These may be strong words…  but to be frank, very honest.  These are not ordinary times, our economy is in a tailspin and the real estate market has been decimated, leaving countless construction workers and contractors out of work. Unfortunately, in desperation, many roofing contractors are giving away their work just trying to stay a float, but hurting the roofing trade at the same time. 

There is nothing wrong with being competitive, out marketing or selling your competition but when a naïve or plain desperate roofing contractor starts slashing their pricing so dramatically all it does is ruin the value of their trade.  I know so many of these types of contractors who wrongly think that discounting their trade is “keeping their guys busy” or “out selling their competition”, only to go out of business a year or so later.  This hurts the industry, the workers and hurts the consumer.

With that being said, this can also be a great time for residential and commercial property owners to save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their next roofing project.  But, buyers beware! Having your roofing project done by a desperate roofing contractor could be a potential roofing disaster.

If a homeowner or commercial property owner wants to get the best value on their roofing project I suggest hiring a certified roof inspector and have a Visual Roof report done on their property.  This will inform them of their roof issues, square footage of their roof, and options, roof repair or roof replacement.  If the certified roof inspector is a licensed contractor as well they will offer a scope of work, which the property owner can shop.  Contacting three different roofing contractors (or two additional roofing contractors) to bid on the same scope of work, comparing apples to apples.  Thus, getting the lowest price possible and a professional job at the same time.

You can find local certified roof inspectors at HAAG Engineering or the National Roof Certification and Inspection Association or visit www.theroomedics.com for more information on the process.