Getting the Most From Your Roofing Consultation
Mario Williams is a partner at Lone Star Roofing, a third-generation family-owned and operated roofing company located in Texas. A graduate from the University of Texas, Williams is known throughout the state as an expert in commercial and industrial roofing techniques. In this article, he tells us what to ask when meeting a roofing contractor for the first time.
When it comes to choosing a new roof for your home or commercial office building, a lot of decisions need to be made. However, one of the biggest mistakes that I see people making time and time again is that they go into the process of getting a new roof put on their home or commercial building without taking the time to understand the roofing problem they are having in the first place. Or, in addition, they go into it without understanding what course of action is needed to fix it.
So the first thing—and the main thing—that many people do wrong when it comes to having a new roof installed is to not look at all of the decisions that are going to need to be made right up front. Here at Lone Star Roofing, we do commercial industrial roofing exclusively. But even with that, people need be going into a situation like this having already been aware of all the decisions that are going to have to be made.
One reason this is so important has to do with comparing cost estimates. When a roofing contractor goes into a general-type job, there could be dozens of various ways he could handle it. When I go out to start a project on a new roof, I could really do any roof 20 or 25 different ways. So if a person doesn’t know what he or she is specifically looking for, then this person could end up getting 20 different estimates from various contractors, and none of those estimates would be the same.
Unless you have two contractors giving estimates on the exact same roofing project—in terms of materials and all of those types of things—then you will not be comparing apples to apples when looking at estimates from different companies. So then, if someone just picks one of those estimates out of a pile—and this would be because he has not done research ahead of time—then they could just be choosing what looks like the cheapest estimate, even though that specific project could end up costing them more money in the long run. What I tell people is that it is really important to compare apples to apples when looking at estimates for a roofing job.
Instead of doing that, though, what too many people do is they do not take the time to look at all the various materials and construction decisions ahead of time. And if they are not spending the time looking over those things before the project begins, then that is going to hurt them in the long run.
I encourage people to get on their roofs and see what is going on. Some people, though, might not be experts in roofing. So they might not know which roofing system are going to be right for their needs before calling various contractors for estimates. In situations like this, and actually in most cases, I encourage customers to first call a roofing consultant to have a look at the potential job.
Not only can a roofing consultant give you good information and let you know what kind of condition the roof is in, but he can also educate you on what kind of roof your currently have and what some good solutions could be. Based on your answers to a few questions, this consultant should be able to pinpoint exactly what kind of roofing construction you need done, which will help you get more exact estimates from the contractors themselves.
So by the time you schedule a consultation with a roofing contractor, you should already understand your roofing problems and have decided which course of action you’re going to go with—often with the help of a roofing consultant. And once you’ve made these decisions, and let the contractors themselves know, then you’ll have a better chance of comparing apples to apples in terms of what the estimates really are.
Watch this video about roofing contractor
www.DrewsRoofingAndHomeRepair.com We are the only Choice in roofing and Home Repair if you want someone that cares about your project as much as you do. Guarenteed 910-845-2207 Wilmington and New hanover County Roofing and home repair Contractor What the customers are saying about… Please help to answer the question about roofing contractorhow can i be sure i am choosing the best roofing contractor?
roofing is like a major surgery to the house , so i want to make sure i am choosing the right one for that.
what should i be checking to make sure the contractor is not a fly by night type business?
About Author
Mario Williams -
About the Author:
Mario Williams is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Save money with the Guide to Roofing or more Home Care articles at the Yodle Consumer Guide, The Yodler. Also check out Getting the Most From Your Roofing Consultation
Related Getting the Most From Your Roofing Consultation:
- How Roofing Consultants Can Save You Money
- Understanding Roofing Warranties
- Reasons to Replace a Hot Tar Roof
- Vetting Your Roofing Contractor
- Find the Best Roofing Contractor for Your Home
- Things to Do When Looking for Roofing Services Contractors
July 20th, 2010 | by roofing contractor |
By ttgl10 on Jul 20, 2010
In the world of remodeling, home improvement, or residential construction contracting; "great" and "cheap" do not usually go together.
A legitimate business needs to make a profit to stay in business. In order to stay in business over the long haul, the business must pay taxes, carry liability and worker's compensation insurance, and pay other normal operating expenses. This usually means that their prices are somewhat higher than the guy who works out of the back of his truck for cash.
Unfortunately, many homeowners make their buying decisions based on the cheapest price. They are often burned when an uninsured workman is hurt on their job and the only way to recover damages is to sue the homeowner. They are also frustrated when they can't find the contractor a year or two later for a warranty claim. In some cased, they are forced to pay for materials twice when a supplier files a lein against the homeowner's property because the "contractor" failed to pay for the material.
Contractor complaints like these will be among the top three types of complaints received by your state's Attorney General's Office (usually the division of Consumer Affairs). The only way you can assure that these problems do not befall you is to deal with reputable contractors.
My advice is to decide what brand and color shingles you want on your house before you contact roffing contractors for a price. This ensures that each is bidding based on the same criteria. At a minimum, I recommend screening contractors using the following criteria:
1) Make sure the contractor has been in business for at least ten years. This demonstrates in a very real way that the contractor is on the up and up.
2) Ask for, and check out references in your area. Previous customers will usually be very glad to tell you their experience with a contractor.
3) Insist that a contractor furnishes you with a Certificate of Insurance proving that they are covered by general liability and Worker's Compensation Insurance. The Certificate must be mailed to you by the contractor's insurance carrier because it is just too easy for a clever contractor to phoney up a copy.
4) Make sure that any warranty on workmanship is in writing. They will usually provide a separate manufacturer's warranty on materials.
5) Make sure that all of the details of the job are spelled out in writing in the contract.
6) Do not give a contractor more than a 10% downpayment when you sign the contract. Contractors who ask for more money "so they can buy materials" should send up an alarm that you shouldn't ignore. You can bet that a contractor who demands a large downpayment has no working capital and will soon be out of business. Do not pay the contractor the balance owed until the entire job is done to your satisfaction. Once they are paid in full, you lose all leverage in getting them back to finish up the job.
Keep in mind that this is a highly competitive business and a contractor who charges very high prices will not be in business very long. The prices from legitimate contractors will usually be very close if they are all bidding on exactly the same work.
I hope this information helps you make your decision.
Good luck with your roofing project.
By Windstar on Jul 20, 2010
How about a Roofing/Building Material wholesale company? Outside sales position? His experience would really be beneficial to his customers. Or a technical support or trainer for a roofing manufacturer try the Metal & Asphalt Shingle manufacturers, if he was in the business he hopefully should have some contacts to reach out to. My best advice would be to network within the industry, and to be patient. Something should come along; but not without his local "industry" knowing he is out there and looking for an opportunity.
By cbmtrx on Jul 20, 2010
i would not hire this contractor, could end up costing you more money in the long run
By Independent_guy on Jul 20, 2010
I would say it seems high, but then I think everything is high and do it myself. In Ontario, a properly aligned roof would get a lot more sun on the south side and probably a lot more wind and cold on the north side and so it might be reasonable to only replace half. I am assuming that by half you mean one side from the peak down, not the lower half or upper half all the way around. Get some other bids and see. I would expect that half a roof would cost somewhat more than half the cost of the whole roof – no matter how much you take down and put up, you still have to bring trucks and equipment out and get set up and haul away.
By Edita S. on Jul 20, 2010
Is this a trick question?
Or is it that you are just really bad at math?
By PrachiDesai36 on Jul 21, 2010
I found that asking my neighbors and friends who had roofing done to be the most reliable way!
Make sure they are insured. Small, one or two man companies often have the lowest prices but also are risky. Some of those might be excellent, but many don't know what they're doing because they do lots of things not just roofing, and they don't have as much equipment.
My next door neighbor liked his company, but he recommended not paying the entire amount up front. You can often get a deal by doing so, but he said you don't know for sure what you're getting until you've had a good rain. Even good companies occassionally need to fix their work. There was one spot they needed to fix and because he paid everything up front, the company was not in a hurry to come and fix that part.
I have also found that i can get great advice on which people to use for anything – roofing, plumbing, electrical, etc. – that the people at my local hardware store know who's really good and who isn't because they hear it all from their customers. But then, i'm in a small town and it's an independent hardware store. The people at the church also knew who was good and who wasn't because they had four buildings and had used lots of local contractors until they found ones that were great and they'd go back to them again and again, so you might try asking your church secretary for a recommendation, too.
By adam0149 on Jul 22, 2010
Yes. Go to http://www.cslb.ca.gov/
By Chugga on Jul 23, 2010