When was the last time your roofing company took on a repair job?
Most roofers switch from roofing repairs to replacement roofing jobs once their business becomes established. But roof repair jobs aren’t just for the novice.
These roofing jobs are often overlooked, but they can benefit roofing companies of all sizes. Some roofers swear by repair jobs and even have crews specifically for repairs.
Let’s look at some of the reasons why you might not be doing roofing repair jobs, why you should tap into this field, and the benefits of taking on roof repair work.
Why Roofers Hesitate to Take Roofing Jobs for Repairs
1. Roof Repairs Take Time and Resources from Bigger Roofing Jobs
The concern: Many roofers associate roof repair jobs with roof repair small jobs. Typically, repairs are smaller projects than a replacement or new installation. And when you choose to work on a roof repair, your team focuses on that rather than a larger job. Since most roofing contractors equate bigger jobs with higher-paying jobs, most pass up the opportunity to do roofing repair jobs.
Why you should take repair roofing jobs anyway: Your income stream shouldn’t solely rely on roofing replacements. You probably don’t want only to do repairs, either. Let repairs supplement your income when you’re between big jobs.
2. Possible Lower Profit Margins
The concern: 68% of roofers have an average profit margin between 20% and 50% per job. Most repair jobs have smaller profit margins than roof replacements. As a roofing contractor, you naturally want to make the most from your work, and repairs don’t always seem to do the trick.
Why you should take repair roofing jobs anyway: Some repair jobs have significant profit margins. It’s easy to say yes to those. But for the ones with lower profit margins, is it worth it to take them on? If you have to choose between no work or a repair job, the income you get from a repair is better than not taking on any project during that time.
3. Specialized Work
The concern: If you have a specialty that you enjoy working with—let’s say metal roofing—the prospect of repairing asphalt shingles probably isn’t all that appealing. But you likely won’t see many repairs for your more specialized roofing work.
Why you should take repair roofing jobs anyway: Taking on roofing projects of any kind will help your skills stay sharp. You only get to use some of your skills when you work on a particular type of roof. Repair jobs like roof leak repair let you use different techniques than you usually do so that you can keep your skills up to par.
4. The Roof Has Multiple Issues
The concern: Say you’re inspecting a roof for a repair job. While you’re up there, you notice some spots with hail damage. And the drip edge flashing is warped. And the shingles are cracked. The list goes on and on. You might not want to take on the project because you know it’s more extensive than the one repair.
Why you should take repair roofing jobs anyway: When you go to fix the repair, you can notify the homeowners of the other issues you find. By telling them about the problems, they might choose to have you do a complete replacement. If you skip out on the original area of concern, they won’t ask you to do the replacement. Doing the roofing repair puts your business top of mind.
3 Big Benefits of Doing Roofing Repair Jobs
1. You Build Trust with the Homeowners
When you help someone with their roof repair, you have a chance to establish a relationship with them. Connect with the homeowner and show that you genuinely care about your work. A small repair job can instill a large amount of trust. And if you do a good job on a repair, you’ve proven yourself, so they’ll want to work with you again for their larger projects too.
2. More Consistent Work
Is your company always worried about how to get more roofing jobs? Enter roofing repairs.
Roofs have long life expectancies, so you may only replace a homeowner’s roof once or twice, even if you’re in business for 30 years. But roofs constantly need repairs. More people need roof repair jobs than replacements.
Since 90% of the roofing market offers only roof replacement, there are more roofing repair jobs than roofers willing to do them. You’ll be in high demand. You’ll have more job opportunities, be able to fill your schedule, and pick and choose the jobs you want to do.
3. Extra Money in a Short Time
Depending on the repair, you can knock it out within a day or even a few hours. You can repair the roof without taking much time from larger jobs. It’s easy to slot in a quick repair job, even if your schedule is pretty full.
Get More Roofing Jobs
Roofing repair jobs are a unique source of work. Though small, they can lead to huge jobs down the road and boost your income in the short term. Look for small holes in roofs, cracked shingles, and roof leak repairs.
Whether you use roofing repair jobs to fill gaps in your schedule or your entire schedule, you’ll see what a difference it makes to take on those jobs. If you need a software to help you manage your roofing scheduling, try JobNimbus. Get your free 14-day trial today!
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