Preventing Exterior Moss Growth
The growth of moss on roofs is not so much a problem for metal roofs or roofs in dry desert environments, but when it comes to asphalt shingles in any other region of the country, rooftop growth can shorten shingle life significantly – not to mention he patchy green fur just looks ugly. Asphalt shingle manufacturers have developed anti-algae shingles, but many home owners already experiencing rooftop growth don’t want the expense of re-shingling an entire roof while other home owners may just want some added protection when installing a new roof.

That’s where zinc roofing strips come in. Apply the rolled zinc to each side of ridge caps along the roof peaks or along the hips as needed. Place a nail down each foot of the zinc strip so that the strip will protrude an inch or two beyond the ridge cap. With each rain non-toxic zinc oxide will gradually leach out from the strip to kill the mosses or impede their growth 20 feet below the strip. The installation of zinc strips can be effective even in north-facing, shaded, and forested locations.

Preventing Interior Mold Growth
Now that we’ve tackled and solved the exterior problem, let’s focus on the inside – specifically, as it relates to the performance of the roof, the attic. Most homeowners don’t realize that the outside surface of the shingle can easily take a beating for 25 years, but it’s the moisture on the back of the shingle that destroys it when the dew point creates condensation. With the use of air conditioning, the problem is actually worse in the summer, and within the attic itself excessive heat and moisture can lead to mold growth. What the attic needs – and the roof for long-term performance – is a balanced ventilation system.

To begin, you want to determine the net free area as it relates to the total square footage of the attic. The net free area is the approximate clear opening of the ventilator through which air may move. At a minimum, the ventilated space should have a net free area of 1/150. In other words, for every 150 square feet of attic floor space, one square foot of net free area is required. You can up this ratio to 1/300 if there is a vapor barrier installed in the attic, or there is a difference of at least three feet in height between the intake (under-eave vents) and the exhaust. The total net free areas of the intake and exhaust must be at least equal. Excess net free area should be at the intake.

The importance of roof ventilation cannot be stressed enough. You can never have too much, but you can certainly have too little. Use ridge vents combined with external baffles. (Ridge vents are good because they blend into the roof line). Install ridge vents from end to end along the entire ridge. True, this may provide more air flow than needed, but as said before, you can never have too much; plus, a continuous ridge vent adds to the finished appearance. Install soffit or eave vents so air flows between every rafter. This way, you’re assured cold temperatures along the entire roof surface.

Talk to us whenever you have questions.

Visit www.osha.gov for details on the new fall protection guidelines and visit us for all your fall protection needs.

1.) Widen your scope: Hendrick began pitching proposals outside his typical radius, which helped net him new customers.

2.) Find ‘bits and pieces’: Hendrick began accepting smaller jobs that he wouldn’t normally accept, which helped fill in the gaps.

3.) Invest in a network: That would be other business professionals, to learn how their businesses are making it work.

SHAPE
Knowing a home’s floor area-to-surface area (F/S) ratio is an important factor in determining a home’s thermal performance. You find this ratio by calculating the finished floor area to the sum of all exterior surfaces (walls and roof). A home in a cold, cloudy climate should have a high F/S ratio (this would be a more cubical shape) while a home in a hot, humid climate should have a lower F/S ratio (this would be a more narrow and rectangular shape).

ORIENTATION
Longer walls should face north and south. Of course, perfect orientation is not always possible because the building site often dictates the design. Many designers agree facing within 20-40 degrees of true south is ideal.

LOCATION
Location refers to where you locate the major living spaces of a home, and you want these living spaces located on the south perimeter. This allows the most direct path of sunlight to enter the living space – thus helping to warm the space in winter while allowing enough daylight to adequately illuminate the area for most daytime activities.

APERTURE
South-facing windows are called the home’s solar aperture because they represent a net energy gain while windows facing in other directions tend to lose more energy than they gain during the heating season. Here’s where we start talking about window selection and placement. In order to maximize solar gain and ventilation, we want to design a house with more south-facing windows than in any other direction. Some researchers say about half, or even a majority, of a home’s windows should face south. Calculate the area of south-facing windows as a percentage of the home’s conditioned floor area; the sweet spot is 9-12%. Anything higher could result in excessive heat gain, glare, thermal losses, and increased installation costs. When selecting windows, you want to install windows with a high solar heat-gain coefficient (SHGC). Pay special attention to the difference between the glazing-only SHGC and the whole-window glazing SHGC. You want the whole-window SHGC, which can be found on the NFRC label attached to the window; select a SHGC between 0.40 and 0.56 (higher is better).

ROOF OVERHANGS
During winter months, you want as much possible direct sunlight to enter the south-facing windows as possible; however, during the dog days of summer, you want to limit exposure. You do this by incorporating roof overhangs, and keep in mind you want overhangs for each level, so a three story house would have overhangs on each floor level. As a rule of thumb, overhangs should be 12” above the window and 18” deep, but of course, based on the window height, latitude, orientation, and particular house design this may not be possible. More to the point, what you want is an overhang that will completely shade the window at solar noon on June 21 (the summer solstice).

Everybody wants to save money, especially when it comes to home energy costs. You can offer your new home buyer the advantage of a home designed with the passive solar energy concept. All it takes is a little planning. Call or stop in to talk with us about your passive solar energy home design. We’ll provide the service and products to get you started and to finish the job.

Surveying, Digging & Sizing
When creating the outline for the deck, you can use a simple surveying procedure known as the 3-4-5 Rule. Start by staking out a 4′ parallel to the house with one end point representing Stake A and the opposite end Stake B. Next, connect a second line to Stake A and run it 3′ perpendicular, attaching the end line to Stake C. If the distance between B and C is 5′, then the corner is square and you can use stakes and strings to complete the outline of the deck. See, all that high school geometry paid off.

You’ll want the composite deck bolted to concrete footers at least 6″ below the frost line (or whatever your local building code requires). Now, when it comes to sizing joists and posts, here’s where the difference comes in between that of typical horizontal decking.

You’ll probably want to reduce your joist spacing to 12″ on center to help support a diagonal span. An additional benefit – using diagonal decking increases the strength of the deck frame, thus preventing cracking and sway bracing installation. You’ll need to install blocking around the perimeter to provide support as well as a secure fastening surface.

You can choose to allow the end of the boards to hang over the edge until you make a single pass with a circular saw to achieve a consistent edge or you can choose to install trim board around the deck perimeter (a technique referred to as picture framing or racetrack decking). With the latter technique, hang trim boards over the edge by about an inch to tuck the fascia board underneath; this will create a clean appearance while allowing water to drain off the board’s edge. It also hides the ends of board, which over time can begin to crack and, in the case of some composites, hide the hollow core.

Herringbone & Zipper Decking and Decking Inlays
Once you understand the basics of diagonal decking, now you just take the process one step further. With herringbone decking, you install vertical decking beginning at opposite sides that meet in the middle for a straight line seam. With zipper decking, you begin the same way but you stagger the orientation of two opposing diagonal decking patterns to create a zipper effect. In either pattern, you may want to double the joists at the seam. Depending on the square footage of the deck, you could create individual picture frame patterns or inlay a particular geometrical shape such as a diamond or star burst.

Carefully consider your choice of contrasting colors. Whatever color or design pattern you choose, remember that decking inlays require a lot of vertical blocking in-between joists because most decking material can only overhang a joist by 3″. Also, keeping in mind that miter cuts and butt joints can separate over time, it’s a good idea to avoid working with small pieces. Make a bold statement with your design, but don’t try to get too intricate with the pattern.

Plan ahead. Take a sheet of unlined paper and spec out your deck pattern to discover where you will need extra blocking. Play around with the deck dimensions a little. Think about what options you have (and don’t have) depending on the deck’s square footage.

Fastening & Installing
Keep in mind that composite decking expands and shrinks along the entire length of the board as it heats and cools. Follow manufacturer’s guidelines when installing composite decking, but as a rule of thumb, allow enough space between boards to accommodate the thickness of a nail. Many composite decks accommodate hidden deck fasteners, but if face screwing, you may want to consider reverse thread screws to prevent mushrooming.

Tell Us About Your Deck Design
We want to hear about (and even see) your creative deck design. Snap a picture of your craftsmanship and send it to us. Call Sharon McGovern at 631-467-2020 x139 or send an email to: sharon@nassausuffolklumber.com.

As always, contact us for all your building material needs. Tell us what you’re working on and how we can better serve you.