If you want to learn how to run a successful roofing business, there are plenty of opportunities to explore. One thing that can take your business to the next level is collaboration with other home professionals. The idea here is you’ll be able to offer more comprehensive services. Read on to learn what to do and who you need to collaborate with.
1. Know the Specifics
You’ll be working in collaboration with other contractors from time to time. It could be a plumber or a chimney sweep, or you may need to hire another local roofer occasionally, depending on the nature and extent of your work. In such a case, does the roofer have specialized skills in handling a particular roof?
For example, if you’re hiring someone to work on a single-family home, interview them first. You will understand their experience managing the single-family home roof from their answers. Some roofers specialize in commercial roofing.
From their wealth of expertise, they’re best to contract when handling office complexes. Some roofers have specialized skills in handling roofing materials such as shingles, metal, tile, or slate. Others can work well with asphalt or terracotta. Knowing these basics is critical in how to run a successful roofing business.
2. Commercial Roofing Experts
Your business will deal with all kinds of client assignments. Among them are commercial roofing jobs. Here, you’ll be taking on projects to install, fix, and repair the roofs of large buildings such as school districts, university campuses, stadiums, and others.
Most commercial roofing jobs will need a metal roof contractor who is licensed and certified for the job. When hiring such a professional, ask for their experience handling metal roofs. They should have expertise in existing roof overlays and standing seam retrofitting of roofs.
Find out whether they have experience with metal installations such as metal panels, specialty wall panels, and metal soffits. Your basics of how to run a successful roofing business will include testing roofers on their resilience. Professional roofers should be comfortable working in all weather types, whether in snowy winters or hot summers. They should also be comfortable working long hours while on high heights and know how to dress in a way that promotes safety when on site.
3. Ensure You Offer Reliable Services
As you embark on how to run a successful roofing business, make your business known as a reliable service provider. Sometimes, homeowners may only schedule to do maintenance and repair services once a breakdown necessitates one. In such cases, your business should be ready to offer roofing services on demand.
You’ll not always get big roofing contractor jobs, so prepare your team to deliver excellent service for minor repairs at short notice. Be available to give advice, recommendations, and referrals to customers to help them make important decisions about their roofs. For instance, a client may request your company to repair their home’s roof. However, you may recommend other interventions, such as roof replacement after inspection. You need to explain to them why this would be the best solution.
Don’t hesitate to share valuable information, such as how to inspect a roof to detect leaks. Advise them how often the roof should be cleaned to help customers plan. If you’re based in an area prone to weather storms, your advice to homeowners matters. Sensitizing people on dealing with a storm’s aftermath will help your business stand out.
4. Offer Niche Services
Since your roofing business will grow, plan for diversification. You may venture into offering niche services within the roofing business. That is one of the best tips on how to run a successful roofing business.
You can diversify your service provision into an area such as commercial flat-top roofing services. In this case, you’ll need to invest in a roofing contractor skilled in commercial flat roofing work. They should be able to offer extensive services such as flat roof replacement. They’ll be expected to advise facility managers on the costs of installing a new roof and how to do so with minimum disruptions. The roofer may also be commissioned to give comprehensive roof repair services, such as seamless coating for a client’s leaking roof and other issues.
During such assignments, the contractors should inspect and note all potential roofing issues. Another notable feature of flat roofs is their maintenance. A roofing contractor should know how to perform periodic maintenance tasks to retain the structural integrity of your client’s flat roof.
5. Gutter Professionals
There are different kinds of gutters and downspouts. Wider gutters are made specifically for handling a lot of rainfall. Though gutters are not a requirement for buildings in some states, they’re a crucial part of a home’s drainage system.
Gutters generally direct rainwater away from the house. This helps protect the building structure, including the roof, from mold, water damage, erosion, and other problems. Gutters also protect a home from water pooling around the base, which can otherwise lead to cracks, erosion, and flooding in the basement.
They also prevent water from going down the walls. Hence, the siding, internal divisions, and frames for the doors and windows are protected from flowing water. Clients need advice on why their homes and commercial buildings should have gutters installed.
For instance, if a customer’s building is near clay-rich soils, advise them to install gutters. Clay-rich soils absorb and disperse water quite slowly, making them more likely to be saturated with water. Gutters will be helpful in such a place because they will drain the rainwater into a tank.
As a roofing expert and business owner, equip yourself with knowledge about installing and maintaining gutters. These skills will be helpful in how to run a successful roofing business in certain places. These could include regions that experience high rainfall. Ensure that you know how to fix a leaf guard gutter or hire a contractor whose work is reputable.
6. Partner With Realtors
In the business world, collaborations and partnerships are the oil that will keep you progressing. As a roofing professional, seek a working relationship with a local realtor. The local realtors understand the ins and outs of the local real estate sector. They’re your plug when you’re looking for roofing jobs.
When you exchange business contacts with your local realtor, they’ll keep your business details in their database. Whenever clients or those in their network need some work on their roofs, the realtor will do their best to help you get those jobs.
Most realtors will offer this service for free as they may need your roofing services before clearing a house for sale. They see it as an exchange. As for strategies on how to run a successful roofing business, do all repairs and give an inspection report.
A roof inspection report is essential for the realtor as it proves that all required work was done. The report also details the roof’s current condition. This helps the realtor close on their sales speedily.
7. Work Together With Electricians
Roof installations and repairs can only be done in a safe work environment. The roof environment is where most electrical wiring to a home runs through. When a roofer needs to work on a client’s roof, they will interact with electrical wiring.
It can be risky for a roofer with little or no electrical system knowledge. When planning how to run a successful roofing business, always include the local residential electrician in any project you want to start. The electrician will be the first to go up the roof and switch off power to all electric wiring.
They’ll conduct all relevant electrical inspections to ensure you’re working in a safe environment. You can then embark on the roofing task, focusing on repairing and fixing broken parts. You’d be unsafe fixing leaking roof spaces while the electric wiring is exposed, possibly touching the leaked water.
Inspect the shingles and repair any damage as needed. Electricity should never be switched on while a roofer is still working. The last thing you want is to keep dodging and skipping over loose live wires, so ensure you have the local electrician with you during the work.
Your electrical contractor will also handle all home insulation problems. Electric accidents and fires can happen when electrical wiring and installations do not have adequate thermal installation. Again, if a house’s electrical wiring was installed long ago, it should be checked before any roofing work begins.
Insulation may break down, leaving the wires exposed. Without the proper thermal insulation, older electrical wiring overheats quickly. For such occurrences, the electrician will recommend what to do to keep you safe. In short, they’ll work to minimize incidents of electrocution risks that could happen as you work.
8. Call The Arborist
Roofing services go hand in hand with tree service work. Another aspect of how to run a successful roofing business, you need close ties with a local tree company. Even thin tree branches can mess up a client’s roof, and by the time they hire your services, the mess is on a big scale.
When you’re called up for jobs in areas with trees near homes and buildings, ensure to go with a tree expert. The tree company expert will trim the branches to ensure they’re far from the roof. They will inspect aging trees and those that are too weak due to earlier damage. They will recommend that such trees be chopped down.
An arborist can safely cut down the trees while protecting your client’s roof and walls from damage. Animals and other unwanted pests like to set up their homes on trees.
When trees surround a home, the animals will likely enter the attic and make their nests there. Animal families will likely be settled in the attic’s warm space if your client’s roof remains unattended for years. So, you’ll need to go with a tree expert who can remove these trees from near the house.
9. Partner With Septic Businesses
You’ll also want to occasionally work closely with a septic pumping business. Septic pumping is essential in helping avoid clogging and overflow of wastewater. As a roofing professional, ensuring you consult with septic professionals will help you with how to run a successful roofing business.
They will inspect the client’s septic system for potential issues. They look for wet spots, surfacing sewage, and odors. Other issues that a septic pumping professional will look for are the scum levels and sludge in the tank and the presence of baffles.
On your part, your roofing work will involve directing rainwater from roofs and driveways away from the client’s septic tank and drain field area. Point the downspouts away from the drain field and ensure the soil over the septic system is mounded to encourage stormwater to flow off it. The septic tank should be maintained continuously. A septic tank professional technician will come in handy for such procedures. Part of their tasks will be to install a backflow preventer in the sewer to prevent sewage from flowing back into the client’s house due to flooding.
You can enjoy a lucrative and satisfying career when you venture into the roofing business. You will have the liberty to choose which clients to work with, and you can decide to keep only a few loyal ones. You also select the time you want to work and with whom.
You don’t have to work with toxic workmates like in regular employment; you have a choice. You also have the liberty to decide how much work to sign on, the projects you want to undertake, and the ones you can turn down.
However, as you enter the roofing business world, you must note that roofing work is physically demanding. You must enjoy staying active and working outdoors to make the most out of this business. You must also be ready to work during hot or cold weather, especially when a client has an emergency. Extreme weather can make things challenging, but it’s part of the job.
Roofing also involves a lot of climbing, walking at heights, and working long hours, which presents many risks. Always ensure you and your employees take the necessary safety precautions. There you have it. The roofing business awaits you!
