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How “Cheap” Is a Cheap Roof?

 Cheap, leaking roof

Is a cheap roof really less expensive?

Like you, most homeowners want a new roof or roof repair that won’t leak and won’t need to be repaired or replaced for decades. The truth is that most homeowners get something very different.

[Watch] In this video we share the truth about “cheap” roofs.

More than 70% of the roofs we are called out to repair were installed by someone else fewer than 10 years ago. The reason? The roofer cut corners on installation to give the customer a low price.

In many cases, the homeowner choose the “cheaper” roof option and then discovered leaks or other problems that, with proper installation, would not have occurred for decades. The truth is, the most expensive roof you will ever buy is the one that needs to be replaced or repaired early.

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No-Leak Roof Guarantee

A Zimmerman’s roof is guaranteed not to leak. We also guarantee it will last longer. We guarantee that no one can install your roof the way the manufacturer designed it to be installed for less than we can. And we guarantee you 100% satisfaction, or your money back.

A Good Roof Is Not Cheap

Even a cheaply-installed roof costs thousands of dollars at today’s prices. But a roof that doesn’t last or perform as promised is even more expensive in the long run.

Roofing prices are soaring along with the price of oil. Any roof you replace at today’s dollars could easily cost two to three times as much in just a few years. That means you don’t want to have to touch a roof again after you have invested in replacing it.

Cheap Roofers Often Cut Corners

Going with a cheap roof can easily cost you far more than the original price. You have to ask yourself: Is it worth the risk?

The fact is that roofing materials cost what they cost. A cheap roofer cuts corners to beat a quality roofer’s price. To do that, they use cheaper materials that don’t perform as well, they don’t install materials properly, or they don’t do what they promised.

We see it all the time.

How some roofers cut corners:

  • Use cheap underlayment that doesn’t protect your home, when water gets behind the shingles (which happens regularly even with the best shingles).
  • Re-use old drip edge, underlayment, or other materials that cannot protect your home against leaks.
  • Use lower quality shingles that don’t hold up to weather as well.
  • Only use three or four nails instead of the six nails that top manufacturers demand in order to get the full warranty on their product.
  • Hire untrained people who cost less, but don’t know how to install a roof properly for long-term performance.
  • Carry the minimum $50,000 of insurance required for a registered contractor (or they don’t become a registered contractor at all), which is not enough insurance to cover any serious accident, which leaves the homeowner responsible for medical or property bills even though it was the contractor’s fault.

Before you hire a roofer, do these two things first:

  1. Talk to past customers who have lived with that roofer’s work for three or more years.
  2. Read the roofer’s guarantees (not the manufacturer’s warranties.) The manufacturer’s warranties are not even in effect on most roofs we see because even the smallest error in installation voids the manufacturer’s warranty. It is the roofer’s guarantees that make the difference. Read the documents carefully, and don’t accept a verbal guarantee under any circumstances. Only then can you be sure that you are talking to a roofer you can really trust both to do a good job and to stand behind should any issues surface.

Contact Us

If you are looking for a roofing contractor in Lancaster, Berks, or Chester County, please call (717) 354-3737 or complete our online request form.

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The overhead care club A highly skilled technician will perform an annual exterior home inspection – including taking extensive photos of your roofing, siding, windows & doors as well as an attic inspection.
Annual Home Check Up & Attic Analysis We’ll inspect your roofing siding, windows & doors, we’ll clean your skylights and remove large debris from your roof, and clean up to 150’ of your gutters. We’ll also seal all exposed nail heads on your roof with high grade sealant.
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