Why Walker Roofing is the #1 Choice in Port Orange: The Politics of Roofing
We see the war in our media of which side is right and which side is wrong; each one is trying to persuade us they are right. Believe it or not, there is a war in the roofing industry about true and false information about pricing and bidding jobs with the customer paying the price for choosing wrong. How is it possible that bids can be between $2500 and $3000 different on the same house?
We at Walker Roofing located in Port Orange, Florida will try to give some examples why the true professionals seem to be higher in their prices and why we are still in business while the other companies have collapsed. You would be surprised at the number of repair bids we submit on roofs that are under warranty by other companies only to be told by the customer they are no longer in business.
To operate a company that gives warranties you must plan that things are likely going to happen. This requires a budget and staff to complete the repairs. How many companies will say “we don’t do repairs”? That is a warning sign.
Beachside work, specifically, reveals companies cutting corners. We have bid against companies using galvanized nails and painted galvanized drip edge. Our company uses stainless steel nails and aluminum drip edge. These two items alone cost around $1000 per roof. A box of regular nails cost $45 as opposed to stainless steel nails which is over $200 per box. That is a warning sign.
We are hearing horror stories of companies that geared up after Hurricane Ian. Roofing companies were bidding cheaply and then realized they were barely scraping by. Then they hired more sales staff to increase their volume of work. After paying these salespeople, the companies went deeper into debt. They started taking deposits from customers from current contracts to pay for materials on houses that were already complete. They would then get a few more weeks of work out of their crews, promising to pay them when they finished several projects. This practice left the crews high and dry. Since these companies do not employ their crews and sub-contract them, a lien will be placed on the house by the crew to get their money, which leaves the customer liable to pay. The reason companies have sub-contractors is to avoid having to pay Workers’ Compensation. This is another illegal shortcut to bid cheaper.
Walker Roofing pays employees a competitive wage and has assembled the best skilled and well-informed crews and sales staff in our 23 years of doing business. This is an extra cost of operating a professionally run roofing company. Low bids are a warning sign of cutting corners.
We plan on being around another 23 years and we stand behind our work today just as we have done over the years. We welcome you to the roofing world with some information for you to consider when deciding who to choose as your roofing contractor. If you have questions about the bidding process, we will gladly show you the difference in what we are using for materials and what our competition is using.
Thank you for considering Walker Roofing and giving us the opportunity to talk with you and answer all your questions. Our goal is to give you the best experience and a roof you can be proud of for years to come.
Thank you,
Jeff Walker
Walker Roofing
- Disparity in Bids: Bids for the same roofing job can vary significantly, sometimes by $2500 to $3000, due to differences in the quality of materials and services provided.
- Importance of Warranties: Companies offering warranties must have a budget and staff for repairs. Some companies avoid repairs, which can be a warning sign of potential future issues.
- Material Quality: Beachside roofing work often reveals companies cutting corners by using cheaper materials like galvanized nails and painted galvanized drip edge. Walker Roofing uses more expensive but durable materials like stainless steel nails and aluminum drip edge, adding about $1000 to the cost per roof.
- Post-Hurricane Issues: After Hurricane Ian, some roofing companies bid cheaply but struggled financially, leading to unethical practices like taking deposits from new customers to pay for materials on completed houses. This left crews unpaid, causing them to place liens on customers' homes.
- Professionalism and Longevity: Walker Roofing emphasizes paying competitive wages and employing skilled crews and sales staff. They highlight the importance of a professionally run company for long-term reliability and caution against choosing low bids, which often indicate corner-cutting.