I still don't fully understand how roofing companies are structured. It seems like a company has an army of sales guys that may or may not have any experience roofing. And after dealing with the sales guy you have a crew of day laborers or even illegals that are brought on as subs. When I call a number from a website or an advertisement where there are multiple area codes, am I actually getting the same company or some sort of "franchise" that operates under a bigger name.

Please educate me.

So is there really a certified roofer that is on my roof that has been with his company for more than a season?

Are there any companies where I sign a contract with and deal with an owner or the actual foreman of the crew and where the guys on my roof are actually employees of the company?

Any small outfits that:
Have a track record

Have liability AND workers comp

That will give an estimate and if it comes in at or below the ACV first check that they won't try to get more of the insurance money and if it requires putting in for the depreciation won't commit fraud

Where I am dealing with the actual company and not sub contractors or workers that aren't tied to the company.

if the company touts a certification that the workers actually carry that certification.

I am really looking for some insight and an honest company.

Well sir, those type of companies DO exist, it just takes a little digging to find the right one.

You might start asking down at a local supply yard, once you get a few names, get references from your short list of contractors. Talk to people that know people.

Your frustration is understandable, take small steps and all will work out!


ps... too bad you're not any closer to Oregon
_________________
www.premiumroofservicesbend.com

In Texas?

Good luck with all that.
_________________
-Jason
______
ARC Tulsa:
http://www.ARCTulsa.com
http://www.TulsaRoofing.net

ARC Oklahoma city:
http://www.OKCRoofing.net
______

dadcjd wrote:

I still don't fully understand how roofing companies are structured. It seems like a company has an army of sales guys that may or may not have any experience roofing. And after dealing with the sales guy you have a crew of day laborers or even illegals that are brought on as subs. When I call a number from a website or an advertisement where there are multiple area codes, am I actually getting the same company or some sort of "franchise" that operates under a bigger name. Please educate me. So is there really a certified roofer that is on my roof that has been with his company for more than a season? Are there any companies where I sign a contract with and deal with an owner or the actual foreman of the crew and where the guys on my roof are actually employees of the company? Any small outfits that: Have a track record Have liability AND workers comp That will give an estimate and if it comes in at or below the ACV first check that they won't try to get more of the insurance money and if it requires putting in for the depreciation won't commit fraud Where I am dealing with the actual company and not sub contractors or workers that aren't tied to the company. if the company touts a certification that the workers actually carry that certification. I am really looking for some insight and an honest company.

The roofer you are looking for may not advertise.

Ask the local roofing suppliers for the names of a couple "good" roofers.
Or you could call one of your local high end builders and ask who they use, Custom builders usually have pretty decent roofers working for them.
_________________
I don't need no freakin' signature, I Am Roofer.

well one way is to get one of the members here to roof your house.
cerberus is from houston.
any other members close?

gweedo.

H-Town isnt anywhere near DFW. lol


thats like askin you to do a roof in jacksonville.
_________________
-Jason
______
ARC Tulsa:
http://www.ARCTulsa.com
http://www.TulsaRoofing.net

ARC Oklahoma city:
http://www.OKCRoofing.net
______

Hello,

You can search over internet for finding roofing experts in texas.i suppose Searching over search engine is better to ask from here.

Keep Sharing & Reading!
_________________
Quality Roofing
Colorbond Adelaide

area? I definitely have some referrals, that you will be very happy with.

I am a single mom in the Flower Mound area, and recently had my home re-roofed.
However, I learned everything to hard way.
I ended up having such ridiculous roofing issues, MY CONTRACTOR, is Getting READY TO RE_ROOF MY ENTIRE HOME FOR THE 2nd TIME IN 1 Month

Long story short, my contractor dropped the ball big time on my project,& now they are having to completely replace my entire roof, decking included, all over again.

During the roofing project, there were some red flags that surfaced that made me very uncomfortable. All I can say is, my contractor underestimated my capabilities of networking, researching, & educating myself about the roofing industry over that 3 day time span. I happen to be very dedicated and determined when it comes to getting jobs done/completed on my home.

Guess he thought I was going to just hand over the check, with no questions asked. Unfortunately for them, that is not what happened.

Like I said, I spent 3 days doing nothing but networking, educating myself about roofs, contractors, & TX protocol/standards.



This site was a small blessing & a wealth of information. I met some great contractors on here, that helped me get through this entire ordeal to date. I can honestly say, there is no way I could have done it w/o them. These contractors dedicated their personal time and knowledge over to me, & filled me with pertinent information and ammunition so I could confront my contractor and get my roofing job done right.

Even though my story is an extreme case, the volunteer contractors walked me through everything, and advised me exactly what to do, & how to get results from my contractor so I would not be stuck with a crappy roof.
With all that being said, since I was able to hold my own with my contractor, they have now agreed to replace my entire roof all over again. (incl my decking)
Hopefully they will be starting on my project sometime later this week.

So, I would love to give you the names of the contractors from this site, that helped save me in my situation. To me, it is very apparent that they conduct their roofing business with the utmost pride, honesty & integrity, and are dedicated to the home owner as a client. My only regret is that I did know about them months ago, back when I was originally searching for a contractor.



Thanks & best of luck
_________________
Home Owner

Back to the original question:

You'll find me & my crew on houses w/ roofs less than 5 yrs old--- either replacing or repairing.

So stop on by........

In the Dallas area most of the roofing contractors sub contract the roofing work to “crews”. This keeps there cost down and if they are not good managers, they will have no quality control. Some have agreements with crews that they will only work for them. Although I figure that is only as good as their word. In Texas, I do not believe there is any licensing board for roofers and that really does no protect the home owner anyway. Also, in my area there is no building inspection required either. And even if there was, that really does not offer much protection to the home owner either. The best way to find a good roofer is by word of mouth. And the best word of mouth referrals are those who had issues and how the roofing contractor handled the issues.

I have had two experiences with roofing contactors and these two re-roofs had issues. Both contractors are based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. One re-roof was done in Dallas/ Forth Worth area and the other in Orlando Fl. One contractor was upstanding and the other a major failure.

Horn Brothers Roofing stepped up to the plate and resolved install issues. The owner is outstanding and even showed up to resolve the issues. He actually did some of the repairs himself. Easy to get a hold of and quick to respond.
Here is the story:
http://www.diychatroom.com/f9/shingle-installation-f5s-standard-drip-edge-14683/
They repaired and went beyond satisfying my concerns with the installation.


A complete stay away from company is: Needham Re-Roofing. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. The experience with this company was a complete disaster. They installed a roof on our FL home and it has leaked from day one. They have sent out handymen, joke for roofers to slop roofing tar (exposed open on top shingles and does not fix leaks). Return 1 out of 50+ phone calls. Make promises to replace improper work and items not to code, but never follow through. They either do not return building inspector calls or give him lip service. They have been turned into the FL state licensing board.
You can see the story here:
http://www.diychatroom.com/f9/ridge-vent-cause-massive-leaks-54697/
Notice the damage to the ceilings!


Some people believe checking the BBB for a good rating or complaints at their local BBB is the end of checking out a roofer. This can be very misleading. For example, Needham Re-Reroofing has a decent record in the Dallas area, but if you look at cities throughout FL, there are numerous complaints.

Those are my two experiences with roofing companies.
Good luck

dadcjd wrote:

I still don't fully understand how roofing companies are structured. It seems like a company has an army of sales guys that may or may not have any experience roofing.

For the larger companies, this is almost always the case around here (north D/FW suburbs).

dadcjd wrote:

And after dealing with the sales guy you have a crew of day laborers or even illegals that are brought on as subs.

This happens, but is uncommon unless you are going with the lowest bidder and it is way below the average or way below the insurance estimate. However, I would estimate 98% of the legimate quality roofing here is done on a subcontracted basis. Most roofers can't afford to carry employees through the winter slowdown.

dadcjd wrote:

When I call a number from a website or an advertisement where there are multiple area codes, am I actually getting the same company or some sort of "franchise" that operates under a bigger name.

It could be either way. Even in this day of almost universally free long distance calling, many people will still only call a "local" number. Sometimes it is because they feel safer that way, and sometimes it is because they don't want to pay for the call. I have numbers in different "local" area codes that all forward to the same phone. "Local" for us means about 2 hours RADIUS, so the phone numbers make a difference.

dadcjd wrote:

Please educate me. So is there really a certified roofer that is on my roof that has been with his company for more than a season?

"certified roofer", in Texas, is a very overloaded term. There is no state licensing for roofing contractors here. Certification is going to be from a manufacturer, possibly for specific installation instruction and possibly for passing a review of business history.

dadcjd wrote:

Are there any companies where I sign a contract with and deal with an owner

Quite a few, but you won't find them on billboards, because they are small "boutique" firms that operate almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals.

dadcjd wrote:

or the actual foreman of the crew and where the guys on my roof are actually employees of the company?

As explained above, not very likely. The crew is going to be a subcontractor. If the roofer is doing less than $0.5M gross per year, then he'll probably have one crew, or one crew "broker" that he deals with all the time. The "broker" is a guy who owns his own trucks and trailers, will sometimes keep drivers on as employees, sometimes keep foremen on as employees, but re-subs the labor to crews with their own vehicles and tools.

dadcjd wrote:

Any small outfits that: Have a track record

Yes. You can ask for customer refs, but you have to be sure you are getting unbiased refs (e.g. they don't get a $$ bonus if you sign the deal). Call or check the web for the local BBB where the roofer is based, as well as where the work is to be performed. It is not a guarantee that every high BBB rating means you'll have a good experience with that company, but it is a very good bet. The BBB drops companies all the time because of excessive complaints, fraudulent advertising, etc. They will report complaints for companies that are members as well as for those that are not members, but you'll get more info on the member companies.

dadcjd wrote:

Have liability AND workers comp

Not nearly as common as most would think. Many very good small companies will only carry liability ins. if the particular job requires it (and most do not require it). Unless the subs are de facto / statuary employees, there won't be any workers' comp.

dadcjd wrote:

That will give an estimate and if it comes in at or below the ACV first check

This hardly ever happens with a good roofing company. The insurer is (or should be) issuing estimates within the reasonable local market range for good quality warranted work. They cannot sustain their business if they overpay for the work. The ACV should be far short of the cost of the job, because it has been reduced by the Deductible and by Depreciation. With 1% and 2% deductibles most common, and with depreciation holdback, the only roofers that can afford to do a roof for the ACV are those who are cheating (e.g., skip the tear-off) or are using stolen materials (this is actually a VERY BIG problem in this area - one local supplier was recently hit for $17,000 in shingles in one night, took better security measures, and then got hit AGAIN a week later - the nice new bundled palleted materials on your driveway may be "hot")

dadcjd wrote:

that they won't try to get more of the insurance money and if it requires putting in for the depreciation won't commit fraud

It's pretty hard for a roofer to defraud the insurer if you 1) check the job to see that the scope is followed, and 2) make sure that no check is cut directly to the roofer without your name being on it. Otherwise, fraud pretty much required complicity on the part of the insured homeowner.

dadcjd wrote:

Where I am dealing with the actual company and not sub contractors or workers that aren't tied to the company.

See above.

dadcjd wrote:

if the company touts a certification that the workers actually carry that certification.

It's pretty hard for you to know this, unless you call the company issuing the certification.

dadcjd wrote:

I am really looking for some insight and an honest company.

I have to AGREE & without a doubt >>>>>>>>>>>> ShortEdge is 100% correct when stating that just because people check out Roofing Companies and Contractors via the BBB, and find a good rating.... that is not a guarantee your roofing job will be done correctly.

It really isnt worth a flip at all!!!


I have just personally experienced extreme difficulties with a company that has A+ ratings per the BBB.

In my situation, I literally went from a somewhat bad roof, to a newly installed WORSE ROOF!!

Unfortunately, I am still attempting to rectify this situation with the contracted roofer.

So do not think, just because a company has a good rating with BBB, its a clear go ahead.

All I can say as a home owner, You need to be home when they install your roof, and intermittently watch watch watch......everything they are doing.
IF you dont understand something they are doing..
DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS.

I can assure you........You Do Not Want to be Where I am at Right Now.

Best of Luck!!
_________________
Home Owner

I'm here to tell you- very few companies have crews as employees. It is cost prohibitive. Subcontracting is the nature of construction work.

I own a company in DFW. My crew is subcontracted. I do have workmen's comp and liability. Yes, there are a lot of bad companies but you can usually do your homework and avoid these.

Good luck.

Very few roofing companies are certified in Houston. Its better to ask them to show their certification, customer references. Go through their website you will know pretty much about that company
_________________
Rod, Subcontractor
281-883-2692
http://www.rocketroofingcorp.com
Professional Roofing Contractor in Houston, TX with 20 years of experience in roofing industry. Free estimate, inspection and great warranties.

Hey guys, I am new to the forum. I feel like I know alot of you as I have been checkin in for about a month now. I own a roofing company in bucks county Pa. We are about 30 minutes outside Philly. This is my 5th year in biz. We are a full service Roofing, Siding and Gutter company. I Hope I can ad to a great Forum. Thanks Ron Reilly