Contractor Tips Blog

Jan
28

What to do if Your Roof has Storm Damage

Posted in Roofing

Winter storms are notorious for roof damage. Whether your roof is damaged from a falling limb or tree, or wind and hail do their part to ruin your roof, getting it repaired is crucial. A damaged roof can quickly lead to water leaks and expensive water or mold damage in your home. So what do you do when you think your roof has been damaged from a storm? Here are a few tips.

  • Call your insurance company. In many cases roof damage from a storm can be covered under your home insurance policy. If you think you may have damage from a recent storm, call your insurance agent and find out what coverage you have available.
  • Get coverage for your roof. If there is obvious damage, you need to have protection immediately to avoid water damage to your home. Call your local roofing contractor to have your roof inspected and temporary protection added to your roof. They can also help you negotiate repairs and cost coverage with your insurance company.
  • Avoid storm chasers. There are unscrupulous companies that take advantage of homeowners with roof damage. These ‘storm chasers’ often show up at homes with obvious roof damage and offer to repair the roof quickly and affordably. Unfortunately, they often also take the money and run, or do a poor quality fix on roofs, leaving the homeowner with a large expense.

Having a trustworthy, local roofing contractor on your side is your best option when you have storm roof damage. Make sure to choose a contractor that is located in your area and has a stellar reputation with many years of experience.

Posted on behalf of:
Atwood Home Builders
227 W 8th Ave
Homestead, PA 15120
(412) 638-1262

Jul
4

When a Roofing Contractor Knocks on Your Door

Posted in Roofing

The May 25 hailstorms have brought waves of fly by night roofers to the Dayton, Ohio area, especially hard hit Centerville and Xenia.  These storm chasers have a reputation for shoddy work, high pressure sales tactics, and unscrupulous practices.

Conventional wisdom is to avoid using any roofing contractor that shows up uninvited at your door.  Most of the time this is good advice.  Storm chasers don’t have a local reputation, they don’t get any referrals from satisfied customers, and they are not in an area long enough for advertising to be effective. The primary way storm chasers get business is by sending high pressure salesmen to knock on doors and use scare tactics to sign up new roofing contracts. 

On the other hand, the reputable local roofing contractors are so busy they don’t need to use door to door salesmen to get new work.  Good local roofing contractors with a solid reputation for high quality work get most of their business from referrals from satisfied customers. 

With that said, there may be some instances when a reputable local roofer is working in a neighborhood and takes a few minutes to knock on the doors of neighboring houses if it looks like they may have had hail damage but have not had their roof replaced. 

The bottom line is to use your common sense in these situations.  Don’t sign a contract with the first roofer that knocks on your door.  Get their business information and check them out like you would any other business.  Look at their vehicle to see if the name of the business name and license number is painted (not just a magnetic stick on sign) on the side.  If everything checks out, then you can hire them with confidence.

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