I was 10 years old when my dad took me on my first roof. My job was to peel apart the shingles and have them ready for him to install. My dad taught me a valuable work ethic, a customer service that would exceed all expectations and that a pride of workmanship can only come from the quality that you give your customers when installing a roof with your own hands. It seems the latter part has quickly faded into the sunset. The more I meet with homeowners, walk into supplier warehouses or talk with builders it is becoming a lost art to actually find someone that has the knowledge and experience of Roofing.
My dad was 15 years old when he worked full-time with his dad as they started their own business. That was in 1967. I saw my father work for the Roofers Union in Southern California; own his own Roofing business in California and a later in Colorado. Both companies gained and lost. We call it feast or famine.
Let’s just say Roofing is in my blood. We lost my father a year ago last June but his spirit of Roofing will live on. Today, in 2014, it seems us Roofing companies that have been doing this “roofing thing” a long time are having to fight for work more and more because of others wanting to join in the prosperity, but not put their own hands to the plow.
Here is what I mean. We try our best to educate the homeowner to beware of the “fly-by-night, back of the truck” roofing companies. I’m sure some of you have some incredible stories to tell, like we do, of roofs you have seen that were just slapped on only to find that you become the bear of bad news that now you have to repair and replace the entire roof again. The look on homeowners faces when you tell them that kind of news always saddens me because not only does it take money out of their own pocket because every insurance dollar has been spent but it also puts a bad name to the roofing industry as a whole.
So, here is what is happening. Not only now do we have to continue warning homeowners about the “back of the truck, fly-by-night” roofing companies, but now we have to make you cautious of something new. Beware of Roofing Companies that hire those back of the truck roofing companies because they are not flying by night anymore they are staying here.
Is Your Roofer a Roofer
- We are finding people that have no knowledge of how to install a roof. They read a How-To Book. They continue to read the how-to-run a business section and think, ok. I can run the business and I’ll just find someone that has some experience installing roofs. Who gets hired? The back-of-the-truck roofer!
- Their friend is an insurance adjuster. The insurance adjuster talks them into starting their own roofing company because he has a lot of leads he can give him. So, the friend opens up a roofing business with no knowledge how to measure, price, bid or even install a roof. But, remember the insurance adjuster knows exactly how much to bid because he is the one that issues the check. So basically the friends roofing company just has to find a roofing crew (hello, back-of-the-truck) to do the work. Doesn’t matter who it is, the friend just needs a roof installed.
- This last one is quite funny. We have run into another scenario where a man that delivered ice cream to different storefronts along the area must have had a dream and woke up one day and said, “I want to start a roofing company”. So he did. We hear he works with different roofing crews. That he goes into the supply houses calls the guy in charge of the crew (it’s what he calls them) and asks them all the material counts of what they need. The guy at the front desk asks him how much drip edge do you need and what kind. He replies, “I have no idea what that is, but let me call my guy to find out for you”. He’s the stinking Owner of the Roofing Company!
Here is the message I want to convey. It’s not to talk about people in a negative way, but it is to make you, our homeowners, the people we care about, aware of a hidden agenda that unfortunately some are doing.
Here is what we have done in the past and here is what we are doing to this day.
In the past with either my father’s roofing company or our own, we paid our employees by the hour. Because we were only doing tile roofs at the time, we wanted the guys to not worry about the money per square to get the job done faster but to allow them to take their time to do it correctly and exceptional. In the last two years we have changed over to paying our employees by the square. This is due to us entering into the shingle market to be competitive. Here is the thing that is different. They are our employees, our guys, our roofers, our craftsman. We know their names, their kid’s names, and where they come from. We know their birthdays and their anniversary’s.
We’re not the cheapest guy on the block and really could never be when doing it right from bid to completion. But we are the best at what we do. Each of us, including myself (a woman), knows how to install a roof. We know how to bid a roof and we know how to put a smile on a proud homeowner. The difference is the latter is earned, the beginning comes with experience.
What to ask when you are not quite sure what it is to ask when Hiring a Roofing Company
- How long have you been doing this? Don’t ask how long have you been here. Be more specific. Find out how much knowledge he has in installing a roof.
How many roofs have you installed yourself and what types of roofs? This is a great question because they either begin to quiver or will boldly answer because of the pride they have in their work. - Are your installers your own or hired out? Hired out will throw them off. They are used of hearing the term “Sub’d out”. Body language is key here.
- What kind of warranty can you provide and how much does it cost? Those companies that are not certified with a manufacturer will not be able to give you one.
- Is the scope of work to city code? Most experienced roofing companies will base their installation on Miami-Dade County codes which is used throughout because of the diverse weather conditions. If they tell you, “let me find out what the city requires” it should be a red flag.
