The Big Mistake Many Homeowners Make While Getting Roofing Estimates
Nowadays, its easy to get a roofing contractor to your house. All you have to do is plug your name into a website and youll watch dozens of contractors compete for your business.
For most homeowners, this feels like a great thing
Competition generally means a win for consumers, right?
We wish it was true, but unfortunately, this model doesnt favor homeowners in the long run. In fact, getting lots of estimates makes choosing a credible, ethical roofer extremely difficult because with so many options, theres far too much information involved in the decision-making process.
Taking a look at Yelp alone:
397 roofers in Boston, according to Yelp. And whether or not Yelp is trustworthy, the number of roofers in Boston is still extremely high compared to other parts of the country.
As a homeowner, its simply too much information to sift through
Remembering important details like warranty length and installer certifications becomes impossible, and this is where most homeowners choose their roofer based how much the installation itself will cost.
How can you protect yourself from information overload?
Your Right To Recession
In your estimate, there should be a right to recession so you can choose to back out of using a certain contractor. Maybe you feel like they rushed you into signing the contract or you learned something that made you change your mind, but, by law, youll have 3 days after signing to get out of your contact.
You should always read the fine print of your estimate. Some contractors may have a clause included that if you try to back out after your 3 day right of rescission, then youre on the hook to pay 10% of the entire contract.
Focus On Content Over Form In A Roof Estimate
A roof estimate jotted down on a sheet of paper might not be inferior to a typed-out estimate on a couple sheets of crisp paper that recently passed through the printer. What matters most is the content of the estimate rather than its form. As long as the roof estimate contains the critically important elements , it will suffice regardless of the form in which it is presented.
Never sign a contract with a roofer that HAS NOT performed an inspection of your roof!
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Calculate Your Overhead Costs
Your overheads include accounting, uniforms, office rent, insurance, and roofing operations tools like Jobber. The price you charge for the roofing job must cover these overheads for your business to be profitable.
Heres a four-step process to ensure youre recouping overheads on every roofing job:
Calculate The Number Of Ground
Take the external dimensions of the house and divide it by 100.
For example, if youre working on a house that is 30 ft. x 60 ft., then the entire area is 1800 square feet . Divide that number by 100 to arrive at 18 ground-level squares.
This is just the flat area. Most homes are pitched, and youll have to account for that in the next step.
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Add A Note About The Roofing Work And Any Extra Information
Skynova’s free estimate template comes with a “Notes” section. You can provide additional details to your customers here. For roofing projects, use this space to give an estimate of how long the project will take overall. People like to know how long workers will be busy in their space, whether it’s residential or commercial. This is especially important for roofing since, sometimes, a roofing project determines whether a building can be occupied.
Nonetheless, make it clear to your customers that this estimate is tentative. Timelines and costs can vary due to unexpected factors that you can’t foresee. Bad weather can slow down roofing projects, for example. These timelines aren’t set in stone.
Writing An Estimate In 5 Steps: A How
Estimates helps small businesses figure how much a project is going to cost them. It also helps generate new business and lets clients budget for a project. Another plus: accounting software can easily convert estimates into invoices later on.
Overwhelmed by where to start? The step-by-step guide below will walk you through the process of creating an estimate.
For more details on what exactly an estimate is, read this article.
In this article, well cover:
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Questions To Ask Your Roofing Contractor
March 2, 2017 | Filed under: Buying a New Roof,Homeowner Tips,Research
Choosing a roofing contractor who will do a professional job is critical. Each year, the Better Business Bureau and other consumer agencies receive thousands of complaints about roofing contractors. Unfortunately, most states have few or no regulations regarding roofing contractors and installers, nor do they have building code requirements pertaining to roofing. This creates a huge buyer beware situation when it comes to roofing your home. Even if you do the proper due diligence, you still run the risk of a contractor who does not watch over their installation practices the way that they should. Because the cost of entry into the roofing profession is fairly low, the industry is full of people who are not properly trained, as well as a few people who are downright deceptive.
We believe that, when evaluating roofing contractors, you need to first understand your roofing needs. So, later in this post, we will tell you how to assess your roofing needs, and how to ask those questions.
But first, there are all sorts of general questions to ask a prospective contractor. Never feel like youre asking too many questions. If you are talking to a professional and serious contractor, they will welcome your questions. Contractors who get annoyed by too many questions are contractors to back away from. As a consumer, you must be able to obtain answers to your questions.
Cost To Repair A Roof
Our table below shows how much it costs to get various roofing repairs done – cleaning gutters, replace standard tiles, and replace ridge tiles.
|
Replacing entire roof on an average three-bedroom house. |
£4,500 – £7,000 |
|
|
New flat roof |
New flat roof on a typical single garage . Felt roof without using boards, keeping the initial structure in place. |
£840 – £1,150 |
|
New flat roof |
New flat roof on a typical single garage . Using new boards and modern products such as PVC / rubber EPDM. |
£2,000+ |
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How To Hire A Roofing Contractor
When youre ready to hire a roofing contractor, there are two types to consider: independent contractors and roofing companies. There are pros and cons to both. Always compare bids for the best price and check roofer reviews, references and qualifications.
Independent roofing contractors can be helpful for quick repairs. Because they either work independently or with subcontractors, it may take longer to complete large projects, like replacing your old roof. However, they may specialize in a particular style. Hiring an individual can be a risk, but it means youll see and work with the same person for the duration of the project.
Roofing companies are more likely to complete large jobs more quickly, have their work covered by manufacturer warranties, offer discounts or free consultations and work with more materials. However, you may not have the same point of contact for each phase of the project.
What Type Of Roof Vent You Choose
There are two types of ventilation systems, active and passive. Active ventilation means the air is pulled in from the outside and pushed out from the inside. Passive ventilation means the air in the attic is moved by natural sources, such as wind.
After choosing your ventilation system youll have to choose the style of vent that you see on your roof. The types of vents you can choose are:
Active:
- Ridge vents with a baffle
- Solar-powered vents
- Ridge vents without a baffle
- Gable end vents
The style of vent you choose, the color, and the number of vents your roof needs should be included in your roof replacement estimate.
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What To Include In Your Roofing Estimate
As a contractor, youll find that estimates are a very important part of your job. They can help the customer better understand what they should expect from your services and how to best budget for the project. But budgets arent as simple as walking through a home and throwing out a number.
From materials needed to time spent on the job, roofers have plenty to think about when it comes to preparing a proper estimate. If youre a roofing professional, heres a look at what you need to include in your roofing estimate.
Are you looking for more roofing leads in your area? Sign up with CraftJack today to start receiving leads from homeowners near you.
Research Current Materials And Labor Costs
The costs of materials are variable. Factors like supply and demand, disruptions in the supply chain, and inflation can result in price increases or decreases. Even if you’ve been in the roofing business for years and know material costs off the top of your head, it never hurts to check current market rates.
Similarly, if you have to pull in an external professional to get part of the job done – for instance, a photovoltaic panel installation expert to create a UV-powered flat roof – confirm their current rates. You want to provide accurate estimates. Researching the actual price of roofing materials and labor lets you do this.
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Make It Easy For Customers To Accept Your Estimate
When you create a Skynova estimate, you can send the finished product directly to your customer online via the Skynova platform. You don’t have to deal with downloading or printing PDFs separately, saving you time and energy. Your customers can open the estimate and accept it directly via the Skynova platform, which saves them valuable time, as well. You can be sure you aren’t missing out on bids because of administrative burdens.
Head Wall/end Wall Flashing
Head Wall/End Wall Flashing
Head Wall/End Wall Flashing is, more often than not, left out of adjusters estimates. Similar to step flashing , this is something most insurance carriers think can be reused or just wont be supplemented from their estimate. However, if the flashing has ever had shingles face-nailed to it, you are not likely to get your new shingles face-nailed using the same nail holes. Therefore, you will have a potential for leaks if you reuse the old flashing. So it is generally best to remove and replace head wall/end wall flashing when installing new shingles. Xactimate has a rate to remove and replace head wall/end wall flashing by the linear foot. Whenever you find this item to be legitimate yet missing from the adjusters estimate, you should supplement insurance claim roofing estimates with it. As always, be sure to grab that photographic evidence submit it with your supplement.
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Can Roofing Contracts Be Negotiated
A homeowner or commercial property owner can negotiate most of the terms within a roofing contract. There are certain aspects of the contract that can be impacted by state law. However, the price of the deal is always negotiable when the property owner is paying out of pocket. If the insurance company is covering the cost of the repair or replacement, then negotiating can be more complicated, since there is a third party paying for the job.
A roofing contract, like any other type of contract, is legally binding. Therefore, you may want to consider having legal counsel review your contract before providing it to a client to sign. At Contracts Counsel, our team of lawyers has been vetted to work in a variety of industries and can help you prepare roofing contracts for property owners. To get started,contact us today.
How To Estimate Roofing Materials
This article was co-authored by David Bitan. David Bitan is a roofing professional, licensed contractor, and the owner and founder of Bumble Roofing based in Southern California. With over 12 years of construction industry experience, David specializes in restoring, repairing, and maintaining residential, commercial, and industrial roofs. With over 60 years of combined experience, Bumble Roofing provides easy, friendly services to structures including residential, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and government buildings along with hospitals, hotels, and churches.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 16 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 691,565 times.
Knowing how to estimate roofing materials is important. Not only will it help eliminate waste, but it will also ensure that you buy just enough for the roofing job. Youll have to calculate your roof area, or the overall size of your roof, to determine the amount of materials youll need. This wikiHow will show you how to estimate roofing materials for your next project.
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How Do You Know If You Need To Get An Estimate For A Roof Replacement
It can be difficult to tell that your roof is failing, but you should watch for these ten telltale signs:
Roof Estimates And Quotes
With social distancing guidelines or other restrictions in place due to the coronavirus , some roofing contractors use various technologies to help complete no-contact roofing estimates, among their other services.
Some roofing contractors can provide the entire process of a roof repair or replacement without the need to meet you in person or enter your home*. Learn more about getting a new roof or roof repair during COVID-19 restrictions.
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Free Roofing Estimate Template
If you’re in the roofing business, it’s important to provide your customers with accurate estimates. Whether you’re installing a new roof or providing roof repairs, estimates let your customers know how much they should expect to pay you – and can help them decide if they want to enlist your services.
You can create estimates using Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, but they won’t look very professional, and the process can be time-consuming. Skynova’s estimate template lets you create detailed and polished roofing estimates. You can personalize individual templates quickly and send them directly to customers via the Skynova platform. You also have the option of downloading a printable PDF format of the roofing estimate form.
If you use the free quote template along with Skynova’s invoice and accounting software, you can streamline your business paperwork even more. Keeping all of your important documents in a single system allows for faster administration and accounting. By simplifying and speeding up billing, you have more time to focus on growing your roofing business. If you’re in roofing, check out the template we’ve made below just for your business:
Question #: Who Will Be On The Job Site During My Roofing Installation
If youre hiring a reputable roofing contractor, theres a good chance they may have more than one roofing project going on in one day.
But if the company owner isnt going to be on your property during the install, then whos going to be around to ensure the project goes smoothly?
Dont panic!
Many larger roofing companies have a project manager whose sole focus is to make sure your roof is being installed in accordance to both local laws and manufacturer guidelines.
So if the manager or owner of the company wont be present during install day, its important that an experienced project manager will be.
This is an easy question to ask any roofer over the phone.
Answers you can accept:
- Owner of the roofing company
- Manager of the company
- Project manager trained by the organization
Dont take this for an answer:Our roofers are very experienced, so they dont need supervision. While it IS important to have experienced roofers on your crew, an efficient installation will only happen if theres an industry expert in charge.
Roofing is complex, so if theres nobody running the show, a small problem can easily turn your roofing project into one you read about in the newspaper.
The three questions for establishing a roofers credibility dont seem too hard-hitting, do they? Thats because they dont need to be. Remember: these three questions are for pre-screening. The next four will help drill down to whether or not you should have the roofer out for the estimate
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