Western North Carolina is unique due to the distinct seasons we experience.  Western North Carolina can reach hot and dry in the summer months with cold and wet winters.  Many components are critical to the performance of your roof beyond the shingles or metal you see on the surface.  At IKECO Roofing and Exteriors all the components discussed in this article are installed on every roof we install. A quality roof starts at the beginning.

The beginning of each roof install begins with a quality underlayment.  At IKECO Roofing and Exteriors you will not see the old school tar paper.  With advancements in construction materials, there are better options available.  IKECO Roofing and Exteriors utilizes synthetic underlayment on every project without question.  The advantages of synthetic underlayment are resistance to tearing during roof installation creating a more stable working surface for our install crews and reducing the risk of a slip and fall.  Also, synthetic underlayment holds up better during the hot and cold temperature fluctuations your roof experiences throughout its lifecycle.

The 2nd key component of a high-performance roof system is ice and water shield.  Ice and water shield is a self-adhering membrane that is part of the underlayment system of every high-performance roof system suitable for the climate here in western North Carolina.  Here in western North Carolina’s climate, we utilize ice and water shield membranes to line valleys and add leak protection around roof penetrations, such as pipes and chimneys. In areas of western North Carolina that experience a longer harsher winter, we will utilize ice and water shields on the eaves and rakes to protect against ice damming.  Ice damming is a rare occurrence in western North Carolina and is typically seen in more northern states with much harsher winter seasons.

The 3^rd key piece of roofing material for a structure in western North Carolina is drip edge.  With every high-performance roof system that IKECO Roofing and Exteriors installs drip edge is utilized.  Drip edge helps prevent wind-driven rain from penetrating under the edge of shingles.  Also, the drip edge helps ensure water running off the eaves of the roof enters the guttering system and doesn’t rot the fascia material

The 4^th key material component of a high-performance roof system in western North Carolina is starter shingles.  Starter shingles ensure a proper seal around the perimeter of your roof system to prevent wind uplift on the roofing system during a storm event.  IKECO Roofing and Exteriors installs starter shingles on all eaves and rakes of every roof system installed to ensure the longevity of the roof system by optimal resistance to wind storms.

The 5^th key component of a roof system is ventilation.  To ensure years of peak performance of a high-quality roofing system is ventilation.  This can be achieved with a few different materials, 90% of the time proper ventilation is achieved with a properly installed ridge vent.  A ridge vent will help reduce the risk of overheating your attic space in the summer and also overheating the attic space in the winter.  When an attic space becomes too hot in the summer it can cause shingles blistering.  When an attic becomes too hot in the winter it can cause ice damming on the eaves.