Outdoor Construction Continues in Many Parts of the Country

You went into the high school to snag all the plants in the library and a few other essentials. You stood for a few minutes is the main hallway, and it should have been teeming with students excited to be back for fourth quarter, excited to see each other, excited to get going again. In a completely different setting you will all be at it tomorrow, and you will all do so remotely. Everyone will get through this, and you cannot wait to see these amazing kids in person again! In the meantime, you are going to just keep practicing social distancing and intense hand washing.

On your drive home from the school you noticed a few things that are in direct contrast to the empty hallways of the school. In fact, there were a few times as you approached your home when you had to go at a very slow pace to avoid all of the work trucks in the area. With the first sunny and warm days in your region, the general contractors, as well as roofing and siding companies, were our in full force. The sound of the roofers, while they would have been irritating on many other mornings, was a welcome indicator that some things are continuing as normal.
Residential and Commercial Contractors Welcome the Transition to Spring

Many parts of the economy have slowed to a standstill during the recent Shelter at Home orders and recommendations for social distancing. One area that is still in near full swing, however, is the roofing and siding businesses. As both residential and commercial contractors attempt to deliver services that have already been partially paid for, in fact, many remodeling services, residential windows and roofing contractors, and other laborers are able to continue their work. Deemed as essential workers, in fact, the outside construction industry will play an important part in making sure that at least some part of the economy continues at a somewhat normal pace.

Being outside is still an option and, in fact, there are many indicators that the sunshine will provide not only a mental boost of energy, but also an opportunity to enjoy air that is more fresh than it typically is. With fewer cars on the road and planes in the sky, the air that people are breathing when they are outside is of a higher quality than in the past. And when residential roofing installations have been scheduled for months and commercial contractors are able to have long stretches of work time now that winter is over, it should come as no surprise that everyone is eager to get to work.

Consider these facts and figures about the many times when the residential and commercial contractors provide valuable services, while at the same time keep at least their part of the economy going:

• Roofing experts estimate that the life of a new roof will be cut by as much as 20% if it is installed on top of the existing roof, so it is often in a property owner’s best interest to invest in a whole roof replacement.
• During any given year, the roof contracting industry generates an estimated $46 billion of revenue in the U.S.
• As new products enter the market, there are many property owners that take the time and invest the money to upgrade their current homes and buildings. In fact, composite siding such as fiber cement, or a mix of wood pulp and cement, combines the performance of masonry with its minimal upkeep. These new products are also termite-free, rot-free, and fire-proof, as well as being unaffected by wind or cold.
• another major advantage to many of these new siding products is that they provide the look of painted wood clapboards, shingles, and sometimes even stone or brick.
• Single-pane glass windows, which are present in most homes built before the middle of the 1990s, are hugely energy inefficient and allow heating and cooling dollars to fly out the window and noise to come in. With upgrades to double-pane models, property owners find many advantages.
• In fact, replacing standard windows with energy efficient windows and doors meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star program lowers energy bills by 7% to 15%, according to www.energystar.gov.