Before story time begins I'd like to announce that the Maze nails are here. Seven times the zinc. My supplier rep, the famous Mr. Spencer, says a fifty pound box weighs twice as much as the ordinary nails from China. I'm so glad because these nails that cost twice as much would be fewer in number per pound than those made by people with guns to their heads because of all the zinc. Anyway, I feel good about using American made products. Yeah America. Yeah!
Here's todays story: We had done a redeck roof in Colleyville a few years ago and later we sided the house with Mastic's (formerly Alcoa) best soffit, the Probead. It really looks like bead board.
The rep for Mastic, Kevin, was my manager until he got that job. He's still a good friend and has a beautiful family.
Back to the story. This customer was really picky, him being a jet airliner pilot. I guess I'm glad he's picky. I can't imagine someone in his position being less than a hawk.
Everything was fine until we did his patio cover, a real nice product we purchased at Metals USA, formerly called Texas Aluminum Industries or TAI. I guess they got bigger. Get it? Texas to USA.
We purchased the product, a foam filled panel that can be used to make a room as well as a patio cover. from their location in Dallas and took it to Colleyville. After we put it up the customer noticed small dents in the panels. My foreman swore they didn't dent the panels. He reiterated that he never had a problem like this. He was sincere and I didn't believe him. Sure, right.
The panels are locked together and a caulk is used to seal them together. Taking them down ruined about $4000.00 worth of material. Se la vie.
Happily and without complaint I took it on the chin and sent my men to get more panels with the instructions to really inspect the material before it went on their truck. My foreman was adamant that he didn't dent them and I didn't care. I just wanted to buy some more and get it right.
All hell broke out. My foreman called me and said "Jon, you won't believe this. Listen." I heard a man screaming like a little girl. Mr. Buss, the jerk. Yelling and yelling.
I saw the light. We couldn't find any straight panels. All of them were dented. I was incensed. Bush was insane.
Now I asked for replacement panels. The manager was going to sell me greatly discounted panels but Buss was howling. Who was the boss here?
I had to purchase more product from them because of the way the system is engineered. We had erected a frame designed to hold up this product. I was trapped. I was screwed and they knew it. I called corporate and went up the ladder until the last no was given.
We tore down the patio cover and had to tie it back into the roof when we rebuilt it.
They'll lose more money than I. They could have split the difference with me but they chose to make an enemy out of me. This is too bad because the two guys out front are so nice and helpful and Metals USA also owns Gerard, manufacturers of a fine stone coated steel roof product. My rep from them is a great guy.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The homeowner loves his patio cover. It's very nice. You might say it is twice as nice as it has to be.
www.jonwrightroofing.com
Jon Wright Roofing in Dallas
I can't afford to do business with Metals USA.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Dallas Roofing Supply Companies
Dallas Roofing Contractors have many roofing wholesalers or roofing suppliers to choose from. The service on different ones varies but you find out what they're made of when they make a mistake and cost a contractor money or customer relations. So here's a few of my snafu stories of wholesalers getting it wrong and what they did about it.
Back in 1981 I sold a built up roof in Richardson on a i/12 pitch. My experience level wasn't too great but I already had developed the skill of reading and I used it a lot. I followed the rules and used type IV asphalt, a type that has a different softening point than the ordinary type III asphalt that we use one most built up roofs.
These BUR roofs consist of several layers of roofing felts mopped together to form something like one giant shingle on a roof. There are different types of papers and toppings used. Now we use either SBS cap sheets or coatings instead of the gravel we used back then for protection from ultra violet degradation. Asphalt is organic and the sun destroys it. (That's why scuffed shingles deteriorate, because it is not just cosmetic. It is catastrophic damage.)
The roof started to migrate when the sun came out. The gravel started moving down hill and pushed the strip in felts off the gravel guard.
There was some field felt slippage as evidenced by the two or three places where the gravel had parted but not much. This was repairable with some back nailing and surface repairs but the migrating gravel was not repairable.
I called the Trumbell Asphalt rep, Steve Krystosik, a million times and he wouldn't return my calls. Finally Owens Corning, the mother of Trumbell Asphalt, sent to large men out to do Krystoskc's job. They refused my claim and left me out to dry. I spent over $6000.00 in 1981 dollars plus a couple of days work to make good on the job.
I find it hard to believe I can sell Owens Corning or Trumbell products and believe in them. Rephrased, I can't afford to sell their products.
Steve's a great guy and now he's doing nothing for Tamko Roofing products now. He has taken care of business there. When we got a bad batch of shingles from them once he made good on everything. They sent out more bad shingles the second time but eventually got it right and reimbursed me my expenses.
Tamko is good but they are behind the times on design, color, class IV products, and a contractor program with enhanced warranties.
Spec shipped the wrong color once and they made good on it eventually but then their gambling and drug addicted salesman (I found this out later) messed up some orders and never told anyone. Spec said I owed money and I kept asking for receipts. All I got was paperwork with weights on it. I do not buy roofing by the pound.
I faxed over an order with the color Ash Brown and he said he thought it was Aut Brown, short for Autumn Brown. What a weasel. I didn't get paid. Spec didn't get paid. I lost money.
I can't afford to buy from Spec although they are real nice people.
Once Spec shorted me a bunch of Celotex Presidential Roofing which is now made by Certainteed. I asked and asked to no avail. Then when I got 33 squares of 20 year shingles instead of the 33 bundles I ordered and was invoiced for, I told them that they had over shipped a job and wouldn't tell them where it was until I got my credit.
All they could imagine is a rogue driver over shipping jobs everywhere. In order to stop the bleeding they consented.
Still, not good business. Plus Steve stole the money I was paying them and they wouldn't listen to me. Since then they have lost millions in business.
More Dallas Roofing Stories later. I've got to go pick up my son from school now.
www.jonwrightroofing.com
Back in 1981 I sold a built up roof in Richardson on a i/12 pitch. My experience level wasn't too great but I already had developed the skill of reading and I used it a lot. I followed the rules and used type IV asphalt, a type that has a different softening point than the ordinary type III asphalt that we use one most built up roofs.
These BUR roofs consist of several layers of roofing felts mopped together to form something like one giant shingle on a roof. There are different types of papers and toppings used. Now we use either SBS cap sheets or coatings instead of the gravel we used back then for protection from ultra violet degradation. Asphalt is organic and the sun destroys it. (That's why scuffed shingles deteriorate, because it is not just cosmetic. It is catastrophic damage.)
The roof started to migrate when the sun came out. The gravel started moving down hill and pushed the strip in felts off the gravel guard.
There was some field felt slippage as evidenced by the two or three places where the gravel had parted but not much. This was repairable with some back nailing and surface repairs but the migrating gravel was not repairable.
I called the Trumbell Asphalt rep, Steve Krystosik, a million times and he wouldn't return my calls. Finally Owens Corning, the mother of Trumbell Asphalt, sent to large men out to do Krystoskc's job. They refused my claim and left me out to dry. I spent over $6000.00 in 1981 dollars plus a couple of days work to make good on the job.
I find it hard to believe I can sell Owens Corning or Trumbell products and believe in them. Rephrased, I can't afford to sell their products.
Steve's a great guy and now he's doing nothing for Tamko Roofing products now. He has taken care of business there. When we got a bad batch of shingles from them once he made good on everything. They sent out more bad shingles the second time but eventually got it right and reimbursed me my expenses.
Tamko is good but they are behind the times on design, color, class IV products, and a contractor program with enhanced warranties.
Spec shipped the wrong color once and they made good on it eventually but then their gambling and drug addicted salesman (I found this out later) messed up some orders and never told anyone. Spec said I owed money and I kept asking for receipts. All I got was paperwork with weights on it. I do not buy roofing by the pound.
I faxed over an order with the color Ash Brown and he said he thought it was Aut Brown, short for Autumn Brown. What a weasel. I didn't get paid. Spec didn't get paid. I lost money.
I can't afford to buy from Spec although they are real nice people.
Once Spec shorted me a bunch of Celotex Presidential Roofing which is now made by Certainteed. I asked and asked to no avail. Then when I got 33 squares of 20 year shingles instead of the 33 bundles I ordered and was invoiced for, I told them that they had over shipped a job and wouldn't tell them where it was until I got my credit.
All they could imagine is a rogue driver over shipping jobs everywhere. In order to stop the bleeding they consented.
Still, not good business. Plus Steve stole the money I was paying them and they wouldn't listen to me. Since then they have lost millions in business.
More Dallas Roofing Stories later. I've got to go pick up my son from school now.
Jon Wright Roofing - Roofing Dallas- Roof Repair - Metal Roofer
www.jonwrightroofing.com
Roofing and Recycling in Dallas Fort Worth
Years ago in Colorado, a roofer went into the wood shingle and shake recycle. He charged roofers to dump their nearly clean cedar shingles and shakes in his yard but he charged less than the landfill. Word spread fast. He then used small chippers to grid it up for landscaping. He sold it to convenience stores, Home Depot, Lowes, landscapers and anyone who'd buy it.
Once he saturated the market he fled leaving a mountain of trash. I never heard if he was ever caught but the local authorities had to clean it up.
We've received calls about recycling our asphalt roofs but nothing has come here yet. We'd really like to do that. Some cities have rubber and polyisocyanurate recycle centers.
Country rods, pot hole repairs, retaining blocks, and other products could be made from the millions of tons of roofing thrown away into landfills annually. Just one thirty square Timberline with accessories is 10,000 lbs. of debris. Do the math if a hail storm wipes out a city.
We already, like most roofers in Dallas and Tarrant Counties, recycle aluminum and copper roofing products but we go a step further.
At a loss we cull the metal edging, flashings, stacks, lead flashings, and any other metal we can find and every once and a while sell it.
My industry needs to get with it and start a bandwagon.
www.jonwrightroofing.com
Jon Wright Roofing
Once he saturated the market he fled leaving a mountain of trash. I never heard if he was ever caught but the local authorities had to clean it up.
We've received calls about recycling our asphalt roofs but nothing has come here yet. We'd really like to do that. Some cities have rubber and polyisocyanurate recycle centers.
Country rods, pot hole repairs, retaining blocks, and other products could be made from the millions of tons of roofing thrown away into landfills annually. Just one thirty square Timberline with accessories is 10,000 lbs. of debris. Do the math if a hail storm wipes out a city.
We already, like most roofers in Dallas and Tarrant Counties, recycle aluminum and copper roofing products but we go a step further.
At a loss we cull the metal edging, flashings, stacks, lead flashings, and any other metal we can find and every once and a while sell it.
My industry needs to get with it and start a bandwagon.
www.jonwrightroofing.com
Jon Wright Roofing
Friday, October 1, 2010
Too many calls. Too many bad roofs out there. What a nightmare the last few weeks have been. Ten inches of rain on the 8th in a few hours changes everything.
The calls are slowing down now and we've made some friends but we also made some enemies. We tried to handle everyone and we shouldn't have. We have found out we can turn off Angies List when this happens and a few other resources we have when a natural disaster hits.
Alex called a potential customer and told him I'd be there in about an hour. All he said was fine. I didn't have time to stop for lunch so I stopped at a convenience store to grad some poison. When I came out a bum was digging in my truck and talking to himself. He had my phone and wouldn't give it back. A struggle ensued, more like a slow dance, and I slowly began to get it back until he jerked it away and disassemble the battery.
Boy was I freaked. He saw my rage and threw it down and ran but these Blackberry devices take some time to start back up. I was already a late and now I was really late. My phone had over a dozen missed calls.
When I got to the appointment no one was there. The problem was obvious. No maintenance and no paint. An old wood louver on the side poorly designed, falling out, and a hurricane.
I resumed my frantic catch up mode knowing this guy would be mad and wouldn't do business with me.
Correctomundo. He gave me an "F" on Angies to go along with all my "A's." We didn't do business with him so our average is not effected but he's on top. Funny how when you swallow too big a bite it can cause pain, even death.
We've changed things up and are preparing for the next tsunami.
For anyone else who fell through the cracks, er, I mean gaping holes, I apologize.
We really got more calls in a week than we had in three or four months. I had just let some of my staff go at this time because there wasn't enough to do.
Feast or famine? I don't think so. Normally people wait for hail storms to replace their roof and many look to get out cheap because they are not spending their own money but nobody spends their own money better than they do.
Now people are buying better roofs, better guarantees, better ventilation and better Energy Star decking and shingles. With their own money people seek value but when Allstate or State Farm pays for the roof most go cheap. Those don't tend to be our customers. Long and short term saving is what we offer, not a bottom line so cheap a good roof can't be put on and continue in business.
We are competitive but with better systems. We are the extended warranty energy saving beautiful roof store.
www.jonwrightroofing.com
The calls are slowing down now and we've made some friends but we also made some enemies. We tried to handle everyone and we shouldn't have. We have found out we can turn off Angies List when this happens and a few other resources we have when a natural disaster hits.
Alex called a potential customer and told him I'd be there in about an hour. All he said was fine. I didn't have time to stop for lunch so I stopped at a convenience store to grad some poison. When I came out a bum was digging in my truck and talking to himself. He had my phone and wouldn't give it back. A struggle ensued, more like a slow dance, and I slowly began to get it back until he jerked it away and disassemble the battery.
Boy was I freaked. He saw my rage and threw it down and ran but these Blackberry devices take some time to start back up. I was already a late and now I was really late. My phone had over a dozen missed calls.
When I got to the appointment no one was there. The problem was obvious. No maintenance and no paint. An old wood louver on the side poorly designed, falling out, and a hurricane.
I resumed my frantic catch up mode knowing this guy would be mad and wouldn't do business with me.
Correctomundo. He gave me an "F" on Angies to go along with all my "A's." We didn't do business with him so our average is not effected but he's on top. Funny how when you swallow too big a bite it can cause pain, even death.
We've changed things up and are preparing for the next tsunami.
For anyone else who fell through the cracks, er, I mean gaping holes, I apologize.
We really got more calls in a week than we had in three or four months. I had just let some of my staff go at this time because there wasn't enough to do.
Feast or famine? I don't think so. Normally people wait for hail storms to replace their roof and many look to get out cheap because they are not spending their own money but nobody spends their own money better than they do.
Now people are buying better roofs, better guarantees, better ventilation and better Energy Star decking and shingles. With their own money people seek value but when Allstate or State Farm pays for the roof most go cheap. Those don't tend to be our customers. Long and short term saving is what we offer, not a bottom line so cheap a good roof can't be put on and continue in business.
We are competitive but with better systems. We are the extended warranty energy saving beautiful roof store.
www.jonwrightroofing.com
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