Reroofing & Renovation
Looking Beyond the Roof
Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Spring is in the air, and a young man’s fancy turns toward romantic thoughts of renovating his home. This is the season when homeowners start planning to reroof or renovate their humble abode. Reroofing is second only to bath and kitchen remodeling on a homeowners want list. While reroofing is almost always more expensive, it’s obviously more essential to the occupants well-being.
It’s no secret that people are on the move throughout the nation. According to data gathered from Google searches of homes for sale, Texas accounts for three of the top four cities searched. Las Vegas, Nevada, comes in sixth with Portland, Oregon, at number seven.
While people may be considering a move to Texas, the most expensive real estate is in California. Five of the top ten most expensive zip codes in which to own a home are located in California.
There is an annual published ranking of the average cost a household spends on renovation by state. The average cost of a household renovation in the top ten states last year was $5,657. The average cost of a household renovation in the bottom ten states was $3,341. Obviously, this is just an average, and although the article didn’t specify, I seriously doubt that this cost included reroofing or roof repair.
Of course, these are just the statistics, but what does it mean? With all these people looking to change homes, it usually points to more renovation, and almost always some sort of roof repair or replacement. But it’s not just the roof where you can add to the bottom line.
As a contractor, many times you will notice exterior issues of a home that also need attention, even though these issues may be beyond your scope or expertise. These items shouldn’t be ignored just because you don’t have a license to tackle the project. You can subcontract, or at the very least, collect a referral fee from a contractor you trust and are willing to back with your own reputation.
Maybe the house could benefit from solar panels or rain gutters. Maybe the doors and windows are dated and in need of repair. What condition is the paint in? If you haven’t already done so, now would be a good time to make a personal connection with other contractors in your area that are in related construction fields.
Having a good handyman on call that you can trust for small projects will work wonders to help your reputation and credibility. You should be prepared to use a simple phrase such as, “I noticed your front steps are worn. I can recommend a good man that can have those fixed in no time.” It shows you care about the homeowner and the condition of the property.
Again, the key is to recommend only people you can trust. If you recommend them and they screw up, it will come back to haunt you. Your reputation in the community is a valuable asset and you don’t want it tarnished.
If you don’t have a good working relationship with contractors in related trades, now is the time to actively establish one. Not only can you supply them with work, and collect referral fees, they will recommend you for jobs in the future. The construction industry is a tight-knit community, take advantage of it.
Marc Dodson
Editor
