How to Choose a Roofing Contractor
As a roofing contractor in Sioux Falls SD, I have an inside perspective on how the industry works.
I decided to make this post to the point, and will expand on key points in more detail over time.
I’ll be stating true facts that may be bad for business for some Roofing Contractors in Sioux Falls, when certain tricks become known to homeowners, as well as the risks involved for homeowners that want to make a go at completing their roof without the use of an Experienced Roofing Contractor in the Sioux Falls area.
Because this post is titled How to Choose a Contractor, I’m going to quickly leave some bullet points to make sure you cover your bases. In future posts I’ll go into more detail of each point.
So if you’re a homeowner from Sioux Falls, or anywhere else in the nation… here’s the most important ways of getting a reliable yet affordable roofing contractor for your residential house….
- Get at least 3 bids….I’d suggest not bids from Service Magic or other for profit lead selling sites…they charge roofing contractors $50-$200+ per lead and that can start to add to a contractors overhead pretty fast….. not to mention they just send 3-4 contractors that anyone can find on their own anyway……so just pick 3 based on your own research and criteria
- Go with architectural shingles instead of 3-tab shingles. It shouldn’t cost much more, and the look is so much nicer. Don’t get raked over the coals for the upgrade though….. When I personally roofed peoples homes I’d sometimes give free upgrades if the homeowners couldn’t afford the difference, just because architectural shingles were simply easier to install and looked much better from a neighbors viewpoint (for future referral business). The cost of shingles has increased greatly over the last few years, so free upgrades are not realistic anymore, but do a little research and get an idea of what the price differences are. WARNING: Menards Generic Shingles are not of the same quality of GAF, Tamko & Certainteed…. so don’t base your research on their specials in the weekly ads!! (it’s not an apples for apples comparison)
- Stay away from companies that are still blowing money on old school marketing like Yellow Page ads, TV, Radio, Billboards, etc…… these marketing areas are overly expensive and are simply no longer the ways people find service providers in todays market….. so any company wasting money on them has to charge more money to cover their losses… or they will simply be out of business soon. (If you are a Local Contractor reading this go to www.OnlineMarketingSiouxFalls.com for a free report on how to quit wasting as much money on useless avenues)
- Make sure you’re getting a 10 year warranty. Any company that knows what they’re doing and stands behind their work will give a 10 year warranty on their work as a standard procedure. If it costs extra to get a 10 year warranty, then compare bids when all is said and done, and make sure you choose accordingly (warranty and product upgrades are a huge profit maker for slick salesmen)
- Don’t ever get pressured into signing a contract, especially if told the price is only good for right then and there.
- Stay away from companies with obnoxious overhead in fancy office space. Roofing Supply companies and Lumber Yards generally have showrooms for clients to browse through, there’s really no need for any company to have more office space then is necessary to run their business. (If the building is owned by the company, than it may no longer be an overhead expense, but instead an additional asset, especially if renting out additional space to other tenants… so if that’s the case, then it’s a good thing)
- Be wary of contractors who are constantly driving huge brand new trucks and equipment. This may be my own personal opinion, but the last time I checked, roofing was a dirty nasty, tar infested trade, and using brand new trucks simply doesn’t make much sense (except for possibly hauling materials and equipment). This is not a hard and fast rule, but the closer you get to average looking used work trucks, and equipment, the closer you are getting to the companies and people who are actually doing the work. Sales people have an impression to make, so a nice vehicle is expected, but with todays gas prices, any salesman driving a brand new quad cab dually for doing estimates or sales presentations is not being very conscious of wasteful spending….. and that extra money is coming from somewhere…… probably their customers.
- Be wary of super low bids. If a bid is thousands of dollars less then others, make sure the Roofing Contractor is actually Licensed and Insured, and get proof of both. Now…. if you want to dance with the idea of acting as your own contractor on your roof, then using a Licensed Contractor may not be mandatory, but the Liability is still a must, in case there is ever future leaks that don’t get handled and a claim needs to be made, and if no Liability Policy is around to make a claim on, then your SOL.
So…Once you’ve picked your chosen Roofing Contractor, ask for proof of active Liability Insurance and call to make sure the policy is truly active. (I’m amazed at how many people don’t do this)
Sadly, some unscrupulous contractors have used certificates of expired policies and whited out dates to make it look like their insurance is still active…… there’s con artists in all trades and business, and the same holds true in the Roofing Industry.
In this site I’ll be going through all sorts of choices available to homeowners when it comes time to Roof their home. The good and bad points of doing things themselves, and the good and bad points of using a Licensed Roofing Contractor.
In general the least risky choice is in using a Fully Insured Licensed Roofing Contractor, but it’s also the most expensive route. And acting as your own contractor increases your risk of being stuck with a huge mess…..(We’ll save these risks for future posts:)
The only reason I’ll be explaining choices for homeowners in future posts is because I know that for some, (especially in this economy), the option of using a Fully Insured Licensed Roofing Contractor is simply not an option….. and these homeowners will try taking on their homes roof regardless of the risks. So if that’s the only option then you may as well strive to make the process as painless as possible.
For now we’ll focus on choosing an Affordable Licensed Roofing Contractor in Sioux Falls, and that has everything to do with knowing how to avoid getting completely screwed over by a slick Roofing Salesmen, and that all comes down to knowing what you need and want, so that you’ll be able to see past the B.S. and pick an Honest Roofing Contractor that stands behind their work.
This site will help you know what those needs are.
