Who is Chuck?
When you’re in the construction industry, you hear about this guy. All the time. You don’t have to be around very long either before you hear his name being thrown around (although he has multiple aliases). He’s famous. A legend even.
But not in the Babe Ruth or Robin Hood kind of way.
His name is Chuck. And he owns a truck.
There’s a Chuck in every field; he’s a fierce competitor of reputable businesses everywhere. He swoops in with low prices and grand promises. Unfortunately, he typically doesn’t have the integrity, financial means or know-how to follow through on those promises. If he does follow through, it’s likely due to his taking short cuts or ignoring laws/guidelines for safety and quality.
We’ve been in the roofing industry for almost 30 years now, so we’ve seen our fair share of Chucks come and go. To help consumers navigate our industry a little better, we created a list of 5 things to do to avoid getting stuck with a “Chuck in a Truck.”
- Get two estimates. If the price seems too good to be true…it probably is! Cliche, YES…but there’s a reason why it’s first on the list. How do you know how much to spend on a roof? Price shop, first of all! But also…
- Understand what you need. A price can sound great, but if it’s not what you need, you’re spending money unnecessarily and the actual roof problem may not even get fixed. Do your homework. A detailed estimate is critical. Know exactly what the contractor promises to do, then compare it to a second estimate. If they’re different, have each contractor “defend” his recommendations and price. The best argument wins! If a contractor knows his stuff, he’ll have no problem doing this.
- Hire a professional to inspect your roof and give you a photo report of what they find. Then do it again. If you do this twice and both inspectors find the same thing, you can likely feel confident in their conclusions.
- Ask for references. Find examples of their work. In the spray foam roofing industry, you can’t just set up a trailer and start spraying. It takes years of practice and training to understand the product and its application. A contractor with less than 5 years of experience is worrisome: his application hasn’t had time to prove itself. Meaning, the roof he installed is still new enough to last on it’s own and unhappy customers might not have caught up with him yet. A piece of duct tape will wear down over time…so will a faulty roof system.
- Go with your gut. Sometimes you just get a feeling about someone…trust those feelings! If you’re unsure, do some research. Find reviews from trusted sites like the BBB or call local construction companies and roofing supply stores in the area. They’ll almost always give an unbiased opinion.
The roof over your head is a serious matter! The value of a quality company and the peace of mind they provide will pay off in the end (even if they cost more up front!).
We’d really like to prove the Spray-Tec difference to you! Give us a call or click HERE to have one of our team members contact you.
My apologies to anybody named “Chuck” who isn’t trying to scam people with bad roof jobs…especially if you also own a truck.
Thanks for reading!
Haley