It may seem silly at first to think of you and your roofer having a prolonged relationship. You might be thinking,”Isn’t a new roof a one-and-done thing?”
While roof installation is often completed in just a few days, the entire process of replacing your roof has many stages – some of which involve more direct contact and interaction with the roofing company than others. In our experience, building a relationship between roofing contractor and homeowner is critical to satisfaction with the overall experience and results (on both ends).
Regardless of the given stage of the project your roofer is currently on, they should treat you with respect. Find descriptions of that kind of respect below!
The Consultation Stage
This is the “planning” stage, when your roofer scopes out the terrain. A representative will speak with you and determine what kind of shingles you’re looking for, in what color, etc. Project timelines may also be discussed during this period.
You also can inspect an in-person visit, where the roofing contractor gets a better feel for the job. Since it’s hard for homeowners to follow them up to where they’ll be inspecting, they might take pictures to demonstrate.
Finally, your consultation includes an assessment and discussion about what materials (if any) from your current roof can be worked into your new one. Payment terms will be outlined.
How Your Contractor Should Behave
Expect the pinnacle of professionalism during this stage! While the roofing contractor might not be actually performing any physical work, they are still doing business with you, and they should be held to the highest standard.
Expect Respect
Even if your current roof is in shambles or you’ve made maintenance mistakes, you shouldn’t be scoffed at by your contractor for it. Their job is to put a new roof on your home, not to judge your old one!
While current problems should be brought up and discussed in respect to future maintenance requirements and the project itself, they should not be used to make you feel ashamed and thus manipulate you into a sale. The contractor must also be willing to answer any question you may have about your future roof.
Expect Punctuality
Extenuating circumstances aside, your contractor should be on time to their given appointment; it’s simply not good business practice to be late. If they give you a window of time in which they will arrive, it should be sufficiently narrow so as to allow you to prepare for their presence without waiting around all day for it.
Getting to Work
In what’s probably the largest portion of the roofing process, the contractor rallies their team for the job. Shingles and similar materials will be transported to your home, and a dumpster will appear for refuse. Your old roof is carefully stripped down to the timbers (framework), then reconstructed. Rotten materials are replaced, a waterproof barrier will be applied, and new shingles will be layered over top.
Keep in mind that what this portion of the process looks like depends on both what type of roof you’re having installed and your old roof’s condition. If you’re curious about the step-by-step description, ask your roofer!
How Your Contractor Should Behave
Efficiency and staying out of your way are the names of the game. While it’s impossible for your roofing contractor to be completely invisible (they have to hammer in shingles, after all!) they should take steps to make the process as minimally disruptive as possible for you. Getting a project done on time should also be an evident priority.
- All crew members on site should be friendly and professional
- Dilly-dallying should be nonexistent, but be mindful that taking required and much-needed breaks can come off as such
- Some form of safety equipment, such as scaffolding, should be in place to help workers do their jobs quickly and without fear
- The work area should be left clean at the end of the day
Wrapping Up
After the last shingle is nailed in and the workers head home, your home should essentially return to normal. Your lawn should look as it once did, and the ground area around your roof should be immaculate—free of nails and debris.
How Your Contractor Should Behave
It’s a combination of making themselves scarce and remaining available by leaving you with the information you need to take care of your roof.
- They should have cleaned up so well that, aside from your awesome new shingles, there should be no sign you’ve just had roofing work done.
- The landscaping should have been left in the same state it was before they set foot in your yard.
- Your contractor should inform you how to take care of your new purchase, if they haven’t already taken care of that during the consultation stage.
- If you have any issues with your purchase, your contractor should make it obvious what number to call.
Tony’s Lifetime Exteriors: Your Local Roofing Pros
We do everything from asphalt roofing installation to working on metal roofs—and no matter what you need done, our five-star reviews prove you can expect it to be done right. Give our Sauk Rapids office a call today at 320-252-9086.