You are sitting at your desk, pencil in hand, scratch pad before you, wrestling with a new project – your 30-year-old flat commercial roof needs to be replaced. Or perhaps you need to decide whether to invest in substantial repairs to your commercial roof or to have it completely removed and replaced – after just 15 years.
Whatever your next roofing project will entail, you need to make sound decisions at its planning stage or you may find that you have to devote time and resources to solve problems during the repair or replacement of your roof.
Did you know that, in 2016, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau received more enquiries about roofing contractors than any other industry classification – 4,738, 212.
So – we are here to simplify matters for you.
3 Things to Ponder
IBSWorld, the acclaimed industry research firm, has identified the three factors that most influence the success of a roofing business like Chaffee Industrial Roofing:
- Having contacts within key markets
- Having a good reputation
- Ability to expand and curtail operations rapidly in line with market demand
And successful roofing businesses deliver options, planning, workmanship, products, and the after-care that exceed the expectations of discerning clients.
So, how do you find out if a roofing company has contacts within key markets?
One way to evaluate whether a roofing company has contacts in its identified target market – the commercial roofing market – is to do some research: Visit their website and look for listings of past prolific projects.
Chaffee Industrial Roofing lists an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) membrane installation at Fenway Park ; the installation of an architectural shingles roof on a laboratory; and the installation of an PVC roof on a lovely condo on Cape Cod.
How about whether a roofing contractor has a good reputation?
A commercial roof is a significant investment and a reputable roofing company will expect you to ask questions that will allow you to get a sense of their company’s reputation. Ask your contact for a short list of clients who have had similar work done to the job you need to have done – and telephone these references.
Check with your local Better Business Bureau – any complaints that the BBB has received should have been respectfully dealt with, and a reputable roofing company is unlikely to have numerous complaints filed against them.
Also, check how long the roofing company has been in business – a young roofing business may build a solid reputation, but that is yet to be seen. Unless you have solid reasons to predict their success, such as personal knowledge of the reputations of those who have come together to form the company, it is less risky to choose an established company.
Chaffee Industrial Roofing has been in business for more than 100 years, and has been managed by four consecutive generations of the Chaffee family
The third factor that IBS World lays out speaks to the potential longevity – or lack thereof- of a roofing company. Your after-care plan is worth very little if the roofing company who installed your flat roof no longer exists.
We do not suggest that you hire an investigator to delve into every practice of a roofing firm before hiring them, but we do suggest that you look for a reputable company, with a list of satisfied clients, and that has been in business for some time.
Perhaps like Chaffee Industrial Roofing.