Edward Callaway is the owner of Golden Hammer Roofing in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Florida roofing company has only been in business since May 2019, but Callaway has been a resident of Jacksonville since moving there when he was in the military back in the 1990s.
“I moved to Jacksonville, Florida back in 1993 when I was in the military. It was funny because when I got my billet for Jacksonville, I had to look on a map to see where the city was,” says Callaway, who notes that since he moved to Jacksonville, the city has become much more popular.
“Jacksonville is a great city that has a lot to offer. If you don’t like the ocean, then you probably shouldn’t live here. But if you love the ocean, it’s a great city.”
Dreamy sunsets and sandy beaches are commonly associated with the city of Jacksonville, but not everything is equally as glamorous when it comes to the roofing industry in northern Florida.
For roofing companies like Golden Hammer Roofing, installing roofs underneath the scorching summer sunlight is a reality they cannot escape.
“Here in north Florida, it is a pretty tough market. We have a lot of incredible heat. We are right now in the beginning of our summer season, which is a crazy time for roofing,”
shares Callaway.
“In mid-June we start telling homeowners that the crews will have to get off the roof around one or two o’clock because the roof installers are so exhausted and have already expended so much energy. Their bodies need time to recover.”
In some cases, roofs can exceed temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
This poses a problem to not only the safety of roof installers, but also to roofing business owners like Callaway.
To combat the sizzling heat, Golden Hammer Roofing sells specialized shingles that help properly ventilate roofs.
This includes selling Owens Corning VentSure shingles, a type of shingle that is known for keeping attics cool and dry.
This type of shingle also prevents insects and stray debris from getting into homes, plus the Owens Corning VentSure shingle has a staggered nailing system that is designed to absorb heavy impact.
“The ventilation is probably more important in our market than it is in a lot of other markets,” notes Callaway.
“The biggest weather anomalies that we deal with in the Jacksonville roofing market is a lot of wind-driven rain that will come sideways at the roof, get into some of the orifices of the roof, and penetrate some of the underlayment requirements.”
Callaway then explains that unlike in other roofing markets, it’s not hail that does the most damage to roofs, but instead it is the ferocious wind that homeowners in Jacksonville routinely experience.
“Wind is the big issue here in Jacksonville. It just destroys the shingles in this market,”
says Callaway, who says that this type of wind isn’t solely related to hurricanes either.
“In a non-hurricane environment, we can have winds that are in the 20-30 mph range. If the shingles weren’t over-driven, meaning the nails went through the shingles and are only barely holding it onto the roof, we will get chunks that just flap up collectively. We simply have a lot more wind than other markets that have a lot of hail damage. Hail is not the primary concern here in North Florida. It is 100% wind.”
Beyond finding ways to combat the stifling heat and insane wind patterns, Golden Hammer Roofing also prides themselves on giving homeowners an exceptional customer service experience.
Callaway says that one thing his company does really well is prioritize the needs of their customers first, a philosophy that not every roofing company has adopted.
Therefore, Callaway says that when it comes to finding a roofing contractor in Jacksonville, homeowners should be diligent and willing to take their time in order to find a local contractor they feel comfortable hiring.
Taking these steps will likely save homeowners future headaches.
“Listen to your gut. Listen to your head. If something seems off about a roofing contractor, don’t override that conversation in your head. Take a pause and tell the contractor that you need a day to think and do some more research,” Callaway advises.
“The biggest mistake you can make with a roofing contractor is to hire the wrong one. Again, listen to those thoughts that are telling you something isn’t right.”
It’s these kinds of company values that have helped Golden Hammer Roofing become one of the preeminent roofing contractors in Jacksonville.
Moving forward, Callaway plans to continue approaching the roofing business with the same level of professionalism and customer service.
“Golden Hammer’s mission statement is to not only be a good roofing contractor, but we want to be a great customer service provider in our market,” Callaway says.
“In addition to that, we absolutely want to contribute to the communities in which we live and give back in any way that we possibly can. We want to do what’s right for the homeowner and make sure that the homeowner and Golden Hammer Roofing are on the same page at all times.”
To learn more about Golden Hammer Roofing, visit their website today or give them a call at 904-880-2004!
