Like many parts of the construction industry, the roofing industry has its fair share of disreputable players. All sorts of roofers are trying to bid on jobs and many aim to do the least amount of work, with the cheapest materials, and in the end it’s the customer that suffers.
According to industry expert Danny Ahlers, “The biggest sign of a bad roofer is if they can’t answer your questions or they can’t answer your questions intelligently or completely about the whole process. That’s a red flag! They should be able to walk you through every single step of the job, the quote, the insurance process, and the insurance estimate.” A lot of these things can get very complicated so it’s extremely helpful to have someone explaining them to you. As Danny says, “The estimates are confusing, I mean there’s a lot of codes on there, there’s a lot of numbers on there that are associated with the different sizes of the roof, the length of the gutter, all these different things. And most people have no clue what that is..” A roofer needs to be able to speak intelligently to any numbers they are presenting, tell you where all the money is going and what the finished product is going to look like. If they can’t…you should be concerned.
“Another thing to look out for,” Danny continues, “is if a roofer can’t tell you what the whole job process will look like, like when the guys show up every morning; what do they do; what does the job site look like in the process; are they going to protect my landscaping; what do you do in case of an emergency, etc” All of these different things need to be disclosed, and if someone can’t answer your questions then you should be a little bit worried.
One of the biggest red flags is if a roofer providing a quote is asking for a really large up-front deposit. “If they want that whole $9,000 check that you just got before they’ll even show up to do the job, then that’s a sign of a potential issue there,” says Danny. “Because we’ve been around for a while and because of our reputation,” Danny explains, “most of our customers do not have a problem handing me a big up-front check, but that trust has been earned.” If you don’t already have a relationship with a roofer or contractor, a small deposit to secure the contract is the safest way to start a job. Then the next payment should occur whenever they actually show up with materials to start doing the work.
Lastly, you can often tell when you’re dealing with an unsavory roofer if someone shows up and doesn’t look like they are prepared to do the job. However, that’s not always the easiest thing to know, because it’s hard to know what to look for. Danny recommends that “If guys are showing up in beat up old trucks and maybe no company logos on them and they just look like they rolled out of bed or didn’t sleep at all last night, there might be an issue.” With a lot of these recommendations, one of the things that is most important is communication. According to Danny, “If your contractor hasn’t communicated with you every step of the way, what’s going to happen, why it’s happening, or they just can’t answer your questions, then you’re probably in a problematic scenario.”
We recommend that you ask a prospective roofer the following:
If you don’t see a logo on their shirt or logo on the truck, ask to see identification.
“If you have somebody show up that just doesn’t look professional,” says Danny “ or that you wouldn’t feel comfortable handing a $100,000 check, then you’re probably in that situation where it might not be somebody you want to do business with.”
In summary, don’t feel intimidated about asking roofers questions to make sure that you are confident in your decision to hire them. You should have peace-of-mind in your hiring decision. For them, it may just be a job, but for you and your family, it’s your home. That’s why Danny offers all this advice, he wants to help protect your home, your family, and your wallet.
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