Welcome to our blog. This page is important because many people in the roofing business have absolutely no business being in the roofing business. The huge amount of negative customer reviews on the Internet is mind boggling. You need to stay away from these folks (aka Cowboy Roofers*) and know how to get the best roofing job for the best price possible. This blog will help you do that with fun, informative, and educational factoids about all aspects of roofs and roofing.
*Cowboy Roofers are the folks you should avoid hiring because they put their interests above yours and are marginally to moderately skilled at best. Cowboy roofers give a bad name to the roofing trade and worse yet they give a bad name to the large number of quality-oriented roofing contractors out there. Check out our Hall of Shame for examples of what happens when cowboy roofers get on your roof.
If you have a question that you would like SuperRoofer Joe Sardotz to answer in his blog or FAQs, please complete the Ask SuperRoofer form. Visit Joe's Contact page if you would like Joe to provide roof consulting and inspection services for you.
Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) was hired to find a reliable and customer service-oriented roofing company for a large, ongoing HOA repair/partial reroof project in Beaverton's Avalon Park. We contacted a top long-time local distributor for referrals and also surfed the Internet.
We contacted several long established roofers and provided them with all the necessary information about the project, including photos to show them the scope of work prior to their visiting the property.
The websites of all the contacted roofers proclaimed they are “One of the best in the region” with "excellent customer service." Uh-huh. Reminds me of a lyric line in that Dire Straits song 'Industrial Disease', "Two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong". Keep in mind these are the “Top tier’ companies — supposedly.
Best Roofer #1 in the Region: Roofer was excellent with the initial contact, but it was all downhill after that. The estimator went out twice, and after 15 days and two polite emails requesting bid status, neither the property manager nor ORC has heard from them. No email. No message. Nothing. We would have been better off calling the three gentlemen pictured above. 11/19/13 & still have heard nothing.
The other Best Roofer #1 in the Region: Roofer sent an email after two emails requesting bid status12 days after initial contact advising that their insurance will not allow them to do the work — after 12 days!
The other Best Roofer #1 in the Region: Roofer said “The shingles are too far gone and I am not interested in repairing them (No other roofer said this) but I would be interested in appearing before the Board and explaining my reasons". Keep in mind these shingles are only 16 years old! This roofer was not interested in doing $8,000.00 worth of repairs and helping these people out but he was more than willing to make a pitch for a quarter million $ roofing contract. Kind of disingenuous if you ask me. Elitist.
The other Best Roofer #1 in the Region: Roofer did pretty much what the first Best Roofer #1 in the Region did though this one (did) provide a price for one of the homes that needs attention.........after 13 days......... but not the other 11 homes that were on the detailed list initially sent to them. This roofer was sent three emails requesting bid status. Never received bid after requesting one and waiting 2 1/2 more weeks. Amazing.
None of these #1 Best Roofers in the region were ultimately hired...............................................amazing.....................
If these ‘Professional Roofers’ don’t want to do the work or can’t do the work or are too busy then they should just say so instead of stringing people along who want roof work done before the weather patterns change for the worse. ORC has contacted three more supposedly "best roofers in the region" for a bid. We’ll see how it goes.
The Price Comparison Sheet above is for a residential roofing project that Oregon Roof Consulting is managing (see "Residential roofing job management start to finish"). All bids came from top companies and all were presented with the same installation specifications and shingles to bid.
There is quite a contrast among the bids. We typically recommend tossing out the low bid, but in this case a very qualified vendor placed the low bid.
This roof installation project will be monitored and managed by Oregon Roof Consulting (ORC) to make certain it is done correctly. ORC has saved the homeowner up to $23,000, depending on which vendor, shingles and other options are chosen.
Why the differences in pricing? Some typical reasons include:
Higher overhead from one company to another.
Estimating accuracy. (An estimator can make or break a company).
Some companies want higher profits with each job.
Some companies are busier than others. If busy, they bid high; if slow, they bid low.
Some companies feel that getting 80% of the desired price for a job is better than not getting the job at all.
The bottom line: It isn't enough to just take (or toss) the lowest bid. One needs to be smart about it, know the vendors, know the materials, know the proper roofing techniques, and make sure the roofing contractors follow through on the specifications. Contact Oregon Roof Consulting to help you find the best vendor with the best price and follow-through for your roofing job.
Residential and commercial roofing project consulting in Oregon; Portland Metro, Oregon; Bend, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Washington State; and the Pacific Northwest area. Offering professional roof consulting, inspections, project monitoring, and certifications for property owners and homeowners.
October 31, 2013