Transient roofing contractors or “storm chasers” make offers that are often too good to be true and cause more harm than good. Here’s why hiring a cheap out-of-town roofer isn’t a good idea.
Local Building Codes
Building codes are in place to make sure that houses are safe to occupy. A house that isn’t compliant with building codes can present safety hazards to its occupants, and will be compelled to get torn down and corrected at cost. While most building codes that pertain to roofing are global, there may be local codes that contractors from out of town may not know about – therefore, hiring them increases the risk of a costly do-over. Local roofing contractors, on the other hand, can give you peace of mind knowing that they’ll get it right the first time.
Emergency Assistance
Emergency roof repairs require a timely response, especially in situations where a temporary roof cover can make the difference between minor repairs and a complete roof replacement. In addition to providing emergency roofing services, local roofers may also offer assistance with filing insurance claims. Timing can be crucial in dealing with storm damage because processing can be delayed if your neighbors happen to have the same insurance provider. The sooner you can complete the requirements, the sooner your claim can be processed. Out-of-town roofers simply wouldn’t have the knowledge to offer such services, or even the proximity to respond to emergencies in a timely manner.
Local Roots
We have mentioned “storm chasers” in our introduction – roofers who only make themselves known after a storm hits the area. Their modus operandi is usually the same: they offer impossibly low prices to unsuspecting homeowners, take either a down payment or the full payment upfront, and then disappear entirely. Some would perform some kind of roofing work that looks okay at first glance, but is actually poorly done and wouldn’t become apparent until the next storm hits. They would have moved on to the next town by then. Us local roofers wouldn’t do any such thing: we’re owned and operated by people who have roots in the local community, with a place of business that you can go to and a customer base of locals.
Twin Cities Siding and Roofing provides roofing services to customers in Minneapolis and the surrounding communities. Give us a call at 651-571-9557, or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.
