While roofing shingles may be created equally, the talent of the installation team is not

By Annemarie Casey

Oftentimes, damage to a roof isn’t visible to the naked, non-professional eye. A roof may look perfectly fine yet have shingles that are hiding rotting wood and susceptibility to future leakage in the deck beneath or underlayment.

I caught up with Bob Potocar, owner of Barbera Home Improvement, for a deeper dive into the mechanics of a roof. Diamond-certified by all-weather Atlas shingles, the family-owned company has been in the roofing business the past 40 years.

Thanks to its size—within the top 150 roofing companies in the country—Bob says they are nimble and can respond to requests quickly and efficiently. With different sizes of crews to fit every job, BHI can almost always begin and end a residential roofing job in one day.

Why Experience Matters
“The product—shingles—remains pretty universal across manufacturers, but the experience of the roofer makes a world of difference when it comes to a roofing job,” explains Bob. “Many times, an inexperienced crew will take shortcuts like not prepping the underlayment beneath shingles with ice guard, or affixing shingles over rotted wood, both of which can trigger premature failure and cause a shorter lifespan and compromised integrity of the roof. You can’t necessarily see if a crew has done a poor job. Small nuances make a big difference. Each seasoned roofer who works for me has been here an average of 15 years or more.”

Ventilation is Key
Another component that affects a roof system is ventilation.

“Having an improperly ventilated roof is often overlooked,” says Bob. “Shingles will deteriorate faster and the roof will be negatively affected if it’s not properly ventilated. Moisture trapped in your attic due to lack of ventilation is also a red flag, as it leads to mold and degrading wood.”

BHI sales techs are trained to get up in your attic and assess the ventilation situation before every roofing job. They replace or reinforce any plywood if called for.

Repairs, Working with Insurance
“Since it’s not cost-effective for them, a lot of roofing companies do not do repair work,” he says. “Because we’re so big, we don’t mind sending repair people out for the small stuff. Before recommending a total replacement, the first question we ask ourselves is, can it be repaired and make it another year or two.”

“We go the extra mile to advocate for our client during the insurance process,” says Bob. “These are professionals we’ve worked with for many years. Our techs will come to the home and meet with the adjustor to make sure he or she sees all the components of the roof relating to the estimate.”

The formula is working. Bob reports that more than 80% of his business is through referrals, and that they often work with several generations of a family over the years.

In addition to roofing replacement and repair, he adds they also provide vinyl siding installation, window installation, and gutter guard installation for homes and businesses throughout Northeast Ohio.

Headquartered at 5376 Ridge Road in Parma, Barbera Home Improvement will go to homes and businesses throughout Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Medina, Lorain and Summit counties. Barbera offers extensive warranties on its products and labor. Call 440-843-8987 or visit BHIRoof.com.