Memphis, TN is one of the most competitive roofing markets in the United States. All that the state of Tennessee requires to be a roofer is a home improvement license and a business license. Low barriers to entrance create a lot of opportunities for just about anyone to be a licensed “professional.” There are hundreds of homeowners in the Memphis area alone that get taken advantage of by these weekend roofers. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve been to a roof leak and the homeowner tells the same old story. “We got the roof done, and it started leaking. We called the guy, and he came out and squirted some sort of goop where the leak was and said it was fixed. When it still leaked and we called again, he quit answering his phone.”
A recent Facebook post on the Germantown Bulletin Board asking for a roofer resulted in responses from TWENTY-THREE different roofing companies! Nine of these companies we have NEVER HEARD OF, and we compete against other roofers every day. So what does this mean for the homeowners of Shelby County? It means one needs to research their roofer to ensure that they have the proper experience, qualifications, and longevity to complete what many believe to be the most important trade on a home/business.
Roofing is a competitive business with a lot of roofers flooding our market. New roofers with low overhead mostly focus on undercutting their competition to get their businesses off the ground. It is important to understand that this undercutting can’t just happen naturally and something has to give. The main area of cost savings lies in cheaper materials or just simply omitting necessary materials in general. These items include but aren’t limited to drip edge, vents, ice+water shield, underlayment, etc. Another way that roofers in the area cut costs is because of their lack of experience or using cheaper labor. There are plenty of instances where we have been called out to inspect a leak and the products that they used in the area never had a chance. This mainly occurs on low-slope roofs, dead valley areas, and around chimneys. These areas tend to leak most of the time because the roofer didn’t have the experience to know that these areas need special products like counter flashing or modified bitumen roofing. At Elite Roofing, we have employees who are trained periodically throughout the year to be up to date on the best products and how to install them properly from each manufacturer.
What qualifications does your roofer bring to the table? In our initial meeting with customers, we try to get the point across that if your roofer doesn’t have certain qualifications it is best to search for someone that does. At Elite Roofing Solutions we are very proud to show off our honors and certifications. We are GAF Master Elite Installers, an Owens Corning preferred contractor, an Angie's List Super Service Award winner in 2017 and 2018, and a Memphis Most honoree. On top of all of these hard-earned recognitions and certifications, we went the extra mile to obtain a general contracting license that allows us to complete work over $24,999.99. These qualifications aren’t easy to get and set us apart in a big way compared to our competition.
Finally, it is important to know that your roofer will be there down the road when your roof needs us. We’ve been around for nine years and plan to be for many more. We honor our warranties to their full extent. It is silly to think that there are roofing companies around offering 5-10 year warranties and they started as a company last summer. They are providing warranties that they most likely won’t be around to honor. Roofing companies come and go in our area all the time, but I assure you that Elite Roofing Solutions is here to stay because we just love our jobs too much!
