GENERAL CONTRACTOR VS ROOFING SPECIALIST

18 May GENERAL CONTRACTOR VS ROOFING SPECIALIST

Most homeowners are under the impression that hiring a General Contractor or Jack of All Trades is the way to go when in the process of filing an insurance claim against storm damage or having work done at your home. This is typically because most homeowners are being led to believe that filing an insurance claim is hard, or that homeowners need general contractors to meet with their insurance companies on their behalf.

The truth? There have been multiple studies aired by local DFW news stations that have clearly shown that hiring a General Contractor is not the best option for residential work and that nearly all of them are simply after your insurance money.

In fact, 90% of the General Contractors currently working in DFW, were shown to be middlemen companies or Jacks of all Trades. A Jack of all Trades by definition is: A person or company that dabbles in a little bit of everything rather then gaining expertise by focusing on one trade. This is proven by the short labor warranty periods (2 to 5 years max) they offer their customers.

The study also proved that all of these companies are hiring aggressive Commission Sales People to run out after these storms to knock on doors, pass out flyers and ring your phone of the hook pretending to offer free roof inspections.

Their #1 goal is to convince you to allow them to meet with your insurance company on your behalf. If they are allowed to meet your insurance adjuster on your behalf, then you are most likely going to feel obligated to hire them for the work. The truth is they have absolutely no say over whether or not your claim is approved. They Simply Want To Be Present When Your Roof Is Approved So They Can Keep All Of Your Insurance Money!  Meeting your insurance adjuster is the KEY to taking over your claim and lining their pockets with your claims money. Most of them do not want to show you a written estimate of their own, in fear of leaving money on the table. They want it all.

The riskiest part is that none of them are actually doing the work themselves. Their only goal is to take over a homeowners insurance claim, sub-contract the work out to a jack of all trades after the job is sold, then keep all the money that is left over.

It is highly recommended that homeowners always handle their own insurance claims, always demand written estimates and keep your personal information private.

Filing an insurance claim is a 5 minute phone call. “Hello insurance agent, I need to file a claim against hail damage.” That’s literally all there is to it. From there, you will be contacted by an adjuster within 48 hours to set up an inspection date. You may chose to be home or not be home. The adjuster will inspect the roof and mail you a detailed report with a check payment within 7 days of the inspection date.

There is no need to follow the adjuster around the house or breathe down their necks the entire time they are at your home. Adjusters are licensed and educated at handling insurance claims. They do it day after day, 7 days a week 365 days a year. They are far more educated at their jobs then any roofing contractor or middleman company pretending to represent you. You do not need a roofer to meet with your insurance company. In fact, you have a much better chance of getting the approvals you need if you do not have a contractor there to argue or upset the adjuster.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR/MIDDLEMAN PROS AND CONS:

Pros:

*In the beginning, it sounds as if 1 company will be handling everything on your behalf.

*You are under the impression that you wont have to deal with anything or handle any stress.

Cons:

*They end up using a jack of all trades or the same local companies you could have hired yourself.

*You have no control over who is at your home and when. They will be in total control.

*You end up having to be home anyway to meet the multitude of “sub-contractors” in and out of your home.

*You have never met any of the people who are now showing up to do the work.

*The person you agreed to hire is not actually doing the work themselves.

*The installers juggle different types of work every day (Monday-Gutters, Tuesday-Fencing, Wednesday-Roof)

*Their crews are sub-contractors with low to medium experience levels for installing shingles.

*Their leak free labor warranty guarantee only ranges between 2-10 years maximum.

SHINGLE ROOF SPECIALIST PROS AND CONS:

Pros:

*Honest written estimates based on actual costs, not what insurance companies pay homeowners. (most homeowners have money left over out of their claim)

*The Person You Meet With and Agree to Hire, Is the Same Person That Will Be Doing the Work.

*Direct Communication the Entire Project With No Middleman.

*They specialize in shingles roofs only, resulting in master experience levels with a better warranty to prove it.

*20 Year Leak Free Labor Warranty Guarantees

*Can also recommend other local and honest contractors near you for any additional services needed. (Gutters, fencing, windows, etc..)

Cons: 

*Too much money left over out of your claims money for vacation.

*Realizing how easy it was

*Feeling so happy you cry.

Buying directly from the local service provider for the work you need is safer and saves you money. Example, if you need rain gutters, call a local rain gutter company that specializes in gutters and hire them yourself. The same thing for fencing, windows, etc.. In the end, you get higher quality work without the markup, better communication and know exactly who is going to be at your home and when. Its not hard to make a few phone calls. Its certainly not worth giving away all your insurance money.