Roofers...

Sunbed

Sunbed

Sunbed

Soldato
Joined
29 Mar 2007
Posts
4,068
Location
Manchester
I'm mystified with how roofers operate. How do they survive?

Just getting them round to give me a quote is like trying to get blood from a stone. Even when I'd told him his quote had been accepted, getting him to start was a challenge. Finally (and this is the best bit), he got so sick of my demands to get a proper breakdown of activities in writing and before/after photos that he eventually stopped answering my texts and calls, even after he had done approx 9 man-hours of work.

I can't believe that so many roofing companies seem so reluctant to accept a sizable repair job. Maybe I should start my own roofing company because they are obviously loaded already and don't need new business :rolleyes:
 
A friend of mine is a roofer and he said he is incredibly busy at the moment. They seem to go through periods of being really busy and having way too much work to possibly cope with and then have a really tough period where people get laid off.
 
kinobestew123 said:
A friend of mine is a roofer and he said he is incredibly busy at the moment. They seem to go through periods of being really busy and having way too much work to possibly cope with and then have a really tough period where people get laid off.
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I had a chap over to my house in Reading last week to look at the guttering and pointing, I thought he'd be booked out solid given the weather etc but apparently he hasnt got anything on in January at all which i found very strange - however he is already booked out for Feb and March. Trades are very strange when it comes to peak demand. OP im with you on trades in general though, I wanted someone to come around and do what would be two days of work on the electrical side - 10 people contacted via checkatrade, none came back!
 
I used mybuilder recently for some roofing work.

Put a job out to a few local ones, had calls back the same day arranging a time to visit to price up and was all sorted and booked in within 2-3 days.

Chap who I ended up appointing had 100's of good feedback locally so was fairly happy. Have had to get him back however as the issue wasn't fixed with his suggestions for work that needed doing but hes been back and found the issue now and fixed it a few days ago so hopefully i'll stop getting damp on my chimney breast in the master bedroom!
 
Like this in all trades. Some get too big for their boots and turn down or don't show up to smaller or repair jobs. Until they fall flat six months down the line and they phone you up on the speculation of work.
 
It's a busy time and there's plenty of victims out there that will accept any quote without any breakdown and probably pay up front. It's dangerous nasty work with lots of customers.

Bit like landrover. Why make anything good or better when people clamber over each other to buy.

Also remember who you're dealing with. Such a lot of builders have limited IT skills and their English or capability to express themselves on paper is limited. You asking for a line by line breakdown for a small job could put them off.
 
OK so when is not a busy time? I assumed Jan/Feb when people aren't on holiday would be the ideal time!
 
Sunbed said:
OK so when is not a busy time? I assumed Jan/Feb when people aren't on holiday would be the ideal time!
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Winter is the worse time to get a roofer, they get loads more calls as the bad weather causes damage and leaks are much more obvious! They also can't get as much done as the days are shorter and half the time it isn't even safe to start especially for repair jobs working off ladders!
 
I've found the same, my missus needed some work done on her house and out of the 4 people she called, only one showed up to quote. At least he was on time and got the work done with no fuss.

On our new house, I've tried to get three companies round to look at the hole we have. One actually turned up and gave a price, then when the guys came to start the work, they said the job would be much bigger as they'd need a scaffolding tower. The disappeared and never got back to me. I've given my details to a fourth person now who said he'll come round and have a look, I'm not holding out much hope!
 
MatteH Oxford said:
Why do you need a breakdown of costs for a job that has an agreed overall cost? A breakdown isn't going to lower it.
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Some people are always convinced they are being ripped off. A lot of the time the people who have no show builders are people who ask too many questions and the builder can't be arsed with the hassle.
 
MatteH Oxford said:
Why do you need a breakdown of costs for a job that has an agreed overall cost? A breakdown isn't going to lower it.
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I said breakdown of activities, not necessarily a breakdown of costs.

- Replace lead flashing
- Replace broken slates
- Repoint ridge tiles

...is a lot more useful than "fix roof". Usually when I buy something I like to know what I'm getting for my money.

Hedge said:
Some people are always convinced they are being ripped off. A lot of the time the people who have no show builders are people who ask too many questions and the builder can't be arsed with the hassle.
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Not really in my example. I just simply want to know what I'm getting for my money. If answering a few text messages is too much hassle then someone else can have my business.
 
i run a heating company. I am always happy to give cost breakdowns and explain things in great detail, but some people just wont stop asking questions or try to get loads of extras for free. Some have even questioned if i know what i'm doing. when they've gone too far i usually tell them i am no longer interested in doing the work. I also tell them why. They don't like that too much lol...
 
justalex81 said:
i run a heating company. I am always happy to give cost breakdowns and explain things in great detail, but some people just wont stop asking questions or try to get loads of extras for free. Some have even questioned if i know what i'm doing. when they've gone too far i usually tell them i am no longer interested in doing the work. I also tell them why. They don't like that too much lol...
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I can imagine there are plenty of difficult customers. This is why I think some form of written breakdown and agreement is so important because it protects the company providing the services as well as protecting the customer.

In my situation I'd have much rather been told why my questions were aggravating, rather than simply ignoring me. The funny thing is, I was ignored for asking for quotes for additional and presumably higher margin work that I wanted doing :confused:
 
Having to get the roofer back to look at our chimney/roof again as what he has supposedly done hasn't resolved the issue with water coming in and causing damp in our bedroom.

Originally had him up to check flashing which he did and said flashing looked fine the cause of the issue was most likely the flaunching which had pretty much crumbled away and the pointing on the chimney. He said that he was 99% sure this was the issue.

He did the work no issues and despite running dehumidifiers on full for a week this still wasnt stopping water coming in.

I went in my attic to see if I could see any causes of the probs and I could see where water had been running down the chimney still so informed the roofer of this and he said he would go back up. He went back up said the rear flashing wasn't properly adhered to the brick and that he has sealed it now.

Still no different after a week. Sent him more pics of water coming in in the loft so he has said he will be round tonight to have a look at it. Hope he gets it sorted as its getting on my boobs!
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
He went back up said the rear flashing wasn't properly adhered to the brick and that he has sealed it now.
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This sounds a lot like it could be flashband. Lead flashing is usually slotted into a joint in the brickwork and then pointed up, not 'adhered'. I'd ask him to give you a bit more detail. Flashband is not a permanent solution, so better to get someone to replace it with lead instead of having all these issues and constantly having to get people back.
 
I too have experienced this..

Recent before Christmas (getting the Decs down from attic) I noticed a leak around the chimney.

I got a local firm out to take a look, who had done work before. He came out and went on the roof, said the flashing and the pointing needed doing around the chimney.

Asked for a quote, he said he'd text me.

It's now February and I keep asking him, he always ends up texting "ok" and that's the last I hear.

Last night my dad saw him in the local pub, asked him about it. He said sorry and he would ring me tomorrow (today), no call. Just ridiculous.
 
Mark A said:
This sounds a lot like it could be flashband. Lead flashing is usually slotted into a joint in the brickwork and then pointed up, not 'adhered'. I'd ask him to give you a bit more detail. Flashband is not a permanent solution, so better to get someone to replace it with lead instead of having all these issues and constantly having to get people back.
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Well he didn't turn up tonight as he got kept on a job longer than anticipated. Luckily I'm off weds-fri so he has assured me he will be round on Thursday.

He'll be sorting it out one way or another, especially when it was the flashing that was what i originally asked him to check.

Bloody roofers, one of the trades I don't know many of and no one could recommend any to me. Feedback on MyBuilder was all perfect though so hoping it's just some honest mistakes.
 
Solus said:
I too have experienced this..

Recent before Christmas (getting the Decs down from attic) I noticed a leak around the chimney.

I got a local firm out to take a look, who had done work before. He came out and went on the roof, said the flashing and the pointing needed doing around the chimney.

Asked for a quote, he said he'd text me.

It's now February and I keep asking him, he always ends up texting "ok" and that's the last I hear.

Last night my dad saw him in the local pub, asked him about it. He said sorry and he would ring me tomorrow (today), no call. Just ridiculous.
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I think I would have gone to a another roofer by now. **** waiting around for that no show.
 
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