From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein
DETROIT, September 14, 2023 ~ We see it all the time.
Projects done in the wrong order that lead to grief, anxiety and money wasted.
A classic example came to our attention recently when a listener notified us of an issue he was dealing with.
He had contracted with a roofing company to install a new system and they had done a great job — on the shingles.
The issue was that he had installed new gutters prior to the roof and the workers had severely compromised the new rain management system by denting and scratching various parts with their ladders, plugging up the system with debris and loosening connectors.
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The issue here is twofold. First, a true professional roofing company is going to preserve and protect existing structures and leave the site in better condition than they found it.
Second, it makes sense to try to anticipate and prioritize projects that you will try to accomplish as a property owner.
With the new roof as an example, it is one piece of a water management system that includes the overhangs, the gutters, the attic and any required insulation and ventilation in the attic.
To most homeowners these may each seem like separate and disconnected items that might need to be dealt with individually, but they really go hand in hand in terms of performance, value and comfort.
So, which of these do you do first when the need arises?
Start with the premise that none of these projects is going to be less costly a year from now.
Add to your thinking the reality that a single contractor performing several related tasks within their area of expertise is a better buy than hiring a number of companies to each complete one part of the required work.
This second notion also considers the value of your time and what we call the “grief factor”; the amount of stress, anxiety and work involved on your part trying to coordinate multiple entities and assure a seamless body of work that does not end with the situation described above.
It should be noted that the listener we referred to was, at the time of his writing, trying to resolve a battle of finger pointing between the two contractors he had hired, each claiming the other was responsible for repairing the damage done.
The likely outcome was that he had to coordinate and fund any needed repairs himself.
The alternative in this instance is to look for a company that recognizes the interdependence of these items and has developed a business that can provide a turn-key service for all the related tasks.
Overhangs should be extended or repaired first, while the required insulation, attic ventilation and roofing system should be coordinated and accomplished as one task.
A professional roofing company should always provide an attic ventilation solution to help preserve and protect the home, the roofing system and the long-term performance warranty they will provide.
The last of these items will be installation of the gutters and downspouts, again specified to the house in question to assure any water being shed by the roof is being transported well away from the foundation.
When the project is complete, you will have one company, one person, to contact regarding any questions or issues that may arise.
Companies that we refer to like Pro-Home Improvement in Ferndale will not only offer a first-person guarantee on all work completed, but that promise will be non-prorated over time for both labor and materials.
Many such companies, like Kearns Brothers throughout southern Michigan, Performance Remodeling in Shelby, Kanga Roofing in Roseville and Victors Home Solutions in southern Michigan are just a keyboard click away at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
Don’t get caught in the middle. Think ahead and use a professional.
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For housing advice and more, listen to “The Inside Outside Guys” every Saturday and Sunday on 760 WJR from 10 a.m. to noon, or contact them at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
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