Exterior contractor in Bloomfield, MI
The thing you notice driving through Bloomfield is the trees. Mature canopy over the roads, large lots with established planting, and houses that sit among it rather than in front of it. It is the most heavily shaded area we work in.
Shade is not a minor detail for an exterior. It changes how quickly a roof and a wall dry, what grows on them, how much debris lands in the gutters, and what comes down on the house in a storm.
Tree cover is the governing condition
Almost every exterior problem we are called to in Bloomfield traces back to the canopy. Gutters fill faster than anywhere else we work. North elevations stay damp and grow algae. Roof surfaces under trees hold moisture and shed granules unevenly. Limbs over a roofline come down eventually.
None of that means you should cut your trees down. It means the exterior has to be specified for the conditions rather than for a catalogue photograph, and it means maintenance is part of the answer rather than a failure.
What we do in Bloomfield
- Roofing — roofing in Bloomfield · residential roofing · repairs · storm damage
- Siding, soffit and fascia — siding in Bloomfield · vinyl · fiber cement
- Seamless gutters — gutters in Bloomfield · seamless gutters · leaf protection · copper
- Everything else on the outside — drainage, windows, painting, masonry, decks, additions and commercial roofing
Guards, sizing and the honest conversation about both
Leaf protection is sold hard on properties like these, and it is not a single product that either works or does not. What falls on your roof matters: needles behave differently from broad leaves, and seed pods differently again.
We would rather look at the trees than sell you a system. Sometimes the right answer is a guard; sometimes it is a larger gutter and a bigger downspout; often it is both, and occasionally it is neither and a cleaning schedule instead.
How we work on a wooded property
Access on these lots is usually generous but the ground is soft and the planting is valuable. Where staging stands, what gets covered and where material is stored are agreed at the estimate rather than improvised.
The inspection covers the whole envelope, including the attic on roof work, and the written scope says what we are replacing, what we are repairing and what we are deliberately leaving alone.
Keeping a shaded exterior in condition
New work under a heavy canopy will not stay looking new on its own. What it will do, if it is specified and installed properly, is clean up rather than deteriorate. What we would suggest:
- Wash the shaded elevations every couple of years, at low pressure. High pressure drives water behind panels and does more harm than the algae did.
- Keep limbs off the roofline. The cheapest exterior maintenance there is: less debris, less shade, and the thing that would have hit the house in a storm is no longer there.
- Clear the ledges, not just the gutters. Debris on trim and behind downspouts holds moisture against the building long after the gutter has been cleaned.
- Look at the north elevation once a year. It is the side nobody visits and the first to tell you something is holding water.
- Check the valleys after leaf fall. A packed valley on a wooded lot backs water up under the shingle, which is a far more expensive problem than a full gutter.
Questions from Bloomfield homeowners
Are gutter guards worth it on a wooded property?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on what is falling. We will tell you what we think your trees will do to any system before you buy one, including when the honest answer is that cleaning twice a year is cheaper.
The north side of my house is green. Is it damaged?
Usually not. It is surface growth on a wall that stays damp, and a low-pressure wash takes it off. It is worth checking the gutter above it and the branches over it while you are there.
A branch came down and damaged one section. Do I have to do the whole thing?
No. If the material can be matched, a repair is the honest answer, and on a shaded elevation the colour difference is usually invisible. We will tell you if a match is going to be obvious.
Can I pressure wash my own siding?
You can wash it, but keep the pressure low. High pressure forces water up behind the panels and into the wall, which is worse than the staining you were trying to remove.
Nearby
- Exterior contractor in Birmingham, MI
- Exterior contractor in Rochester Hills, MI
- Exterior contractor in Royal Oak, MI
The full coverage list is on our service area page.
Free estimate in Bloomfield
If the trees are winning, an inspection will tell you what is actually failing and what just needs cleaning. Both the visit and the scope are free.
Request a free estimate or call (586) 533-8343.
