When you’re planning a roofing project one of the most important factors is your budget. In order to stay on budget you may consult multiple companies for estimates. The specifications of your roof are the same but each company provides a different estimate. There are a lot of factors that go into an estimate because every roofing company varies in size, overhead, suppliers, business model, and in dedication to or avoidance of best business practices.
The first type of company you receive an estimate from is a local guy with a truck and a few workers that do all of the work. He provides you with an extremely inexpensive estimate which could cost you later, here's why. Due to their inexperience or unacceptable business practices many small companies like these don’t have certification or endorsement from roof manufacturers. Proper business practices include having the right insurance, having the right people doing the work, having those people covered by workers compensation, and that they have a track record of paying their workers and suppliers. The suppliers include the porta potty company, dumpster company, roofing supplier, sheet metal company, and any other supplier used to aid in your roof project. If they don’t pay their workers or suppliers the reality is either one could put a lien on the property. What is a lien? A lien is a claim or legal right against assets that are typically used as collateral to satisfy a debt. Even though you paid the roofing company you could still pay more to remove the lien. If you choose to work with a small company like this, check that their insurance is in force and make absolutely sure to get a lien release waiver from all of the workers and suppliers.
The second type of company you receive an estimate from is a large reputable roofing company with an established office, company vehicles, and a great online presence. This company has had significant market penetration allowing them to quickly expand their business which results in tremendous costly overhead. What is overhead? Overhead is the ongoing business expenses not directly attributed to creating a product or service. Examples of overhead are any buildings they own, warehouses, insurances, company vehicles, equipment, installers, salespeople and support staff. The ratio of support staff to production staff is much higher. Many of these large companies can have overhead that’s unbelievably high putting pressure on them to rely on tremendous amounts of volume to keep afloat. The quality of work suffers because selling jobs is now the top priority. Additionally, it’s important to note that all expenses a business has, goes into the price of what they sell. All of these things that add to the overhead directly affect the price that they have to sell their products for. These large companies are not paying their inflated overhead out of their pocket, they're paying for it out of your pocket!
The third type of company you receive an estimate from is a medium size reputable roofing company with a local office, some company vehicles, and a comforting online presence. One of the many benefits to working with a medium sized roofing company is their limited overhead allows their pricing structure to be better than the price gouging structure of many larger companies. Even though these companies differ in size, they have an equal level of competence, experience, and quality installations. Doing business with a medium sized company has all the benefits of doing business with a larger company but because of their streamlined operation their pricing is typically much more affordable.
As a medium sized company Superior Roofing and Siding is exactly the size company you want to do business with. We have a trusted roof manufacturer with an incredible roofing system. We have demonstrated proficient installations of Atlas Systems prompting Atlas to recognize our excellence and elect us the Silver Pro Select status which allows us to offer an extended prorated warranty. Superior has a very limited overhead with a local office, some company vehicles, but no unnecessary support staff. This eliminates the need for high pressure sales tactics and allows us to focus on the quality of the installations. Superior has the competence, experience, and confidence to provide you with the best estimate for your project.