By Michelle Durham

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) As you battled your way through the drastic weather changes over the past several weeks, imagine the toll it has taken on your roof!

Owner of Buddy Heileman Shingle Roofing in Northeast Philadelphia, Buddy is a busy man these days. Hes receiving a lot of calls from customers requesting he check their roof.

Heileman has 40 years experience, and he says the most common problem is at this time of year is, a lot of ice damming. Once the gutters freeze up on the roof and once the snow melt starts to come down it cant get in the gutter. Usually it backs up into the house at that point.

What can the homeowner do in this situation? Take the gutter off the edge of the roof. Let everything get off the roof so it cant back up into the house. That is normally what we do.

And for those who need a new roof? Heileman says the most important part of any roofing contract is the installation itself. If the roof is not installed correctly, the roofing manufacturer will not honor the warranty, so choosing a reputable contractor is critical.

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Recent Snow And Ice Could Be Fiddling With Your Roof

Elizabeth Punke

Elizabeth Punke began writing in 2008. Her specialties include gardening, parenting and fashion. Her work has appeared in various online publications. Punke also maintains her own blog, which is full of her short thrillers.

Gutters are used to disperse rain water away from the foundation of a home. Without a gutter system the ground around the home could compress and cause cracks in the basin of the home, deteriorating it entirely over time.

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The Average Price of Gutter Installation | eHow

KUCHING: The absence of gutters on the roofs will make it difficult for environmentalists to practise the green initiative like harvesting rain water.

Secretary-general of Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Sheda), Sim Kiang Chiok, said the green initiative was very much encouraged by the government and in the case of rain water harvesting, its clearly a green initiative for it had something to do with water conservation.

If gutters are not installed on the roof of houses, then it will be difficult to conduct rain harvesting, he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Sim explained that the collected water could be used for daily activities such as washing, adding that the use of harvested rainwater would certainly help to save the amount of treated water used for daily activities.

Although the state Building Ordinance requires gutters to be installed in all houses, there are certain local councils which allow houses built without gutters mainly for aesthetic reasons.

For developers, it is acceptable for houses to be built without any gutter installed on the roof.

The Health Ministry recently proposed that new housing projects are prohibited from installing rainwater gutter on the roof to curb the rising number of dengue cases.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya said the move was necessary as Malaysians were still unaware that gutters which were not properly maintained could become breeding grounds of aedes mosquitoes.

The Health Ministry also proposed that Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry amend its existing regulations so that all rainwater gutters in existing houses would be removed for effective eradication of aedes mosquitoes.

Assistant Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, when contacted on Tuesday, said an in-depth study and referral to those in the construction industry should be conducted before coming up with measure to prohibit new housing projects from installing rainwater gutters on the roof.

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No gutter, how to collect rain water?

KUCHING: An in-depth study and referral involving those in the construction industry should be conducted before coming up with measures to prohibit new housing projects from installing rainwater gutters on the roof.

Assistant Minister of Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he personally did not see the rationale of the proposal to prohibit the installation of rainwater gutters on the roof for newly constructed houses.

I believe the requirement for gutters comes within building by-laws. I am puzzled how the Ministry of Health suddenly came up with this idea of doing away with gutters in new building laws merely because he (deputy minister) thought that it could retain water and thus a breeding ground for aedes mosquitoes, he said when contacted yesterday.

Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Youth Development, was commenting on the Health Ministrys proposal that new housing projects be prohibited from installing rainwater gutters on the roof to curb the rising number of dengue cases.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya said the move was necessary as Malaysians were still unaware that gutters that were not properly maintained could become breeding grounds of aedes mosquitoes.

The Health Ministry also proposed that the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government amend its existing regulations so that all rainwater gutters in existing houses would be removed for effective eradication of aedes mosquitoes.

I personally feel that there is no necessity to do away with gutters. If the problem is the breeding of aedes mosquitoes, then find ways to eradicate the mosquitoes. It is very unlikely that aedes will breed in a gutter unless it is a faulty gutter, said Abdul Karim, who is also Asajaya assemblyman.

He said tropical Malaysia experiences quite heavy rain throughout the year and that houses were fixed with gutters to allow for proper discharge of rain water to the drain.

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Study needed before prohibiting roof gutters — Abdul Karim

Guttering Clarksville | Gutter Installation and Repair
http://gutteringclarksville.com - Harrison Seamless Guttering in Clarksville, TN installs high-quality gutter systems to help safeguard your home or commerci...

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Guttering Clarksville | Gutter Installation and Repair - Video

Need a checklist for your next gutter project? Perhaps a gutter sizing chart to help you gauge your roof's rainfall capacity? Or lets say you have slanted fascia and have no clue as to which shank to use. Welcome to the eGutter Check list and Installation Help library PDF (Adobe's Acrobat Reader required).

We are dedicated to providing you with the very best in installation guidelines on many of our most popular products. Thank you for choosing eGutter!

Please check back periodically to this section. We are constantly updating it with a wide selection of installation and reference documents in PDF.

Our Basic Gutter System Checklist PDF will get you own your way to determining the various gutter components to consider when configuring together your gutter system. You will find it very helpful though it is just a basic guideline.

Learn about the proper gutter sizing considerations with this PDF on proper gutter sizing.

Learn more about the various ways to mount half round gutter. Whether you are installing traditional bead half round gutter to plumb fascia, slanted fascia, cornice fascia, rafter ends, or tile roofs, this Hanger Detail PDF will show you the proper mounting system. See PDF diagram for detail.

If you do not have Adobe's free copy of Acrobat, Click here to download a free copy for your web browser.

Whether you install K Style, Half Round, our custom formed gutter, this checklist will help you list those part the make up an entire system. All gutter sections are shipped in 10 foot or 20 foot sections in protective crating to ensure the highest quality.

These intensities are based on records and statistical projections. They may occasionally be exceeded either in the general area or at small areas within the designated city.

Whether you are installing half round gutter to plumb fascia, slanted fascia, rafter ends, cornice fascia, or a tile roof, this will guide you to proper installation technique.

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Gutter Installation Help And Reference Documents by eGutter®

Moffat Boulevard is slowly returning to its glory days.

This year the eastern end of Moffat will undergo a $2.6 million transformation.

Moffat Boulevard between Austin Road and Woodward Avenue will be widened to four lanes under a plan to secure employment centers in the first phase of the 1,039-acre Austin Road Business Park.

It will help relieve current congestion as southbound traffic on Moffat often backs up past Woodward Avenue during the afternoon commute period. The project, though, is primarily designed to handle major movements of trucks in and out of the business park that is expected to include major distribution centers.

There would also be traffic signals at the off ramps as well as at Moffat and Austin.

Ramps at the Austin Road and Highway 99 interchange would be widened including allowing the southbound off ramp to 99 to have two left turn lanes and a right turn lane.

In addition there will be two northbound lanes that will go down to one at Woodward as the left lane would be dedicated to traffic heading into Woodward.

The work will start less than a year after the city completed work on the $7 million transit center on Moffat at South Main Street.

Fifteen years ago, the Moffat corridor had a dive reputation.

It had deteriorated from its heyday when it was the southern Highway 99 entrance to Manteca. Once the freeway was completed in 1955 Moffat started a long downward slide. In 1995 motorists entered Manteca on Moffat via the left turn flyover from northbound Highway 99 that has since been removed. They were greeted by the old Moffat feed lot, the pulp smell on the back side of Spreckels Sugar, dilapidated gas stations, few trees, shuttered businesses, crumbling pavement, weed-infested lots, aging trailer homes, and motels that had seen their better days.

Excerpt from:
Glory days returning for Moffat?

Slide Show

Photo by Jim Tetro

Washington Canal Park

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Built on a former parking lot for Washington, D.C., school buses, the three-acre Washington Canal Park features sprawling green spaces, a rain garden, pavilions, an ice-skating rink and a cafe, as well as interactive water fountains and sculptures.

Located adjacent to the Anacostia Waterfront, the park's design called for installation of a massive stormwater sewer system. The system helps divert stormwater that might otherwise end up in the city's combined-sewer-overflow system. The system gathers stormwater from seven city blocks.

Some of this water is stored in two 40,000-gallon cisterns under the park. The water is reused for the fountains, toilets and irrigation, providing almost 95% of the park's water needs.

Other runoff is collected by tree pits, which were designed with curb cuts to collect and divert water from the gutter for tree irrigation. This system saves an estimated 1.5 million gallons of potable water annually and prevents overflow from polluting the Anacostia River during heavy rains.

Installation of the stormwater sewer system required 10 roadway crossings and meticulous coordination of the existing power, telecommunications, water and natural-gas mains.

An extensive, nearly 10-ft-dia brick-lined sewer, constructed in the early 1900s, ran underneath a significant portion of the site. Plans called for reusing portions of the existing roadways, but the team discovered that these roadways were of substandard construction; for example, in one location, an entire block was built over unsuitable soil with no subbase. The team decided to rebuild the roadway according to District of Columbia Dept. of Transportation standards. Subcontractor Fort Myer Construction worked evenings and on weekends to complete that portion of the project in time for the scheduled grand opening.

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Best Landscape Hardscape Urban Development Project

home section Interior Design Housekeeping Entertaining Home Improvement Gardening & Plants Landscaping eHow Home & Garden Landscaping & Outdoor Building Special Outdoor Projects How to Install Gutters

Murray Anderson

I learned home repair and maintenance hands on. Over the past 30 years I've built sheds, decks, fences and gates and planted numerous trees and shrubs. Inside I've done all the common jobs like repairing and installing toilets, plumbing and light fixtures plus I've transformed three basements from bare concrete floors and walls into warm , bright family rooms. I write on home maintenance and repair for DoItYourself.com and answer maintenance and repair questions online at MyHomeImprovement.com.

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Gutters (or eavestroughs) aren't just a "nice to have" accessory. Gutters perform an important role in helping keep water out of your basement. Properly installed gutters will catch water coming off your roof and channel it well away from your home's foundation so it can't work it's way in and create a musty smelling (or, even worse, moldy) lower level. While installing long seamless gutters or highly decorative gutters (like copper) is best left to the professionals, sectional gutters (usually made of vinyl or aluminum) can be installed by a handy homeowner (and hopefully a friend or two).

Look at the outside of your home and determine how you would like the gutters to channel the water. You want the gutter to catch the water as it comes off the roof and channel it to an area where it will drain away from your home.

Measure along the edges of your roof. Gutters often come in 10-foot sections, so this will determine how many sections of gutter you need. Add 10 percent to your measurements for wastage (you will need to cut some pieces to fit).

Combine the roof measurement with your gutter layout plan to calculate the number of other gutter components you will need (corners, elbows, end pieces, drop outlets). You will also need mounting brackets for every 24 to 30 inches of run.

Begin at the end of your roof away from the downspout location and measure down 1/2 inch from the edge of your roof and mark it. Move to the downspout end and again measure and mark down 1/2 inch from the roof edge. Use a string level to be sure these marks are level with each other and adjust them if necessary.

Calculate the slope you will need so the water in your gutters will flow towards the downspout. (Gutters should slope down 1/16 inch for every foot of run or 5/8 inch for every 10 feet.) Measure down this distance from the first mark at the downspout end.

Excerpt from:
How to Install Gutters | eHow

Western Insulation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Masco Corporation ( MAS ), will start operating as Masco Contractor Services of California, Inc. effective from Jan 1, 2014.

Masco Contractor Services is a group of subsidiaries of Masco Corporation. With the recent change, Masco Contractor Services will operate 13 offices in California.

Western Insulation offers products and services like fireplace installation, garage door services, gutter installation and gutter protection. Insulation has been one of the underperforming businesses of Masco for the past few quarters.

At its investor conference, Masco management highlighted several strategic initiatives, which included the improvement of underperforming businesses like Installation and Cabinet; solidifying its market position and leveraging its brands, product introductions and product innovation, reducing costs, paying off debt and strengthening the balance sheet.

Masco Corporation sales in the month of November were up in high single-digit; signaling that the fourth-quarter top line could be strong like the past two quarters.

Masco's third-quarter (results announced in late October) sales increased 12.4% year over year and also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate driven by volume growth. Volumes benefited from products/programs launches; increased new home construction activity and improvement in repair/remodel activity in North America; and increased outside U.S. sales. Most encouragingly, the company saw some traction in big ticket remodeling, which has been sluggish for the past few years, especially during the housing downturn. In addition, management stated that the fourth quarter was off to a strong start with October sales up in high single-digits. With the November sales also up equally, Masco could post another strong quarterly performance next month.

We are encouraged by the company's continued focus on product innovation and cost improvements. The company is also divesting its less profitable and underperforming assets to focus more on its core areas. Masco carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Other Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the building/construction industry can also consider CaesarStone Sdot-Yam Ltd. ( CSTE ), Trex Co. Inc. ( TREX ) and James Hardie Industries plc ( JHX ). While CaesarStone and James Hardie carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Trex carries a Zacks Rank #2.

CAESAR STONE SD (CSTE): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Masco to Operate 13 Offices in Calif - Analyst Blog