Consumption and Real Estate
HOMEOWNERS… I need your opinion. What is your thoughts on a roof maintenance program?
Question : HOMEOWNERS… I need your opinion. What is your thoughts on a roof maintenance program?
Hi! My husband and I own a small roofing company and we’ve had a number of customers have inquired if we have roof maintenance program. We’ve never really considered it but I got to thinking about it and I would like more feedback from homeowners on the matter to see if it’s worth our time.
Most homeowners know that you really need to keep your roof clean as much as possible to extend the life of your roof. For example, the longer you let leaves sit, the more water will sit under the leaves and the more chance you have to developing rotten wood and leaks.
We were considering offering a Maintenance Program where we would visit a home quarterly (more or less depending on the roof) and clean up the roof and gutters as well as a thorough inspection plan. We would check the life of the shingles/metal, pipe boots, wood rot, etc each time.
It would kinda be like a pest control service.. we’d do the service and leave a bill on the door. Our thoughts were around $ 50 each visit or $ 120-ish for the year if they prepay.
Please give me your thoughts.
home inspection program
Best answer:
Answer by ScottAz
I think that most people would not buy into it. At least out west where we live they wouldn’t.
Most roofs out here will last 50 years or more without ever being touched.
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#2 written by pissy_old_lady 1 year ago
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#3 written by Snowed In 1 year ago
I manage a small pest control company, funny you mentioned that. My thoughts are:
1. Before you offer to go out quarterly “or more” as you said, make sure you have the time to do this! If business is slow and you’re looking for a way to boost income, sure. But for us, we tried some “Maintenance programs” and they really got on our nerves after a while, because we were missing real jobs and real money because we had already promised these maintenance visits to current customers.
So at least charge enough to make it worth your while when someone calls for a roof repair and you’re stuck raking leaves from a roof for 50 bucks. (or make sure you have the man power to do both jobs of course).2. Also, be careful to consider this: Are you offering a warranty on their roof with this maintenance program? If they have you coming to their house for a couple of years, cleaning it and inspecting it quarterly, what happens if they suddenly discover moisture damage, etc? Are you planning to repair any found damage at no cost to them? Many people will assume the program “insures” them so to speak, so if you aren’t going to pay for repairs when needed (repairs due to unmaintained roofs), then you need to make this clear to them, which might kill the point of having you do this in their eyes.
3. I’m also cringing a little to see $ 120 for the year if they pre-pay. A discount for pre-paying is a great idea, we do it all the time. But $ 120 to come out at least quarterly to clean the roof, clean the gutters, inspect the shingles, drip edge, pipe boots, wood, etc AND then relay all of your findings to them each time either in writing or in person? I would charge $ 120 to do that ONCE, not four or more times a year. I realize that what we can get for labor and our time varies depending on where in the country we are, but to me it sounds like a great deal for the customer, not so great for you.
4. In reference to my above sentence where I say you need to account time for relaying all of your findings to the customer, let me tell you why I say that. We do termite baiting inspections quarterly for some of our customers(however we charge A LOT more than what you are considering), and we’ve left blank or general findings on slips in their door. “All set” or “no activity found”, etc. A surprising number of customers complained, saying that they expected to be informed in more detail on their quarterly findings. We explained we would have to charge more to take the time to do that each time, and many of them said “Fine, we’ll pay more, but we want to know what happens each time”. Who knew?
I like the idea of supplementing and coming up with ways to add some cash and also to add to what our company offers service-wise, but just be sure to really look ahead at how feasible a maintenance plan will be if you suddenly get busy, etc. And be sure to charge enough! That’s a lot of work and time and remind them that roof repair could be hundred or thousands, so what’s a couple hundred to prevent a disaster?
Good Luck
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#4 written by Karen L 1 year ago
I don’t know if I personally would go for it at this point in my life, but I have a metal roof on a one-storey house and am still capable of climbing a ladder and doing whatever needs doing up there. I’m also reasonably aware of what to look for that shows my roof needs a little looking after and have the time and tools to do whatever it is. Change one of those factors and it might look like a very good idea. I think you should give it a shot. You have nothing to lose by trying it.
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#5 written by Charles 1 year ago
If you see a demand for it, the 4-visit per year routine you described sounds right. However, I wouldn’t spend a lot of money marketing the concept. Maybe just an offering page to clients whose roofs you replaced.
As for price, I don’t know where you are so it’s hard to tell. It sounds to me that your suggested prices would be fine in large metropolitan areas, but would probably be too high in more rural areas. I think you have to figure out what your average costs will be, add 25%, and see where you end up. It could be that the pricing you mentioned might not be enough for you to make money. Is it going to be worth the time??
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#6 written by Brandima 1 year ago
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your idea would have made you wealthy a hundred years ago but unfortunately it won’t work very well today in america. americans really don’t buy maintainable things anymore, especially roofs. instead we think we’re “saving” by buying disposable items. i install permanent roofs and in between i maintain them but they are very rare these days. if you want to do something to help prolong the life of temporary roofing, i would suggest looking into elastomeric coating. here in south florida, the temp roof of choice is concrete with an average lifespan of 20yrs. i have seen their lives extended decades by being coated. i know most of our country is an asphalt wonderland though and i haven’t seen much success in coating shingles but flat roofs and concrete do well. you may argue that shingles DO require a little maintenance and rightfully so but our throw away mentality has serious side effects. the mentality it takes for someone to believe they are actually SAVING money buy buying cheap and temporary usually goes across the board for those folks and wisdom is left completely out of the picture. i know it sucks, now that folks aren’t getting free money (refinancing) they just aren’t spending on things they need like roofs. i think the thing to be selling right now is vanity, things like fancy clothes, big tv’s, designer purses, overpriced coffee drinks, etc.. good luck!