Storm Damage Update with Nate Versluis, Roof Maxx of Ada

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's a free for all Friday. And yes you're rolling
for the phones, but you know, I gotta I gotta
starty to introduce you to somebody. Uh folks that one
of the latest partners here with West Michigan Live in
World Radio and accompany this fantastic work we discovered, Uh
Nate and the folks at Roof Max. Not too long
you've probably heard me talking about these guys. They do

(00:25):
amazing work and they can save you thousands of dollars,
which I, by the way, goes hand in hand. I
love to hear that Nate versus Sluice is with us
right now from roof Max. Welcome in as a brand
new partner. It is right.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Names.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
I love it. You are well. You're doing something too.
We're gonna talk about this that that I kind of,
you know, I kind of I'm really fascinated by. First,
let's let's talk about we've seen a lot of storm
damage to a few storms that have come through here
recent folks are looking at on their homes. Fact, we
had some on our roof. We didn't even know until

(01:03):
you got up and took a look around, and people
were finding this because of the high winds We've had
some issues with trees and things like that ripping off
shingles on your roof, and that can be a that
can be a big deal if if you're not careful,
you can get into some troublesome problems that gosh, I'm

(01:24):
telling you you wish you wouldn't have.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Had, absolutely. I mean it's most people don't want to
think about their roof. They just expect it to work,
and then the storm rolls through and you end up
with a leak that can turn into some nasty repairs.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
So what did you find on our roof? I mean,
it looked like we had some some that had come off.
There was a branch overhanging that we didn't know about
too that that looks like it was rubbing, like almost
rubbing the shingles right off, scratching them right off. And
a few places.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
You had two sections. You had one section that had
a tree brand that was right on the on the
surface of the roof that was kind of rubbing, rubbing
some of the cap shingles off where the peak of
your roof sits. And you had another section over by
the garage that had been blown off just from wind
alone just as they start to dry out and flap

(02:17):
flap a little bit, they start to start coming loose.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
So obviously we talked about you, but if you have
you get exposed. Your roof gets exposed as amount of time.
You get leaks, you get mold, you get all kinds
of stuff. What are the things that you're seeing that
that people are dealing with?

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Mainly as your roof starts to dry out and it's
and it gets brittle, and that's in the gloose, the
glue tabs start drying out, and that's when the wind
can get underneath and start flapping up some of the shingles.
But if you don't take care of that in time,
a slow leak can turn into a bigger leak and
it could take years to show up as a stain
in your ceiling. But in the meantime, you've got mold

(02:57):
and things in your attic because the moisture is there
and people don't know about it till it's too late.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
And boy, that can cost you, I mean big time
in a lot of ways. What what what are some
of the folks you know reaching out to you, Finnie,
because I know we'll go through what you do at
Ruth Max. Because by the way, if you don't know folks,
Nate and Ruth Max eveda brand new partners and sponsors
here of the program, and of course we appreciate them.

(03:23):
But I'm not just sponsors, but we you know, we're
using these guys too. In fact, I think this week
we've got you guys coming out for At first, he
came out, by the way and repaired the roof, which
that's probably worth saying. Is that no charge said, Hey,
I'm going to throw some shingles up. Do you do
that for everybody or just because I'm sort of this

(03:44):
this big shot radio guy.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
No, Honestly, if it's a minor repair, if it doesn't
take long to replace a few shingles, it's kind of
all included in our package. I don't have a problem
going out there and doing minor repairs just to make
sure the customer is okay. But it's definitely included in
our package as well. We do roof cleaning and then
the rejuvenation treatment to make your shingles last longer.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
So that's what we're we're looking at. We got a
couple of those on the way, but roof Max. You know,
we've been found that people are you know, taking a
look at this, not only like I said, are they partners?
And we appreciate that because that's a big deal for us.
We appreciate when we get new folks joining us and
and in the mission. That's always great for us. But

(04:30):
the other thing is is this is a this is
a product or a service, and I think it's going
to save people a lot of money. And I don't
know about you, but like in this day and age
and this time, we're trying to do the best we
can to protect our home and take care of is
such a big investment, right You want to make sure
that you know you don't have to spend an arm
and a lang on everything. And if you've been thinking

(04:51):
about having to replace a roof or looking at a roof,
you've been pricing that out, looking at the price tag
on that. It's enough to make your eyes bulge out.
Your saving people big money, though, aren't you?

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Absolutely? I mean, the cost of roofing is not getting
any cheaper. They're almost double what they were even five
ten years ago. I hear people all the time say
I used to pay ten thousand dollars to replace my roof,
another at fifteen twenty thousand dollars. The cost of materials
has gone up, the cost of labor has gone up,

(05:25):
and the actual quality the shingle has gone down. They're
putting less asphalt in the roof now, and that's really
where we come in is if you've got an aging
roof that's still not leaking, still in decent shape, we
can keep it in that condition with the treatment it.
Actually it's an oil that penetrates in and softens the
asphalt layer and keeps it flexible, slows down the granule loss,

(05:49):
and just keeps your roof performing like you should.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
How much are people saving? You know this, this number
of what you told me how much people are saving
on averages is pretty incredible, Nate. How much is it?

Speaker 2 (06:03):
It's typically about twenty percent of the cost of a
new roof, and that's that's across the board. Of the
national average to replace your roof is right around five
to six hundred dollars a square. We're in the more
about one hundred and fifty dollars square range, and that
includes roof.

Speaker 1 (06:20):
Cleaning, so you're saving eighty percent at least. Yeah, that's incredible,
and especially for folks right now. I mean Obviously in
this day and age, you know, people are watching their
watching their money, as they should, but they want to
make sure that they've you know, they've they've protected their
investment as well.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, it's it's simply a way to maintain your roof
rather than letting it fall apart until it needs to
be replaced. About eighty percent of the roofs that are
being replaced right now are being replaced prematurely. That's that's
a roof for telling you you need a new roof.
That's an insurance adjuster telling you that you have image

(07:00):
or hail damage. It's simply not always the case.

Speaker 1 (07:05):
If folks want to find out, one of the best
things you could do is always just pick up the
phone and call. I had a great conversation with Nate
when I first heard about this. Nate, I didn't really understand,
and I had a great conversation again, and you really
put it in great perspective for me, and I started
talking to some friends. In fact, I know that this
is big in Florida now Florida and Michigan, so we

(07:26):
kind of understand because we've got a lot of folks
here that not only have second homes in Florida, but
we traveled down there quite a bit, or snowbirds, that
type of thing. But it's become you really have the
best of both worlds when it comes to the extreme
temperatures and sun and all that other things. But what
is happening on the roof, you know when it comes

(07:47):
to a place like Florida, and I know it's different
in Michigan. And Michigan I kind of think of it
as the best thing that you said to me that
really lit this up in my mind for me was like,
you know, just think about the roads we're driving on
right now. That thatt it for me.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
We still have You're you're losing the same asphalt and
that's yes, the shingles are made from asphalt. Picture a
thick piece of paper towel dipped in asphalt with a
granule glute on top of it. But as the sun
bakes that and dries it out, that's when you start
getting cracks and potholes in the road. Same thing on

(08:22):
your roof. They start getting about eight to ten years old,
it's just starting to dry out. You get to fifteen
to twenty, you're going to start seeing some cracks and
some surface cracking. Some lifting, they get brittle, and that's
what this product really helps with is just to keep
them flexible. If it's one hundred and twenty degrees on
your roof and the rainstorm comes in, they they have

(08:46):
to shrink up. If they can't shrink and move and
expand they'll start to shed granule and that ends up
in your gutter. And that's the main protection for your roof.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
So folks are looking at this and they may have questions.
Folks are looking at this, you know, and they may
have questions. What are some of the things that you
get asked most when it comes to you know, what
are you doing up there, Nate? What are you going
to do for my roof?

Speaker 2 (09:13):
You know? Most people just want to understand what it
is and how it works. It's a new it's somewhat new.
We've been around for about eight nine years. People have
already started doing their second treatments. Each treatment, by the way,
is guaranteed for at least five years. But what it
is is a natural oil. It's a soy based oil.

(09:33):
It's a soy methylester is what it's called. And we
spray that on and it soaks in. It takes about
an hour or two to dry in, and it softens
the asphalt layer and keeps everything flexible and more waterproof,
and you can make it perform like a brand new shingle.

Speaker 1 (09:47):
You can extend the life of your roof up to
fifteen years. Is that right? That's incredible.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
We can do this treatment up to three times. It
really just depends on how much granule retention you've got.
If you catch your roof before it's lost too much
of that protective coating, the granule, we can you can't
ever get that back. So we want to catch it
before it's lost too much and slow that process of
aging down.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
How old was our roof? We're trying to figure this out,
and we couldn't quite nail it. We know, probably fifteen
years or more.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
What would you say, probably sixteen or seventeen years old?

Speaker 1 (10:22):
Okay, and it still has.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
Good granule, but it's just it's starting to dry out
and get brittle. When you're dirty, it's got moss and
mold on the back, and we're going to take care
of that first, and then we'd come back and do
the roof Max treatment and keep it keep it going.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
That moss and mold happens a lot of times in
areas where have a lot of trees overhead and things
like that, and that here in Michigan we got quite
a bit of that, don't we.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, it's usually on the north sides of the peaks,
doesn't get direct sun all day and as your shingle
dries out, it holds moisture. It's acting like a sponge.
And then if it doesn't get direct sun the UV
to kill off that mold, it's going to grow and
keep growing and gets it all the nooks and crannies
of your shingles.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
So you know, we were just talking about adding fifteen
years onto your roof, and you know what that could
mean for an investment, especially in your home. And there's
a lot of people right now that might be in
that age group where you just mentioned. Maybe they they're
looking there on fixed income, they're retired, they're just trying
to figure out. I don't know if I want to
stay in this house forever, but you know I do

(11:23):
want to squeeze a few more years out before him
ready to go. All are these people say, you know,
I'm ready to sell this thing, but I don't want
to put a new roof on it. Who's this best for.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
There's multiple buckets of customers, but those are both. Those
are two of our main People don't know where they're
going to be in five years, ten years. I don't
want to spend fifteen twenty thousand dollars on a new
roof if I'm not going to get to use it
and enjoy it. But if I can just maintain it
and keep it going and get some more life out
of it for twenty percent of the cost, I'm going

(11:54):
to do that. It just makes sense to people. Our
average job is around three thousand. Most people can come
up with that. You ask somebody to come up with
fifteen to twenty thousand dollars right now to replace a roof,
it's tough.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
Yeah, this is a service that that's picking up steam
roof saversmi dot com and you get a free estimate
if you call six one six three nine three seventy
seven ten six nine or six one six three nine
three seventy seven ten it's roofsaversmi dot com. You told me,
and I thought this was wild. You got one roof

(12:31):
that you're treating that's like a dinosaur like this. It
goes back to the stone ages.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
We just treated it last week for the second time. Uh.
The first time when we treated it was thirty two
years old. I went back out five years later. I
was expecting it to be pretty dry. I'm like, man,
this this roof's getting up there in Ah. I went out.
It's still flexible like a brand new shingle. We were
able to treat it again for the second time. He's

(12:59):
going to get probably another six or seven years out
of that roof minimum and we can keep it going.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
So what's that like, the average lifespan? What's that compared to.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
Right now? I'm seeing roofs at fifteen like your roof.
I'm seeing roofs that are fifteen years old that are shot.

Speaker 1 (13:16):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
There's just less asphalt being used to make these things,
and they're still they're calling them a lifetime shingle or
a thirty forty year shingle. That's not the case. That
is the manufacturer's defect warranty that does. That's not saying
your roof is going to last you twenty five thirty years.
I would say the average roof is making it about

(13:39):
twenty to twenty five years right now. That's put on
in the early two thousands. If you don't do anything
maintenance wise to that roof, there's a good chance you're
going to need to replace it before then.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yew, make sure you check out now. Doesn't hurt to
take a look. And one of the one of the
other things I really like about you, Nate, is it
you're you're kind of well, that's the best way to
put this. You're low key, You're no pressure, You're just
sort of, Hey, look, you're going to need us at
some point, whether that's today or down the road. We're

(14:11):
going to help you whenever you're ready and happy to
come out and take a look and see what you need.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Yeah, we really we apply no pressure. We are simply
giving you an option. It's just educating the customer on
what's happening with your specific roof. I've gone out to
roofs and they don't need a thing, and I'm saying, listen,
call me in a few years. If you start seeing
some granule in your gutter, it's time to give us
a call. We don't want to treat it before it's needed.

(14:40):
We want you to get the most value and bang
for your buck. If we come out and it's fifteen
years old, chances are it could use a treatment, but
that's up to you. The sooner the better. But it's
not dire straits where you have to do it today,
so we don't apply any pressure. We simply show you
what's going on with your roof, give you an estimate.

(15:02):
There's no obligation to have us out either. They are
completely free estimates. We'll give you a full report on
what's going on with your roof.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
That's what I love about it, and folks, I think
you will too. So give Nate and the crew a
call today. You can reach out six one, six three nine,
three seventy seven to ten or go to ROOFSAVERSMI dot
com and tell them we sent you. And thanks again
Nate for the partnership. Always appreciate that, and well it
means a lot. It goes a long way, and it's

(15:31):
almost like those roofs make it go longer and longer.
And last, thank you sir, always a pleasure.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
He thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
You got it