TomKat Restoration is a roofing company that stands out from the rest because they don't just tear off the old roof and put a new one on. They inspect the whole roofing system including the overlooked ventilation of the roof. The intake part is called the soffit which is under the roof eaves. The soffits are typically covered with a solid and vented aluminum soffit panel, which homeowners and even contractors assume provides ventilation in that area, but that isn't always true. What is hidden by th aluminum panels is the wood that sometimes has and sometimes doesn't have any openings. This is usually a big problem that ends up aging the roof and is mostly overlooked.
A newly installed roof by TomKat with full inspection of the roofing system which includes ventilation, bathroom/kitchen vent connections.
TomKat makes sure this area is never overlooked and conducts soffit inspections as part of their roofing services. This is also combined with the exhaust system and TomKat makes sure you have the right amount of both. How does TomKat do this? TomKat follows the IRC code laws, where most homes have the allowable 1/300,. What is that you ask? The 1/300 is basically how much ventilation exists per saure foot of attic floor. So 1/300 means 1NFA per 300 square foot area. Also NFA means net free area which is the opening. The best equation for the best ventilation is 1/150, which is 1 sq foot of NFA for every 150 square feet of attic floor. Most homes do the allowable 1/300 which is just ok but the better option is 1/150 because it allows for better intake and exhaust that helps reduce energy costs and minimize condensation. The results are you using 10% less of your AC and 7% less of heating with 33% reduction of humidity and a roof that lasts its full life expectancy.
This homeowner wanted to replace their roof, soffit and fascia and gutters making it a lot easier to inspect the soffit vents by tearing off the old aluminum soffit and fascia. We got a clear view of how many openings the home had and ran calculations to see if there were enough.
Another issue of why many roofs are not venting correctly is because there are too many different venting systems causing issues. This is where TomKat Restoration stands out. They replace the whole roofing system to ensure proper installation and ventilation. A typical ventilation set up seen is with box vents combined with an attic fan. It sounds logical to add an attic fan because it helps pull out any moisture but this isn't how it works. Depending on where it's installed it can pull air from the box vent closest to it making the roof vent out even less and making that vent essentially useless. The other problem is that the attic fan is usually placed a little lower than the box vents. This is also a problem because during certain atmospheric conditions the attic fan acts like the intake (soffit) and so the lower portion of the attic isn't vented. This is why TomKat makes sure only one ventilation system is used on the roof.
During a routine storm damage (hail and wind damage) inspection our rep discovered 3 different vents on the roof. A power attic fan, box/turtle vents and a ridge vent which is the incorrect way to vent a roofing system.
In conclusion, hiring TomKat Restoration for your roofing needs is the best choice because they don't just replace the roof. They replace the whole roofing system to ensure proper ventilation and installation. Most other roofing companies are simply there to replace the roof and replace the vents exactly where they were, but TomKat Restoration goes above and beyond. When hiring a roofer, it is essential to compare apples to apples, and TomKat Restoration is a cut above the rest.