Roofershane’s Blog

Is your Roofer ripping you off? Part 2

The morning sun creeps lazily over the browning hills and fall it seems has dug its feet into the earth. Steadfast and determined, fall shows Portland that it has arrived and it is not moving till that bitter winter wind blows its leaves elsewhere. That low hanging sun blinds the morning commuters and I roll down my window to take in the brisk air.

As I stop at a light I hear a very familiar sound. Tap, tap…tap, tap,tap. In succession and steady… a roofer is out there most likely irritating some neighborhood trying to sleep. Like a hound dog I turn and go on the hunt. My tires grip the road and my ear is up and attentive. I will find the source.

The dirty beaten up truck is my first clue, the lack of safety equipment and the fact he is alone is all the evidence I need to see that he is a back yard roofer. I try and not judge… the world is full of enough opinions, but these guys are killing the honest roofing companies. They do not pay the same taxes, insurance (if they have any at all) and L & I costs.

I’m not generalizing all back yard roofers as bad, but after a long career of roof hopping, I have seen some interesting and outright bad roofing. I have seen so many shortcuts and cheats that only hurt the unsuspecting home owner. My hope is to help whoever reads this to have a keener eye on what to look for when inspecting a roof.

In an economy like this, profit is very difficult to manage. The shingles, the nails, the tar paper, disposal and etc. all cost a very certain amount. So the material price cannot change right? Wrong.

1) Buying substandard material is the first sin of the cheater roofer. They will by returned or slightly damaged shingles and get a break on the price. I have seen companies that have overestimated the amount needed on jobs and take the surplus to the shop and save it. When there is a large enough stack of same color shingles, they will use them on some poor homeowner. You may ask, who cares if they are the same color? The problem is the “lot” numbers will be different, which usually causes the house to look like a patchwork quilt because the colors are close but not the same. A solid black roof will look strange when the right light hits it because the die colors are different. Believe it or not, it is noticeable and manufacturers now warn you to never mix lot numbers.

2) The other problem I have seen is roofers use the old failing vents, pipe jacks and flashings. They just paint them black with spray paint and hope no one notices. All of these items must be replaced during a re-roof. They may put some sealant on the imperfections on the dying flashings but the sealants will fail in a few years and by that point they will have spent your money and been long gone.

3) These shingles come in a plastic wrap and it’s a pain to dispose of them. I have seen roofers who have figured out an easy way to solve this problem. They just throw the wrapper on the roof and roof over them… yes… the plastic is roofed over!

4) Cheat the roofers. I have seen small companies use illegal workforce and promise them good pay and all they do is the opposite. When the workers complain, the owner will threaten them will immagration. Have you ever heard the saying “Don’t let someone mad at you cut your hair”? Well an angry roofer will throw up some shingles and ignore the detail work just to quickly get it done and get paid. They dont care if it leaks this winter because they will be long gone.

I know some of these truths are hard to believe, but I have seen these problems with my own eyes. There are so many ways a roofer can cheat, so how can we better protect ourselves?

1) Get it in black and white. Make sure it is all written out on the original contract the responsibilities of the roofer and what they will or won’t do. Does the contract say they will replace the flashings, vents and pipe flashings? What will they replace them with? What will they do with the debris? Ask for a copy of the materials purchased, not the amount (roofers get nervous when you want a material receipt) or just ask the roofer what is needed and purchase it yourself.

2) Don’t be afraid to say hello. You have perfect strangers on your property who are providing a service that will protect all of your valuables, why not meet them. No matter what most folks think, people are good in nature. Even if the roofer hates his boss, if you go out and treat them in a nice and friendly matter, they will care about you. You would be suprised how much money and future issues you can save yourself from something as simple as donuts and coffee.

3) DO NOT RELY ONLY ON A COMPANY OR PERSONAL WARRANTY! I have seen not only Mom and Pop Homeowners but also Mr. Joe big business owner alike frustrated and angry because the people who roofed their roof wrong will not return their calls or have folded up shop. Just get the roof done right the first time and assure this by getting a second opinion.

4) If this is the first time you have used this roofer, check his work. Get a second opinion by asking a different roofing company to check list the finished roof, it’s cost should cost be between $50 to $75 and believe me it is worth it to have peace of mind. This should be done with great scrutiny and be sure you make the roofer return and fix the pointed out issues your non-biased inspector has made before you make your final payment.

On commercial roofs, no property manager or business owner gives the final check till the roof has been walked through. This assures that the building was done to satisfaction, there is no reason a homeowner shouldn’t do the same. Do not pay a roofer for a finished product without some type of inspection.

As I continue to write these blogs for the interested, I will go more in depth with other issues to look out for. The fly by night companies are awesome salesman who use the the home owners lack of money and need to save it as their closing tool. All they have to do is underbid, underpay, and under install.

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