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Roofer?

sapper

Anyone know any good roofers in the Dublin area? I know a friend of mine has been having fierce trouble getting someone decent to do his roof - I have a few loose slates and one fell off overnight.....

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stiofanD

I would also be interested in the same information - have a few loose ridge tiles on the roof and have had some difficulty getting someone as its too 'small' job

sapper

stiofanD wrote:

I would also be interested in the same information - have a few loose ridge tiles on the roof and have had some difficulty getting someone as its too 'small' job

Hi Stiofan

No-one answered me yesterday so I ended up calling a few guys in the yellow pages. One guy said he would go out and have a look and give me a quote while another guy called out at lunchtime and quoted me EUR100 to sort it out there and then, which he did (he just had to replace 2 slates and straighten out a few others)

The first guy then called me back and offered to do the job for EUR440!

Anyway, it was a pretty simple job that I am sure any roofer of any standard could do, but at least the price was right!:D His name was Gavin Redmond at 087-274-6806

rooferPete

Hi sapper,

Glad you didn't call me

while he may have been a roofer at rates like that you would be lucky if he had insurance on his transport let alone public liability

LegacyUser

I was looking for a roofer a while back - still am. I have a big job that needs doing. The roof purlins need supporting. Can't find anyone to even return calls

I'd take that guys phone number and name off your post - how do you know he is not ex-directory!

Cal

It does seem that they are completely uninterested in work. They seem to be unwilling to engage in anything more that adjusting a few tiles. Either that or they hammer you with massive quotes on the understanding that you are not going to go up and check if their diagnosis is correct.

I recently had a job that needed doing and I had great difficulty in even getting a quote out of some of them. Anyhow I eventually found a reputable chap who did a good job at a good price.

I'll gladly PM his details to anyone who may be interested.

Cal.

Desmo

rooferPete wrote:

Hi sapper,

Glad you didn't call me while he may have been a roofer at rates like that you would be lucky if he had insurance on his transport let alone public liability

.

This is a very general problem/dilemma and it happens especially if you need a plumber for e.g. a dripping tap. It is why there is much interest in DIY.
If you are a "real" tradesman and are running a legit business, then you have all kinds of tax, insurance and employee issues that us punters can hardly even imagine but it means it is very hard to get a "real" tradesman out for a small job. Some of these small jobs need doing though and missing slates is an important matter if it is your roof and if like me you are terrified of heights (I have replaced slates on a garage and on an extension but there is no feckin way I am going up onto my house roof :-). It means that you have to ask around and find someone who knows someone and that can be hard.
I remember hearing a story on Marion Finnucane where a woman called a plumber out and he saw how small the job was and he said, hang on a moment I will go to me van to pick up a splarging wrench and he went out and drove off.

If it was me, and I could get a few slates fixed for 100euro I would jump at it but I realise he is just some bloke doing it on teh side for some quick cash and it could be anyone and he could make a mess. I have had builders out to look at small jobs and you really feel you are wasting their time with them. It is a pain for them too so I am not slagging them off.

Desmo

sapper

All valid points guys - I have to say that in this case the guy has a full page ad in the 2006 yellow pages on page 1462 with "National Guild of Master Craftsmen accreditation" so I'm pretty sure he won't mind the plug. Also my house is a bungalow...

I wouldn't have taken in up on a cheap quote without references if it was a big job, but I figure that anyone who has "roofing" plastered on their van should at least be able to replace a few slates;)

In my experience though it is almost impossible to get a realistic quote for a small job - its lucky if you get a reasonable quote and if you do, it normally turns out that it's because the guy has a day or two free between big jobs....

rooferPete

Hi,

It is obvious to regular visitors to this section that I am opening another business, I will still have the roofing business open.

The obvious question I would ask is why would a legit qualified contractor begin the slow process to closing down when the number of posts ahead of this are all saying they can't get a contractor ?

The full page ad in the Golden pages only proves that the person who orgered the ad can pay for it, they don't even check if the business name is registered.

I refused to join the Guild of Master Craftsmen because from my experience they are anything but what their name implies, again if you have enough money you can join as a fully fledged member.

The use of Cell Phones while very useful and they can improve a business should not be allowed to be used as the main line where advertising is concerned.

There are prices being quoted that can't cover materials let alone basic overheads so something is being left out and to be honest I am very tired of listening to consumers complaining how they were ripped off by the last tradesman.

My very long experience has proved to me that the consumer wants the Rolls Royce for the price of a Mini, and if they can get it free of charge all the better.

There is no need for a reputable contractor to pay a small fortune for a full page ad every year, when starting out they need the exposure but not after twenty and thirty years in business.

The big question is "What is a realistic quote ?" I have found the very people who complain the most about trade rates are the very people who are earning gross figures that make the small contractors look like paupers.

I have roofer on one van I didn't get the other van written the total cost for signwriting the van was 280 euro.

I do have a minimum charge, that charge was not imposed by me, it was imposed by the market cost of doing business.

I am also experienced enough to know when to walk away because the problem that can be seen on the surface has a much bigger underlying problem which in the vast majority of cases ends up being covered up by the contractor who undertakes the job.

My signature has a link to a directory of roofing contractors which I know is not used, maybe because each listed company is legit ?

.

Cal

I think what people are experiencing is the complete lack of interest shown by contractors. They make appointments to visit and they fail to show. They promise quotes and never send them on. All people want is an honest response to their enquiries. I've had experience of this type of practice from so called legit operations.

I am also experienced enough to know when to walk away because the problem that can be seen on the surface has a much bigger underlying problem which in the vast majority of cases ends up being covered up by the contractor who undertakes the job.

But if these contractors are walking away without explaining why they are walking away they are just gaining themselves a poor reputation.

I can see why people are getting upset. All they want is a reasonable service for a reasonable price.

Cal.

rooferPete

Hi Cal,

Fair enough, but even when those services are provided the consumer is either not at home to meet the contractor and the contractor gets no feed back from the enquiry.

I have no problem with a consumer who is getting a service that is like for like and I am just more expensive.

The consumer can learn an awful lot from one or three telephone calls before choosing the contractor they decide to give the work to, they can learn a lot more when they meet the contractor to discuss the scope of the works to be carried out.

A contractor does not get free diesel for the surveys they carry out, they do not get get free internet services and finally they do not get the specifications typed and free postage only never to hear back from the consumer.

The contractor who supplies the detailed specification and costing can very often find their specification forwarded to other contractors for costing, the only page missing is the final price.

With regard to gaining a poor reputation for themselves by "Walking away" the argument from this side is we are not in business to educate the beginners.

Maybe I am wrong by not haunting the consumer, however I have a policy of no hard selling, give the people as much time as they need to decide for themselves.

.

Cal

A contractor does not get free diesel for the surveys they carry out, they do not get get free internet services and finally they do not get the specifications typed and free postage only never to hear back from the consumer.

But surely that is a factor built into any business. You quote for jobs but you do not expect to get them all. But my arguement is with those who are in business to make money but altough they say they they will do a survey/quote/etc. they don't. That is the frustrating side for the consumer.

With regard to gaining a poor reputation for themselves by "Walking away" the argument from this side is we are not in business to educate the beginners.

I don't understand. Beginners? Possibly I'm not seeing your definition of ' Walking away'. I mean why would a contractor walk away from a job without even telling the customer why they don't/won't/couldn't be bothered doing the job?

I think two trades seem to suffer more from this type of frustrating behaviour. Roofers and plumbers. Possibly because it quite often is an emergency when you need something done. But those trades (Not exclusively) as a result seem to attract a certain type of cowboy who is only interested in a quick earner. It does make it harder for the legit operator to compete on a level playing field.

Cal.

rooferPete

Hi Cal,

My closing rate (sales) is I am told very high for the roofing industry, to me it's more than a job, what has kept me in the business so long is the challenge.

Just because we have standard overheads like transport and ladders are regarded as useful it doesn't mean we give the services free.

Where you are spot on we are in the business to make money, by making money I mean earning more than I would in a 9 > 5 job, of course many of us fool ourselves (including me) by working in excess of eighteen hours a day.

Obviously those eighteen hours are not spent on a roof, many are spent preparing proposals, estimates, specifications and costings, I have spent many hours doing all of the above and posting the final documents to the customer only never to hear from them again.

To the best of my memory I have never walked away from an emergency situation even if the customer did not have the funds.

I am not claiming to be the "Holier than Thou" among roofers or plumbers but if someone is in trouble I do not walk away, to me that would be an abuse of the skills I have been blessed with.

There is a big difference between helping someone in trouble and making a decision that this particular job or customer is not for me, that can be based on many reasons, sometimes it's a time issue others it can be a personality issue.

There have been times where I have walked away because the customer was not listening to what they were being told or even worse tried to tell me what to do but expected a warranty based on their (or a competitors) specification.

The "Beginner" to me is the person (trades or otherwise) who believes that he can be a contractor, there is a huge difference between the two, there are many "Briefcase" contractors, their total assets are the companies "Articles of Association" and headed paper in the brifcase.

It is not my duty or role in life to spend all that extra time outside 9 > 5 educating the person with a skill on how to become a contractor.

I suggest that you try and find a ten year old Golden Pages, 20 years is even better and see who is still listed as a Roofing, Plumbing or Building Contractor.

Perhaps part of the reason why some of the tradesmen that you mention appear to hold the consumer in such disdain is because they are not used to putting in all the extra work and never hearing as much as a thank you from the consumer.

.

mel123

bubby wrote:

I was looking for a roofer a while back - still am. I have a big job that needs doing. The roof purlins need supporting. Can't find anyone to even return calls

I'd take that guys phone number and name off your post - how do you know he is not ex-directory!

Ola, my first post on these boards. Im regularly on ivenus and a couple of others, my god ivenus is so quiet, in here people are posting all the time - great, now i defo wont get any work done

With regards to roofing, i can recommend someone in the Dublin area. His name is Patrick and his number is 087-7621244. On ivenus i have recommended him to many people and they have been very happy and sing his praises on the boards (my username is Mel if u want to check it out). Prices are very reasonable and work is the highest quality i have come across. Good decent guy who wont rip you off - one fellow ivenus member ended up getting a quote, the job was a bit trickier that first thought but Patrick still did it at the cost he said he would do it for.He is a roofer by trade but can also do building work as he did for me.