Answers

A change order is written (or at least should be) any time there is a 'change' in the original scope of work for your project. It documents this 'change' and any additional cost (or credit) that you as the homeowner may incur. For example: your contract clearly specifies that you have selected laminate countertops for your kitchen, but shortly after the contractors begin demolishing your existing kitchen you decide you want to upgrade to quartz countertops. The contractor will write a change order specifying this change and what the additional amount will be. If you accept, both parties sign the document and each gets a copy. It now becomes a legal addition to your contract. Probably the most common causes of a change order are 1) when hidden conditions are found after the contractors have peformed the demolition phase (defects in the structure or previous workmanship in your home, dicovery of hazardous materials, etc.) and 2) because the written scope of work is vague or there simply is no written scope of work. The scope of work should be extremely detailed listing makes, model numbers, colors and finishes, door styles, etc. as well as the specific tasks to be performed. The more detailed the better. You want to make sure that both parties understand exactly what is to be done (and sometimes what is NOT going to be done) and what materials are going to be included. The best way to avoid change orders is to select a company to work with that is vastly experienced and specializes in the kind of work that you want done. There will be far less chance that they will be "surprised" when they begin constructing your project. Have a detailed scope of work and working drawings or prints that each party clearly understands and signs before the project begins. In a perfect world, if you don't change your mind during construction, there shouldn't be any change orders. A rule of thumb that I suggest to homeowners is to leave about 10% of the contract amount for contingencies. If your maximum budget is $40,000., don't sign a contract for $40,000. That leaves you no way to accomodate any change orders; whether they're for hidden conditions or, more likely, you decide to add or upgrade something to the project. Your human nature will have a tendency to do this. If, after seeing your project start to come together, you decide that a little addition here and there would now be the perfect compliment to bring your kitchen to another level, you will have set aside a little extra money to be able to do that.

I just saw this so a bit late to the party. That said here is my take. 

To give a bit a background. We have been serving the Utah market fot 5 generations with gutters and exteriors. I personaly have been in the business for nearly 25 years. My father over 40. we have researched every product on the market. There is really only one that we have felt comfotable with. It is Gutter Topper. As someone said below it has been the number rated gutter cover.  The thing that really makes gutter topper so special it is very versitle. It also can handle more snow, ice, water, and wind. It is very stong and works well. 

Leaf relief is ok. We have installed it. It works well for a short period of time but the problem with that cover is it sits below the gutters which allows debri to sit on the cover and eventually gets in. 

There are some decent filters like gutter glove. Only problem is it is a filter. I dont care what anyone says, filters have to be changed or cleaned. So eventiually those will need to be cleaned. 

Like someone said earlier ther is no cover that keep all debri out. This is very true. Howver if a gutter is sloped correctly the small dirt and grit frim shigles will wash out. The reason why it doesnt without covers is the debri will create a dam and then allow evberything else to build. It will not happen with Gutter topper. 

Not sure if this helps, but again we have tried and looked at them all. As a company that has been around    for a long time and have tried them all. Gutter Topper is the only one I would look at.

I would recommend not less than 40 degrees. If the shingles are a dark color in direct sunlight they will seal in one day from the solar radiance from the sun even if temps are low. 

Each shingle manufacturer will specify if they have minimum temperatures for install.  40 degrees is a good rule of thumb. Below that, crews may have issues with their equipment (air compressors and hoses) working properly and shingles may not seal, espescially on northern facing slopes.

Between 40 and 85 degrees is ideal!

I believe Home Depot has some aerosol products that can nearly reach 40 ft, but not positive.

Here is a fairly good article on the subjecct.

"Radiant barrier spray-on paint is essentially liquid foil. While not all radiant barrier paints are the same, basically they are made by grinding pure aluminum into a fine powder and then mixing it into clear paint. Once the clear paint dries the aluminum powder forms a layer of aluminum.

The best radiant barrier spray spray is only available to commercial contractors, and is an environmentally safe, water-based low-e paint called HeatBloc-75, Radiance e.25 or Lo/MIT. When the paint is installed correctly, it will reflect about 75% of the radiant heat and can be a very good product.

Getting good results with radiant barrier paint assumes a couple of things:

The rafters are being sprayed completely (this usually costs more when you get an estimate).

The paint is being applied with the correct coverage (many contractors put it on either too thin or too thick).

The paint is not diluted. There are some contractors (even large ones who advertise heavily) that will cut* the paint with water in order to extend the coverage. *Cutting is when water is added to paint; it is cheating to cut costs.

As a result, the true effectiveness of radiant barrier paint installed by many contractors is really only about 15-40% reflectivity. The typical consumer can’t tell the difference between a good installation and a poor job without testing.

Radiant barrier paint spray is not a good Do It Yourself (DIY) project. The fumes are noxious, you must use a VOC respirator, a high-end airless spray rig, the proper size spray tip, and the proper pressure to get correct coverage and eliminate clogging. Forget about painting with a roller because it is impossible since there are thousands of nails sticking through the roof deck; additionally, using a paint brush to manually paint it on would take forever. Most people who try to do it themselves will actually blow too much paint and the material cost alone will be over $0.30/ft. With the cost of radiant barrier foil only being less than $0.13/ft, it’s obvious it is not only a better product, but a better deal.

Different Brands of Paint & Testing Results

reflective coatings comparisons chartMany companies have developed radiant barrier spray paint. In fact, none are true radiant barriers since they all reflect less than 90% of the heat which is the definition of a true radiant barrier; technically they are reflective coatings. Below is a chart with some test results by RIMA (Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association) which did independent testing on all the different radiant barrier paints.

Notice that the best paint still emits 22% of the radiant heat, compared to only 3% for radiant barrier foil. Some paints claim to be award winning, although what award they are receiving still remains to be identified or significant.

Additionally, the paint tests were conducted on perfectly smooth samples, applied under laboratory conditions; these conditions are different than your attic. Your attic is made up of porous wood that loves to soak up paint instead of keeping it on the surface to create a smooth, shiny film, which would be required to be fully effective. In order for paint to come close to the tested emissivity rating, the wood surface must be primed with a primer/base coat of paint first.

Why You Should Use Radiant Barrier Foil

The main reason you should consider the foil over the paint is because with the paint you are basically counting on the product to deliver results, while with the foil you are simply needing the person (which may be yourself) to get the installation done. So long as the foil is installed somewhere between the roof/rafters and the insulation, it will reflect 97% of the radiant heat.

This is indisputable; radiant barrier foil works!

Furthermore, it is actually difficult to install the foil wrong. This is the main difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control. You can assure that reflective foil will work; while you can only hope that the reflective coating is installed correctly. We do not sell or install radiant barrier paint; we only sell radiant barrier reflective foil insulation because it is the best.

The problem occurs when reflective paint is put on too thin or when water is added to the paint/an inferior cheap paint is used. Then what? Then the customers do not get the results or the cool attic they are promised.

To offset this disappointment, some companies have resorted to doing things like giving away free solar fans. Sure, if you put an attic fan in the attic it will decrease the attic temperature and could even get it close to outside temperature; however, it doesn’t matter what kind of fan it is, a fan will not stop any radiant heat transfer. A cooler attic is nice, but what we really need to do is reduce the temperature of the insulation. For more information, read our article about air temperatures versus surface temperatures and how they affect your home.

Hi, I hope I can provide some insight and help. First, as a storm restoration contractor the insurance company does not usually supply enough materials to get the job done to meet building code, and they are not very responsive when trying to get a supplement, so I can understand why it is taking so long. It happens to me all the time. It is not code to put ice and water on the ridges, if that is what you mean by peaks, and I don't think it is in the valleys in MO, but you could call your local building inspector and just ask. Your shingles should have been installed on a day or two when the temps reached 40 or above as recommended by the manufacturer. With that being said, some of the biggest contractors in town still install them with temps well below that. To me that is a sign of contractor that does not care about quality. If the nails are exposed on the nail line of the shingle they were not installed correctly. Also, when the temps are below 40 the shingles become very brittle, so I'm sure they ripped due to handling in those temps. Those can be replaced very easily if there aren't to many of them. The area of concern is going to be water intrusion. However, I wouldn't worry to much about it on your first year of a new roof. You should be ok, but you need to make sure your issues are resolved.

Any damage to drip edge, fascia, soffit, etc. is also a very easy fix. If they do not fix these any of these items I would highly recommend filing a complaint with the BBB. In the St. Louis, MO area you can call Signature Roofing (573-424-4591) and they will take care of you. He has been trained by Haag Engineering to identify issues with asphalt shingles.