Advice

When considering a major (or minor!) roofing project, you are always well advised to seek three quotations. We hope that you will choose South Devon Flat Roofing as your preferred contractor.

Here is some useful advice you should bare in mind when comparing our services to that of other contractors.

What should I look for in a roofing contractor?

Experience

You should check how much experience your chosen contractor has. Any contractor should be able to provide you with examples of completed work and customer testimonials.

Be wary of engaging a company which claims expert knowledge in a variety of different trades. It is always best to engage a specialist for a specialist job. A specialist will have knowledge of the correct specifications needed and a wealth of experience in their field.

Insurance

It is extremely important to make sure that the company you engage has the correct insurance to work on your property. You, as a customer, and the tradesman must be protected in the event of an accident.

Our insurance policy takes into consideration that we work at height and with naked flames.

Cost

When considering the different quotations for your project, you should bare in mind value for money, not just the final cost.

The cheapest quotation you receive will not necessarily provide you with the best value for money. The use of cheaper materials and cutting corners to save on labour hours, may mean that you will end up duplicating the work carried out within a short time. It is absolutely essential that you check that the cheapest quote received actually quotes for the same work as the other quotes. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

We realise that the current climate means our customers are especially concerned about getting the most value for money.

We are always happy to provide a spectrum of estimates, ranging from an economy system to a high end specification. It may also be possible for us to carry out a repair, instead of replacing a whole roof.

The Estimate

You should make sure that when comparing estimates, you are comparing ‘like for like’ work.

All contractors should take great care to measure a job accurately and to estimate for all visually accessible aspects of a job.

We will never estimate for the bare minimum in order to present an attractive cost to the customer and then add on costs which should have been included in the original estimate.

We will always include in our estimate any costs that we are able to anticipate

When estimating for a job we will take into consideration:

• An estimation of the remaining useful lifespan of the roof and whether it is cost effective to repair the roof.
• All visible aspects of the job.
• The cost of materials, scaffolding (if needed), rubbish disposal, and the cost of additional subcontractors (if needed).

Due to the nature of our work, it is not possible to quote for aspects of a job which we cannot inspect prior to starting work.

For example, if timberwork beneath the roof needs to be replaced we correspond with the customer regarding this immediately and provide a quotation for replacing it.

Guarantees

You may feel that you would like a guarantee to back the work which has been carried out.

South Devon Flat Roofing is proud to offer 5 – 10 year company guarantees that you can trust, as well as insurance backed manufacturer guarantees on request.

We provide our guarantees based on the quality of the materials that we use.

Health and Safety

The company you engage should comply with Health and Safety regulations. Health and Safety regulations sometimes get negative press, however, where roofing is concerned they are just common sense. Taking shortcuts where safety is concerned, inevitably leads to accidents.

Scaffolding costs involved in a roofing project are necessary to make safe a job and to ensure that the job is completed as efficiently as possible.

If we do assess a site and establish that the use of ladders is sufficient to carry out the project, we will of course eliminate the cost of scaffolding wherever possible.

Presentation

The contractor you engage should take care to be respectful of your property and work in a conscientious and tidy manner.

All rubbish should be taken away from site and materials stored securely.

Energy efficiency advice

Your chosen contractor should advise you that a flat roof which is being replaced must be insulated to comply with building regulations as per Approved Document L1B: Conservation of fuel and power (Existing dwellings). This not only makes sense environmentally, and financially (you will save money in fuel bills) it also ensures that there will be no problems with the energy rating of your property, if you decide to sell.

Cooling Off Period

Your chosen contractor should present you with a document giving you a 7 day ‘cooling off’ period before any work starts over the value of £35.

You should also be given the option of allowing the contractor to start before the 7 days are over, making you aware that you will need to reimburse the contractor fairly for any work already undertaken if you then decide to change your mind and end the contract.

Plain English

Your chosen contractor should take care to explain why any work needs to be carried out, how it will be carried out and roughly how long this should take.

Your chosen contractor should not try to intimidate you by bombarding you with the defects at your property and should never put you under any pressure to get work done.

The contractor should be able to provide you with pictures taken during their site survey to substantiate any estimates which they provide.

The greatest care should be taken if a contractor approaches you, saying that work needs to be carried out at your property, without you having approached them first.

We will never give prices for roofing projects over the phone. A site survey is absolutely essential in order for us to estimate the cost of a job.

We will never pressure you into using our services and all estimates will be sent in writing, for your reference. If you have any questions regarding the estimate which we have provided for you, please do not hesitate to contact us!

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