# The Forums Opinion



## urethaneroofer (Jul 2, 2009)

Hey guys I need some advice. I'm ready to get off the roof and get in to the consulting Business/roof inspections that type of thing try to educate consumers. And was wondering if you all thought I should get a roofing contractors licence? I don't plan on Actually doing any actual roof work, It's just the creditability thing. You don't need any licence for consulting work, and the fees,bonds contractors recovery funds and all the unnecessary stuff I really don't need since I'm not doing the roof work. I plan on being also like a referal service for consumers. Basically refering consumers to the right contractor for their job. I know alot of roofers and I know alot of roofing contractors but the thing is when it comes to the actual roof work it's all about the roofers you have working for you. Alot of theses roofers are piece crews and they jump from company to company. But I know the best ones and I know alot of the Hacks (we call them butchers here) And what it boils down to is I might refer Company "a" for a foam job and I might refer company "B" for a tile job and so fourth. Now I'm getting of track what I am seeking is to be the most un-biased roofer in my state, I need to build creditibility do I need the licence or not? any feedback, criticisim or input is wanted and welcomed.

russell


----------



## user182 (Jan 17, 2009)

I think a license would help with credibility.

As far as you offering a referral service that could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Are you working for the property owner or the company you are referring?

Will you get paid for the referral?

Will you come back to inspect their work?

I used to belong to the American Society of Home Inspectors, ASHI.

The ASHI code of ethics did not allow an inspector to make referrals because he could be getting paid for the referral. Plus what if they want you to come back and inspect the work, are you going to 100% unbiased if it’s someone that you referred?


----------



## urethaneroofer (Jul 2, 2009)

Yea your right about that and I know you can't function ethically being both the referer and the inspector. That is in my FAQ. But what my official services are roof consulting and inspection. The referal aspect is only a link to a particular contractor from my website. And not to an actual customer, a consumer who may not feel the need to use my services but still needs to get his roof fixed or whatever. At least that way he will still be able to be directed in the right direction from a trusted source. That way I can stay 100% un-biased.


----------



## Ed the Roofer (Sep 15, 2008)

You would be better served, from a professional stand-point, to get certifed through the RCI, Roof Consultant Institute, and add as many other professional designations as possible, such as ASHI, NACHI or other certified Home Inspector classifications, in addition to taking the HAAG Engineering Certification.

Also, contact some local Roof Consultants in your area and see what their minimum criteria would be.

Ed


----------



## Grumpy (Oct 29, 2008)

I'd agree with Ed on this one. Do you not already have a liense or are you an employee for someone else?


----------



## urethaneroofer (Jul 2, 2009)

*advice taken*

After thinking about it I'm going to get my licence. I thouught about it a few years back and had decided against it. I was making big money the work was easy and with my yearly bounuses I could by a car. So I just figured hey just stay for the ride. I really liked being on the roof and had minimal headaches. And then about 2 years ago I really started to pay Attention to the work being put out by different contractors around and it just made me want to throw up in my mouth. I had worked with several "top dog":thumbdown: roofing consultants on some high profile jobs and most of them were idiots.
And it was then that I decided that I wanted to do something different for the roofing industry in arizona. And that was to educate consumers to be more roof savy and show them just because you only have x amount of dollars doesn’t mean you have to accept low quality craftmanship. I.E just because you took the cheaper shingle doesn’t mean they should be nailed with 2 nails and crooked, Just because you took the 5 year warranty over the 10 warranty on your foam roof your roof should look like sand dunes. Anyway you get the idea. I Just thought the way I could make the biggest impact would to be by educating consumers and make a living along the way. I want to hold companys accountable for there work. Now don't get me wrong there are alot of good companys with good ethics that do flawless work almost everytime but for every one of those there are more that do not. And in this economy it should be only the best of the best who survive and not the fly-by-night- cut-your-throat-hacks.

Anyway thanks for the comments.

One more thing I have read alot of the posts on this forum and you can figure out who and what people are about fairly easy, I like the straight talk.


----------



## The Roofing God (Oct 31, 2008)

Definitely pays to get it done right the 1st time,unfortunately ,too many don`t understand till they`ve been screwed before,Be cause of this the older clients understand the need for value vs price,But unfortunately,too many younger couples starting out don`t realize it until they`ve been screwed over themselves,I probably have done 60-70 3-5 year old roofs all over ,because of the poor quality of the work-Went to a 2/12 ranch,had shingles(T-30`s),Had Ice +water shield (only 3 feet)to the edge of the plywood,no flashing behind gutter,and large gap between edge of plywood,and the fascia (1-1 1/2")the shingles were all set on the nailing line,no starters were installed,the shingle valleys were tarred over(less than 1 year old),and they installed a small flat area,joined to the shingles on 3 sides(tarred down 43# base sheet at best),Of course I told the man he needed a new roof,and explained why in details,and with digital pictures(with many interruptions by client),As I finished,1st thing the guy said is I am wrong ,and what I had to say made no sense at all,He wan`t going to let me push him into a new roof,when all he needed was some caulk(interior ceilings moldy,and falling down),He asked me how much just for some caulking repairs,"as that`s all I need"--At that point I informed him that he wasn`t the type of person I would ever work for,because I take great pride in my workmanship,and wouldn`t put my name on garbage,He stood there staring at me,as I took my ladder,tied it on ,and drove off,God help the next guy that goes there-lol


----------

