In this episode, we discuss how to pick a reputable roofing company and a reputable roofer in Houston. Joel Patzke, Founder of Trueworks Roofing™ shares the questions you should ask and what you should look for when picking a Houston roofing company to work with.

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are you considering investing in a new roof then?

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Welcome to the Houston ripper podcast, where we take a deep dive into the

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Interviews answer all of your roofing questions and provide a buyer's

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Now here's your host.

Hi, everyone.

Welcome back to Houston roofer.

And today I'm here with Joel and we are going to be talking about.

How to pick a reputable roofing company because there's so

many companies out there.

And I think it's really important for consumers to have a clear understanding

of what are some of the questions that they need to be asking and how do they

really go about making the right decisions so that they can feel good about it,

and they can get the best job done that they need, and they get their needs

fulfilled for the type of exact roof that really makes sense for their budget.

It makes sense for their home.

It makes sense for their life.

All of those things.

So, Joel, I know that you are the perfect person to answer this, but

you know, there's obviously like thousands of roofers out there and,

you know, from a customer viewpoint, it can be really confusing because

typically what they're going to do, they're going to go to Google.

They're going to type in a key word.

They're going to look for a roofing company.

R maybe they saw someone driving a truck, whatever it happens to be.

But I think that overall, when you look at every roofer website, a lot of

the content it's going to be the same.

It's going to be O free quote, and it's going to be some of the same stuff.

So let's really take a deep dive into educating.

You know, potential clients were in there in the market to either get their roof

replaced or even something minor like roof repairs, or maybe they had storm damage.

How do they go about picking a roofer that's reputable.

So, you know, let's start with maybe what are some, some things

that they really need to look for.

Yeah.

Thanks Denville.

So this is obviously really important.

This is going to be a quick episode, but we'll go through some really

great tips on if you're in that buying decision or nearing there,

it can be really overwhelming.

So how do you do that?

What are some things you can ask them?

What are some things you need to make sure that they have?

So to start off, there's certain states that require a license to be a roofer.

If you live in one of those states, Obviously, I mean,

that's really first priority.

Number one, you want to make sure that they have their proper license,

so that's going to protect you.

And it's just a very important thing to do for us here in Texas.

That that's not a requirement yet.

We don't.

Uh, official state licensing for roofing contractors, which it's not

ideal for the client, in my opinion.

Whereas in Florida or California, there's very strict requirements

to then, and really hard test.

And you know, there's a lot of vetting that goes into.

Getting that license.

And there's a lot of responsibility that goes into maintaining that license.

We don't have that here in Texas.

So it's a little bit of the wild west, so it can be even a little

more confusing for the homeowner.

So of course, you know, as you mentioned, I mean, checking out

all the reviews is fantastic.

That's a good place to start.

And then if you're in a state and that doesn't require a license,

well, what, what do they have?

Okay, so getting.

A certification from a manufacturer that says they're manufacturers certified.

That's nice.

Uh, you definitely want to make sure that they have that.

Sometimes that can be pretty easy to get though.

The manufacturer is very happy to give a certification to someone

who's going to sell their product.

So they may not go through the strictest requirements to get that certification.

Now, some other things that you could look for, for instance, You know,

for us here in Texas, since we know that there's not a state license, we

take it upon ourselves to really be as proactive as possible to get the

strictest licensing that we possibly can.

So there's roofing contractors, association of Texas.

That's a fantastic organization.

They vetted us.

It wasn't a.

Pay to play, pay to be a member and get a badge type of thing.

They looked at our insurance, they called, you know, made sure

that we had the proper insurance.

They looked at our reviews.

They called some of our homeowners and asked about their experience.

They looked at our financials.

There was things, a real vetting process.

So if you're in Texas, make sure that your contractor is a member of.

Our cat roofing contractors association of Texas.

And we'll be interviewing somebody from our cat on a later episode.

There's another one for here, just in Houston and that's Houston area,

roofing contractors association.

And so that's specific to Houston, but they're a sub member of our cat.

And again, you know, if you're ever.

Waving a deductible, for instance, you're kicked out of our cat.

There's a lot of things that you can do as a contractor that are

a little bit, you know, shady or whatever that will instantly get

you kicked out of the organization.

So they are strict as to who they allow to be member.

They want it to be.

A reputable licensing body.

And so their, requirements are very stringent and that's

going to help the client.

So our cat, their parka, our Houston area, roofing contractors association

for us specifically, then they're going to check your, want to check your, you

know, the manufacturer certification.

Now you're going to definitely going to want to check their insurance,

asked to see a copy of their insurance.

We voluntarily provide that a copy of their insurance call.

You know, a big question after that is, do they sub out their work?

Do they use subs?

What about their insurance?

You know, because that's a big question.

You could be talking to a roofing company.

Yeah.

You see their liability.

Let's say.

But they're subbing out their work to who are they subbing out their work to

has a great, fantastic question to ask.

What about the reviews?

What about the relationship?

How long have they worked with that sub and do they have insurance?

This is all things that's going to protect you as the homeowner for, you know, and

really guide you in your buying decision.

Some other things that to be thoughtful of and that you can

look for and that you can ask is.

And you could go on a site like, like next door, for instance, and find

out who your neighbors have used.

That's always an ask about their experience because it's a little more

personal than just a Google review.

So we love next door and that's your neighborhood community.

And, you know, we have a lot of great reviews on next door and you know,

if somebody is taking the time out to say, Hey neighbors, I use this company.

They're fantastic.

I think that speaks volumes and that I think.

Is very good.

I would say another thing is ask for a list of some roofs that

they've done in your area that you can drive by and take a look at.

I think, you know, ask even for a couple of homeowners and that you could.

And, you know, any good roofing company's going to have a list like that.

And those homeowners are going to be happy to do that.

So those are some fantastic, just kind of introductory tips that you could go off.

So that's like your ground wine base research, you know,

and, and it's really important.

You do a lot of research on.

Where to go eat a good steak.

So you're reading reviews and things like that.

So this is your roof.

It's a big, big deal, a big, big purchase.

So doing your due diligence to make sure that you're sifting through, you

know, where it's just not based only on price, who's going to give me the

cheapest deal or whose sales pitch.

You know, real glossy, they haven't real down.

You know, you want to make sure that you're crossing all your T's and dotting

all your I's and doing your due diligence.

So after you've done all those basic things, make sure they

have their certifications and licenses and things like that.

Then you're going to want to ask them to come to your home, ask

them to come to your property.

Okay.

When they get there, the first one big clue.

Do they do an attic inspection?

If you have a residential home?

Well, do they do an attic inspection?

We can just start right there.

There's a lot of contractors that don't even come to your

home to do an inspection.

They're just sending a quote out.

Well, that would be a big red flag to me.

I would not trust that contractor.

Okay.

So cause anybody can spit out a number.

Your home is.

Your home has unique differences.

When we go, we do 150 point hour long thorough inspection, because

this is what's going to help us solve this homeowners issue.

The best is to know all the details, all the little issues, all the little curves.

Twist in their valleys.

The first thing that we do is we go into the attic and we

want to check their ventilation.

I think it's a fantastic question to ask your contractor.

If they understand ventilation now, as a homeowner, we'll have

a whole episode for ventilation.

Okay.

So that you guys can nerd out and understand the science of

how to properly ventilated.

80%.

I would say if the homes in Houston are severely under ventilated, okay.

Your contractor needs to know the science behind ventilation and they

need to know the net square areas.

That is a scientifically supposed to be as far as your intake and outtake

to properly ventilate your attic.

Okay.

If they can tell you all.

Accurately then you're on the right track.

And I would continue that conversation at that point.

You're going to want to talk to them about safety and make sure they understand

proper OSHA practices, you know, watch, watch them set up the ladder, you know,

make sure that they set it up properly.

Just little things like that, you know, are going to go along.

Now I'll just say overall, you're going to have three real

different types of companies.

Okay.

You'll have your one little handyman guy.

Okay.

We call him Chuck in a truck, let's say, okay, there's nothing wrong with Chuck.

Chuck's a good guy.

Everybody needs a Chuck, you know, to come fix a light bulb or something like that.

Come repair a little thing.

Now, when it comes to your room, That may not be your best option.

Okay.

Because if something goes wrong, that's the kind of person that sometimes they

may not have the proper insurances.

They may go out of business.

They may not answer their phone.

They may move states.

They may not be around in four or five years to service that warranty

or handle any issues that come up.

Okay.

Now on the complete other scale, you have your huge mega companies.

All right.

These are companies doing tons of.

That's great for them, but it's a great to make money and be successful now.

But for you as the client, what if you're one of 10 roofs to be installed that day?

Okay.

Now, how do you know that you're getting the best installer that they have,

or are you getting their 10th best?

You know, it's a big consideration.

Are you really going to get that personal attention?

Are you really getting, get that concierge type service from that type of a company?

So you really want to find that sweet spot.

And, you know, we like to think that's us here at true works, but

that's really what you're looking for.

That medium size company.

That's big enough to handle all the issues properly, but not so big.

That, you know, you're not the most important thing going on that day

for that company, that you're not the VIP of the day that your roof isn't

getting the full attention of all the important people in that company.

And so that's a lot of information, but I think that can help some

homeowners and business property owners.

Navigate, you know, through some of those decisions.

Yeah.

Thank you so much, Joel.

I mean, I think those are all great tips and things to look out for.

I know you shared a few red flags with us, but like maybe once, like one of the

biggest red flags, like where, you know, consumers really need to be like aware of

then, and be on the alert for, because I think a lot of people, they may not have.

You know, the best intentions, they may not have licenses, but they might be

good at bluffing about certain things.

So what have you found to be maybe one or two things that are, you know, really

big red flags that maybe consumers and customers don't really notice?

Yeah, that's an awesome question.

So.

Big red flags would be knowing some of the common, I guess, shady

practices or tactics that are in the industry that I can kind of

share that can help a homeowner homeowner or business owner avoid.

Right.

So number one is a common tactic in the industry is to come in with a low price.

Okay.

And then use a bunch of the industry term is change order.

So during the.

To say, oh, well, we didn't know about this.

We didn't know about this.

We didn't know about this.

Right.

And ask for more money and you're a little bit at their mercy at that point.

Let's say all your shingles are often, your roof is exposed and

they're saying, well, we need more money because of this, this, this,

this, this, well, what do you do?

You can say no.

And then.

Leave of your PR and you know, you're stuck at that point and you're really

at their mercy and I've heard horror stories about this and, you know, people

calling the cops and the cops will come out and say, well, there's really nothing.

We can do.

What they're doing is not illegal.

It's maybe more.

We would feel, you know, are unethical, but it's not illegal.

And so that's part of that real good thorough inspection is that when we

go out, we want to analyze everything properly so that we can estimate to

the penny, not give a ballpark number.

You know, if you get, let's say you get a ballpark number and it's $25,000.

That's not to the penny.

That's not a well-thought, you know, analyzed estimate.

That's just a number that spit out there hoping, you know, it's lower

than the other numbers you'll sign the deal, and then you're going

to get hit with change orders.

So I would talk to your contractor about change orders and what that,

you know, what their practices, as far as in regards to that.

Oh, so for the, to recap from the audience, like what you were

saying is it's not necessarily.

The lowest offer that you know, is going to be the best for them to go with,

because it's really not in reality, going to end up being the lowest,

it's going to be ended up being a big headache down the road and unexpected

expenses that they didn't plan for.

Versus if someone else like if you come in and you give them a

realistic offer, that's not 25,000.

It might be, you know, 45,295.

But it's a well thought out, quote, based on hundreds of different factors that

go into compiling the quote, what I've noticed is a lot of consumers where they

get into trouble is like they're buying on price and they're not buying on value

right They're not understanding the fact that, you know, like a apple that's been

sitting in the marketplace for like, Two weeks is not the same as a fresh

apple that just came in from the farm.

Right.

They, they, they're not realizing that.

And they're just seeing like, oh, well, this apple is on sale for like 39 cents.

And the other apple is on sale for 99.

Yeah.

Right.

And I think that these are eyeopening things that they need to open their

eyes to really be aware of that.

You know, if you're just looking to buy a brand new roof or a roof replacement,

a roof repair job, whatever it is based solely on price, you're really doing

yourself a big disadvantage because you're going to end up with so much heartache

and you might even have to go to court.

A lot of things can happen versus going with a company that.

Reputable that you might have to pay a little bit more for, but at

the end of the game, you're actually going to end up saving money.

I mean, that's how I see it.

Yeah, no, absolutely.

We get stories all the time.

People, I mean, call me, I had a gentleman called me the other day.

We go through a lot of effort to protect someone's property and it's because.

So one of the biggest complaints in the roofing industry.

So we analyze that as a company, all those, you know,

biggest complaints on BBB.

And we said, okay, how are we going to be the solution to this issue?

So we have a netting system called the catch all, and we'll have someone

from catch on a further episode.

Talk about that, why that's important and why homeowners should look for that.

But it's the only solution that's really going to catch every nail.

Right.

That's really good to pretend.

You're expensive landscaping.

And I had a gentleman call me the other day and he, he didn't end up going with

us over a few thousand dollars and that's, I don't want to make light of that.

It's a lot of money, but he called me in kind of a panic.

It was the day of his new install.

And he said, Joel, I just don't know what to do.

I'm so mad at myself.

I didn't go with you guys.

I went with the cheaper option.

They've destroyed my landscaping.

They've destroyed.

There's ruts all in my yard.

They're using different brands of shingles.

I see that they're in different packaging.

This is in a really nice neighborhood on a very nice high-end house.

He said, I probably won't get a warranty.

Will.

I was like, no, sir.

I don't know.

I mean, they're using like leftover shingles or something basically

on this gentleman's house.

And so he just had regret and he said he was going to recommend us to all

of his friends and neighbors, even though he didn't end up going with us.

And, you know, I mean, that's, I love hearing that.

But I felt really bad, you know, because there was nothing I

could really do at that point.

And we get stories like that a lot and it's, it's unfortunate and it's

just, it's a, it's a big purchase.

And so when there is a lower price, sometimes it is tempting

to go with that option.

But it's to your point, long-term not usually the lowest price.

So it just, it just seems that way.

But when you factor in change orders and when you factor in issues and

problems down the road, uh, when you factor in having to replace that

roof again, you know, 10 years after a storm, because they didn't use

a Hale rated roofing system know.

And you got to pay your deductible.

All of those things, it ends up that was actually a much more expensive option for.

Yeah.

And I just have to say it's a heartbreaking experience from people

have to go through that, you know, and I think, and I think that you feel that too.

And, and, and that's why.

One of the reasons why, you know, you launched this podcast, Houston

roofer is to educate people so that they don't make these mistakes and

they make informed buying decisions.

And I think that, you know, if you're listening to the show right

now, like please share it with your neighbors, share it with other Houston

homeowners that you know, and, and those that live in the suburbs because.

Two rigs roofing.

They go out to all of the surrounding suburbs and they go to the Woodlands,

they go to sugar land, they go to Conroe, Katie, you know, you name it.

And obviously you can check out their website in the show notes, but you

know, I think this, this has been a really informative topic to talk about.

So Joel, thank you so much for, you know, sharing with our audience, how they can

really pick a reputable roofing company.

Any last thoughts before we wrap.

Yeah, sure.

I have add one other, just bit of advice.

If a company is asking you for a lot of money upfront, let's say, you

know, 50% down before the material has even been dropped at your doorstep,

that would be a big red flag to me.

And so I've heard horror stories about people paying a contractor,

and then the contractor takes off.

That would be indicative of like a storm.

You know, or something who knocks on your door and, and once your insurance check

and you know, not a trusted local company, our company policy is that we don't take

a penny until after myself or the project manager walks around with the homeowner

and the homeowner tells us that they love.

There new beautiful roof.

And that's when payment is due because we haven't earned it until that point.

And so we fund everything that, not the homeowner paying, you know, for half

for material or whatever, I find it, we find it and then we want to hear that.

And then that's when payment is due.

And so I just, that's a really important policy for us.

So I would search for something like that.

And then other than that, At the end of the day, you just want to

sit down with the owner or someone, you know, that is responsible for

making decisions in the company.

And you just want to look them in the eye and you really want to feel a good

human connection because at the end of the day, after all the certifications

and licenses and, you know, education and a great inspection and all that,

you just want to know that they're a good person and it's, it's hard to know.

You have all those good human intuitions.

If you feel those little red flags going off, you know, those little,

I mean, trust that, you know, and if you're looking him in the eye and you're

like, look, this person is not perfect.

I already know this company is not perfect, but if there was an issue,

would they come back and fix it?

Would they stick their reputation on it?

You know, is this the kind of person that's going to ultimately get

the job done and do what they say?

And, you know, you dive down deep and really get that good feeling about.

Them as a human them as an individual.

And I think that's the cherry on top to making a fantastic decision when you're

trying to hire a roofing contractor.

So I hope that helps.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Follow your intuition.

I love that.

I want to just tap on one more thing that you shared, because I think it's

really important, you know, you should.

How to works roofing operates when it comes to payment.

And I have to say like, I'm pretty sure that's not really like the

norm in the roofing industry.

Right.

So my other question is in the industry, what is considered the norm when it

comes to a client signs up for a new roof, let's say it's like a $35,000 job.

Like, what is the norm that you're seeing industry-wide in, I guess let's

say the Houston or the Texas area.

Sure.

I mean, I really speak to the norm because all the companies are so

different, but I definitely would never hand someone, your ACV check, your

insurance check or anything like that.

I wouldn't sign like a contingency or anything with anybody.

I wouldn't ever pay a contractor until material was delivered to.

My property or home.

And at that point, you know, if they ask for 25% or something like

that, I think that's reasonable.

And I think that's fine.

That wouldn't necessarily be a red flag for me.

It's not what we do, but there's a lot of great reputable companies.

That'll do something along those lines and I think that's okay.

So usually it's like a, you know, if it's a multiple day job for like

a commercial job or something, it's 25% or 30% upon material delivered.

And then you may have a 25 or 30% at completion, and then the remainder

would be once you receive your warranty.

Okay.

So your company warranty, your manufacturer warranty, a final

inspection, let's say from a home inspector or engineer, if

the circumstance calls for that.

And that's when the final payment would be.

Yeah, no, thank you so much for sharing that.

I just wanted to give everyone a perspective on that as well.

So that's important.

So thank you so much.

And you know, we're going to be bringing a lot of other

interesting episodes, great guests.

So make sure that you guys are sharing this with, you know,

all of your homeowner friends.

And just, if anyone's curious to learn more about the roofing industry,

like share Houston river with them.

So thank you so much.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

thank you everyone for listening.

We'll see you next to

thank you for listening to the Houston rougher podcast.

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