Cool Flat Roofing

For many homeowners, choosing a contractor for the first time is like walking a mine field. That is why most contractors who do a good job, keep on getting a repeat business. You are also presented with so many choices: EPDM rubber roofing, tar and gravel, modified bitumen, PVC Roof, rolled asphalt, and more exotic ones like welded copper panels, etc But choosing a roofing contractor, especially to replace a flat roof, will be a challenge even for the savviest homeowner who has seen it all and has a handyman for any type of home repair. . Each contractor will have their preference, and will be convincing you that it is the best thing since Internet.

Flat roofs are relatively rare, so it is highly unlikely that your next-door neighbor knows a flat roofing specialist there is also little chance for "repeat business" in flat roofing. If a contractor installs a roof that does not leak, than the customer is probably happy but the roof is done, and the most that a contractor will get is a good reference. If roof leaks, it is very unlikely that contractor will be hired again.

So, how do you choose a contractor to install your flat roof?

Well, honestly I never had to do it since I am a roofing contractor, but when we bought our house, I had to choose a plumber to install our new heating system - something I know nothing about, so I had to start at point zero and walk the mine fields.

Fortunately, being a contractor, I knew what my clients usually wanted to know about my company, and I kind of know what I wanted / needed. In the end I guess I got lucky. I chose the best plumber (in my opinion) who installed our new system for least money. Here is how I did it, what I did not do, but should have done:

1) you should find a roofing contractor specializing in flat roofing. This will be difficult as most of them are usually big commercial (usually union-based) roofers, who will not even talk to you if you are a home-owner.

Most residential roofers do not specialize in flat roofing, and in most cases have done a "flat roof porch 10 years ago". This is the roofer that you want to avoid!

2) If your flat roof is leaking, do not get the first roofer who will come out to fix it - do not repeat a mistake that one of our customers made. They had the guy install a new rubber roofing (EPDM membrane) on a roof with ponding water and a sky-light window in the center of the puddle. That roof started leaking within first 3 months, and after 4 major repairs and a removal of the sky-light, they decided that was enough, and had a Lifetime IB PVC roof installed.

Also, their original contractor did not pull a building permit for the roof - this is a major no-no in RI - and never came back to fix their leaking roof.

You will ask why these poor people went through all these troubles? They hired a contractor from Yellow Pages, a roofer that specialized in asphalt shingles roofs, and knew nothing about flat roofing.

So, if your roof leaks, put up buckets to collect water and find a professional.

You will probably want to start at places like Roofing.com, DIY-Chat-Room.com or read our flat roofing guide for home and business owners.

3) Ask questions: It is really awkward when a there is sudden silence. To me it usually means the customer is serious. If you don't ask questions, you are either wasting my (and your) time or really don't care about what you are getting - both are bad things. If it is the first case, do your due diligence on your own, without wasting roofer's precious time - remember - they are people too. If it is the second, than your will most likely be taken advantage of.

The biggest benefit for you (and my strongest selling technique) is the sales person's knowledge of the subject matter. If they can answer your technical questions in great detail, they probably know what it is they are selling.

Many of our customers and potential clients complemented me on how well I was able to answer all of their questions - truth is, I learned it all by actually installing the roofing systems that I now sell, before going into project management / running the business.

When I was choosing a heating contractor, I was sold by the depth of answers and details in which my plumber answered ALL of my questions and went on beyond what I was asking.
Basically, Ask the question and let the guy talk. Give them your attention and it will pay off.

4) Forget the BBB and Yellow Pages. It is so 1990's. Besides, BBB is merely a for-profit corporation, so their main concern is making money, and not your interest. They can equally screw the customer and the contractor.

Instead, use Google Local, for coupons, customer reviews and more. We also recommend Angie's List - there you will find testimonies of actual clients (most of the time). The more contractor reports were submitted for a particular company, the better is the chance that you are getting the real comments from real homeowners. Of course any system can be cheated, so if a company has one good or bad comment, that may not mean anything.

Also, a good place to go to is the Rip-off Report.com - the so called Bad Business Bureau.  

As always, if you need a flat roof replaced, need roof consulting services or looking for a roofing contractor in Massachusetts, Rhode Island or Connecticut, contact us to get a free roofing quote, and schedule a roofing estimate.