparel created at Creative Design Tees is printed in house therefore they have complete control over the quality and speed in which the order is produced. Midwest Roofing Services was very happy with the services provided by the team at Creative Design Tees and would use them again.  If you are interested in having shirts created for you or your business you may want to check out the services at www.creativedesigntees.com. Also keep a look out for our Bright fluorescent green colored tee shirts on our crews working in your area and know that they belong to the professionals here at Midwest Roofing Services!  

Damage to your roof can not just occur during a thunderstorm but can also occur during wind storms.  If  you live in areas that are prone to wind storms homeowners often find themselves replacing roofs before their time. Reports show that with continuous high winds, straight line winds, and of course tornadoes can take a toll and break down roofs. The wind damage often starts with one loose shingle that blows off allowing wind to get under the surrounding shingles. Loosening those shingles and leading to more shingles lost in the next wind storm or thunderstorm which could eventually lead to leaks in your roof.  There are several terms that mean the same as straight line winds such as:  Convective wind gusts, outflow, and down bursts.   Straight line wind is wind that comes out of a thunderstorm.  If the winds exceed 58 miles per hour then the storm is classified as a Severe Storm by the National Weather Service. When the National Weather Service does a storm damage survey they distinguish between straight line winds and winds produced by a tornado by debris patterns. It is important to know that straight line wind intensity can be as powerful as tornado and your roof may have incurred damage from the storm like this.  Debris such as limbs from trees or flying debris that occurs during straight line winds can damage your roof.  Often with strong winds these storms can carry heavy rainfall and that can play against the natural flow of water on your roof.  As water blows beneath the shingles the inner of the roof becomes unprotected, making leaks common.  So coupled with wind and just a few lost shingles can suddenly become a waterfall of rain during a storm.  It is so important that homeowners look or have a professional like Midwest Roofing Services take a look at your roof to make sure damage was not incurred to prevent more damage to the home in the next storm.  Midwest Roofing Services has many options for Class 4 rated high impact shingles that  can help withstand high winds and hail. Class 4 shingles can qualify come homeowners for a discount with some insurance carriers.  Let the professionals at Midwest Roofing Services help you make the right decision against the weather in your area to determine what may be the best roof for your home.

WOW ! After a stormy night like June 9, 2011.  Haven and Goddard Kansas were said to have hail stones the size of baseballs! Storm coverage  reported that there was  a deluge of rain coming down in sheets that blanketed the cities of Wichita, Maize, Goddard and Valley Center.  With rain and wind like that, it is important to take a look at the damage that may have been done during this storm.  I live around Goddard and with the hail and intense wind we received that lasted well over a hour. I was even worried about  my roof and of course, my wife was crying over her garden and flowers.  The whines from my wife had me wondering about how at least the roof is covered under our home owners insurance. I cannot even begin to replace all of her hard work in the garden and the money lost in flowers .  

If you received a pummeling of hail or straight line winds from this intense storm last night, be sure to check with your homeowners insurance and have your roof checked out by a professional like Midwest Roofing Services. Your roof is inevitably the most important structure of your home It protects you and all your belongings from mother natures wrath. Your Roof needs to stay in tip top shape for the next round of crazy storms that may blow into Kansas. So if you witnessed the intense storm of last night June 9, 2011 than your roof may need some special attention and we here at Midwest Roofing Services have service writers ready to climb your roof and honestly let you know if you may need any repair. So give us a call here at Midwest Roofing Services and let us help you keep your roof in the best shape it can be for any of Mother Natures next  future storms.

Lights! Camera! Action! Midwest Roofing Services, your Wichita roofing company, began video production for the website in the last several weeks with Intake Studios. Using a man lift and climbing on the roof with the crew to video.  Todd with Intake Studios was able to give a new perspective to the roofing process by climbing on the roof and video recording a hands on view from the roofing crews perspective.  The video shows the roofing process from beginning to finish starting with the removal of the old shake shingles and the process of putting on new Camelot Premium Designer Shingles.   Camelot Premium Shingles are one of several top of the line shingles Midwest Roofing Services has to offer.  Camelot Shingles offer a  beautiful affordable luxurious look at only a fraction of the cost as expensive slate or wood shake. The unique design of Camelot Singles and the striking blends of colors helps to create a wonderful curb appeal.  With a beautiful product like the Camelot Shingle Midwest Roofing Services knew that this product would be great for the production of their video.  Midwest Roofing Services is excited and happy about how Intake Studios has worked with us on the first phase of production. The second phase of video production is still in the works and will have to do with Midwest Roofing Services happy customer testimonials and how our office takes the jobs from first phone calls to beginning of production on a customers roof.  So keep checking the blogs here at Midwest for  Lights! Camera! Action! Part II.

Here at Midwest Roofing we realize that picking the type of shingle and color is the perfect opportunity to increase the curb appeal of your entire home. Your roof can make up more than half of your homes exterior, so it should complement your home's style and exterior color scheme. As you browse through your many shingle choices, think about how the look of your new roof could improve the upon the roof you have now. 

Should you choose a different color?

Consider the look of your home's exterior.  A new color could bring your whole look together.

The color of the roof should coordinate with all your exterior elements: paint, siding, brick, or stone etc.

Do you need more dimension?

If your home is monochromatic think about adding shingles that appear thicker or give your roof a rich textured look.  

Homes that already have detailed exteriors a muted softer shingle may be more appropriate. There are so many varieties of roofing shingles that carry unique combinations to really help add to the curb appeal of your home.  Over the next few blogs Midwest Roofing is going to talk about a number of Shingle products that are beautiful and designed to protect you home.  In the days and weeks to come we will be highlighting a few of these shingle options and talking about the durability and luxury of a few of these outstanding products we offer here at Midwest Roofing Services.

Midwest Roofing Services, your Wichita roofing company,  has many shingle options but the Duration Series Shingles comes with Sure Nail Technology built right in.  This type of shingle offers the homeowner a Tru-Bond sealant that grips tightly to the nailing strip on the shingle below for greater bonding strength. The specially formulated, extra wide adhesive bands helps keep the shingle layers laminated together in virtually all weather conditions. The Duration Shingles  with Sure Nail Technology have it all: a bold dimensional look, plus a impressive durability. These beautiful premium shingles are designed for a long lasting performance and they get high marks for durability because of their 30 year Limited Warranty with 110 MPH  Wind Resistance Limited Warranty. Duration Shingles and Duration Premium Shingles come in a wide variety of colors:

• Amber
• Desert Tan
• Brownwood
• Teak 
• Driftwood
• Onyx Black
• Estate Gray
• Quarry Gray
• Sierra Gray
• Shasta White
• Harbor Blue
• Chateau Green
• Terra Cotta

 In 2005 Midwest Roofing Services, your Wichita roofing company, relocated its office to 2209 West Harry. Recently, our home office has been transformed into a more comfortable new atmosphere for our clients and employees by a local artist Linnette Lee of Fresh Paint.  Fresh Paint came into the office to help give us ideas on how we can make our home office more comfortable and stylish for our clients and our employees. Since Midwest Roofing Services is a family business we wanted our clients to feel like part of our family when you come into visit. Fresh Paint provided us with several sample boards of different faux finishing techniques to help us make our decision. In the end our front entry was transformed and given a warm glaze finish with a burnt orange accent wall of  a luster texture to compliment our our sign for Midwest Roofing Services in the entry.  We then re situated our front desk for our always smiling receptionist Nicole Zahner to sit and welcome our clients as they come in. Two leather chairs  were then added for our  clients to help them feel more comfortable and at home while visiting with us.  We would like to give a Special Thanks to the excellent service Linnette Lee of Fresh Paint offered us in helping us create this new at home feeling for our business.  If you are interested in a faux finishes or murals, we recommend you check out Fresh Paints  great website at www.freshpaintartist.com and see what all her business has to offer you.

Midwest Roofing Services, your Wichita roofing company, offers a wide variety of Shingles.  One of our specialty type shingles is the Camelot Shingle.  The Camelot Shingle is a very affordable type luxury shingle and is the top of the line and at only a fraction of the cost of expensive slate or wood shakes.  The Camelot Shingle is a unique design that uses striking color blends to result in maximum curb appeal.  This Shingle is a super heavyweight "Plus" construction with 400 pounds per square for ultimate durability.  Plus each layer of Camelot Shingles is up to 60% thicker than each layer of many premium asphalt shingles and with the micro weave core  it provides the shingle with better protection layer for layer. The Camelot Shingle comes with a Stain Guard Warranty to assure that the beauty of the shingle never obtains the unsightly blue green algae.  Camelot Shingles also have a Safer Class A fire listing from Underwriters Laboratories, this is the highest rating possible. The Camelot Shingle with the double row of Dura Grip adhesive helps reduce risk of of shingle blow off with a warranty  to withstand 130 MPH winds. Finally the Camelot Shingle will give you peace of mind with a Lifetime Ltd. Warranty with "Smart Choice" protection for the first 10 years.  Camelot Shingles are Breathtakingly Beautiful and is a perfect addition to the value of your home. If you are interested in the Camelot Shingle or any other type shingle , please check in with Midwest Roofing's Service Writers as they will be  available to help you make the best decision on any type of shingle you may be interested in.  The Picture is of a recently applied Camelot Shingle.  This luxurious Camelot Shingle  by far has a lot to offer in beauty and affordability. So check it out!

Midwest Roofing Services is getting ready to begin production with Intake Studios for a new video to be featured on our new revised website in May. Intake Studios is a Wichita, Kansas based motion graphics, visual effects, animation, editorial, and production company. The company has been building a reputation as a world class regional creative resource for commercials, cross platform advertising, and interactive media since it opened its doors in 2004.  Midwest Roofing Services is excited to work with this up and coming company to provide our clients with a informative video.  The video on our website will help show how our company goes through handling a day in the office and job site at Midwest Roofing Services.  Effectively showing all the steps our professionals go through and into what creates a job well-done. From how a call is handled coming into the office, to Field Adjustor, Project Manager, work in progress and ending with the final visit by a Quality Manager. The video will also include how we assess the damage to your home and how the insurance claims process works with each clients insurance provider.  Customer testimonials will be included as well. With the opportunity to add this video to our website we hope to provide our new and old clients to all the services and benefits that Midwest Roofing Services has to offer. We hope to have the video on our freshly revised website up and running here in the next month.  So come back to our website in the near future to check out our innovative video about a day in the life of Midwest Roofing Services.