BEWARE of the dreaded door knocking roofing scams.

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There are several tactics implored by traveling roofing salesmen, storm chasers and door knockers used to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners and secure roofing construction contracts without the customers being fully aware of what’s happening. Today we are going to discuss the two most common: “Free Inspection” and “Manufactured Damage”.

Free Inspection:

“Free” always sounds good, right? What could it hurt? Free inspection for a free roof, why not!?! Well we all know that “free” rarely comes without a cost and things aren’t always what they seem.

Typically a free inspection will include the customer signing an authorization form allowing them to “get on your roof”. The salesman will ask for an authorization form to be signed allowing them to start the inspection. Unfortunately, many times you are actually signing a contract which also allows them to meet the adjuster out on at your property on your behalf. At this point the salesman will indicate the presence of damage (Real or not) and pressure you into calling the insurance company to get the adjuster sent out for an inspection. What most homeowners do not realize is that this will cause a claim on their record which may not have been needed.

Manufacturing damage:

Too often, many of these canvassing companies will not let an opportunity pass them by. At that point they have talked the customer into signing paperwork and have gained access to the roof, they have been known to cause or ”manufacture” damage resembling natural causes in an attempt to justify getting the roof replaced by the insurance company.

HAAG Engineering actually has a chapter called the ball ping hammer test. This chapter is to educate claim adjusters on how to identify roof damage intentionally manufactured by means other than natural occurring. This can lead to a tremendous issue for the homeowner, they are often left with a denied claim and a damaged roof they are responsible for.

It’s always a good idea to have multiple companies inspect your roof prior to contacting your insurance company. Upright Construction will never “knock on your door” unless we are invited. We will also never ask you to sign an authorization form. We WILL happily provide you with a free inspection and work with your insurance company to determine coverage and give you all of your options.

Never sign anything till you are sure you are ready to hire your contractor.

Contact Upright Online or Call 812-629-3775 today to talk with our specialists and schedule today!

Top 5 Questions To Ask Your Roofing Contractor

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There are many so-called “roofing companies” in the area. To protect your family and your largest investment, here are five questions to ask potential roofing contractors, BEFORE YOU HIRE.

1. Are you licensed in this area?

According to the Evansville Building Commission, “A building permit is required for all new buildings, additions, or structural alterations to existing buildings; including accessory buildings, swimming pools, windows, siding, and re-roofing”. To pull a permit you MUST be a licensed general contractor.

Upright Construction is full licensed General Contractor in the Evansville and surrounding areas.

2. Are all of your insurance coverages up to date?

It is easy for a contractor to carry a general liability policy, the rates and qualifications are minimal. A GL policy is very basic and has very limited coverages. Several other insurances are necessary for a general contractor to be adequately covered such as workers compensation and auto liability.

Due to the expense, an often-neglected insurance coverage is WORKERS COMPENSATION. If your contractor does not have an active workers comp policy, you as the homeowner could be left paying an injured employee or subcontractor’s medical bills indefinitely, just for hiring someone to fix your property.

Ask for your perspective contractor’s insurance declaration page to confirm comp and auto coverage prior to any work commencing.

Upright Construction is fully insured and more than happy to share our declaration page with all perspective customers.

3. What type of materials are your bidding/do you use?

There are a variety of options and manufacturers of roofing materials to consider when replacing the roof on your home. Just like any other product or service, it is important to do your research and read reviews of not only the contractor but also the materials they use. Do not let a contractor dictate to you which products that they are going to use on YOUR home. Any reputable contractor should be more than willing to use the product of your choice and extend the warranties associates with such.

Upright Construction offers a variety of materials to accommodate our customer’s want and needs.

4. What type of warranty do you provide?

All reputable contractors should extend the manufacturers warranties, as well as a company backed craftsmanship warranty. When it comes to manufacturer’s warranties, you can bet they are going to do everything possible not to pay for repairs or a new roof. The first thing they will look for is if the roof system was installed correctly. It can be as simple as nails not being properly placed for a manufacturer not to honor the warranty. A written confirmation that your roofing materials will be installed to manufacturer’s specification is necessary to protect yourself as a consumer. A workmanship warranty should be offered by the contractor as well, to cover any issue not covered by manufacturer’s warranty caused by an inferior installation.

Upright Construction offers both manufacturers and workmanship warrantees to all customers.

5. What type of ventilation will you use?

Your ventilation system is a crucial part of your roof. The first thing a contractor should do when they install a roof is to ensure the attic is properly ventilated. If your installer does not make sure your attic is properly ventilated it will lead to your roof failing prematurely. The damage caused by the trapped cold and hot air will drastically shorten your roof’s life, potentially cause mold growth in your attic and even void the manufacturer’s warranty. A roof can fail in as little as two years with inadequate ventilation.

Upright Construction offers a variety of ventilation techniques that best fit the home.

 

Contact Us Online or Call 812-629-3775 today to talk with our specialist and schedule today!

Locally Owned Cleaning Company A Smarter Choice For Evansville Community And Value

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More Personalized Service

Working with locally Evansville owned businesses demonstrates that you care about your community, along with the businesses and people that comprise it. We continually strive to be better than our large, corporate, franchised, competitors. We recognize that our customers have good options for the services we provide. Consequently, we endeavor to be the best option for our customers each day. Our goal is to adopt the best practices of the larger counterparts, while providing a superior and more personalized service to you.

In the cleaning and restoration industry, large corporations are neither villains nor automatically made more capable or competent. Smaller community-based companies tend to be more agile and consumer oriented. For example, our carpet cleaning company is not restricted in how we can do good work. We enjoy an autonomy that our corporate counterparts don’t. We can spend as much time as necessary at each job. As the pace of technological advancement accelerates, we can purchase better equipment and products long before cumbersome rivals can adapt them. With the advantages of scale for the large companies come bureaucracy and other dissociations from the customer. While it’s more profitable to provide a remote call center, I doubt it will yield positive customer service. Customer satisfaction is our primary concern.

Money Stays In The Community

Each dollar you spend at independent businesses is likely to return 3 times more money to your local economy than one spent at a chain. When you shop at local small businesses, tax money is staying in your town. Additionally, with each small local business comes an opportunity for growth and advancement for a bigger business. Think about corporations like Nike or Ben and Jerry’s, they each started with one locally owned store which eventually turned into a bigger economic development. Small businesses that grow into large businesses often remain in the community in which the business was first established. (smallbusiness.chron.com).

Local business owners live and invest in their community. This makes them less likely to leave and more likely to be invested in how their business decisions affect the community. Small, locally-owned businesses provide the largest share of net new jobs generated each year and also provide the most stable employment opportunities in a community. Locally owned businesses tend to do business with other locally owned businesses. They bank with local banks, advertise in local newspapers and purchase local services such as accounting and printing. Each time a dollar is re-spent in the local economy, it’s like new income – creating a “multiplier effect”.

Call Your Local Upright Location Today for your next Cleaning or Restoration Need!

Upright Cleaning & Restoration Working After Hours in Evansville Indiana

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Here at Upright Cleaning & Restoration we strive to accommodate business with their needs. We work around their schedule and whats best for them and their customers. Cleaning carpets in your business is important for many reason and having a locally owned business to clean your property has other advantages in itself.

Some of the benefits for having your carpets cleaned some are very obvious and others are not. Some of the obvious reasons are what are your customers first impressions? Is your building clean and organized or is it messing and dirty. I tend to stray away from places that I feel that are dirty and unorganized or cluttered feeling. I feel if they don’t have the pride to keep their business clean what kind of product can they really produce. I as a customer want to feel welcomed and at ease when I first come in a business. One of the first things that keep my mind at ease is if your place is clean. Now some of the not so much obvious reasons are your employees. Studies have shown that properly cleaned carpet helps reduce symptoms and is the best flooring choice for those dealing with asthma and allergies. With you and your employees being inside your business hours at a time helping improve this keeps your employees healthy while in your business. Which also helps keep moral and productivity up.

Here are a few Pictures of a local business in the ti-state area that we cleaned afterhours on a Sunday. If you look to the left of the pictures you can see the big difference in the carpet and the dirt that we where able to extract. This made such a big difference and we where very excited that they allowed us and trusted us to be able to provide services for them

Identifying and Fixing Mold in your Crawlspace

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Normally, indoor mold is not problematic until mold spores begin growing in moisture-rich environments. Throughout the Midwestern United States, crawlspaces tend to provide the ideal conditions and environment for mold to proliferate. This mold can then spread to other home areas via spores, eventually becoming visible.  The following are the most common causes of mold in a crawlspace:

  • Faulty or missing Vapor Barrier
  • Improper, faulty, missing, or insufficient drainage
  • Missing or malfunctioning sump pump

If you discover mold in your crawlspace, make certain to contact a professional contractor that specializes in mold remediation. The wrong approach can do more harm than good. Ideally, the accredited professional should remove the mold and provide a remedy to the main cause(s.) After all, getting rid of the mold is pointless, without properly addressing the cause(s.)

Truly removing the mold is an involved and laborious process as well. Spraying some chemicals and doing nothing else will not, “fix” a mold problem. The mold remediation professional should be willing to undergo third party air quality testing to ensure that the air is safe.

Professionals at Upright Cleaning and Restoration have undergone extensive training to properly advise and remediate customers on mold issues. We will work with you to do the best job possible.

Call 812-629-3775 Today to talk with our specialist and schedule your Estimate or Cleaning.

Scotchguard Protectant for carpet, sofas, and upholstered furniture.

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Upright Cleaning Offers Scotchguard Protection Services

Clients frequently ask us about this product and we can’t recommend it enough. Scotchguard, a 3M product, is the most recognized brand of protectant for carpet, sofas, and upholstered furniture. The proper application of Scotchguard should not change the look or feel of carpets and rugs, while serving as a highly effective stain and durable water repellent. The main benefits of it use are listed below:

Protection / Prevention

  • Scotchguard repels both water-based and oil-based spills.
  • Scotchguard resists soiling and staining of the coated fibers.

Easier Maintenance / Clean-Up

  • If treated with Scotchguard, soot and stains tend to release more easily when cleaned, since the contaminants have more difficulty bonding to the fibers. Additionally, spills tend to blot up before the set as stains.

In 2003, 3M reformulated Scotchguard to be more environmentally friendly. It is unlikely that carpet cleaning companies recognize the impact of the reformulation on the product’s shelf life. The old product, using PFOS, had a shelf-life of 5.4 years. The new product, using PFBS, has a shelf life of a little over one month. It not uncommon for cleaning companies to do bulk orders on chemicals, then warehouse them, with less than ideal storage methods. The efficacy and potency of this product may be reduced for the consumer.

Upright Cleaning & Restoration trains it technicians on the correct storage, use, and application of Scotchguard products. We recommend the use of Scotchguard with carpet and upholstery cleanings every six months. Call to Make An Appointment Today!

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Get the Carpet Cleaning Value You Are Paying For

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It is not uncommon for carpet cleaning companies to sell you steam cleaning, but provide an inferior service. Similar to the recently unearthed scandal involving millions of not-so-green diesel engines, consumers are susceptible to chicanery and misrepresentation from carpet cleaning companies as well. To Get the Carpet Cleaning Value You Are Paying For, stay informed.

Not all steam carpet cleaning is the same.

It is not safe to assume that all carpet cleaning services will perform the same job. Not all carpet cleaning equipment is created equally, not all services possess the same capabilities, and cleaning methodology varies between companies. When choosing a professional to clean your carpet, find out what they are putting in your carpet and how hot their water actually gets. Generally speaking, hotter water is better.

Hot water extraction = less residual chemicals in your carpet.

Industry professionals and carpet manufacturers recommend hot water extraction for cleaning. Utilizing hot water extraction, in a non-abrasive method, requires less chemicals and has the lowest likelihood of damaging your property. According to the EPA, indoor environments are two to five times more toxic than our outdoor environment. The water temperature needs to be at least 212 degrees and above to kill microorganisms while cleaning. Using a hot water extraction method leaves less residual chemicals in your carpet. Lingering chemicals and/or shampoos in your carpet may pose health issues and can cause your carpet to soil faster.

We Are Pet And Kid Friendly.

At Upright Cleaning & Restoration we use pet and kid friendly solutions. Our water gets as hot as 240 degrees and our hot water extraction method is unsurpassed in our industry. We believe in providing the best service available to our clients. Furthermore, we endeavor to inform consumers, better enabling them to get the value they are paying for.

Call 812-629-3775 Today to talk with our specialist and schedule your Estimate or Cleaning.

LET’S GET STARTED

UPRIGHT CONSTRUCTION
1316 E Division ST
Evansville, IN 47711

812-629-3775
STONEY HAYHURST

812-470-0954
LARRY HARRIS

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