All Forum Posts by: Jake Landry

Okay,so my wife owns a home in Mexico that she wants to sell. When she sells it, she's going to have to pay taxes to the Mexican government. Will we also have to pay income tax in the United States when we bring that money over to purchase a rental property here? Does anyone have any experience with this?

if I read your posting right, the additional investment to do it right would be between 600-1000 dollars extra. If that's the case it seems like an easy decision. I agree with the other comments in that you're better spending the money now and knowing exactly what you're getting rather than setting yourself up for what could be more costly and time-consuming endeavor later on down the road. My question.....is the roof on the carport connected to the house? Also, When you say there's ponding water do you mean that there's standing water on the entire roof or there are small sections of the roof that pond after a rain. The definition of ponding water is standing water after 48 hours. If you simply have several low spots on the roof that have ponding water after it rains in those areas, it can actually be fixed by building up the roof surface in those areas so that there are no low spots. If the roof is actually Built over a completely flat deck then you would need to taper the system to direct the flow of water. Seldom are residential roofs built with a flat deck. I guess depending on the size of the roof and whether it is connected to the house and what the exact price difference would be if $600 will get you into a tapered roof system I say definitely do it

I can possibly make some recommendations based on what type of roof you want or maybe what type to building you haven so you can explored some different options. 

let me find out who we've got over there and I can send you their contact information. Do you want to PM me your phone number?

The flexseal that he's referring to is actually a gimmick. The coatings I'm referring to are elastomeric acrylic coatings that can be brushed on rolled on or spray applied. Go to YouTube and search for GAF topcoat and there's a video showing what I'm talking about.

The standard warranty offered by roofing then the factors is always a limited warranty. They cover material defects and they are prorated and they do not cover any workmanship errors. Workmanship errors are the number one problem in roofing. Not the actual product failing. Most of the time when the product fails, it's because it was not installed properly. I work as a regional training manager for the largest roofing manufacturer North America. We make a product called TopCoat. It's an elastomeric acrylic coating. The coatings business is a large industry in United States. We have a premium product that can go over metal roofs and you can get a 20 year no dollar limit warranty that covers manufacturig defects as well as workmanship errors. The only way to obtain a 20 year NDL guarantee by us or any other manufacturer is to make sure that a contractor that is actually certified by the manufacture installs the roof and the roof is inspected by the manufacturer. I didn't join this site to sell roofs but I like to add insight when people are talking about roofs. There are several good manufacturers out there that make elastomeric acrylic coatings designed to restore metal roofs. If you're interested in checking out the product that I'm referring to go to GAF.com and search for topcoat roof restoration. If you have any general questions about coatings or metal roofing in general, feel free to PM me. Good luck and at the end of the day, it may not be easy to find a good roofer But it's easy to identify ones simply by asking for recent references. I can refer some roofers we have in your area if you'd like. 

 If you want to check out a list of roofers in your area that have all been properly vetted and have proper insurance, licensing and reviews, go to GAF.COM and you can enter your zip code and a list of the nearest Master Elite Contractors in your area will pop up. This is thee easiest and safest way to find a roofer. I can also give you some names and numbers to roofing professionals in your area if you would like to PM me. Good luck. 

Depending on your insurance company, some give substantial discounts for "IR" or "class 4" roofs. That's a discount you get every year. Also, choose your manufacturer carefully. Some roofing manufacturers make a better Impact Resistant shingle than others. Regardless if it's IR or not, if large enough hail damages it, your in for a replacement which means another deductible. If you have a quality IR product VS an economy IR product, you may have to replace the economy product in a smaller hail storm whereas you may not have to in that same storm if you would have used the higher quality product. Roofing follows the old cliche "you get what you pay for" and that applies to the installers you hire just as much as the product you use. If you have an IR roof VS a standard roof, you do get paid MUCH more from the insurance company if the roof is a total loss. Usually it's a good investment but you have to realize that it is an investment. If you have long term properties your holding and want to minimize problems down the road, invest in quality work and quality products to offset the high cost of call backs you will incur for using inferior products. There are some really good roofers, a ton of bad ones. Problem is, there are some pretty good salesman working for some of the bad ones too so always always always check references and read reviews. 

EPDM has definitely proven to be a good roof. It's been around for 40 years and was the first single ply to be installed on roofs. All roofs have pros and cons and we could definitely debate it all day and all be correct but where EPDM roofs have failure is from shrinkage, seam pops, and puncture resistance. Not to mention, ponding water on an adheared seam will eventually ruin the seam and void the 20 year warranty. TPO is the only roof systems hat comes with a "No ponding water" exclusion. You're correct in that heat welded seams on TPO roofs can be welded incorrectly by the installer but when done correctly, they are actually 400% stronger than the membrane itself. EPDM is a dying technology simply because it's few flaws have been overcome by the advantages of TPO. 

I'm so lame :) No one could possibly care this much. I'm out. 

I agree however I would stay away from EPDM. Its adhered seams are not as strong as TPOs heat welded seams and EPDM is a black rubber roof with very low emmisivity making it  extremely hot vs. a TPO roof which is energy star rated and highly emissive making it stay cool even in the middle of the summer.