Having a roof over your head is one thing; keeping that roof in good condition is another.
Photo by Sid Saxena on Unsplash
A damaged roof is one of those problems that you really don’t want to ignore, since it can cause all kinds of issues if left unattended. If you notice damage from a storm, a mysterious leak in your house, or normal wear and tear caused by the passage of time, you’ll have to choose between doing the repairs yourself, or hiring a professional to do it for you.
For some people, this is an obvious decision. Not everyone has the time or skills to replace or repair their own roof, so they call a roofing company like Umbrella Roof. Other people think about the money they could save, and decide to do the work themselves. If you aren’t sure which decision is the right one, keep reading to learn about the pros and cons of using a roofing company.
Pros
- It saves time. Sometimes roof replacements are routine, but at other times they’re urgent. For instance, storm damage can render a house unlivable if it seriously affects the roof, and that’s when you want an entire crew of trained professionals working to put your house back together. It’s either that, or do it yourself at a much slower pace; if you don’t already know what you’re doing, it could take weeks to finish. Get a roofing crew on the job, though, and your house will be back to normal in a matter of days. This depends on availability, of course, but even if there’s a waitlist the job could still be completed pretty quickly.
- It’s safer for you. Installing or repairing a roof isn’t exactly the safest job in the world, but professional roofers will be able to protect you from both personal injury and from lawsuits. How does that work? The first one should be obvious; if you aren’t up on the roof for days on end, there’s a smaller chance of falling or being hurt by improperly used tools. The second one applies to roofing companies who are licensed and insured; if one of the roofing crew gets hurt on the job, their own insurance will take care of it. In other words, you won’t get sued because someone got injured while working on your house.
- You get higher-quality results. If you choose the right roofing company, they’ll have high standards and good reviews. In that case, you’ll get a dependable roof that’ll last for years. It’s actually pretty easy to determine which companies to trust, and which to avoid; just ask for references, look up their online reviews, and find out what their reputation is like. When you find one that’s highly spoken of, it’s very unlikely that you’ll regret hiring them.
- It’s more convenient. Even if you don’t absolutely have to hire a roofing company, it could still be well worth the expense because of the convenience factor. After all, think of what happens with less urgent projects. You could be procrastinating on replacing a faulty faucet, but you certainly aren’t going to pay someone else to do it; you can do it yourself in less than an hour, shopping trip included! While a roof is on an entirely different scale, it’s still a similar concept. In this case, though, delaying isn’t an option, so you might end up hiring a roofing company anyway just to get it done.
Cons
- It’s expensive. Between material, equipment, and labor, getting a roof installed (or even repaired) can involve quite a large price tag. Since not everyone has a few thousand dollars to spend on an emergency roof replacement, hiring a professional roofer may not be an option. Even if they can’t do it themselves, they could still hire someone with general construction know-how to do the job. There won’t be the same guarantees with safety and quality, but for some, that’s the best option.
- There’s a possibility of getting scammed. Just because you’re using professional roofing services doesn’t mean you’ll get a durable roof after they’re done. Some companies use cheap materials, others quit halfway through and say they need more money in order to continue, and a few simply take your deposit and leave town. At best, you may simply discover that your “new” roof needs repair within a couple years of getting it installed. If you don’t do some background research on who you’re considering before you hire them, you could end up with a big mess on your hands.
- It can be a security risk. Just like most people, roofers work during the day; some people aren’t comfortable with having a crew of strangers working on their house while they themselves are gone. If you have valuable items in your home or on your property, unscrupulous workers could take advantage of your absence and help themselves. This certainly isn’t common, but it’s been known to happen with lesser-quality roofing companies. At the very least, a careless roofer could damage some other part of your house, then refuse to repair it because you can’t prove that it happened while they were there.
- It can damage your property. Roofing involves a lot of materials: pallets of shingles, nails, tarp, and possibly more, depending on what the job involves. At some point, all of that will be somewhere on your property, and if you’re unlucky, it could end up on your manicured lawn or a carefully planned flowerbed. Then there are the discarded materials: old shingles and tarp, and a few thousand nails that can easily get buried in the grass. If your roofer isn’t thorough about the clean-up process, you could be finding nails in the dirt for years afterwards.
What’s the verdict?
Most of the cons can be avoided by choosing a good roofing company, and most of the pros should apply if (again) you get a quality roofer. Everybody has their own preferences to consult, but if you’re smart about it, hiring a roofing company can definitely be the right decision to make.