DIY vs. Professional Roof Installation

When your house needs a new roof, little should be left to chance; no matter how tempted you are to go the DIY route. Roof installation is a job that’s best in the hands of professionals because there are too many safety risks involved. Don’t start any projects until you’ve read the pros and cons of DIY and professional roof installation as laid out below:

DIY

If you are thinking of doing your entire roof installation yourself, here are the pros that come with the job:

Immediate Fixing

Waiting for a contractor to show up can be nerve-wracking especially if you’ve got a roofing emergency. You can do the job at your own pace when convenient without having to schedule your entire day around the contractor showing up.

But, the cons are as follows:

Safety Risks

Any roof installation/repair comes with the possibility of injury: the best case scenario is that you only injure your hands with equipment, while the worst one is falling off the roof. If you are one to enjoy the risk, go for it.

Compromising the Warranty

If you are not a licensed professional but are choosing to repair the roof yourself, you could be jeopardizing your manufacturer’s warranty, meaning – next time you have a roofing emergency, you won’t be able to use the warranty at all.

Unforeseen Problem Detection

No matter how eager to fix the roof or “experienced” you are (helping your neighbor stack roof tiles doesn’t count as experience, btw,) you don’t know how to detect potential problems that may occur to your roof in the future. A trained eye will spot even a minor impending problem while up there repairing the current one.

Professional Roof Installation

If you are considering a professional to fix/install your roof, here are the pros that come with the job:

Saves Time

When you pair up with a dependable contracting firm, a professional roofing contractor will attend to the problem way quicker than a layperson would (you know, years of experience and all that,) saving you plenty of time (and nerves!)

Saves Money

The fact you’ll be hiring a professional to do the job doesn’t necessarily mean spending more; a contractor will know what materials to purchase straight away to fix the problem. However, when you are working on the issue yourself, you may spend more money second-guessing and be trying out many other options before you get it right.

Warranty Coverage

By hiring a professional, you are looking at using the most of your manufacturer’s warranty or workmanship warranty. It is protecting you from costs involving roofing materials and the repair itself.

CONS:

The Possibility of an Unfinished Job or Poorly Done Job

Not every contractor will be fair and skilled; some can be pretty shady and charge top dollar for service (they don’t deliver.) Before hiring a professional roof repair company, determine their credibility by checking their references and asking around. Better safe than sorry, right?

Looking for a roofing contractor? Click here for a free estimate from 1-800-HANSONS.