Whenever you want to put up a new roof or simply repair an old one, you first need to ensure you understand the work involved so that the moment you invite people to bid, you will be able to compare bids based on the knowledge of work expected. The process of putting up a new roof or repairing an old roof has critical components you need to know before you engage any contractor or before you receive bids from different contractors regarding that particular roofing project.
The process of roofing
It’s obvious you need to have an idea of the entire roofing process since it will be captured in the bids as costing variables or elements. Ensure you break down the roofing process into identifiable materials so that you begin to estimate the cost of roofing. For example, when you want to roof an old building with a new roof, what should the process be? You first of all take off the old roofing materials, repair any damaged decking and then begin to install the new roof. The installation involves laying down any waterproof membranes at the eaves and valleys, laying builder’s felt (tar paper) and then installing any flashing. If you’ll be using shingles on your roofing, you can do a starter row of shingles, followed by other items. The most important thing is to properly understand the roofing process.
Materials selection
Another key component of roofing is the materials selection. The choice of materials that are to be used in the roofing determines the quality of the roof. You can ask a few roofers to supply you with materials that are likely to be used. There should be clear specification on where the materials will be used in the roof. Any contractor who does not include the breakdown of where materials will be used is a suspicious contractor. Normally, you will need materials like: waterproof membrane for any valleys as well as eaves on the roof, flashing for chimney sections and walls protruding from the roof, pipe vent boots, tar paper among other items.
Labor
It’s good to know the composition of the labor force which will work on your roof. This will help you understand whether a contractor should be taken seriously for the work and also for costing purposes. If a contractor omits some key personnel in his crew, then you need to be careful with such a person. If the contractor also lists excess personnel, that should also be scrutinized to ensure only the required men and women forms the crew for proper work and right costing. Some of the personnel you expect to see include master roofer, some journeymen, the apprentices and a few general laborers. The roofing crew will be either large or small depending on the size of the roof.
All these three components will help you as the owner of the project to make wise decision on who is the right contractor for your roofing project.