Full Service Contracting Company

A Real Advantage Inc. is a full-range professional contracting company offering residential and commercial services for all your exterior needs. From single family homes to large business complexes, no job is too difficult.  We are experts in any type of exterior building products and services, including customized and historical projects.
A Real Advantage Inc. takes pride in quality workmanship and service. From the moment we receive your call for FREE Estimate, you and your property are placed in professional, caring hands. Our experienced, trained estimators and sales personnel will thoroughly examine your needs and provide you with a written proposal.
Our siding services include:
Residential and Commercial Services
Tear-Offs and New Construction Roofing
EPDM Rubber and Modified Bitumen Single Ply Roofing
Chimney Rebuild, Repoint, Chimney Hoods
Algae Resistant Shingles
Power Roof Fans and Vents
Vinyl and Aluminum Siding
Heavy. 032 Gauge Seamless Spouting
Leaf Relief Spouting Guard
Emergency Repairs
Our professional service helps property owners decide on the type of products and color enhancements they would like, while still keeping their budget in mind. By choosing A Real Advantage Inc. for your roofing and siding needs you are choosing experienced personnel who know the latest technology of the projects assigned to them.  

Repairing a Cracking Sidewalk

A damaged sidewalk is one of the most visible parts of the exterior of a property and can easily hurt the curb appeal to your home. Fortunately, sidewalk repair is fairly simple and can be done in short order by our construction team or even by you. To repair a sidewalk you will need to follow these steps:

1. Determine the type of damage that’s on your sidewalk. Some damage is easy to repair but not all damage is. Big sections of sidewalk that have heaved and broken into pieces are not easy to fix and will most likely require a contractor to fix the problem

2. Determine why the damage occurred. It could have happened from  a lack of control joints, tree routes, or even seismic activity.

If your sidewalk is cracking you might want to consider installing a few extra control joints. You can install control joints by using a masonry blade to cut lines in the concrete. Cut about ½ inch into the sidewalk, not the whole way. The control joints allow the concrete to expand and contract in certain weather conditions. If a tree route seems to be the cause of the crack, clear around the tree roots and cut them away with pruning tools. Be very careful though, this can stunt the growth of the tree and sometimes even kill the tree.

The type of material you use to a repair a crack in the sidewalk depends on how large the crack is. For little cracks, you can use concrete grout. Larger cracks can be fixed with caulk and the largest cracks of all will need to be repaired with a concrete patching compound.

The Importance of Roof Repair

The roof is one of the most important components of the structure of a home. Despite this fact, many people neglect to get their roofs repaired until it is too late for a variety of reasons. The roof is easy to ignore from the inside of the home unless there are leaks, and people rarely climb up on the top of their houses to examine if there are any problems. Roof repair can seem intimidating, but it’s important to get any problems fixed before leaks cause any significant damage to the rest of the home.

Roofs can get damaged for any number of reasons. Lack of maintenance is one of the main causes, as fixing problems early on is essential to preventing the spread damage and keeping the repair cheap and easy. Weather also significantly damages roofing, so this is especially important for homes in New York, as the winters here can be very harsh.  Wind can cause damage, especially winds that exceed 50 mph as they can carry debris that the roof is not designed to collide with.

Some roof problems come from improper design. Weak roof structures can deflect excessively under load, causing splitting of the roof membrane. Inadequate roof slope, sagging roof structure, or insufficient number of drains or clogged gutters can result in ponding water. Inadequate design for expansion and contraction at changes in deck material can cause membrane splits. Incompatible roof materials can also cause damage due to chemical conflicts.

How To: Powerwash Your Walkway

{Does your walkway look like this? We can help!}

As affordable residential contractors serving Brooklyn and beyond, we are full of tips to making your home truly shine. If your walkway is covered with dirt and grime, it’s time to powerwash it. Your walkway is one of the first things people see upon arriving at your home, after all.

First, attach a garden house to the inlet port on your powerwasher. Then, connect the spray-wand hose to the powerwasher and attached a low-pressure nozzle to the spray wand. Hold the nozzle a few inches away from your walkway and start the power washer. Squeeze the trigger and direct the water at an angle. If that doesn’t do the trick, replace the low-pressure nozzle with a stronger one and continue spraying. Mix a solution of nine parts water, one part chlorine bleach in a bucket and scrub your walkway using a brush with course bristles. Repeat once a month!

Check back for more tips from A Real Advantage Construction Inc.

{Photo Credit: Patrick Chondon}