Matthews Roofing and Construction Blog

Blog entries on this site have been posted by Earl Fremin, the president of High Top Roofing – a fully licensed and bonded roofing contractor with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list.

High Top Roofing serves the Charlotte metro area including Union County with residential and commercial roofing services including new installations and repairs.

High Top Roofing’s parent company is Fremin Construction, Inc. which offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

The company’s service offerings are featured on its web site at www.hightoproof.com.

It’s never been harder to select a contractor you can trust.

And it doesn't help when you're relying on someone that perhaps you just met to help you decide whether or not to repair or replace your roof.

Finally, the industry is constantly changing due to new materials, government regulations, competitive pressure and the usual bad business practices that smart consumers need to stay out in front of.

Blog posts on this site will help keep you informed on the latest industry trends in both the roofing and construction industries.

Don’t miss out on critical information you need to be an informed customer of roofing and construction services in the Charlotte area.

Visit this site often or subscribe to our RSS feeds to see the latest topics posted by Earl Fremin.

Call High Top Roofing at 704-989-3189 or Request a free estimate today!

Learn more about Matthews residential roofing or Matthews commercial roofing.

Poor Matthews Roofing Work on Very Expensive Homes
04/02/2016

High Top Roofing brings nearly 38 years of roofing installation and repair service experience to the Charlotte metro area.

You might be surprised at what we encounter on a daily basis as we follow in the footsteps of other Matthews roofing companies as we continue to deliver outstanding residential roofing projects on some of the most expensive homes in the area.

When you contact High Top Roofing for your next roofing project, you can be assured that we’ll be recommending the best ways to avoid these commonly observed residential roofing issues.

Shingles That are Not Gauged Properly

Nothing is more important than good workmanship when it comes to installing and spacing shingles. However, it is not uncommon for us to find homes where the shingles are not gauged properly resulting in shingle seams that are too close together. This can lead to unexpected leaks. It’s also important to make sure that no more than 5 ½ inches of each shingle is exposed. If a larger area of each shingle is exposed, it is more prone to leaks.

Improper Shingle Nailing
You’d be surprised at how often we run into shingles with nails that are driven in at an angle or nails that have been driven in too far.

Improperly nailed shingles causes tears to the fiberglass mat and compromises the integrity of the shingle. That’s why shingles that have been installed in this manner need to be removed.

Learn more about:

Why our pneumatic hand gun installation process gives our customers a higher quality roof

The Proper Way to Nail Shingles on Matthews Residential Roofs

Matthews Residential Roofing Shingle Maintenance

Leak Barrier Protection Not Installed

There are a number of areas on a roof that can be subject to water, ice, and snow buildup that need additional protection beyond standard shingles. Areas with valleys, flashing, eaves, and low sloping roofs are often susceptible to leaks especially during the winter. High quality Matthews roofing companies will take the time and explain to you the best ways to protect these highly vulnerable areas.

Learn more about:

Unexpected Causes of Matthews Residential Roofing Leaks

Roof Sections With Shingles Installed That Don’t Have Enough Slope

Matthews roof shingles are not intended for use as a waterproof roof layer. Shingles are designed to work with gravity to keep water moving down the roof. If a section of your roof isn’t steep enough to keep the water moving, shingles should not be used. And yet we continue to observe roof sections where shingles have been used instead of alternative methods that are better able to prevent water seepage.

Safety Corners Cut by Budget Roofers

We’ve seen many instances where out of town, storm chaser roofing companies have used toe boards to create a walkway that the roofing crews use during the installation process. Toe boards are a cost cutting measure designed to give budget roofers the ability to avoid using proper safety equipment such as safety ropes, harnesses, and L-brackets.

While these toe boards may give your budget roofer a cheaper alternative to a safer roofing project, this practice is costing you money. Why? Because the toe boards create nail holes in freshly installed shingles – holes that don’t need to be there. And when the roofing project is finished, the nails holding the toe boards to your roof are pulled out. This leaves you with nail holes that can cause leaks long after your budget roofer has left town. We see and repair the holes left by this practice just about every week.

These are just some of the poor Matthews residential roofing work that we’ve encountered and this is just a sampling of poor quality roofing work we’ve run into on homes with complicated roof designs in Matthews, North Carolina.

This post was written by Earl Fremin - the president and owner of High Top Roofing and the author of the Matthews Roofing and Construction Blog. Earl brings over 38 years of roofing experience to each and every project.

High Top Roofing is a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. High Top Roofing offers the Charlotte metro area including Union County high quality residential and commercial roofing services.

Fremin Construction, Inc. is the parent company of High Top Roofing. Fremin Construction offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.

Call High Top Roofing at 704-989-3189 or get your free estimate today!

Learn more about Matthews residential roofing or Matthews construction companies.

The company’s service offerings are featured on its web site at www.hightoproof.com.

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Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting a Matthews Construction Company
12/12/2013

If you are considering a Matthews Residential Construction or Matthews Commercial Construction project, it can be a daunting task to select a great company that you can partner with on your project. After all, there is always a chance that you’ll pick the wrong company.

At Fremin Construction, we’ve been in the business for a long time. So we’d like to present you with this short, easy to follow list that will help you avoid the top 5 mistakes customers make when selecting a Matthews Construction Company:

  1. Always pick a highly rated company - when you select Fremin Construction you’ll get the benefit of company that has an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau along with an “A” rating from Angie’s List.
  2. Insist on a using a licensed, bonded contactor - Fremin Construction carries $2 million in general liability insurance to ensure that your residential or commercial construction project is properly protected.
  3. Find out whether the Matthews Construction Company you are considering is planning on using subcontractors and the areas of your project that they’ll be working on - Every subcontractor allowed to work on your project may be an area that could lead to inconsistencies and defects. When you use Fremin Construction, you’ll get the benefit of our direct hire workforce with very limited use of subcontractors.
  4. Ask the company to tell you the types of projects they have the most experience with to ensure the best results for your home or business - At Fremin Construction, we specialize in residential and commercial renovation and remodeling projects.
  5. Look for a local Matthews Construction Company - Fremin Construction is a local business offering personalized service, lower overhead and the best workmanship and manufacturer warranties in the business.

Following the tips above will save you a lot of headaches – we know, because we’ve been helping our customers make the right choice for over 38 years!

Earl Fremin - the president of Fremin Construction contributed this post and regularly comments on industry trends on the High Top Roofing Blog including a recent post in Matthews Residential Roofing about the benefits of gun nailing instead of hand nailing shingles. Fremin Construction is a fully licensed and bonded construction company that offers you an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. The company serves the Charlotte metro area including Union County with residential and commercial construction services.

High Top Roofing is a subsidiary of Fremin Construction, Inc. that offers residential and commercial roofing services in the Charlotte metro area.

Call Fremin Construction at 704-989-3189 or Request a free estimate today!

The company's service offerings are featured on the Fremin Construction website.

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Matthews Residential Roofing – Is it better to install your roof using hand nailing or a pneumatic nail gun?
12/12/2013

When you interview Matthews residential roofing companies, there is probably no other topic that generates more discussion and passion among roofers than the question of whether shingles should be hand nailed or installed using a pneumatic nail gun.


We’re not shy about this topic at High Top Roofing either.


While we can install your roof using either method, we strongly recommend using a pneumatic nail gun to install your roof for a wide range of reasons.


For starters, Matthews residential roofing projects do not require an inspection when completed. So you are highly dependent on selecting the right contractor to nail your roofing shingles down correctly the first time. If it is not nailed down correctly, you may never find out until you have an issue in the future.


Shingles on Matthews residential roofing projects are nailed down by a crew of workers. If you are using High Top Roofing, that work will be done by a direct hire team that has been installing roofs for years with years of experience to make sure all of your nails are installed correctly the first time. Other contractors may use subcontractors for this work which can lead to inconsistent and defective nailing.


The quality of your roof installation is only as good as the weakest link on your team. That includes both the skill of the installation crew as well as using a consistent way to nail down the shingles.


That’s why we strongly recommend that your roof be nailed down using a pneumatic nail gun and not hand nailed. A nail gun will offer you a consistent, steady way of installing your roofing nails quickly and consistently. As many have said, “a nail gun does not get tired at the end of the day”. A nail installed using a gun at the end of the day is as good as the first nail installed in the morning. That’s something you might not get on a consistent basis from a crew doing hand nailing over the course of a long day. It only takes one inexperienced, tired worker to make hand nailing mistakes that you might not see. These mistakes could lead to leaks in the future.


Gun nailing is also more effective in more difficult and hard to reach steep areas. A roofing installer who can’t safely reach an area may cut corners. Many times the nail gun provides the installer with the easiest way to reach these difficult areas and to nail them down in a consistent way every time without putting the worker in a dangerous position.


Last but not least, High Top Roofing installs extra nails on your roof that you won’t get from a hand nailed installation. The speed and efficiency of the gun gives us extra time and flexibility to install these extra nails. A gun installation ensures you won’t get shorted on nails.


We’ll let you decide how you want your roof installed, but expect us to tell you that gun nailing will give you a quicker, consistent, more professional installation with less room for error.


This post was contributed by Earl Fremin - the president of High Top Roofing – a fully licensed and bonded roofing company with an “A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and an “A” rating on Angie’s list. The company serves the Charlotte metro area including Union County with residential and commercial roofing services and brings over 38 years of roofing experience to each and every roofing project.

Earl helps residential and business customers of roofing and construction services stay on top of industry trends through posts on the Matthews Roofing and Construction Blog. He recently wrote a post on the top 5 mistakes to avoid when selecting a Matthews construction company which was updated in the Matthews construction companies category.


High Top Roofing’s parent company is Fremin Construction, Inc. which offers residential and commercial construction services in the Charlotte metro area.


Call High Top Roofing at 704-989-3189 or Request a free estimate today!

Learn more about Matthews residential roofing or Matthews commercial roofing or Matthews Roof Shingles.


The company’s service offerings are featured on the High Top Roofing website.

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