Posts Tagged ‘roofer atlanta’

What you Should Know about Leaky Roof Repair this Winter

Monday, December 20th, 2010
Yikes, did it get cold fast! And with our turn of temperature comes the rainy season. Are you ready?
If you find yourself with a water leak, there are a number of approaches you can take. We know that moving out isn’t likely a viable option (though perhaps it’s much preferred!) so let’s discuss some realistic repair options and what you need to know.
First of all, you’ll need a proper assessment and “diagnosis.” The biggest challenge you face as a homeowner is finding someone who can actually find the source of the leak. Where you find the sign of a leak on the inside of your home is not always indicative of where it’s originating. Many roofers could perceive a leak as an opportunity to replace the roof. In fact, many would believe it’s the only solution to the problem they see before them.
But is all that replacement necessary? And how will you, a likely newbie to roofing repair, know if a company is over-selling you? We train our repairmen to search for the cause of the leak, from torn or missing shingles to broken seals, defective flashings, or incorrect connections between the roof and penetrations. When finding
and repairing the direct source of the problem instead of tackling the problem willy-nilly, it can save the homeowner big bucks.
Whom do you trust to do right by you in an area outside your scope of expertise?
Look for a company who has an impeccable and long-standing reputation. If you feel uncertain about a quote you receive, please give us a call for a second opinion. You do not need to feel obligated to reveal to another company that you’ve already had someone out to inspect your roof and provide you with a quote. Some companies
will take that as an opportunity to only slightly underbid the quote you have in your hands or skimp on checking out the specific cause of your problems, riding the previous company’s assessment of the problem.
As always, we are here to educate you and answer your questions. Please feel free to give us a call anytime, and keep those questions coming, either here on our blog forum, through our website, or by phone at (770) 552-7663 in Georgia or (615) 656-5648 in Tennessee.
Until next time, keep warm and dry!
~David Friedlander

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Why Dr. Roof Doesn’t Employ “Salespeople”

Friday, November 5th, 2010
Hi again! Dr. Roof Atlanta at your service. Today I’d like to discuss the concept of “salespeople”
with you. When you call a company and they say they’ll send a salesperson out to you,
what do you expect? What you receive is usually someone who inserts their opinion into
your situation and tries to up sell you on various parts of their products or services.
That’s where we believe we’re different at Dr. Roof. Of course we can diagnose a
problematic roof and make suggestions for repair or replacement, however, we believe
it’s our job to educate customers on their choices and let them decide what’s best for
their situation. After all, when salesmen are trained to overcome objections, it doesn’t
mean that their retorts are going to be right for your specific situation, it’s just designed
to bring them one step closer to a “sale.”
Whatever your needs, we are not here to tell you what to do, and you’ll never be “sold”
by anyone at Dr. Roof. Our professional service people are here to take a thorough
look at your roof’s current state, explain it to you in layman’s terms including all of the
options available and the pros and cons of each, and answer any questions you have
about the decision-making process. Hopefully, it will be you who decides to buy once
you understand the various repair or replacement options that are available to you.
May I leave you with three thoughts?
1) How can a roofing contractor or representative give you realistic advice and
education by eyeballing your roof from the ground, or by failing to perform a
thorough analysis of the conditions of your roof and all adjoining components?
This failure indicates a desire to sell you. Doesn’t it seem reasonable that they
would need to inspect the area in order to properly diagnose the problems and
offer the solutions?
2) Would you rather have a salesman or an educator discuss your roof’s repair
or replacement with you?
3) When you receive a “special today only price,” an estimate based on a
salesperson’s ground-level assessment of your roof, or anything less than a
thorough, detailed assessment, what might that company be missing in the
quality repair of your roof?
If you need a second opinion or are unsure if what you’ve been told is reasonable,
feel free to give us a call. As always, we’re on your side, as evidenced by our
outstanding reputation and over 78,000 satisfied Atlanta-area customers.

Hi again! Dr. Roof at your service. Today I’d like to discuss the concept of “salespeople”with you. When you call a company and they say they’ll send a salesperson out to you,what do you expect? What you receive is usually someone who inserts their opinion intoyour situation and tries to up sell you on various parts of their products or services.
That’s where we believe we’re different at Dr. Roof. Of course we can diagnose aproblematic roof and make suggestions for repair or replacement, however, we believeit’s our job to educate customers on their choices and let them decide what’s best fortheir situation. After all, when salesmen are trained to overcome objections, it doesn’tmean that their retorts are going to be right for your specific situation, it’s just designedto bring them one step closer to a “sale.”
Whatever your needs, we are not here to tell you what to do, and you’ll never be “sold”by anyone at Dr. Roof. Our professional service people are here to take a thoroughlook at your roof’s current state, explain it to you in layman’s terms including all of theoptions available and the pros and cons of each, and answer any questions you haveabout the decision-making process. Hopefully, it will be you who decides to buy onceyou understand the various repair or replacement options that are available to you.
May I leave you with three thoughts?1) How can a roofing contractor or representative give you realistic advice andeducation by eyeballing your roof from the ground, or by failing to perform athorough analysis of the conditions of your roof and all adjoining components?
This failure indicates a desire to sell you. Doesn’t it seem reasonable that theywould need to inspect the area in order to properly diagnose the problems andoffer the solutions?2) Would you rather have a salesman or an educator discuss your roof’s repairor replacement with you?3) When you receive a “special today only price,” an estimate based on asalesperson’s ground-level assessment of your roof, or anything less than athorough, detailed assessment, what might that company be missing in thequality repair of your roof?

If you need a second opinion or are unsure if what you’ve been told is reasonable,feel free to give us a call. As always, we’re on your side, as evidenced by ouroutstanding reputation and over 78,000 satisfied Atlanta-area customers.

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How Do you Select a Service Professional?

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

How do you select your medical doctor? Is it by word of mouth? Online review?
Level of experience? Convenience? Which insurance he or she accepts?

There are many ways we go about selecting service professionals. The reasons most of us assess our choices from so many angles is because “we don’t know what we don’t know.” In the case of your choice in physician, you probably strive to have a level of comfort and trust that he or she has your best interest in mind and is competent at finding and solving health issues.

The same can be said when you select a roofer. Do you really have any way (without formal industry knowledge) of knowing whether or not you are being snowed over by a company? There are plenty of ways to install a roof and make it look okay to the naked eye, but there are so many components that go into the placement and installation of your roof that make it either function well or fail. I’m talking about minute details such as how the installers place materials around our chimney and how many nails they use to apply each section. These are areas where other companies can skimp and the consumer would be none the wiser. And isn’t the devil always in the details?

So, how do you select a service professional? We hope it’s by taking a long look at their history and reputation. After all, what speaks more about promises made than promises kept?

What can you do?
So how do you go about shopping for a roofing company? Awards from the industry and from the public for workmanship, service, and performance speak volumes about contractors and their accomplishments. There is little as solid as a company who has earned stellar industry awards and an overwhelming number of raving consumer reviews. It’s a collective review that trumps a single referral tenfold because you have more people weighing in on an impartial platform. What do you think?

Coming up: Dr. Roof has expanded its services! See our experienced service professionals for painting, sheetrock, flooring, windows, attic ventilation, skylights, siding, and carpentry.

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What do Hydrostatics Have to do with your Roof’s Installation?

Friday, October 29th, 2010
That was quite a rainstorm we had last weekend—and much needed, I might add.
I was sorry to receive so many emergency calls for roof repairs as a result of other companies’ oversights. Sure, it’s business, but I’d rather install a sound roof than see a family in a state of emergency from a leaking one.
Did you know that the study of water’s “behavior” or flow, also known as hydrostatics, is the crucial backbone of an excellent roofer’s training? It’s somethingwe take seriously and just another way we are different from other roofers.
Here’s a little page from the playbook:
Fluid statics (also called hydrostatics) is the science of fluids at rest, and is a sub-field
within fluid mechanics. The term usually refers to the mathematical treatment of the
subject. It embraces the study of the conditions under which fluids are at rest in stable
equilibrium. The use of fluid to do work is called hydraulics, and the science of fluids in
motion is fluid dynamics. –Wikipedia
Hydrostatic pressure can be calculated according to the following formula:

Formula

Does that just make your head spin? It does for most people! Do you remember whining in math class, “When will we ever need to use this?” Well we’ve actuallyfound a very practical application: roof installation. What all that technical jargon boils down to is simple: water’s movement is something we roofers need to understand and obey. The basic laws of water and physics combined dictate specifically how we install your roof. We put our roofers to practice on mock roofs at our training facility so that when they climb the ladder
to your home, they have passed our quality and practical applications testing with flying colors.
Do you need to take a math analysis course to understand how to build a roof that will withstand nature’s elements? Not with Dr. Roof around. You can leave the hard work up to us and enjoy cozy, dry evenings in your home year ‘round with the assurance your roof was installed in a way that combats tears and leaks.
How do you qualify contractors before you hire them? Did this information about hydrostatics ever cross your mind concerning your roof’s installation or repair?

That was quite a rainstorm we had last weekend—and much needed, I might add.I was sorry to receive so many emergency calls for roof repairs as a result of othercompanies’ oversights. Sure, it’s business, but I’d rather install a sound roof than seea family in a state of emergency from a leaking one.
Did you know that the study of water’s “behavior” or flow, also known ashydrostatics, is the crucial backbone of an excellent roofer’s training? It’s somethingwe take seriously and just another way we are different from other roofers. Here’s alittle page from the playbook:
Fluid statics (also called hydrostatics) is the science of fluids at rest, and is a sub-fieldwithin fluid mechanics. The term usually refers to the mathematical treatment of thesubject. It embraces the study of the conditions under which fluids are at rest in stableequilibrium. The use of fluid to do work is called hydraulics, and the science of fluids inmotion is fluid dynamics. –Wikipedia
Hydrostatic pressure can be calculated according to the following formula:
Does that just make your head spin? It does for most people! Do you rememberwhining in math class, “When will we ever need to use this?” Well we’ve actuallyfound a very practical application: roof installation.
What all that technical jargon boils down to is simple: water’s movement issomething we roofers need to understand and obey. The basic laws of water andphysics combined dictate specifically how we install your roof. We put our roofersto practice on mock roofs at our training facility so that when they climb the ladderto your home, they have passed our quality and practical applications testing withflying colors.
Do you need to take a math analysis course to understand how to build a roof thatwill withstand nature’s elements? Not with Dr. Roof around. You can leave thehard work up to us and enjoy cozy, dry evenings in your home year ‘round with theassurance your roof was installed in a way that combats tears and leaks.
How do you qualify contractors before you hire them? Did this information about
hydrostatics ever cross your mind concerning your roof’s installation or repair?

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Does your Roof Need Work? Five Ways to Select a Reputable Business

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Today I want to talk to you about what goes into a business’s reputation and how to protect yourself when shopping around for a roofing company.
The most important points I can impart to you are these:
  • The most critical day in the life of your roof is the day it is installed.
  • A whopping 87% of all new roofs have roof leaks built into them the day they
  • are installed.
  • Roofing is a vastly unregulated and unenforced industry when it comes to
  • standards and codes.
  • There are no licensing requirements, and ANYONE can become a roofer in
  • the state of Georgia,
  • Given these facts, a lot of people find roofing an easy business to get into. That
  • can be bad news for consumers. I’d like to share with you what can come with an
  • unusually low bid or overeager contractor:
  • Roofers who are transient, passersby who will not be accessible for follow up
  • care
  • A job that is rushed to protect the bottom line
  • Substandard materials
  • Inferior workmanship
  • No one to back your warranty years down the line
  • Potential shortcuts like lack of employee training, no worker background
  • checks, or lack of insurance
So now that you understand the potential pitfalls of a fly-by-night roofing company,

what advice would I give you when interviewing companies to perform work on your roof?
1. Find a company who has been long established in the roofing industry and has earned industry awards and recognition. Another good indicator is how long they’ve been in the same location with the same phone number.
2. Find out as much as you can about the roofers who will be roofing your home. Their skills and integrity will determine how well your roof is installed. If the company has won significant awards, this is a testament to the skill of their roofers. A roofing company’s “membership” with various organizations means nothing, because all you need to do is pay fees to become a member.
3. Look for references that span back many years. You will need to have a relationship with your roofers for the life of your roof—especially if you run into any unforeseen issues. Check out those long-term relationships they have with their customers.
4. Search for a company who will offer you a written specification of installation, established standards of conduct and competencies in your contract.
5. Don’t fall for the suave salesman at the door with whom you feel a rapport. These folks are practiced at making you feel comfortable and trusting. Look for someone who offers to educate you versus telling you what to buy.
6. Do not accept a “limited time offer.” This is a high-pressure sales tactic that is meant to force you into a quick decision. Homeowners cannot generally determine the quality of their roof’s installation by simply looking at it. This often leaves homeowners unprotected and subject to the integrity and thoroughness of their roofer. You may think there are safeguards to protect you, but I would urge you to think twice. Johns Creek, Georgia has mandated that a permit be posted at each site where a roof is being installed. I went to bat against Mayor Mike Bodker over this because the inspectors more often than not just arrive onsite to see if a permit is posted. I have yet to see an inspector climb a ladder, get on the roof, and actually inspect the work. The homeowner does not appear to receive any notable benefit from this permit process.
How about you? How many companies do you typically interview before you engage one in a home improvement or repair project? Do you do your due diligence? Have there been times where you wish you had done more research? Please send us your questions and comments. We’d love to hear from you!
David Friedlander, President
Dr. Roof
Dr. Roof’s Southeast headquarters has been located at 1460 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 for 22 years. We’re proud to be vital members of the community who can be relied upon for your home’s roofing and repair needs now and many years down the line. In Georgia, call (770) 552-7663 and in Tennessee, (615) 656-5648.

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Welcome to Dr. Roof, Your Reliable Atlanta-area Roofing Contractor for over 20 Years

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Welcome to our first blog. I’ve created this forum to share inside tips and information about the roofing industry and to encourage savvy consumerism. I’d like to start by sharing with you how Dr. Roof came to be.

I started Dr. Roof on a dime and a dream in 1988, a few years after moving my family from South Africa to Atlanta. I worked alongside many industry professionals to learn the trade. After a short time I came to realize that the industry itself experienced a lot of “call-backs,” or customers who soon discovered problems with their roof’s installation and would summon Dr. Roof for repairs.

Therein was a dilemma for me that I noticed the big companies simply glazed over:
”Quality Workmanship.” I came to realize that the prevailing industry standard was to do whatever it would take to win a bid, and then work fervently to protect their bottom line. How? Substandard materials, shoddy workmanship, rushed jobs, and poor construction practices, with consumers none the wiser until the roof failed a few months or years down the line.

That is where I saw a real opportunity to offer a different kind of roofing service.

I began by educating my customers, teaching them what to look for in a reputable roofing company and how to avoid being sold a bill of goods by a charming salesperson. I created a comprehensive, hands-on training program for our installers and hired quality inspectors. Most importantly, Dr. Roof has backed every job that has been done since 1988.

Why—you may ask, when it would be very easy to drive the bottom line and not worry about what customers don’t know and won’t find out for many years? The answer is integrity. I want my four children to experience positive reactions when people find out their family is behind the “Dr. Roof” name. I wanted them to understand that honesty and integrity are essential virtues and that the right way to run a business is not always the easy way to run a business.

Throughout our time here, I hope to share with you the tools that will help you become a confident buyer when it comes to repairing or replacing your roof. We’ll discuss hydrostatics (the movement of water, the principles of capillary action, osmosis, surface tension as it pertains to your roof’s construction), how to get what you really need out of a “salesman,” solar energy, Georgia and Tennessee-area building standards, and how to qualify a roofing company. Of course, this forum is for you, so I’d like to start by inviting your questions. What would you like to learn about roof repair or replacement?

My personal regards,
David Friedlander, President
Dr. Roof

Dr. Roof’s Southeast headquarters has been located at 1460 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 for over 20 years.

We’re proud to be vital members of the community who can be relied upon for your home’s roofing and repair needs now and many years down the line. In Georgia, call (770) 552-7663 and in Tennessee, (615) 656-5648.

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