Buying a New Roof: You Get What You Pay For

Buying a new roof in Alberta, sloped roofing is generally an un-regulated industry, meaning that just about anyone can purchase a few tools and attempt to acquire and complete roofing jobs for the general public. So often, we find that as a homeowner choosing between several price quotes from contractor’s willing to do their roof, the old adage of “You Get What You Pay For” applies far more often than not.

Because your roof is one of the most important elements of your home, protecting what you value most, choosing the right contractor to install a new roof is a crucial decision. (See our expanded article on “Selecting a Roofing Contractor” here.) Unfortunately, we find that too many homeowners choose their roofing contractor based upon price alone. This can be dangerous, because there are many ways that “fly-by-night” roofing contractors can cut corners to lower their price, just to win your business. Some contractors may not have the necessary licences, insurance and safety training in place, because these will add to their business costs. Some may also leave important roof system elements off the roof contract to keep prices down, which may explain why their estimate can be significantly lower than other estimates.

Tips on buying a new roof:

As an example, because of the harsh freeze-thaw climate that we have in Alberta, it is important to install a proper, rubberized eave and valley membrane, and a full underlayment, beneath the exposed Asphalt Shingles (or other chosen roofing material) to prevent water and ice from penetrating your home. If these membrane’s and underlay’s are not installed, the roof has a much greater chance of leaking, causing wood rot, insulation deficiencies and possibly mold to grow. Be sure to ask each roofing contractor if they have included these items on your estimate, as well as other important parts of the roof system, such as; adequate venting and properly installed metal flashings.

A properly functioning and safe roof is not simply a few shingles nailed to the plywood deck, but rather a system of components that work together to perform at peak efficiency. In other words, a roof system is a sum of the parts. One part will not function properly without the others. In fact, many manufacturers will not warranty their shingles, if the roof is missing other parts of the roof system.

Ensure that you find out exactly what each roofing contractor is offering in their estimate, and that they are not cutting corners simply to give you a lower price. Here at Jayson Global Roofing we will always give you a detailed estimate and if you ever have questions about any of the products and services that we offer, you can contact us anytime to get the answers needed.

Here are some customer testimonials for you to ready.

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