Today It is Easier Than Ever To Improve Your Homes Curb Appeal

With housing costs going through the roof these days, more and more homeowners are using the equity in their homes to renovate. In fact, millions of dollars are spent annually by homeowners on alterations and improvements to their home.

A new roof is one of the best ways to add to your homes value. Ask any real estate agent: typically 40% of the visual (curb) appeal of a home comes from the roof. This fact surprises most people, but its true. Unfortunately, homeowners spend so much time and effort agonizing over windows, siding, landscaping, and other design elements, that they often forget about the piece that creates the greatest visual impact the roof.

Now there is a web site where you can see how shingle colors and designs can affect the appearance of your home. Visit www.gaf.com and click on the Smart Choice icon. There you will find the Roof Selector program which provides a wide selection of home styles to begin creating your own roof design. Find a home style that looks similar to yours, and choose a color for the exterior and trim of the house. Then, select from the various shingle designs and colors to get a better sense of the curb appeal you can create. Its fun to try different combinations on your house.

Once you have narrowed down your decision to a particular style and color, ask your contractor for full-size shingles of the colors you are interested in. If possible, look at the shingles in different lighting conditions (sunshine, overcast, early morning sun, late day sun). Place the shingles next to any stone, siding, wood trim or anything with color that will influence the final decision. Its also a good idea to ask your contractor for an address of a home nearby that has the same color shingles to see how they actually look up on the roof, keeping in mind that the slope of the roof can affect the appearance of the shingles.

Be sure to choose a good contractor. As the largest manufacturer of roofing materials in North America, GAF Materials Corporation has a certification program for roofing contractors. These contractors are factory-certified by GAF and pledge to work on the homeowners roof as if it were their own. These professionals can present you with a plan in writing covering everything from pre-installation to the finished job. They use quality GAF materials backed by limited warranties that range from 20 years to lifetime. They also offer a unique warranty that even covers the contractors workmanship during the critical early years after installation and includes an inspection of your finished roof by GAFs factory inspectors.

GAFs website contains a great deal of information about roofing problems and solutions, and also offers a free video on how to avoid roofing disasters (it can even be viewed on-line with a high-speed connection). So if youre interested in learning more about roofing options or finding out which contractors in your neighborhood are factory-certified, visit www.gaf.com or call GAF toll free at 1-888-LEAK-SOS.