Competition is usually a good thing when it comes to getting services for your home as it forces companies to compete for your business, driving costs down. Unfortunately, it can also promote the “race to the bottom” where someone is always ready to accept a lower fee for a service. This causes many to only look at the cost and not the value being delivered leading to many dissatisfied customers in the long run.
Roofing does not fit the “cheaper is better” paradigm. “You get what you pay for” is a more apt description of the dynamics of the roofing market. Installing high-quality roofing systems that you can trust to last for decades and beyond is one of our goals but it’s not usually the cheapest option. Hiring the absolute lowest cost roofing company will carry with it many costs that are not seen at the bidding table.
1. Low-quality materials
When taking on a “lowball” job, many times roofing companies will use the lowest grade option available, leaving you with work that may look fine to the naked eye, but will not stand the test of time and weather.
2. Incomplete work
This company may not even be able to complete the work that is promised to you in their proposal. This can mean that either the work does not get completed (incomplete underlayment, valley work, missing flashing or bad ventilation, among others) or they may end up with additional charges or change orders you did not expect. This tactic is a means to get you into the job before revealing the true “higher” cost.
3. Poor roofing skills
Inexpensive roofing laborers tend to be poorly qualified compared to professionals because they do not have the skillset to do the job well. This can be due to the fact that they are not as committed to quality and maintaining their reputation as professional roof installers and also because they have never bothered to train to learn the correct techniques as approved by the material manufacturers. Either way, you can end up with a bad product that will not perform how you expect it to.
4. Lack of certification
Quality roof laborers all carry the proper certifications showing that they are approved to install materials under the correct conditions so you will enjoy the benefits the manufactuers warranty. Cheap roofers usually do not carry those credentials, or they carry the bare minimum. A credential does not mean quality work will necessarily be done, but it’s a sign of someone that takes care to follow the proper steps. Credentials can help ensure your installers know the latest building codes and latest roofing technology changes. Not having this training can lead to not qualifying for an insurance payout in case of an incident or having outdated materials installed.
5. Absence of warranty or guarantee
Cheap roofers may not offer a warranty or guarantee after the sale, and if they do, they may not honor it. They may not even be in contact after the completion of work because a roofer with a poor track record may not be in business for very long. Many times, these companies will close down and reopen under a different name to try to avoid honoring warranties and dodging bad reviews.
6. No customization
Every roofing project is different – there are no identical projects that we’ve ever come across. That’s why we have to price every project in person and cannot apply broad strokes to every project we see. But, cheap roofers will give you a low price based on the size of the roof without allowing for bad boards, leak issues, chimney work or any other problems that are commonly encountered during a roofing project. This will lead to incomplete work, change orders or work that is not done properly.
All of these costs add up to making your roofing job much more expensive than originally planned, making these lowball offers a bad idea. If you’d like to hire the best roofing installers in Michigan that have access to the best roofing materials in the world, give us a call at 888-776-1998 or request an estimate here.