Planning can save you in the end

Proper planning give you a better end-product than any cookie cutter buying process you can come up with. Build yourself a plan that will accomplish your goals. Sometimes that plan simply starts by writing down what your goals are and for some it may break down to how a project is engineered and assembled.

Here’s a few core considerations when choosing a new roof.  This list can be adapted to nearly any project.

1. Needs analysis:  What do you want this project to do for you? Have you written it down? If you have a significant other, have you discussed it with them? Are you both on the same page?
2. Marketing is like Make-up.  Is it real? You don’t know. Great marketing can make any roof look like a supermodel, but what will be the long term benefit to you? Did your contractor come out with a pretty brochure or packet designed to have you re-reference their company or their products after the appointment? Does a pretty packet make for a better roof? Or did it either drive up the price, or make a company cut corners in other places so they can print off an unbelievably nice packet?
3. Define your partners in this project. People who live in your house, manufacturers, contractors and maybe even suppliers will pull together to make a decision. Is that decision right for you?
4. Assess warranty claims: How many friends do you have that have successfully attempted to file a warranty claim? Did it ever come to fruition or did the warranty do what the attorneys and actuaries wanted it to do for the corporation who manufactured your roof? Think of things differently. Are you buying into a company claim designed to maximize a shareholder price or are you buying something for your family?
5. Choosing your Contractor: Are they local, small or family owned? Or are they owned by a bunch of venture capitalists? If you plug their address into whatever navigation software you use on your phone, how long will it take you to get to their shop? Are they claiming they have a shop but it’s really just an office, a closet or maybe even a PO Box? Are they repping for a manufacturer or are they assembling a product designed for your house?  Did you read the Google reviews? Is the oldest review just as old as the company that is claiming they have x-years of experience or y-years in business? If a project went sideways, how did they handle it?
6. Understand ventilation: While the average roof in Wisconsin lasts 18 to 20 years, some roofs will last significantly shorter and some will last significantly longer. A hot roof (unventilated) will cook, and a cool roof will last longer. Does your roof vent out with active ventilation to draw moist air out of the attic, year round or does it work with passive ventilation which relies on convection which primarily works in hot weather months?  Some roofs are simply designed to be a “hot roof” which means they are not ventilated and consequently their shingles do not last as long, but they are then typically insulated from the underside of the decking. We once spoke with a Lomanco rep and despite being the nations best ventilation manufacturer, he told me that he believed that as much as 90% of roofers don’t know how to ventilate a roof. Seeing as many incorrectly calculated and installed ridge vents as we have, I’m inclined to agree with him.

There is no plan that is fool proof and you cannot automagically divine yourself the perfect project.  Further, you have to understand what is actually necessary information that will allow you to advance your project to fruition, versus falling into the “analysis paralysis” trap where you constantly second guess yourself and find yourself starting over. Think of it as a person with OCD who is walking down a sidewalk but won’t step on a crack because they’ve convinced themselves that it will break their mother’s back. It’s not logical but some people can’t help themselves.

If you’re comparing 2 or 3 contractors …

It’s not a terrible thing to write down what you liked and disliked about them immediately after your appointment. Understand that a good contractor is probably looking at you as well and deciding whether you’re someone they want to work with. For instance, if a good contractor knows that you’re getting 5 estimates it might be a red flag for them as well. They know the average homeowner only remembers the last two contractors. With an 80% failure rate for roofers after just 2 years, a good roofer will probably catch that and recognize that those types of customers have very little chance of selecting them. It’s a hard lesson for someone starting a roofing company but it is a statistical fact.

However, if you educate yourself on what your needs are, and find a contractor who knows their stuff, your chances of having a durable roof are maximized.