5 Easy Roofing Maintenance Ideas

It’s never a bad idea to have the name and number of a reliable roofing company on hand. A good roofing company will have the materials and experience necessary for any work that might need to be done with your roof, no matter what type of roof it is. They will be able to work with your schedule and budget to make sure your roof continues to look great, and protect you from the elements.

The range of services you should demand of a quality roofing company is considerable, but by no means do you need to rely on a roofing company for everything. There are a number of home improvement jobs involving your roof that you can handle on your own.

The DIY approach to roofing isn’t always going to work, but there are several things you can do on your own.

DIY Roofing Tips

You can keep the form and function of your roof in peak condition by any one of these five DIY roofing tips:

·         Ice buildup can become a serious problem during the wintertime. The shingles, roof membrane and gutters can all become areas prone to ice buildup. When this buildup reaches the point in the wall line where the home is heated, an interior drip can begin. Try installing a drip guard, but also remember that ice and rain shields, not to mention proper ventilation, are important as well.

·         Finding a leak is really just a question of eliminating likelihoods. Go through the areas that are the most likely to be suffering from leaks in your roof, install new shingles, and seal it watertight. If you haven’t solved the problem, keep going. At the very least, you have one last area you’ll have to worry about in the future.

·         Fixing a leak quickly is important, but don’t be in too much of a rush. If it’s raining, or if the roof is covered in ice and snow, it’s a better idea to wait for better weather conditions.

·         A great way to find leaks is to wait until it’s nice out, and then take a hose onto the roof to spray the area down.

·         Clogged gutters can be the cause for a leaky roof more often than you might think. Clean your gutters more regularly.

These are all easy ways to keep a small leak in your roof from becoming a serious problem.

Aging Means Keeping Bodies Healthy

Staying healthy as you age is not just a matter of physical health, it also about mental health and having enthusiasm for life. Aging is a process that brings about major life changes, whether you want it to or not. You will not look or feel the same; more people that you love will pass on, and you will probably enter retirement. Some people look at these changes in the context of time is running out, especially when issues with their kidneys, bones or other body parts go awry. What you should really be thinking, is that retirement gives you free time to enjoy life, learn new things, go new places, and do all the things that you never had time for before.

Fearing Change

Change is not easy for anyone, and for some these changes that come with age are the hardest of all. It really is one of the periods of your life, which brings the most major changes. The attitude with which you approach this part of your life can greatly affect your physical and mental health. That attitude will also determine whether you spend this time really living or just biding time and waiting for whatever comes next. Some of this fear of change has been generated by myths about aging. Most of these myths are accepted as factual, when the truth is that nothing could be farther from the truth. For example:

•        Now that you are aging, all you have to look forward to is health problems and even disability. – This is pure and simple hogwash. While there are some illnesses and diseases that are more prevalent as you age, if you are a healthy, active person, there is no reason for you to contract these diseases and disabilities; nothing is inevitable.  You definitely don’t need to fear kidney transplants, renal failure or anything else society deems appropriate to gossip about.

•        Now that you are aging, you will never feel good any more. This is one of the worst negative myths. There is no reason why you should feel any worse than you did yesterday or last week. Besides, now that you have more time for you, and to devote to a healthy diet and exercise, there is no reason that you should not feel better than ever!

•        Your memory will be the next thing to go. – Poppycock! Nutrition and exercise are what the brain needs to stay healthy. Your brain can always learn new things, and there are many tactics for retaining the health of your brain.

•        You are not able to change your life at this late date; you are stuck with what you’ve got. – Wrong, wrong and wrong! This is the perfect time to change everything about your life if your heart desires it. Once you have retired and do not have that regular daily 9 to 5 routine, you are free to go anywhere and do anything you like. Try going back to school, join clubs, travel, or even move to some exotic place. The sky is the limit!

Conclusion

There will always be stress, sadness and disappointment in life; it’s just all part of the game of life. It may be different as you age, but that doesn’t mean it is any worse than it ever was. Challenges make you stronger, teach you coping skills, and they increase your resilience to stress. Remember to keep fluids always down the hatch since kidney transplant surgery isn’t usually given to excessively old individuals.

Suffer from kidney stones?  Look at this for kidney stone treatment formen.

Baby Federal volunteers honor

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Bay Federal Credit Union staff show off governor’s medal for volunteer service: From left, Angelica Reyes, Tonée Picard, Carrie Birkhofer and Laura Owen.

Introduced in July, the 100 percent post-consum-er recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic clamshell was a first for the fresh-cut salad industry. It requires less energy and water to produce than virgin plastic and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less solid waste. It also creates a demand for recycled plastic.

The Edison Awards are the Oscars of marketing, voted on by the 2,000 members of the nonprofit Marketing Executives Networking Group. Amazon Gift Card Generator are judged on innovation, success and societal impact.

Organic grower Earthbound Farm has won silver in the energy and sustainability category of the 2010 Edison Best New Product Awards for its new plastic clamshell package.

An employee steering committee oversees community activities. Volunteer teams participate in 30 to 38 school or nonprofit activities a year, cleaning up beaches, staffing fund-

“It’s a cultural value for us,” said Tonée Picard, Bay Federal’s executive vice president and chief marketing and development officer.

In seven years, Bay Federal employees have volunteered for 49 different nonprofits.

unteer in San Luis Obispo, Rocklin Volunteers in Police Service, WriteGirls of Los Angeles, Taproot Foundation and Cisco.

“The evening was magical and very inspirational,” said Bay Federal President and CEO Carrie Birkhofer, who attended with several employees.“ Due to the small size of the event, we were able to mingle with the first lady and share some of the challenges we are facing in Santa Cruz County and how important it is for people to volunteer their time to help each other. I came home with a network of friends and great ideas.”

The governor called all of the medal winners heroes.

Other honorees included the president of San Diego’s Just in Time for Foster Youth, an Americorps vol-

“One hundred percent of their employees volunteered seven years in a row,” she said.“ That’s phenomenal.”

Delaney felt the credit union’s track record was exceptional.

The local credit union, which serves three counties with 186 employees, wa s t h e wi n n e r i n t h e small business volunteer program category.

“Isn’t that the coolest thing ever?” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Volunteer Center. Delaney nominated Bay Federal in

March.

“I hope that news of what we are doing inspires others to make a difference in their own neighborhoods a n d c i t i e s ,” B i r k h o f e r said.

Inspired by one employee’s desire to help children with disabilities, coworkers chose to refresh the aging summer camp for children with physic a l a n d d e v e l o pme n t a l disabilities. All materials were donated — paint, l umb e r , h a r dwa r e a n d plants — and a local contractor provided two probono painting crews.

One charity is the focus each month, with efforts g o i n g we l l b e y o n d t h e standard donation box in the lobby. One employee group transformed their break room into an Italian restaurant to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network; 13 employees shaved their heads to raise money for the same cause. Last year, employees raised $ 56,000 for 10 charities, gathered 368 cell phones for soldiers, 230 winter coats for children, registered 405 marrow donors and collected food and school supplies.

hofer, the team produced a brief documentary video, designed print materials and wrote press releases, public service announcements, speeches and radio commercials. The result: An increase in food collected of 200,000 pounds the first year, another increase of 200,000 pounds the second year and 100,000 pounds last year.

About 50 volunteers participated in the Extreme Camp Makeover for Easter Seals, working for an entire weekend.

raisers, helping the homeless and assisting the Capitola art and wine festival.

Roofing is an underappreciated art and science

  Roofing is an underappreciated art and science. Construction industry professionals refer to roofs as roofing systems. Seemingly simple, a roof is a complex, highly engineered system for keeping the weather out of your home and the energy inside.

  Roofing a home starts with rafters. These rafters are joined together to form trusses, which give the familiar V shape to most roofs. The trusses are engineered systems designed to withstand the weight of roofing materials, water, snow and wind. Once in place, they must be protected from the weather. Weather, especially winter weather, is the enemy of your roof.

  The roofing material that repels the weather is applied in multiple layers. The first layer is plywood or other sheathing to provide a foundation for subsequent layers. This provides a solid layer for further sheathing and helps anchor the rafters in place.

  Over the plywood is laid another layer of roofing. This is tar paper or felt. The purpose of this impermeable layer is to provide a moisture barrier to prevent air exchange through the roof. Limiting the air exchange keeps expensive conditioned air being lost to the outdoors. At this layer leaks begin to be a concern. Typically the felt or paper is laid down with the upslope edge fastened and the remaining fastened down with adhesive. Construction adhesives that are long lasting and resistant to temperature change are used.

  The outermost layer is what most people see as roofing. It is the visible layer that can be seen from the outside of the house. A wide variety of materials may be used. Historically, people have used whatever durable materials were at hand to roof their homes. In Europe thatch, stone, slate, wood and copper were commonly used roofing materials. In America, shingles were used very early and have lasted until current day. Advances in roofing material have included asphalt shingles overtaking wood shingles in widespread use. Galvanized metal made its debut and has become widely popular for outbuildings and barns.

  The outermost layer of roofing is critical for preventing leaks. Water is the enemy of any roofing system and the outer layer bears the brunt of the weather. Not only must it be laid in a manner that prevents the infiltration of water, but it must withstand temperature changes and all sorts of weather without fasteners loosening. These requirements make roofing a skilled job and roof systems remarkable structural accomplishments.