The Scoop on the Scope

Some roofs are ballasted. Some are fully-adhered or mechanically-attached. Some are spayed or rolled on. Do you know which applies to your roof? Make sure the proposal clearly specifies this important item.

Many roofing contractors can hide items that you end up paying for because you never knew they were or were not included. Make sure the SOW is a detailed list of what is to be done and not a vague outline. The “devil is in the details,” as the saying goes. Those details or the lack thereof can come back to bite you in additional costs.

Furthermore, a primary way you can compare one roofing contractor to another is to compare scopes. This “apples-to-apples” method of comparison is one of the best ways to differentiate who knows their “stuff” and who really has your best interests in mind. Don’t allow a contractor to skimp on the scope. If they do, run away.

When such things are not specified it is easy for dishonest roofing contractors to provide you with generic brands. After all, if the SOW doesn’t provide specifics, they’re legally protected to give you whatever they want, often to your financial detriment and to their higher profit margins.

Make sure the roofing contractor is bound to what you agreed to by requiring that they include in the SOW pertienent and detailed information. A roofing contractor that is too vague may be betraying a lack of knowledge of what really needs to be done, they could be tipping their hand of their desire to hide things from you, or they may just not be concerned enough to educate you. To be sure, a vague scope is not a good scope.

This isn’t a critical requirement, but it is a great way to reference items in question. Roofing contractors that do not include an easy way to reference each specific line item in a SOW make it very hard to review, discuss, and modify.

While this doesn’t have to be a make-or-break issue, using a roofing contractor that understands the importance of the SOW and makes it as easy for you to know what you’re getting, is a great point of positive differentiation.

This isn’t a critical requirement, but it is a great way to reference items in question. Roofing contractors that do not include an easy way to reference each specific line item in a SOW make it very hard to review, discuss, and modify.

While this doesn’t have to be a make-or-break issue, using a roofing contractor that understands the importance of the SOW and makes it as easy for you to know what you’re getting, is a great point of positive differentiation.