8 Costly Lies That Houston Roofers Tell

We like to consider ourselves obsessively honest at Houston Roofing & Construction. It’s one of our core values, after all. 

Unfortunately, not all roofing companies are created equal  and we all don’t share the same views on being genuine and putting honesty first with customers

In fact, there are companies that will flat out lie just to earn your business. 

While we can’t stop it from happening, we can try and educate homeowners to be more aware of these lies  so that you can make the best decision possible when choosing a company to trust with your roof replacement, repair, or assessment.

Lie #1: “All our employees = PhD roofing experts.”

Did you know:  In Texas roofing contractors don’t need to be licensed and aren’t regulated by any state agency. This means that anyone can claim to be a ‘qualified’ roofer. 

With no real checks and balances, how can homeowners prove that their ‘qualified’ roofer is…well, really ‘qualified’?

You can’t get a Ph.D in roofing, but you can be GAF Master Elite and RCAT certified – which are the Ph’D’ of the roofing industry.

We are both GAF Master Elite & RCAT certified. This ensures the entire crew working your roofing project is seasoned, vetted over time, and focused on results not revenue. If we don’t maintain these standards, we would lose our certifications and standings. 

*Extra Credit: We have an A+ Rating with the BBB.

Lie #2: “We offer the best roofing at the lowest pricing in Houston”

Companies offering the lowest prices are almost guaranteed to cut corners, take short cuts, rely on subpar products, and use a host of other methods to line their pockets. 

If you chat with these contractors, be sure to ask them one question:

“Why are your roof replacement prices so low?”

What do they have over the competition? What’s their secret sauce? Then just sit back and LISTEN…because everything you need to know will be in their responses. 

“The shingles we use are hand-crafted by world-renowned roofing engineers…”

Which, being said, perfectly leads us into our next lie.

Lie #3: “We use the world’s best materials.”

Some roofing companies will claim that their materials are the best and charge you accordingly for them, but in reality, the materials are cheap. 

If a contractor tells you that their materials are ‘the best’, ask them to prove it.

With Houston Roofing & Construction, we only use and install superior GAF roofing systems. Not roofing thrown together using inferior products. 

Lie #4: “Your whole roof needs to be replaced.”

Are there a couple drops coming through the ceiling into the dining room? Some roofers might tell you to move into a hotel so that they can go for a full roof replacement. But what if all you need is some minor repair work? Do you really need an entire new roof?

Roofing salesmen can be very convincing, especially if you’re not a roofing expert. It’s easy to take what they’re saying as scripture. 

You want to work with a roofing company you can trust will give you a 100% genuine and honest assessment, then provide workmanship quality that matches their pricing – whether its a repair or full replacement.

Our roofing estimates and assessments are also 100% FREE.

Lie #5: “Our roofs have a lifetime ‘covers everything’ warranty.”

Very few warranties in existence cover everything. At best, most roofing warranties generally fall under limited lifetime warranties of between 40 and 50 years. On the other hand, it is also important to understand the labor warranties involved if there are any. 

Because we use GAF systems,  you know exactly what you are getting down to the finest detail. Since they’ve been around for nearly a century and have millions of customers, you can expect their warranties to be reliable. 

Warranties are where most of your peace of mind is coming from, so take the time to understand what you’re getting (or not getting).

Your contractor should be more than happy to go through every detail with you and you should get good warranties and deals on both labor and materials.

Lie #6: “If you sign this pre-contract you’ll get X.”

Big red flag. What exactly is a pre-contract in this context anyway? 

Whether they’re offering better pricing or some sort of new roof through an insurance loophole…never sign anything unless:

• a) It is the final contract and, 
• b) It has a complete monetary breakdown with the agreed upon scope of work in specific detail. 

In connection to this one you might hear something like, “This contract allows you to lock in our all-inclusive price.” But is it? All too often it turns out that was just their ‘Basic’ or ‘Core’ package or something of the sort. To get the best materials, or upgrades, additions and accessories, then you’ll need to get that in writing. 

Lie #7: The “Down Payment”, “Small Deposit”, “Initial Payment”, “Project Initiation Investment”, “Proof of commitment”  and a number of other synonyms for “Money up front”.

Different companies have different protocols, and we respect that. But we’ve heard many horror stories of “qualified” roofers (See Lie #1!) taking a deposit, never to be seen or heard from again.

We never ask for a deposit.

Lie #8: “All we need is to give your roof a quick inspection.”

What we are referring to here are the companies who try to argue they can give your roof a visual once-over and that should do it. 

We thoroughly disagree and the facts don’t support this approach. 

There are far too many variables at play, with too many issues that can potentially go wrong within roofing systems that are not readily available to the naked eye doing a ‘convenient drive by analysis”. 

Of course some water damage is visible, and some types of roofing damage as well, especially after storms. But, generally speaking you need a professional assessment/estimate you can trust.

BONUS LIE: The Insurance Scam Lie

General homeowners insurance covers specific kinds of roof damage that is the result of specific circumstances. Some examples include: 

• Fire
• Falling trees
• Hail
• Wind
• Acts of God

Scammers, or unprofessional roofing companies in Houston will lay in wait until there’s been some sort of hazard and then target the impacted area. They want to swoop in, fabricate all kinds of nonsense trying to game the insurance company, but everything usually ends horribly for homeowners.