Do it yourself
Can you install your own roof? Some materials, such as asphalt shingles, are more suited to a DIYer than others, such as slate. Most of the work-but certainly not all-requires brawn more than brains. For the larger areas-the "field" of the roof-the labour required is considerable: there's lots of heavy lifting and repetitive nailing. The roofer's skills come into play at the edges, where the flashing needs to be properly designed and installed to be effective. If you do it yourself, do your research.
You'll need a period of clear weather, and you should be prepared to protect the unfinished roof if the weather doesn't hold. It's not just the roof that needs protection-always consider your own safety. Without precautions, the right equipment and experience, you risk a potentially fatal fall.
Shore, who laughingly admits he'd prefer homeowners hire his roofers than try to do it themselves, has a tip: "The first time you install a roof, you're likely to screw it up. Get some help from someone who already has some experience with roofing."
Hiring a roofing contractor
Legitimate roofing contractors have an undeserved image problem. Here's why: someone looking like a roofer shows up at your door. He's not a legitimate roofer, but a con artist. He might be driving a truck, perhaps with a legit-looking company sign on its door. Perhaps he claims to be working nearby and says he will give you a great deal. Or perhaps he tells you he's seen a serious problem on your roof that needs immediate work. You'll be asked for a deposit, or to pay for supplies up front, and you'll be offered a ride to the bank. In return for the money, you get a promise he'll come back tomorrow. You never see him again. Sometimes the con artists may go on the roof to pretend to do work. In one such case earlier this year, a 75-year-old Florida woman was duped out of $500 for a "repair" that consisted of spray-painting her roof.
The key to recognizing this scam: you weren't looking to have any work done; rather the "roofer" showed up at your house, soliciting the work. Scams like this infuriate real roofers and make them eager to prove and protect their reputations. Peter Kalinger of the Canadian Roofing Contractors' Association (CRCA) offers a series of steps that homeowners should follow when hiring a roofing contractor.
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