Storms, high winds, colder weather, yep, it’s that time of year. All the roofing vampires come out, ready to take advantage of you and suck you dry. While you may feel rushed to get your roof replaced or repaired after damaging storms, it’s important to keep an eye out for roofers who will turn your already terrible situation into an outright nightmare.
You don’t have to be afraid, avoiding scary roof contractors and the problems they bring is easy if you follow these tips:
Drive-by/Fly-By-Night Roofers
These guys descend on cities and towns right after a major storm, and quickly talk people into hiring them to replace or fix their roofs. Unfortunately, most of the time they quickly and carelessly “slap” the roof on, not taking into consideration critical factors such as workmanship and quality, long lasting material or even caring about compliance with manufacturers warranties, after all, when the job is done, what do they care what happens after they are gone. Choosing an established, local roofer, will insure that the job is done right and the company will be around if future problems occur.
Why is it taking so long?
Some roofers will tell you the roof can be completed “in no time” but then the project ends up dragging on for days, weeks, even months, while the roofer waits for materials or for workers who are working on other roofs. Reputable roofers will adhere to the schedule they lay out for you and stay no longer than what is necessary to fix your roof. If your roof contractor is taking much more time than they scheduled, don’t be afraid to ask them what the problem is and if it seems shady, contact another contractor. Avoid contractors with lots of complaints about scheduling and time on the job.
Who’s gonna clean up this mess?
Some roofers could care less if they leave McDonald’s wrappers on your roof and in your gutters. They throw shingles and debris off your roof an onto the lawn without a second thought as to cleaning it up. They finish the job, tell you someone is coming by to clean up the mess and then they are gone, leaving you not only with a shoddy roof, but a huge mess to clean up. Real roofing companies would never do this and will treat your home as their own by cleaning up as they go along and never leaving anything behind but your new, quality roof.
The “Concrete” Guarantee
A lot of these “roofers” offer a “concrete guarantee”, once they leave your concrete driveway, the guarantee expires. Sure, the materials may come with a warranty, but not a guarantee of workmanship, not to mention poor installation, can void many roofing material warranties leaving you out of luck if a problem occurs. Atlanta Roofing Specialists offers a 10 year warranty on materials AND workmanship, you won’t need to worry about your roofing, knowing we will be around to honor those warranties.
For more tips on avoiding roofing nightmares and finding the right roof contractor see our page DO YOUR HOMEWORK!.
Bottom line, when these guys come knocking, do your homework, and compare their offers to local, established contractors like Atlanta Roofing Specialists, and if anything seems out of line or suspicious, don’t be afraid to say no! Do a little homework before you hire your next contractor, it could save your from having your own roofing nightmare story to tell.
