Designing and Building Mid-Illinois with Special Guest, Blake Middleton

Summary

In this episode of Designing Building Mid-Illinois, host Chris and co-host Kaitlin welcome Blake from Elite Roofing Professionals to discuss essential roofing topics. They cover common roofing mistakes homeowners make, the importance of regular maintenance, and how to navigate insurance claims effectively. Blake shares insights on quality materials, the role of storm chasers, and practical tips for homeowners to protect their investments. The conversation culminates in a rapid-fire round of questions, providing quick insights into roofing best practices.

Takeaways

• Most roofs fail due to lack of maintenance.
• Regular gutter cleaning can prevent major leaks.
• Ice and water shield is essential for roof protection.
• Homeowners should be cautious of storm chasers.
• Always verify if a contractor is licensed in Illinois.
• Class four shingles offer better protection than class three.
• Homeowners should ask the right questions before hiring a contractor.
• Proper ventilation is crucial for roof longevity.
• Timely action can save homeowners money on repairs.
• A roof maintenance program can help prevent future issues.

www.bigdogcc.com

Produced by Big Dog Media group with Big Dog Business Coaching

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Design and Building Mid-Ellinois, one home at a time with Big Dog Construction.

SPEAKER_04 0:04

The podcast you didn't know you needed.

SPEAKER_03 0:06

It's Chris Hartzuck and Caitlin Morgini. Join us as we explore the stories, expertise, and projects shaping the future right here in Mid-Ellinois.

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Whether you're planning to build, curious about the latest trends, or just love innovative ideas, we've got insights and inspiration coming your way. And some laughs too.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

Let's go.

unknown 0:24

Big dog!

SPEAKER_02 0:26

In the military, there's no such thing as good enough. You either do the job the right way or you don't do it at all. I'm Blake Middleton of Elite Roofing Professionals and Exteriors. I'm a veteran and I brought the same mission-first mindset back to Illinois. While others talk about the way it's always been done, my team focuses on the technical precision of how a roof should be built. We use the best materials, the best technology, and a level of communication you won't find anywhere else. Your home isn't just a job, it's a commitment. Elite roofing, high standards, zero compromise, clear communication. Give us a call today.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

Hey, welcome back to Designing Building Mid-Illinois, one home at a time. I'm your host with Big Dog Construction, your local window depot, USA. And as usual, I have Caitlin with me.

SPEAKER_06 1:12

Hey!

SPEAKER_03 1:13

And today we're joined by one of our Value 10X partners and returning guest to the show, Blake with Elite Roofing Professionals. Blake, glad to have you here.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Yes, sir. Good morning, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 1:23

Hey, now that most homeowners don't think much about their roof until they see a leak, missing shingles, or storm damage, but the truth is some of the most expensive home repairs start with problems that could have been identified much earlier. So today, Blake and us are we are going to talk about the most expensive roofing mistakes homeowners make, how to spot problems before they become major headaches, what you should know about insurance claims, how to protect one of the biggest investments you'll ever make, and that's your home. Whether you're a new homeowner, planning to sell, or simply want to avoid costly repairs down the road, this is an episode you want, don't want to miss, right? You don't want to miss this. I mean, you want to hear it. You want to hear it, right? Yeah. So if this is your first time tuning in, hey, welcome. We've got special stuff for you. If you've been with us from the beginning, thank you for continuing the journey with us as we help mid-Illinois homeowners design smarter, build better, and make confident decisions about their homes. And let's talk about anything the hell we want. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let's get started. Let's go. Welcome back to the show. But before, we got to pay some bills.

SPEAKER_04 2:26

We got to pay.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

Wait, we got to pay some bills. You know, a shout out to our 10x partner, Elite Roofing. Oh, wait, we are giving a shout-out. The whole episode is paying the bill today.

SPEAKER_04 2:34

He's here in person. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 2:36

I love it. So, Blake, this top, this topic naturally, with you being an expert in the roofing, right? Let's give in let's give our listeners practical advice today. Yes. So most roofs don't fail because they're old. Why do they fail?

SPEAKER_02 2:53

I I would say the biggest thing is lack of maintenance and uh routine maintenance just on a day-to-day operation uh or year-to-year. Essentially what would be a routine maintenance for some of us. Yeah. So for example, cleaning your gutters. Uh people don't realize that. I think that's probably the number one thing that ends up creating leaks and big reason that most of the municipalities in Illinois decided to require ice and water shield on the bottom of the roof line.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

So ice and water shield. Yes. That is. So our homeowners know or our listeners know what that is.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Absolutely. So it's a three-foot wide roll by 33 feet, peeling stick goes directly to the decking. So you apply water your one by's, and basically what it does is it's guaranteed to allow water to sit on there for 60 days. So if the roof had no shingles on it and it was covered with ice and water as a whole, the manufacturer guarantees it for 60 days.

SPEAKER_03 3:43

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_04 3:43

So you put it between the shingles and the correct. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

So it's the very first layer of protection that goes onto the roof. First course down at the bottom of the edge.

SPEAKER_04 3:52

And does everybody who does roofs provide that?

SPEAKER_02 3:56

I would like to say yes, but can't guarantee that. So Right.

SPEAKER_04 4:00

Uh he's elite.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Simple answer, no, or a simple answer, no. I put ice and water shield on every roof we do. Okay. So I don't care if it's a mobile home.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

So it doesn't matter where you're at, what municipality, you're doing it as a standard, it's in your base price.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

Well, I like how you automatically just said that though, because you know, I think of of other clients I work with that they have certain things that they they will do that other businesses don't that keep homes safe. And you're doing that. Your your mind's already saying, hey, I'm gonna do it to everybody because I know that's the best thing for the homeowner.

SPEAKER_03 4:32

So you are going one step above and beyond what is needed on all roofs, no matter what the that's 10x in that correct, right? That's right. So and that's I think what Caitlin was saying. Yeah. You you you raise the baseline of what you do on your roofs. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

And I know like Lichfield does have an inspector, Gary Baker. Yes, he's awesome. We work with him quite often. So shout out to Gary Baker. Doing two roofs in Lichfield today, actually. So that worked out perfect. But it so it's one of those things, Carlobo does require a permit. You know, towns and Gillespie and Bennell just recently started requiring roofing permits, but again, there's no inspector on that. So most of the time it's hard to get companies to upgrade from the standard 15 or 30 pound felt that tears real easy to synthetic. Right. You know, and then you're going from synthetic to ice and water shield. At a minimum, it needs to go in all the valleys, in my opinion, uh around all penetrations, and then we put it on the gutter line as well. So, from experience, I mean your most likely areas of the leak are gonna be penetrations, valleys, and then your gutter lines. Uh one thing we don't do as well to kind of bounce off free upgrades in a sense, is we don't put tar on anything. So chimneys are your most common area that's gonna have tar on there. And why don't you do that? Longevity. So tar over time expands and contracts with the heat and cold. And gets brittle.

SPEAKER_04 5:46

Can I ask, is the tar what you would just put? Like it's almost like caulking. Remember, I'm the girl here that doesn't like no, I'm I gotta ask questions from my girl listeners.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 5:55

So is that what you would put around? Or what tell me about the tar?

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Yeah, so tar, I mean when you take a tar in a can, literally can shoot. You put a brush and you just wipe it along basically where the shingle would meet your chimney.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Or penetration, and you keg it on there. Like it's a it's caulk on steroids if you want to say it like that.

SPEAKER_04 6:12

Okay, so I was a little bit right.

SPEAKER_03 6:13

It is caulk on steroids, but the sun, the UV, it does get brittle, it dries out and cracks, and then it's I can see that.

SPEAKER_04 6:19

Yeah, the sun. I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Yeah. So now you you would use flashing. So counter flashing. If there's if it's siding of a siding chimney, then we would use step flashing only.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

There's still need for a sealant, right? Of some sort.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Yeah. So with the flashing, I mean, we usually cut a line inside the chimney, right? Bend it in there, and then we'll caulk the top of it. Roof through up through the roof ceiling. Yeah, through the roof. Yeah. Or some type of outdoor caulking through the roof is our preferred method. It's available in certain areas.

SPEAKER_04 6:47

I I gotta be honest, like I never knew there was all this stuff involved with roofs. I truly thought there was a shingle. You put shingles on. Like this is serious, and I am impressed. So let's let's go on here. Yes. The warning signs people don't see.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Yeah. So I mean, warning sign, I mean, if you're ha if you have tar on your roof, which you should be able to typically see from the road, walking up around your property. Like I said, chimneys are most common. You probably need to redo that about every five to seven years, if I would guess. Or you do a metal flashing that's gonna last you 10 to 15, or the length of the roof, essentially, which usually averages about 15 years in Illinois. Shingle, there's a million different things, and I can definitely nerd out about it. I'm trying to slow my roll down a little bit. Put a nerd. I love the nerd out, but it's it's one of those things. I mean, you know, there's three variations of shingles. There's a three-tab shingle, which is most commonly used probably 30 years ago, and then there's architectural shingles that are your standard class three shingles, and then there's class four shingles that are really starting to get popular now. So, I mean, depending on what you choose, what investment you initially make is usually going to depend on the longevity. We're in the Midwest Illinois where hailstorms are pretty popular. I mean, Carloville just experienced a pretty big one. We made that push. Right. Right. But it's one of those things, just in the time that I've been doing roofing, which is about a decade now, we've went from 30-year shingles to 50 year shingles to life limited lifetime.

SPEAKER_04 8:08

So Wow, I'm glad you put that in perspective.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

And and is that your classes? Explain the classes, because you're talking about class three, class four, and you you only use class four shingles now, right?

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Uh for the most part, benefit there's pros and cons to everything. So class fours through IKO, which you can see the hat today. Actually, they manufacture all their all their shingles out of Canaky, Illinois. So a couple of things.

SPEAKER_03 8:29

I'll send I'll send IKO an invoice later for the podcast.

SPEAKER_04 8:33

Come on, IKO. Help me out here.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

They can be a sponsor if they want.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

Hey, they might, you never know. But no, it's so it's one of those things like for me, class fours, IKO Nordics, um, there's Owen Corning type class fours as well. There's certain D class fours. They all got their own abbreviation on there. But basically, like the IKO Nordics, there's six colors. The IKO Dynasties, there ends up being like another 15 colors.

SPEAKER_04 8:57

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Which is a class three. The Owens Corning class three, which is your duration, duration designers, there's 26 colors. So you kind of give the give and take. If you're willing to pick one of the six colors, which two or black, there's a brown, a gray, and just kind of a mixed color, then you're able to do that free upgrade, which is giving you a discount on the shingle. What a class four is, is basically you get a two-inch hail resistant compared to an inch and a quarter, I think is what with IKO or OC, they all fluctuate a little bit. Right. Right. The limited lifetime shingles still stays in effect. They're saying that it's going to be there as long as you know you the house is going to be there. But again, there's weather. Right.

SPEAKER_04 9:33

That's why you got to keep up with those upgrades.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

And it and is it upkeep. Exactly. The the maintenance. Yeah. Maintenance. Is it true that the steeper the pitch the roof, the longer the shingles will last?

SPEAKER_02 9:46

I think it it depends on what the initial install looks like, but typically I would say yes, for the simple fact that stuff's not sitting on it.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

So if I have a 12-12 pitch roof, yes, that's 12-12 versus a 612 or even a 412 pitch, that means the lower the number, the lower the slope or degree that the the steepness of the of the roof, right? Yes. So that that would be the the Yeah, water sits on it a little bit longer.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

If you have trees that, you know, leaves that fall, debris that falls, more impact were flatter. Yeah, more impact on a hail. Right. Compared to, you know, being able to kind of bounce off on a 1212. The kind of that is during the install on a 12-12. Yeah, it's gonna cost you more money to install. It's gonna take you a little bit more money, and you just gotta make sure there's a little bit more preventative maintenance just because you can't scuff the shingles a lot easier. Right. Stuff's because the water's a little bit more. You drop a drop something on it, it's gonna be bouncing kind of thing. So there's uh gutters are detached every time there's a 1212 just because you can't physically put a ladder up there and protect it without damaging the gutters so you're taking the gutters off when your hoof's that steep.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Yep, which costs time, which costs money. Correct.

SPEAKER_04 10:55

Do you guys like have like repelling equipment when you're up there, like on a 1212? Like how do you how do you stay up there? I'm really serious. Like, that's scary.

SPEAKER_03 11:03

Very, I mean, that definitely they're suction cups on their ass cheeks.

SPEAKER_04 11:08

I'm really I can see it.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Like, are you you know so there is footwear, there's cougar paws as they call them. Um that a lot of the guys use, and then we're always harnessed off and everything. So you are okay. So a lot of times on a 1212, depending on heights, you can run a ladder all the way up to the top at at the beginning, secure your harness, and then pull the ladder back down, and that's what you're gonna use.

SPEAKER_04 11:31

My heart is beating so fast. Run up the valley. I don't I mean in Europe they're doing a commercial on the top of a roof. Just walking and talking. I'm like, Jesus, I'm almost like shaking watching him do it.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Yeah, it's like my house. My house is a 1212, two and a half stores in the air. So it's like uh 30 plus feet to the peak of my roof, and it's truly straight up and down almost straight, straight up and down. And when I first had the roof redone when I moved back out here 30 years ago, it still had some original tin shingles on it, tin tile on it with three tab shingles, and it was just a mess, and it had two chimneys penetrating through right at the peak. So at the time I wasn't in construction yet, but I helped the roofer at the time take the chimneys down, and so we straddled out on the peak, sitting on the peak, and he would knock the brick and hand them to me, and I would toss him over. I tossed him off the roof. We did that for two chimneys to get them below the roof line. It was crazy stuff. And we had to go up the valley. No, we didn't put a ladder up all the way. We put the ladder to the edge and then went, climbed up the valley and then walked our way out.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

So, and just to kind of put it in perspective, like how they determine pitch, I know we're throwing terminology out there that may be foreign to some people. Educate though.

SPEAKER_03 12:44

I mean, that's what this podcast is about.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Every foot of length is if it's a 412, it's four inches of rise. So when you're on a 1212, for every foot of length of the roof, it goes up 12 inches. Okay. So it essentially is what it goes down to. So a 412 is going to be, like we were saying, a little bit flatter because it's only rising four inches for every foot on that. I would say, you know, your general linear footage per peak somewhere usually falls between about 16 and 25. So I'm sure you'd probably have a little bit more flatter.

SPEAKER_03 13:13

And so the on that, just for to again educate our our listeners, is that foot of run is if you have a house that's 24 feet across that has a gable end on it, you're gonna the gable comes to the middle of the house at 12 feet. Right. So you have 12 feet of what we call run. Okay. Right. So for every foot and you have a 412, it's gonna rise four inches for every foot. So in the center, that is gonna be four feet tall. Yeah. It's gonna be 48 inches taller than your house wall on the side. And I like and that's how you determine that.

SPEAKER_04 13:47

Yeah, and I like how you guys were explaining it because it it's just it's easy when I can see you with your hands.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

I talk with my hands all the time.

SPEAKER_04 13:56

I thought I was picking up it's throwing down, but I think that that's I mean, that's like common, like and then on it would be 12 feet tall in the middle versus four feet. Right.

SPEAKER_03 14:08

Or six feet tall on a six twelve roof.

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Because both sides come up to me, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

Okay on a true gable roof like that.

SPEAKER_04 14:15

So that kind of I I honestly learn so much here. Scientific things.

SPEAKER_03 14:20

We are scientific here. They are he's very I'm gonna put some white tape in the middle of my glasses next time. Well, hey, so let's let's move into storm chasers versus local contractors. Let's let's educate our listeners about that. What they should be looking for because there are some very few, but there are some good storm chasers. But what are the downfalls if someone hires a storm chasing crew to fix their roof?

SPEAKER_02 14:53

Yeah, no, I mean, starting with the obvious good and great question. I mean, there's definitely, I mean, even coming in, even locally, to back up just a second, how many local roofers and contractors have popped up in the last three or four years? I mean, right, it's been tremendous. And I think everybody typically starts out with good intentions. Um, and that's where, you know, when we did experience a storm like we had, you know, May 16th of 2025, it was one of those things. I mean, it was definitely it's a new process for some. Um, they usually the beauty of storm chasers is they do actually know how the insurance game works, and which is why they're easily able to take advantage of people because the common homeowner, and especially, I think, like Carlinville experienced, like that we haven't had a storm in a few years, nor was it the impact that we had to where, you know, when the insurance, what they call the cat team, so the catastrophic team comes up or comes down, depending on where they're at. A lot of them are usually from Texas area, because Texas get hit gets hit with hail quite a bit.

SPEAKER_06 15:45

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

They come up and you know, they're chasing the storm essentially for a dollar sign. And a lot of, you know, PDR work and stuff like that, they do the same thing. With that being said, the cons are, you know, with not knowing and having storms every year, like they do in Texas, right? They they're able to kind of influence on decision making. And when they do go to complete the work, are they gonna show up? Well, if they do show up and complete the work, if there is ever a warranty, are they coming back? Because at the end of the day, their job is to go from place to place to place.

SPEAKER_06 16:15

Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

And, you know, Carlinville was fortunate that I felt like we didn't get a bunch of storm tracers because last year, early on, uh March and April, there were other storms that hit St. Louis really heavy. Vandelia got hit again, O'Fallon, Illinois got hit again. So Carlinville really got kind of the mildest of storm tracers in a sense. Right. But if we experience something like we did Jerseyville, where there wasn't a storm the first couple months of the year, and then Jerseyville got hit a few weeks ago. I mean, there's multiple St. Louis companies. There's companies from Chicago, Indiana, and that's another town who hasn't had a storm in four, five, six years, somewhat that was good. So with them, you know, how I'm preaching to them and my message is is don't sign anything right away. Number one, because it's a contingency. They don't necessarily hold up in the state of Illinois, but they are a scare tactic. And what that is is that basically says like somebody comes and knocks on your door, they say you have damage, they go, hey, sign this paper so we can communicate with your insurance company. And what that does is that if they have a if they're a PA, which is a public adjuster, it automatically takes all the rights from you as a homeowner and transfers it to them. Meaning the insurance can no longer talk to you as a homeowner. Right. They control who does the job. They can they the checks get wrote directly.

SPEAKER_04 17:27

That is terrifying.

SPEAKER_02 17:28

Yeah. Yeah, very much. Now, there's always a pro to everything. I'm speaking all the bad as somebody who's saying, come to me, come to me, in a sense. Right. But, you know, do we have contingencies? Yes. Do I have a public adjuster on staff? Yes. Is there a right and wrong way to do stuff, you know, and a protocol and everything? Yes. So your homeowner that may be out of town doesn't want to deal with the headache, doesn't necessarily understand the process and honestly gets worked up and stressed out about it and just says, let me pay my reductible and move on. You do the job for me, is great because what it does is by us getting the check, it guarantees this payment. By us having control in the claim, it maximizes what you're eligible to be paid for. So at the end of the day, I always make this comparison. When somebody wrecks their car, they'll pay the $500 deductible all day long to get their car back because they need it. When their house gets destroyed, they pay homeowners' insurance all these years. Most people don't make more than one or two claims in their entire life. Everybody wants to get rich off of it. Everybody wants to pocket the check. Right. All it is, in a sense, is a dollar sign. That's a good point. Yeah. Yeah. And it it blows my mind on a contracting side, and I laugh about this because most of the time your common deductible is a thousand to fifteen hundred, which we can get into a separate segment because that is changing. Right. But most people are grandfathered into their policy of a thousand to fifteen hundred bucks. And if insurance is going to come out, which they are a business, and pay you, say, twenty grand, but you're entitled to forty grand, why would you not want to get the rest of your money? Right. When you just paid them for $30, $40,000.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

But your company can help because you have a PA on staff. You understand all your salespeople know the insurance systems, correct? Right. Of how they work to be able to talk that language.

SPEAKER_04 19:04

Did you ever like when you first started, did you guys go like knock on doors? Do you still do that?

SPEAKER_02 19:08

So I I did start in the So before I started my own company, the how I started in roofing was door knocking.

SPEAKER_04 19:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:15

When there February 28th and March 1st, 2017, there was a major storm that hit Collinsville, Troy, Edwardsville, Maryville. I was thrown in the wolves as far as Maryville, got two days of training, and basically it was said feast or famine. And one of the best way to learn. Exactly. Throw them in the deep end.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

I can't swim, Dan. Tough.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Figure it out.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

Right. I think it's the best.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

It was too. I mean, I got my head cut off a couple times, but you know, A, being 19 or 18 at the time, and B, like just my first verbiage of construction was insurance. And I think that's where coming into a small town community, that company was out of St. Louis, they had a different way of operating. Coming back to the roofs, coming back to McCopin County, Montgomery County. What the biggest, I don't want to say let down, it's hard to find a word, but the biggest difference in like us and one or two other companies compared to the rest of the contractors and guys who have done roofs. I call them like Pete the Pickups, a lot of handyman that do one or two roofs a month or here and there, is they don't know how to read the insurance paperwork. Like even 10 years ago when I first started, the insurance company would give you all your money up front. If you went and got a cheaper deal, kudos to you, take that money and pocket it.

SPEAKER_03 20:22

Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

Now they're withholding money. I think Chris knows this better than anybody.

SPEAKER_03 20:26

Waiting on 10 grand a mile for the last eight months.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

So it's it's crazy. And that, you know, and I can go down a million rabbit holes, but we've we've taken customers who have been denied and 363 days later got them approved because we fought with them. That was a year of a homeowner waiting on me. He pushed his sale of his house back, a lot of frustration, cussed out a couple adjusters that didn't help my case, and eventually we got to where we needed to be. Because at the end of the day, and I'm very blunt and probably come off a little arrogant, but it's it's confidence in what I'm able to do is I I don't waste your time, I don't waste mine. Your time's valuable and so is mine. At the end of the day, if I'm not gonna see a claim all the way through to the finish line, I'm not gonna tell you to make that claim.

SPEAKER_04 21:07

Right. So I don't think that's arrogant at all. No, I think that's badass.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Well, and when you go back to the people storm chasers, the biggest problem is they go through and their job is numbers. So if there's a storm that came through and they call it called a hail trace, so it's a hail map that shows where the hail is, and it's make a claim, make a claim, make a claim. That's all they do is they say, sign this paper, make a claim. Sign this paper, make a claim, sign this claim, make a claim. And it just repeats. Well, at the end of the day, and I'll go back to like earlier when there's class three, class four shingles, if you have a class four roof, you're not gonna be as susceptible to damage as you are in a class three, which is most commonly used. Right. So why are you making that claim? Because even if a claim is denied and no money's paid, that's still a claim on your record.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

It right it's like it's like getting a ticket on your driver's license.

SPEAKER_04 21:52

But can I just say all our listeners like I'm sorry if somebody truly from an hour and a half away. Knocked on my door telling me to pay them money and they noticed this, I'd say, get bent.

SPEAKER_03 22:05

Hour and a half and or further. Yeah. I mean, they're there are drone chasers that now.

SPEAKER_04 22:09

Here's the thing. If I'm gonna know that somebody from around my area, and I'm talking even mid-Illinois, right here. I I would be more prone to listen. But if I'm just seeing some randos showing up, like I'd be like, dude, no.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

But they don't, but the problem is they don't know.

SPEAKER_04 22:28

I know that's why I need them to know.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Or elderly or the elderly, or people that have never had to have any work on their on their home before. Right.

SPEAKER_04 22:36

I mean it's sad for him. That's why I'm glad you're doing this.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Right.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

And I like how you put out, you know, you obviously he's omnipresent. We know he puts out all this information on all platforms.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

You have to.

SPEAKER_04 22:48

Like we said, our little video helped that girl. But she was so happy. Sweetest family. See what you did, you and Adam.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

Her roof just got approved, too. Yeah. Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

So shows you a coffee.

SPEAKER_04 23:02

Yeah, it's Alani. I started drinking those. Not good.

SPEAKER_03 23:06

Oh frisky.

SPEAKER_04 23:07

Those Alani. Well, what? Cotton candy.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

What question should a homeowner ask before signing a contract with any roofing company?

unknown 23:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

So I think number one, are you licensed in Illinois? So Illinois is the biggest.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

What does that matter?

SPEAKER_02 23:21

So Illinois is probably one of the few states, I mean, Florida's pretty strong, that where you actually have to go take a test, make sure that you have insurance, get a bond with the state of Illinois, update it every two years to stay in active status and actually be certified to do roofing. And I'll throw in there, not to go detour too much, but like Ohio, for instance, we have a sales rep who was actually born and raised in Defiance, Ohio. Well, Defiance, Ohio got hit four times in five weeks from hell this year. First time in 20 years they've been hit by hell. So speaking of storm chasers, I've been on the back, the other end of this where I went to Ohio with the 217 number and planted my roots. Now, what did I do differently? And what do I consider a good storm tracer who shows up at the door? I have an office with a two-year lease. I did get a local phone number. I joined the Chamber of Commerce in Defiance. I sponsored in Defiance a baseball team, and I sponsored at the a golf tournament. And on top of it, I didn't door knock one door. I went to the insurance agents, said, here's what I can do, and here's what I do differently. And we have an amazing uh it's American Families girl we uh Mandy. And the reason is is so Mandy's been phenomenal to work with, and without knocking a single door, we've signed 32 contingencies. And at the end of the day, that may be low for some people. Some people may do that door knocking on the weekend, but the idea is slow and steady growth.

SPEAKER_04 24:44

But you've saved so much time. We we did by doing it smart. You worked smarter, not hard.

SPEAKER_03 24:50

Well, he was planting a foundation of roots there, right? So he's not seen as a storm chaser. You're seeing as I am moving and planting roots here for this community and staying and staying.

SPEAKER_04 25:01

That was literally a great idea. Yeah, but you also had one of your workers that's from there. So I think that helps too.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

Knows the area and it does, and it does. And I mean, he moved to middle school and he's in his 50s, so it's been a few years since he's lived there. But his dad's from there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:15

Right.

SPEAKER_02 25:15

Um, his dad's actually a life insurance agent there. His sister works as a city clerk. And as we grow to Springfield and different areas like that, I definitely think when you think of storm chasers, like I said, I'm going back to that a little bit. It it's a scary thought. But the reason why they're scary is because you hear the horror stories of who's taking advantage of who's and people aren't asking the right questions.

SPEAKER_04 25:34

So there can be some quote unquote storm chasers that are legit.

SPEAKER_02 25:38

Correct.

SPEAKER_04 25:39

Okay, but you got to ask the questions.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

Are you Are you licensed in Illinois? That's the biggest one.

SPEAKER_03 25:44

And if you are, you have to where can they find where can they find if someone is saying oh yeah, I'm licensed. So Secretary of State website. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I'm licensed. Yeah. No problem. Yeah, okay. Is that a little card you carry your license?

SPEAKER_04 26:00

No. Okay, but that is and I wouldn't have thought to ask that. Right. I'm serious. But I I'm glad that you're saying this.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Yeah. The other thing I would ask is who do you know or why'd you come here? And so I think there's a purpose behind everybody. Is it are you chasing the dollar sign for the month that you're here? Or is there roots here? A lot of times, even when I worked in St. Louis uh for a roofing company, a lot of our business was McCupin and Montgomery County that I sold because people knew me. Right, right, right. I had the yellow truck that everybody knew, and we did roofing. So it was one of those things that if there's a tie here, I think at the end of the day, people can earn that reputation as well. But the licensed thing's gonna kill more people away than anything. Just because Missouri, who's close to us, any one of us in this room could be a roofer in Missouri for 50 bucks tomorrow. Yep. So Caitlin Roofing.

SPEAKER_04 26:47

I know, I was gonna say, I only can do it. She'll be the ground cleaner. I was gonna say, I just do a dollhouse.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

Exactly. Oh my gosh. Oh well, Blake, all this stuff's been awesome. But what I want to do is I want to do a big dog rapid fire round with you. Let's do it. Okay. And just see kind of what what you shoot back at us, all right? Okay. You put that shield up, let's bring them on, right? Do it. What's the most expensive roof repair you've ever seen?

SPEAKER_02 27:12

Most expensive repair or replacement.

SPEAKER_03 27:14

Repair. Repair. Uh probably fifth 15 to 20,000. Okay. Biggest homeowner mistake. I didn't call soon enough. I thought he was gonna say you didn't call elite roof replacement.

SPEAKER_04 27:25

I mean, but that was good. I like this.

SPEAKER_03 27:27

Didn't call soon enough. Okay, all right. Metal roof or shingles?

SPEAKER_02 27:30

That depends on uh location, roof, and what you're wanting. Reasoning is metal. I've talked more people out of metal roofs than shingles. Class four is comparable to metal.

SPEAKER_04 27:40

Wow. And it looks nicer, I think. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 27:42

The shingles.

SPEAKER_04 27:43

Yeah, I like the shingles better.

SPEAKER_03 27:45

It depends on the house style and structure and all that. Okay, yeah. Uh what's one thing every homeowner should do this weekend?

SPEAKER_02 27:51

Hire me to clean their gutters.

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Because called gutters does what?

SPEAKER_02 27:56

Backs up by and we'll create a leak inside the house.

SPEAKER_03 28:00

Gotcha. One myth about roofing you'd like to eliminate.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

Uh Ridge vent works better on every house. So that's a myth? What's a myth?

SPEAKER_04 28:09

What's ridge vent?

SPEAKER_02 28:12

So Ridge vent is where at the peak of the roof it's cut about a three-quarters of an inch back on each side. The vent goes on top and usually spans the entire ridge, which is the peak of the roof.

SPEAKER_04 28:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Um, and that's the ventilation. So he can escape. Yes. Ideally, roof comes in through your soffits, which is underneath. The air comes in, yep. And it goes out your uh we've talked about this.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

Yeah, I just I didn't know that that that was called.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

It's it's a like 87% of homes in America are improperly ventilated.

SPEAKER_03 28:40

So what what is better than vented the ridge vent?

SPEAKER_02 28:45

No, so the myth is ridge vent's the best on every home.

unknown 28:48

Right.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Ridge vent is the best if it's designed correctly.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

So if it has proper E vents and everything else to drive, but a gable vent, which is on your siding, avoids the warranty on the manufacturer and is not allowed to have a ridge vent on the roof. If you have gable vents on your siding, you're not supposed to have a ridge vent. If you have gable vents on your siding, you're not supposed to have box vents. One box vent covers 600 square feet of attic space for ventilation. So over-ventilating your attic is actually worse than having improper ventilation.

SPEAKER_04 29:19

Lot of Blake, how do you know? I mean, I I I'm like looking at you in awe right now, and I'm like, dude, what? He's you're he's 26.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

Well, here's yeah, I know. 27. 27. He had a birthday. Happy birthday. 28 will be three weeks. See? See? He's we're both silver babies. Yeah. So all our all our listeners need to understand that they need to just get a hold of Blake or Jenny uh at the office. Jennifer give her a call at 217-851-3836. And or find you guys on the interweb. All over. That's what I've got to say, right? Yeah. At eliteroofingprofessionals.com. You guys are based now in Mid Illinois and in Ohio. Yes. West Ohio. Yes. That's awesome. Awesome. Any last comments you want to share before we leave our listeners.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

Yeah, that podcast went quick. So the only thing I also wanted to touch base on that I didn't get a chance to is the third quarter, we're rolling out a roof maintenance program. Awesome. So anything that I mean, I I'm going to probably come back on the podcast to by all means. But basically, if you are somebody that doesn't want to get on the ladder, and if you're somebody that is worried about the roof that may not have had damage, may have got denied, may have been inspected by us or somebody else and said they didn't have hail damage, but for 50 bucks a month, wants to jump on this roof maintenance program, uh, not only is it going to give you discounts priority scheduling, but it's also going to give you a full documentation report that you're going to have year to year as the insurance process changes. So I do want to touch next time I'm on the podcast for the insurance and uh look forward to talking to you on the maintenance program soon.

SPEAKER_03 30:52

I love it. I love it. Blake, thank you again for joining us and sharing your expertise. One of the biggest takeaways from today's conversation is that your roof is more than just shingles and nails. It's the first line of defense protecting your family, your belongings, and your investment. The reality is that small problems rarely stay small. Homeowners who save the most money are usually the ones who take action before an emergency forces them to. If today's episode encouraged you to take a closer look at your roof, schedule an inspection with the great team at Elite andor, don't wait for the program coming out in the third quarter, but that'll be available too. You know, get them, ask them simple questions, check your home home, your home's condition, and that's exactly what they're trying to do here, right? Also, want to thank Blake and the entire team at Elite Roof Professionals for being one of our trusted 10x partners and their commitment to serving homeowners throughout our community. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share this podcast with a friend, family member, or neighbor who could benefit from the information we discussed today. Until next time, I'm Chris with Caitlin with Big Dog Construction, reminding you that great homes aren't built by accident. They're built through planning, quality, craftsmanship, and the right team of professionals. We'll see you on the next episode of Designing the Building Mid-Illinois One Home at a time.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Hey there. I'm Lisa Miller, managing broker and owner of First Choice Realty Pros. We don't just help you find a house, we help you discover home. My team and I are passionate about taking care of your needs, making the process smooth, and ensuring you get the personalized attention you deserve. Ready for the next step? Call us at 217-825-3999.

SPEAKER_05 32:35

With First Choice Realty Pros, you've got a team that's got your back.com.

SPEAKER_03 33:24

Until next time, keep designing and building.

SPEAKER_04 33:26

See you soon.

unknown 33:28

Big Dog.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

This episode was produced by Big Dog Media Group, delivering powerful creative for brands and creators everywhere. If you're looking to take your podcast to the next level or just get started, Big Dog Media Group has you covered. Thanks for listening.