The Twenty-Five “C’s” of Roofing

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It’s hard to believe, but there are well over twenty-five roofing industry words that start with C. A more important fact is all twenty-five words are important roofing terms. But what do the words mean?

#1 – The Council of American Building Officials

A commonly used roofing “C” word is the acronym CABO which stands for The Council of American Building Officials. CABO merged with The International Code Council (ICC) not too long ago, and the ICC is now a nonprofit association that provides building safety solutions. These solutions are in product evaluation, accreditation, certification, codification, and training. Just as important, ICC develops the codes and standards that worldwide construction projects are held to in safety and sustainability.

#2 – Cant

Cant strip is a piece of wood that is shaped like a triangle, or it is beveled. It is designed to serve as a gradual transitional plane between the flat surface of a roof deck. It can also used in rigid insulation and on vertical surfaces. In other words Cant is a support roofing material and prevents gaps.

#3 – Cap Sheet

Cap sheet is a proprietary coated sheet with granules used as the top ply of roof membranes. Basically, cap sheet protects against UV, weathering and physical damage.

# 4 – Cellulose

Cellulose is a newer roofing component used in the manufacturing of organic roofing material. It is a complex carbohydrate that is composed of glucose units. It is more commonly known as the main constituent of the plant’s cell wall.

#5 – Chalking

Chalking is used to show the degradation or migration of paints, coatings, or any other material.

#6 – Cladding

Cladding is a material used on exterior wall enclosures. Cladding can make weathered buildings look vibrant again and save in electricity when thermal or insulation issues are used with it.

#7 – Cleat

A roofing cleat is used to secure two components together. It is a metal strip, plate, or metal angle piece.

#8 – Closed-Cut Valley

There are two kinds of closed valleys. There is cut valleys, which are less expensive to install and are the most common; and woven valleys. The closed-cut valley is an application method where shingles on an adjacent slope are cut parallel and trimmed back two inches from the valley centerline. The woven valley shingles run from both roof slopes onto the adjacent slope, alternating with each course.

#9 – Coating

Coating is used with various products, but its use in roofing is to be spread over the surface for protection or decorations. Coatings are generally liquids, semi-liquids, or mastics. They can be applied as a spray or with a roller and cured to an elastomeric consistency.

#10 – Cohesion

Cohesion is the mutual attraction by which the elements or particles of a body or substance are held together.

#11 – Cold Process Built-Up Roof

Cold process built-up roof occurs with a continual but semi-flexible roof membrane. The ply or felts are laminated together with alternate layers of liquid-applied roof cement or adhesive. Then it’s surfaced with a cold-applied coating.

#12 – Combing Ridge

The combing ridge is the finished slate at the ridge of the roof, where the slates on one side stick out beyond the apex of the ridge.

#13 – Composition

Composition roofing is sometimes called asphalt shingles. It is the most common roof used on houses. Composition roofing is one of the lowest in cost and easiest to install.

The roofing uses for composition roofs run from home roofs to apartment buildings and church roofs. Composition roofing is available in many colors, has a flat profile, is algae-resistant, and has cellulose or fiberglass mats coated with asphalt and granules.

#14 – Concealed-Nail Method

This is when you use your asphalt roll roofing application to drive all the nails into the roof and cover with an adhered overlapping course. That way, the nails are not exposed to the weather.

#15 – Conductor Head

The conductor’s head provides direct runoff water through this transition component place between a wall scupper and downspout.

#16 – Coping

Coping is the covering that sits on the top of the wall. It is always exposed to the weather and made with metal or stone. It helps shed water back onto the roof through its sloped design.

#17 – Copper

This is the same type of copper used in cookery, but in this case it provides a natural weathering that is used in metal roofing. Most of the time, it is used in 16 or 20 ounces per square foot in thickness.

#18 – Cornice

The cornice is one of the most decorative roofing pieces. It is a horizontal molding or projected roof overhang.

#19 – Cove

The cove is a sealant material installed where vertical and horizontal planes meet. It helps to get rid of the 90º angle.

#20 – Cricket

A cricket diverts water around chimneys, curbs, and other roof elements. It is raised as a roof substrate or structure.

#21 – Cross Ventilation

In roofing, cross ventilation occurs when the air moves through the roof cavities. This happens when the air moves between the air cavity vents. What’s unique about cross ventilation is the airflow must be uniform. Otherwise, the roof will have hot spots develop in its sheathing, which reduces its efficiency.

#22 – Cupola

A cupola is at the edge, ridge, or peak of the main roof area. It is a small roofed structure.

#23 – Curb

A curb is a raised member that helps support roof penetrations. This includes being used in skylights, mechanical equipment or hatches needed on the roof. It is above the roof’s surface but relatively low in height.

#24 – Cure

Curing a roof means you are processing roofing material to form permanent molecular linkages by exposure to the chemicals, heat, pressure, or weathering.

#25 – Cut-off

A cutoff is a permanent detail that seals and prevents water movement in an insulation system. It basically isolates sections of the roofing system to help disperse the weight of water in one area.

In the end, all of the roofing terms listed above mean you now know what makes up superior roofing products and services. You also know the above materials need to be backed by the finest expert roofing services. When you’re ready to find the roofing professionals near you, we have a secure, fast, and easy way to help you.

Five Smart Technologies You Can Use in Building Your Roof

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The future of roofing is here, and it’s all about digital tech and digitization. Digital tech roofing is helpful through its smart technologies that can be used in almost every phase of your roof’s construction. Digitization helps you design, build, and even maintain your roof. You no longer have to wait until your roof is built to see what it’ll look like. You can preview it using digital technology. In the world of roofing and construction, companies use drones, robots, 3D printing, and various other forms of smart technology roofers and construction companies are beginning to use. This is the smart technology you’ve seen in movies or read about in books. Many smart technology roofing applications are here now!

Five Smart Technologies in Roofing Construction

There are five smart technologies the information below will present. These five smart technologies can be used to design and build your roof, making the contract for a new roof for your home or business much easier.

1. Solar Solutions

Progressive solar solutions are gaining in popularity and use every day. It is a cost-effective measure for home and business owners that have helped drive down energy prices. From 2010 to 2014, prices for solar installers and products have gone down 45%. The reduced pricing and innovative financing give rooftop solar panels a wider and broader market. A market where the customers come from very diverse economic backgrounds.

The most digital advantage to solar panels is net metering. Net metering gives ‘virtual’ credits for generating electricity through roof solar panels. Most of the time, it gives these credits at full electricity retail rates. It’s technology and energy meeting up to save those who use it money while they give back to the community by using clean energy.

2. Self-Regulating and Connected Heating Technology

Roofing materials and construction can use self-regulating and connected heating technology systems to help roofs melt snow and ice away. The cables can be connected and used at the exact length you need on your roof. Most of the time, there are no burn-outs due to overlapping. When snow and ice start accumulating on your roof, heating cables controlled by a digital system sensor increases its heat output. It then decreases its heat output when the snow or ice melts away.

You never have to worry about freezing roofs loaded with ice and snow collapsing again. The crankcase heaters control downtime. The parallel circuit design lets installers cut your cables to the exact length needed. As the technology goes through its own on-off cycle, it can maintain the roofing cable equipment with temperatures set for what provides you the most energy savings. In addition, the heating cables can create runoff paths if needed and internally trace water and storm drain lines.

3. Continuous Monitoring and Adaptive Control (CMAC) Technology

CMAC roofs, through the use of compact sensors and outlet control technologies, can almost double stormwater retention and the treatment capacity of existing BMP. This adaptive roof technology of the cisterns by reducing the wet weather flow on a roof diversion to a combined sewer system by 80%. The system runs a cloud-based decision software that uses intelligent irrigation logic that releases from the cistern to real-time sensor readings.

This green infrastructure roof system captures and treats its direct runoff. CMAC is a promising solution to stormwater issues concerning health benefits to both water quality and availability.

4. SAM (Semi-Automated Mason), The Bricklaying Robot

Not many people in the roofing industry know if SAM is a good thing or a bad thing for roofers. But SAM is here, and it’s working its way through the construction of various roofs at amazing speed. SAM100 is a semi-automatic mason. SAM can build walls and roofs six times faster than the average roofer or bricklayer. SAM is part technology, part conveyor belt, part robotic arm, and also has a concrete pump.

At this time, SAM’s technology still needs human collaboration. SAM can get the roofing materials to the worker, lay them, seal them but it still requires a human to oversee its work. In other words, SAM’s technology may be top of the line and futuristic, but right now, in the roofing industry, SAM is one of the newest smart technologies that is only doing the heavy lifting.

5. Robotic Autonomous Track Loader (ATL)- Using LIDAR, GPS, and Digital Files

The ATL is powered by a rooftop cargo carrier that’s filled with the latest and greatest in technology and electronics. ATL has a light detection and ranging system to measure distance and range from objects around it. The ATL is designed to withstand high-vibration and high-impact environments like high-rise roofs or irregular and dangerous roofs. It can only match the speed of humans in its work capacity, but it can work the hours most roofers and construction workers can’t work. At this time the ATL is cutting and filling as needed at various construction and roofing sites.

While the roofing construction industry has usually been slow to change based on technology, there are several around today that are ushering in a new era of smart technologies whether the industry is ready for it or not.

Tomorrow’s Future in Roofing is Here

Technology, for anything, doesn’t need a lot to take hold and change the way an industry does business forever. From green construction roofing materials to 3D printing where you can design your roof before laying the first stone, it’s all about adapting to the technology and using it to your industry’s benefit.

When you’re ready to use the latest and greatest roofing technology or just want to find a roofer who can see your vision, we’re the best place you can start your project. We’ll find a roofer who shares your vision while using the technology you want.