Are you considering roof restorations? If so, then you know how daunting the search can be. Your roof is such a vital part of the home. Of course, you want to find a contractor that will get the job done.
For many homeowners, roof restorations is a relatively large expense. So, we understand how tempting it can be to go with the guy who has the cheapest price. Those details you got from the sign on a light pole. Advertised set prices without seeing the roof for only $1,999. Well look at it this way: if it sounds too good to be true, then it generally is.
How Much Do Roof Restorations Cost in Perth?
With all the signs around that seem to advertise full roof restorations. At $1,500-$1,999, it is understandable many believe that this is the industry standard price. Unfortunately, this is completely misleading to unsuspecting homeowners. And it has increasingly caused more harm than good
Price Increases Through the Job.
Ok first up, a “fixed price” for roof restorations without seeing the roof is completely unrealistic. The roof restorations do not work on the “one size fits all” method. Every home has different requirements. Firstly, roofs come in different shapes, and sizes and are made of various materials. There are a variety of repairs that are to be carried out prior to painting a roof. If you are actually doing FULL RESTORATIONS. Slapping a coat of paint on and making it look pretty does not make count as roof restorations.
Therefore, without a full assessment of your roof first. Contractors are not in a position to know exactly what kind of roof repair work is required. As a result, pricing is inaccurate.
Because of this, many Perth homeowners have found themselves handing out more cash than they thought they had to pay. It was not until after the job was complete or too far through. They were told that the price they had been originally quoted was subject to change.
Poor-Quality Roof Restorations Work
How is it one contractor is able to charge less than half that of the competition? Your roof is something you don’t want to be cutting corners on. $1,999 doesn’t sound like much for roof restoration. But it sure sounds like a lot of money to be flushing down the shitter, doesn’t it?
Why? Because with such low prices, there’s often a lot of dishonesty involved. A budget roof restorations contractor will want to save time and money. At first, you may see these as minor details. Although, it won’t be long until what seemed like the deal of a lifetime turns out to be a nightmare.
Let’s talk about preparation. High pressure cleaning your roof thoroughly is a vital step in the roof restoration process. When done correctly, it will help the paint adhere to your roof for many years to come. A proper high-pressure clean can takes between 4-6 hours. Depending on the size of the roof, whereas dodgy roofers may zip over it in as little as an hour or two.
Another common way in which shonky contractors rip off unsuspecting customers is through re-bedding and pointing. Rather than repoint all the ridge caps, a budget contractor will only repoint areas that are visible to clients. They may also only patch over parts of the ridge that has poor pointing.
How do the dodgy tradies get away with it? For granted, they take for granted that the homeowners won’t climb onto the roof to inspect the job themselves.
A cheap or budget roof restoration contractor is also more likely to use low-quality materials. For example, paint buckets may already have been opened. Then, the paint is diluted with water. You won’t be able to tell the difference at first. A freshly painted roof will be aesthetically pleasing. That is until the paint begins to blister and peel in 8-12months’ time.
What a difference this is to the 7-10 years you’ll get from a professional job! From pressure, cleaners to paint machines. A reputable roof restoration company invests tens of thousands of dollars into the best equipment possible. Because we know having the right roofing equipment allows us to provide a high-quality finish. That is what our company prides its name on.
Roofing Scams
Are the roofing company you would like to hire legitimate? Make sure you do your research. It is your right, as a consumer, to gather all the information you can to make the best decision possible. Do they have a professional website? What is the company’s business name? Type their name in social media, people love to tell you all the bad things about dodgy companies?
Unfortunately, simply having the contractor’s name and the number isn’t enough. Phone numbers are often pre-paid which can get disconnected or change at any time. This is usually done on purpose, for a couple of reasons. The first is not to deal with follow-ups from all of the unsatisfied customers. The second is because they have no intention to follow up on their useless warranty claims.
Another common problem with shonky contractors such as these is that they are using illegal advertising. Having pre-paid numbers helps them stay off the grid. When the local council calls about the illegal signs etc placed around the place.
Also, trading names can be changed at the drop of a hat. This allows these guys the freedom to get away with this time after time. They leave little in the way of a paper trail and a lot of empty unfulfilled promises.
Door Knockers
Something that happens all too often in Perth is travellers. In the past, I have personally had run-ins with a few Irish that have ripped off the elderly homes’ owners. Here is a write up from the department of mines, and industry regulations. This actually outlines the latest spate of cases here in Perth.
Consumer Protection and the WA Police Force are making a desperate plea to the community. Help them hunt down travelling conmen who are ripping off Perth homeowners. Many of them seniors, in a roofing scam.
Reports have been received of conmen who knock on doors of unsuspecting homeowners. Convincing them that urgent roof repairs are required for their homes. They then charge exorbitant rates and either do not carry out the work or perform a sub-standard job.
In the latest case reported, an 81-year-old Hamilton Hill woman paid the scammers $7,500 in cash to repair her roof. When they knocked on her door, the scammers said her roof needed repairs and painting and quoted her $3,000. They later advised that asbestos sheets had to be replaced and that would cost an extra $4,500. The small amount of work carried out was sub-standard.
The men, with either Irish, Scottish or English accents. Had provided an invoice under the unregistered business name of Best Choice Home Improvements using a false ABN. They were driving a red SUV.
An elderly man from Mount Hawthorn has reported paying $8,000 to the same scammers who approached him in his driveway. They came back to the home the next day to carry out roofing work. They accepted a card payment but luckily the man’s bank flagged the transaction as suspicious. The payment failed to go through.
A consumer in Cannington was approached by men driving a similar vehicle who claimed that they were roof tilers. They said there was a hole in his roof that needed repairing. One of the men went up on the roof and returned with a broken tile. Which the consumer believes was broken off by the conman. The offer to fix the roof was declined by the homeowner who had to fix the damage caused.
Another consumer was approached at his home by three men in a white utility. The men were wearing fluoro shirts and told him that his roof and gutters needed urgent repairs. The dodgy door knockers pretended to carry out some work and charged $7,000. But it was later discovered that they had damaged the roof instead of repairing it.
In a fifth report, an elderly couple in Fremantle said they were approached in a similar way. The scammers were coming back to begin the work, but a family member stepped in. He managed to prevent the work from going ahead.
Director of Retail and Services at Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping said authorities need the community’s help to stop these travelling conmen.
“These conmen are highly mobile so people who are approached should contact the Police immediately. They need to be tracked down,” Ms Chopping said.
“These scammers are breaking consumer law by not allowing a cooling-off period for door to door sales. They require a licence to carry out roof painting work.
“They prey on seniors and others in our community. Misleading them into thinking their roof needs urgent repairs or painting when this is not necessarily the case. They then do dodgy work, if they do any work at all.
“These men are using various names of well-known and reputable local companies. Attempting to gain credibility by stealing the identity of legitimate local businesses. What we observe is that genuine businesses in WA do not solicit door to door for roof repairs. We recommend people refuse to deal with them and only deal with registered builders and businesses.
The One Time Offer
Another popular approach by shysters, (A case from Melbourne this time). A middle-aged woman was approached by a man impersonating a roofing contractor while exiting her car. He pressured her into accepting a quote and squeezed out an upfront payment of $5,000 in cash. The man claimed he would have materials on site to get started on the roof the following day. Which he said was in dire need of repairs.
He did return the following day; the customer was told to stay indoors while he and his team got performed the required roof repairs. The men got to work, trees were cut down. There were loud, banging sounds coming from the roof everything sounded great. The next thing she knew, the costs had risen to $9,500. Again, that’s right the conman had insisted he needed more money. To which she replied she would have to write a cheque.
But again, the men persuaded her to hand the money over in cash. Which he said was required for buying more supplies urgently.
The man was the suspected ringleader of a group of conmen who were posing as roofing contractors. Electricians, and some even government officials. The shonky contractor told the customer that he had seen charring on the roof. Suggesting a problem would require an electrician. The con sparky informed her she would require a full rewire. She was told rewiring her home would cost $26,000 but that he could get her a deal for $20,000.
The victim returned to the bank and withdrew the money in $100 notes. When arriving back home, an individual pretending to be a government inspector was waiting for her. He claimed that her home was unsafe and threatened to cut off the electricity. He stated she was going to be “fined” $30,000 for it. Lucky for her” the roofing contractor said he could help her get away with only paying half of the amount.
The man suggested she take out a loan to pay for the fines. Finally, it was at this point, that the victim asked to see some official identification. She asked for receipts for the payments she had already made. To her surprise, he didn’t have any. The man was quickly identified and arrested due to fingerprints on the flyer he had left with the victim. Detective Melhuish, who worked the case, warned Melbourne residents to “never pay for cash jobs. No jobs need to be done right away.” Utilise the cooling-off period the law provides.
Hiring a Professional Roof Restorations Company
How will you know you are not being conned? Request a quote and compare it with those from other roof restoration companies (we recommend getting at least 3). Has the company done any other roof restorations in your local area? What are online google reviews saying about the company? What roofing equipment and materials does the company use?
Here are a few essential qualities to consider as you weigh up the legitimacy of your roofer:
Credibility
A good roofing company will have an easily proven track record. Their website may have testimonials. You can even go online and find out the age of their website or domain address. While their company listing will have positive reviews. Do they have a social media page? You will see photos and videos that showcase their work. Another good way on social media is to hashtag the business name and see what comes up.
Qualifications
When you are choosing a professional roofing company, make sure that they are insured. In Western Australia. You also want to make sure the guys doing your roofing works are qualified as Perth. Western Australia as a whole is completely unregulated and literally, anyone can jump up and give it a go. Powerdrive Roofing will always use suitably qualified tradies to complete our roof restorations. Registered painters are required to perform the painting process unless you have a company painter’s registration. Then any old joe can get up and paint under that licence. Powerdrive Roofing prefers to do it the right way, we use registered painters on every roof we restore.
What are the Benefits of Hiring a Professional Roof Restorations Company?
First, qualified contractors have the know-how that is required to get the job done right the first time around. When you hire qualified roofing contractors, you are entrusting your roof with people who won’t rip you off. Your warranty will actually mean something if you ever actually need to use it.
Second, the years of work experience. As a result, they will be able to answer all your questions. A qualified roof tiler or roof plumber will find a roofing solution that works best for you and your roof.
Third, hiring a fully qualified roofing contractor that is also insured means the company values the safety of its staff. This is also covering you as the homeowner in case of a work-related accident.
Roof Restorations Warranty
By hiring Powerdrive roofing are the roofing professionals, you are automatically increasing your chances for a successful roof restoration. But even still: you can never be too careful.
Whether hiring Powerdrive or any roofing company we recommend you take extra precautions. Enquire about the company’s insurance policy, get copies prior to commencement of works. This protects you from the rare scenario where the human error occurs. It also covers you in situations that are out of your control, such as harsh weather conditions.
It is also highly advisable to discuss the company’s warranty period. A good roof restoration company will offer you a warranty of between seven to ten years. Now I have heard of companies offering 15 and even 20-year warranties. That is just ludicrous considering the paint manufacturers’ warranties are between seven and ten years. So be wary of over-exaggerated warranties and unbelievable claims. If it is too good to be true, guess what, it probably is. It is even better if the company has public liability insurance!
Hire Locally
When you hire a local Perth roofing company like Powerdrive roofing. You have a team of tradesmen nearby who are always going to be nearby,
Powerdrive Roofing have been a Perth based roofing company. For many years from the beautiful beaches in the Town of Cottesloe. To the hillside in the City of Kalamunda. The wetlands in the City of Wanneroo. The showgrounds in the Town of Claremont http://www.claremont.wa.gov.au/.
The artistic visions of the City of Fremantle. The retirement dreams in the City of Mandurah. Or the wine tours in the City of Swan www.swan.wa.gov.au. If you want local, Powerdrive roofing knows local.
Powerdrive Roofing knows Perth, sipping a cold beer on the foreshore in the City of South Perth http://www.southperth.wa.gov.au. Watched over the years as the train line extended through the City of Joondalup. Then you have all the other suburbs in between and on the outskirts of Perth. We service them all and we are local to them all.
Perth is our home and roofing is our business, there is a saying never mix business with pleasure. I don’t like that saying. Because I find it an absolute pleasure working on each and every home in my hometown of Perth. Personally seeing every customer happy and pleased. Pleased with the work that my team have staff have worked so hard on is a great pleasure to me. So I don’t mix business with pleasure I generate pleasure with my business.
Get Roof Restorations Done Right With Powerdrive Roofing
Do you need a roofing company in Perth? If the answer to that question was yes. Then the next question you should be asking is, what is Powerdrive Roofings Phone number?
Give us a call today on 0421768842 or go to our contact page and fill in the form. Someone will call you back very soon.
Powerdrive Roofing offers a range of services including roof repairs, roof restoration. Bedding and pointing, re-roof or roof replacement, chemical delignification treatment, house painting (interior and exterior).
We are a professional roofing company that have an average of 4.9 ratings on google reviews from satisfied customers. We have up to a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty and a 10-year product and workmanship warranty on selected services. Please speak to our staff at the time of roof inspection.
So the moral of the story is don’t flush your hard-earned cash down the toilet. Be vigilant, do your research and do background checks. Whoever you have to work around your home. It doesn’t have to just be your roof this goes for any trade. Be vigilant, do background checks, don’t hand over big deposits and most of all be smart.
