Adding a specialty business isn't for everyone, but it can be a real profit center. More
Waller Emergency Services and Goff-Waller Roofing are on the move -- literally. In an effort to get people talking about them, the sister companies are promoting their services with ads wrapping two transit buses in Polk County, Fla."I have more conversations now about the buses than anything," says Jimmy Waller, vice president of development for the companies. More
Estimating that roofing job by the square foot may be easy. It might also cost you. More
Tearing off the old shingles can add anywhere from a few hours to a day to a roofing job. "You could be spending $750 or $800 in dump fees," contractor Jim Lydon points out.For all those reasons, Lydon tells clients it's OK to roof over existing shingles if (1) it's a relatively new building and "basically up to code"; (2) the old shingles are "nice and smooth," providing a relatively even surface for reroofing; and (3) the beams and boards of the roof structure are in good enough shape to hold a nail. More
The crew reroofed the first house, finishing the job at 3 p.m. Then, the estimator waited four long hours for the homeowner to return from work.He was shocked, but the next day the homeowner agreed to sign a liability waiver, refusing to pay anything toward the roof, which Waller estimates at $15,000, between hard costs, project manager time, and attorney fees. More
We collect change order payments at the end of the job. For a $10,000 job, we usually have an average change order cost of $750. More
Five years ago, my company, Waller Construction, bought a roofing operation and set it up as an in-house division. At the time, almost all the roofing installers were Hispanic, and they spoke only Spanish. More
Re-roofing the entire home when you build an addition is a smart proposal for you and your clients.Finding shingles to match is not a problem when Waller Construction, Lakeland, Fla., is building an addition. But if the roof has less than five years left in it, says secretary-treasurer Mark Pennington, "we strongly suggest they make the change, More
The value of being a niche business is it defines processes for you. It directs your marketing. General remodelers spend a lot of time trying to figure out where to go and what to do. We don't have to do that. More
