Q: My roof isn't leaking, how do i Know when it's time to replace my roof?
A: Don’t wait until you get a leak to replace old shingles. The average life expectancy of old shingles is 15 years. You may get lucky and squeeze 20 years out of them, but then you’re asking for costly sheeting replacement if a small leak goes unnoticed. Curled edges and wide gaps between shingle tabs are some of the obvious signs of an old roof.
Q: How much will new siding cost for my house?
A: That seems like a simple question, but there are many choices such as vinyl thickness, color, and accessories that can greatly increase the cost. If you get multiple estimates, make sure your contractors are on the same page as far as material goes. One estimate might be much lower, but you may not be getting the same quality of material.
Q: I need new windows and saw an advertisement on TV for replacement windows for $169.00 installed. Is that a good deal?
A: Absolutely, if you want a junk window that doesn’t function properly and has little to no insulation value. That special price is just a gimmick to get a salesman in your house. He brings the most worthless window and gives you every reason why you don’t want that one. He then offers upgrades which seem minimal, but add up before you notice and turn out to be ridiculously expensive in the end. If you fall for the salesman’s pitch, you’ll get some nice windows, but you’ll spend “alooooot of money”.
Q: How do I know which contractor to choose for my project?
A: If you call a company and they send a salesman to your house, you want to avoid them. Smooth talking salesmen con people into paying an inflated price and they will send the cheapest sub-contractor out to do the work on your home, which will give you inferior quality.
Make sure to ask if the contractor selling you the home improvements will either do the work himself, or at least be there to oversee the project, that almost always ensures that you will get an excellent quality job.
90% of the time, the lowest estimate isn’t always the best, unless they were recommended and/or you’ve seen the quality of their work.
Again, make sure each contractor you get an estimate from are on the same page with the quality level of the materials they will be installing. If not specified, many will give you the cheapest they can find in order to put a few more bucks in their pocket.