Has your head been in the gutter lately? A properly installed gutter and downspout system performs a seemingly simple task, collecting water that drains off the roof and directing it away from the home. Quite often, homeowners pay little to no attention to their gutters and downspouts, and the system in turn performs poorly or even fails. Lack of maintenance allows for clogs, leaks, and potentially damage to your home. These issues are more extensive and costly to repair then to prevent with a little maintenance.

Natural ventilation occurs when air enters soffit vents, travels unobstructed along the underside of the roof deck, and exits through a ridge vent, gable vent, and/or hat vent. Mechanical ventilation that is temperature-controlled is also effective at reducing heat buildup inside an unconditioned attic space. Proper natural ventilation can be achieved by following the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "Minimum Property Standards" (MPS 403-3):

Roof decking pavers have created new opportunities for otherwise lost and unusable spaces.  Roofs and decks now have the ability to be functional, attractive exterior pedestrian plazas and living environments.  Pavers can be installed on roof decks and promenades, terraces, balconies, patios, plazas, arenas, roof gardens, and even on mechanical access walkways.  Roof decking pavers come in a wide variety of colors, finishes and textures.  Because of it's durability and strength, concrete is the primary material used to produce roof decking pavers.

This topic includes information related to reglets installed during construction.  A reglet is a flashing system used in conjunction with low-slope or flat roofs.  Installed on the roof side surface of a parapet wall, one or two part systems prevent wind and water from getting under a roof surface where the roofing material terminates.  Reglets are available in a variety of material colors and finishes, for a specific substrate installations, such as masonry, stucco and concrete.

This topic includes information related to ridge vents installed during construction. Ridge vents are located at the peak of a steeped sloped roof. They are non-mechanical, baffled openings that when used in conjunction with soffit vents provide a path for rising warm, hot air to escape an attic.

This topic includes information related to roof pavers installed during construction. Roof pavers are installed over a low-slope or flat roofs. They are used to ballast a roof and provide a roof surface which able to be traversed by building occupants. Pavers are either pedestal mounted concrete tiles or rubber tiles with integral legs.

Gutters and downspouts are an important part of any roof drainage system, used to control rainwater runoff. Gutters and downspouts protect a structure from serious damage, as moisture in the roof, walls and foundation of a building can lead to many problems, including mold and mildew issues. The gutter is the horizontal component designed to collect and channel rainwater away from the roof, directing it to the downspouts. The downspout is the vertical pipe used for carrying the collected rainwater away from the structure. The outlet of the downspout can terminate above or below ground. In above ground terminations, splash blocks are often used to direct rainwater away from the foundation of the building. Many buildings and sites utilize a network of underground piping which connects the downspouts to a city or municipal underground storm system.