Choosing The Right Roofing Contractor

By Author: Mike Wolfe
Total Articles: 1
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When it comes to roofing, most people say get in the local builder. This could be the biggest mistake you could make. Roofing is a specialised trade and should be treated as such. The local builder may be quite proficient at roofing, but then again he may not be. General builders are jack-of-all-trades; they are bricklayers, plasterers, window fitters and much more.

A reputable roofing contractor is a specialist in roofing, he may specialise in all types of roofing, while some only work on flat roofs and some will only work on slate and tile. It is normally the larger company that specialises in industrial roofing and cladding.

A reputable roofing contractor will know the pitfalls of the work he is contracted to do, he will also be able to explain to you in plain English why certain work has to be carried out to make the roof both safe and watertight.

For instance, if you have a slate roof at the moment and would prefer a concrete tiled roof, you may think that it is a straightforward job replacing ...
... one with the other. Wrong, concrete tiles are much heavier than slate, therefore your roof will require strengthening. Bolting extra pieces of timber on every second or third roof truss does this. If this were not carried out you would notice in a year or two that your roof had developed a bow, after a period of time this could lead to a complete collapse.

If you look at some old peg tiled properties you will notice that they often have a bow, peg tiles are very heavy and when you consider the many thousands that are used to cover a roof area the weight is tremendous. Look inside the roof voids of these properties and you will see that the timbers used in the old days were mostly oak or in some cases complete trunks of immature trees. Over a period of many years these timbers have changed shape due to the weight of the tiles and the weakening of the timbers by wood boring insects, i.e.: woodworm. The various councils now list many of these properties and even when they are renovated the shape of the roof could remain the same, but you will find that all the roof timbers have been strengthened to prevent further movement.

In order to prevent any problem arising, your roofing contractor and surveyor should work together to ensure that all safety aspects are fully covered. Remember, your roof is one of the most vital parts of you property, it should be regularly inspected and minor repairs carried out as they occur, in the long run this could save you being faced with a repair bill running into thousands of pounds.

Who is reputable?

The last time I used a roofing contractor he turned out to be a cowboy. How many times have you heard that? He knocked at my door and told me my ridge tiles are in a dangerous condition. He was on the roof for twenty minutes and charged me £350:00. I hear horror stories every day from members of the public.

Unfortunately the roofing industry is infested with rip off merchants, you only have to watch the news to see that when the tornado hit the south coast the police had to set up road blocks to keep the cowboy roofers out. It seems that these people are just waiting for a disaster to happen so they can cash in.

Rule number one is never ever employ a door- knocker, these are the worst of their kind. The usual type of people who will knock on your door are travellers, they are tarmac layers in the summer and roofing contractors in the winter. They will normally want cash payments and in extreme conditions have been known to forcibly take you to your bank to withdraw the cash.

Even if you look through the yellow pages, whom do you choose? Behind many of those impressive adverts lies a firm of cowboys just waiting for you to call. You may think that a company is reputable because the advert has trade association logos all over it, don't be fooled by that, many of the companies using trade association logos are not and have never been members of any trade association.

I would advise you always to ring the trade association first to see if your contractor is an approved member. The yellow pages have dedicated two pages in the back of every book to trade associations; their telephone numbers and addresses are now published.

In truth, the majority of roofing contractors are reputable; it is the minority that give the industry a bad name.

How can I ensure that a roofing contractor is reputable?

The Confederation of Roofing Contractors was formed in 1985 to protect the general public against unscrupulous roofing contractors. Since then the Confederation has expanded to become an elite organisation specialising in the provision of roofing services to all market sectors.

Members of the Confederation are totally committed to providing all clients with a quality driven service that reflects good craft skills, working practices and reasonable fees. A strict vetting procedure ensures that only reputable roofing contractors are afforded membership, the fringe element is totally excluded.

The Confederation have approved members in most areas of the country, a list of members in your area is available by phone, fax, or letter.

Today's reputable roofing contractors not only have to have a vast knowledge of roofing, they have to be well versed in all aspects of health & safety, another reason why you should not employ a door knocker with a ladder on his shoulder. Health & Safety regulations today are very stringent, gone are the days when a man could climb a ladder with his mate at the bottom holding it in position. Today, scaffolding is a vital part of the roofing contractors equipment, erecting and dismantling it is also a skill. It is also your duty to provide adequate safety precautions to comply with current health and safety regulations. Your contractor should make you aware of this need.

Members of the Confederation of Roofing Contractors are instructed to supply sufficient information at the commencement of a contract to satisfy client needs. This information should include rates/total price/extra over items, technical information and additional options, if relevant.

Each quotation for the general public must reflect their limited technical knowledge. All wording should be self-explanatory and avoid over technical bias. Care is taken to describe exactly what the quotation covers.

Every effort is made to finish contracts on time, to price agreed, to the total satisfaction of the client.

What if my roof starts leaking and the contractor has ceased trading.

Unfortunately this happens time and again, you often find that when you need a repair carried out under the terms of your guarantee, your contractor has either ceased trading, disappeared or is trading under a different name. You are then left with another bill to pay to have the roof repaired.

By using a member of the Confederation of Roofing Contractors you need never worry about this happening to you. All members are able to offer an exclusive fully insured 10-year back up guarantee. This covers you in the event of the contractor ceasing trading for any reason whatsoever; it even covers you if the contractor retires.

The insurance backed guarantee covers both domestic and commercial properties; there is no limit as to the cost of the contract.

The Confederation of Roofing Contractors is available to assist you with any problems you may have with your roof, even if your contractor is not a member. They exist to protect you and will give you any advice you may need.