Occasionally, we hear horror stories about customers that got an unbelievable deal on their home project, only to have it fail prematurely. On top of this, sometimes customers cannot reach the original contractor who did the work or the warranty is already expired leaving customers to pay full price all over again.
In this instance, we got a call for a low slope roof on a residential home that had rotted through far before the normal life-span of a low-slope roofing system.
In these inspection photos, you can see deterioration and holes where the roof has rotted all the way through making it extremely hazardous and ineffective for watershed.
How Did this Happen?
The failure of this roofing system started at installation. Without the proper under decking in place, water was unable drain off this roof. Over time, water slowly soaked into the under decking, rotting its entirety and making the roof unsafe and inefficient.
Why Did this Happen?
The proper roofing system for low-sloped roofing applications varies depending on the details of that particular job. But in general, flat roof systems are around 400% more costly than shingle roofing, some a even more.
For this reason, many residential roofers, in an attempt to keep their bid price low and look appealing to the homeowner, avoid quoting the required roofing system. Trying instead to find cheaper alternatives they hope will work for the length of their warranty so they won’t be liable for any repairs.
Homeowners that take the bait on the unbelievable low price of installation, like this one, usually end up having to pay extra when their roofing system starts to show problems far before the normal lifespan of a roofing system. On top of this, homeowners will have to pay full price for the cost of repair or replacement if their warranty is already expired.
The Job Done Right:
The Echols team was able to replace this roofing system with a brand new, functional low slope system. This low slope roofing system was completed with proper underdecking and the correct materials.
How Can I Avoid this?
Don’t let cheap prices and verbal assurances convince you to cut corners. The best buyer is an educated one, and we mean it. We always recommend checking a company’s certifications and past work. If a company has the right certifications and documented experience of quality work, but wants you to pay more than another estimate, it might be because they want to make sure your roofing system is done correctly with the proper materials.
Fortunately for this homeowner, the damaged area was not a large section of the main residence, however, there is no help coming from the insurance company or the roofing company that did this work.
We have seen multiple cases where the entire roof has been compromised and the warranty has already expired, leaving customers confused and paying out of pocket for a whole new roof.
For quality work on your home projects, connect with Echols so you can have peace of mind knowing that your project will be completed correctly the first time by an experience company.
Contact Echols Today