As homeowners, many of us are always looking to get our work done at the lowest possible price. The problem is that we don’t realize we are setting ourselves up for disaster by working with contractors who are all too eager to satisfy this requirement. These are the same contractors who will work for the least amount of money, but in the process will give us the least they can in terms of time, labor, materials, attention to detail, quality and value.

Who can blame them? Why should they give more when they are not being paid more? Yet we all moan and groan when we don’t get the good work and service that we want. It’s a catch-22 situation, which is only escaped when we can accept the fact that a low price and excellent quality and service are at opposite ends of the spectrum. We live in a capitalistic world, where better people command and get rewarded for their better skills, service, and work. It’s plain and simple, and capitalistically, makes perfect sense. You get what you pay for.

A job done at the lowest price is the lowest for a very good reason. It is missing all the ingredients and input necessary to provide a leak-free roof which are costs to the contractor and add to the price of the job. In other words, it is missing well paid highly skilled labor, quality control, and a training department that knows what does and doesn’t work on your roof.