# Videos: Craig Cougill on Roofing

> Founder Craig Cougill on roofing, materials and maintenance.

Source: https://cougillroofing.com/video/
Publisher: Cougill Roofing


## 32 Years Perfecting Every Roof Type

Video: https://cougillroofing.com/videos/craig-cougill-32-years-every-roof-type.mp4 · Duration: PT2M48S · Speaker: Craig Cougill, founder

**Summary:** Cougill Roofing does only roofing — steep-slope shingle, tile and slate as well as flat roofs, balconies and flashings — and has for 32 years. Using one contractor for the whole roof system means one company is responsible where steep and flat roofs meet, which is where many leaks start.

### Key points

- Roofing is all Cougill does — the company is not a general construction firm.
- One crew handles steep roofs (shingle, tile, slate), flat roofs, balconies and flashings as one warrantied system.
- Splitting a roof between contractors leaves the intersection between flat and steep roofs with no clear owner when it leaks.
- Well-built slate and reworked historic tile roofs can protect a home for another generation — roughly 100 years.

### Transcript

**Craig Cougill:** One of our specialties is that we do all types of roofs. And roofing is really all we do. We’re not a construction company. We have focused on roofing for the last 32 years, and the reason we do that is because we like to think that we have perfected it in a lot of ways.

**Craig Cougill:** What I mean by that is we can do the steep roofs, whether that’s shingle roofs or tile or slate. And then if there’s a flat roof — say over a patio, or even a balcony that’s going to have tile put on it — we can waterproof those areas and make that all part of our warranty and part of the envelope of the house, to make sure it’s all high quality. The flashing, the actual roofing, the flat roofs — all of that is what we do. And it’s the only thing we do.

**Interviewer:** Why would it be important to a homeowner to use just one contractor on the roofing system, as opposed to multiple different ones — maybe one for the steep slope, one for the flat?

**Craig Cougill:** If I’m a homeowner and I have a roof that has, say, a front and back porch that are flat roofs — the house is a little older and they’ve leaked on and off — but I also have a roof above that, or one that ties into one of those flat roofs, you wouldn’t want a commercial roofer doing the flat roof only and then tying into it. Because if there’s a problem at that intersection, it’s going to be a question of whose problem it is, or whose fault it is. If we’re the only ones that have been on that house, then we always take responsibility and make sure those areas are done right.

**Craig Cougill:** One of the things I’ve come to love about specialty roofs — especially slate, and reworking old tile roofs, reusing the old tile — is that those houses have already been around for a generation. The thought of me making that roof last another generation, on houses that might even be handed down to the kids — it’s a really cool feeling just being part of that. That’s the real draw of specialty roofs: we’re putting roofs on that’ll be here a hundred years, and you can’t say that about shingle roofs.

## Upgrade Your Roof: Slate, Shingles & More Explained

Video: https://cougillroofing.com/videos/craig-cougill-upgrade-your-roof.mp4 · Duration: PT2M34S · Speaker: Craig Cougill, founder

**Summary:** Between natural slate and standard architectural shingles there are many options, including composite slate and slate-look asphalt shingles. Slate roofs should be looked at at least every one to two years in Arkansas because ice storms can affect them, and tile roofs under tall trees need regular cleaning.

### Key points

- Natural slate is the premium choice, but composite slate and slate-look shingles offer a similar look at lower price points.
- Tile has fewer look-alike options and is a little harder to navigate.
- Slate roofs should be inspected at least once every one to two years; Arkansas ice storms can affect them.
- Tile roofs under tall trees need regular cleaning so debris doesn’t cause problems underneath.
- Cougill offers maintenance as often as customers want — for some, roof cleaning every three months.

### Transcript

**Interviewer:** For homeowners who are more interested in a custom product, can you talk about the different types of products and why they would consider one versus the other?

**Craig Cougill:** If a customer calls me and says they’re thinking about a slate roof or something very high end, I might show them the slate roof, which is what I would prefer they use — but at a price point it can be way up here. There’s plenty of options below that, going all the way down to a standard architectural-style shingle. Between the two there are a lot of different products they may like as much as slate. One of those is composite slate. Some of the asphalt shingles have a slate-like look. So it depends on what they’re after. If they’re after something slate-related, there are a lot of choices. Tile, there are some choices, but it’s a little harder to navigate those options.

**Interviewer:** For homeowners who have a custom roof — whether it’s shake or tile or slate — what should they be doing maintenance-wise?

**Craig Cougill:** As far as maintenance on a specialty roof, we try to take care of all our customers. Some customers we take care of as often as they want — that might be every three months we clean their roof. Typically, with a slate roof, we like to look at it at least once a year, or at least once every two years, because ice storms can affect roofs like that. Just being in Arkansas, slate requires a little bit of general maintenance.

**Craig Cougill:** Tile, same thing. We run across a need to clean those roofs quite a bit, because if you’re under a bunch of tall trees you’ll want to stay on top of cleaning that tile — things can happen underneath that roof that we need to stay on top of.

## Contact Cougill Roofing

- Phone: 501-812-9400
- Email: receptionist@cougillroofing.com
- Address: 10301 Riverview Corporate Dr, North Little Rock, AR 72113
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–5:00 PM (closed weekends; showroom appointments preferred)
- Free estimate: https://cougillroofing.com/contact-us/#estimate