Saturday, February 28, 2009

Pre-Screened Contractors




Have you ever seen those sites on the internet that offer three bids from "pre-screen" contractors ? They are everywhere - Service Magic, QualitySmith, and a few lesser know brands. Would you like a little insight into the screening process ? It's simply a credit card.....if you are willing to pay - they will list you. They are trying to recruit contractors for all 50 states for about 30 different service categories. Thats a large area and a lot of contractors. They do not have time or resources to properly qualify these contractors.

It works like this, you fill out the form, whether it be for roofing, siding, a new kitchen, fencing, etc. - They take the three closest people in their network that are signed up and offer them the leads - they cost the contractor on average $ 75.00 per lead. The company will generate $ 225 for you to fill out that inquiry form. On the other end, they offer affiliates (people with websites) anywhere from $ 7.00 to $ 25.00 to place and ad or link that people can click on to take them to an inquiry form where hope the homeowner fills out the form. Net profit: about $200.00 per lead.

You the homeowner have nothing to lose by using these services. The contractors are just like the ones you'll find listed in the newspaper or yellow pages; some good - some bad. Generally, the contractors paying for these lead services are newer, less established contractors. Just be informed and realize that they are not pre-screened and you must still do you homework and check references and insurance. In short, you'll do better to ask friends and co-workers for recommendations.

Friday, February 20, 2009

The Importance of a Sheet Metal Shop


Roofing & Sheet metal go together like coffee & donuts, cars & gas, teachers & schools. Most don't quite get the connection, so I will explain.   First there is the obvious- metal roofing. Something that we do quite a bit of. Its almost impossible to do a quality job without having a proper sheetmetal shop. Its a little like trying to operate a five star restaurant out of an apartment kitchen. 

Then there is the flat roofing systems; back when tar & gravel was the dominant system and single ply rubber roofs had not yet been established, all the flashings were metal based. Edging, roof to wall, pitch pockets, plumbing stacks, and so on. Even now with the rubber roofs, proper metal edging can make all the difference in the world. With a sheetmetal shop, we can custom make the proper size and color edge metal so it blends rather than stands out. Sure... you can get by with pre-fab flashings sold at lumber yards - or even worse- that ugly 1" bar some guys screw around the edge, but the difference is noticeable, and if your into athstetics - you will appreciate  our craftsmanship. 
Lastly (at least for now) having a sheetmetal shop comes in handy for doing residential shingle jobs. We custom make our own drip edge which is stronger and more durable than the mass-produced standard drip edge. We are able to make a custom vent pipes for old cast iron pipes for which a standard flashing will not fit over, we can fabricate copper chimney crickets, apron flashings and reglets. We even make our own copper strips to help prevent algae growth. 

So when people asks us what makes us different than the next guy, I tell them about our sheet metal shop and how important it is for a quality roof job. 

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Shoddy Workmanship


It never fails to amaze me - it happens at least every other week, sometimes more. It happened again yesterday. I was sitting down with a customer who is having leak issues in their living room. The amazing part is the roof is only four years old. The gentleman told me that the other company was supposed to install ice & water shield on the area in question. After closer examination I found that neither ice & water shield or felt paper was used. What a waste! The last thing this poor guy wanted to do was pay to re-do a section of roof that should have lasted him another 25 years. While I am grateful he called us, its not the kind of job we like having to do. The contractor cut some corners and is now nowhere to be found. These are the people that give all contractors a bad rap. Bottom line is you need to choose your contractor carefully. Whether it be a roof, deck, kitchen, or paint job - a good local contractor who has a history of serving your community, along with references and proper insurance are less likely to commit this type of fraud. Poor workmanship takes time to show up... and usually by then the fly by night is long gone. Quality work does not cost - it pays!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Cazeault Roofing on Flickr.



We have done hundreds of projects on Cape Cod & the Islands, probably thousands.... we've been so busy installing roofs, sidewall shingles, gutters, and more that we forgot to count. They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so here you go - you can find us on flickr and see some of the jobs that we have done. Click here for job photos and be sure to check back often. 

Green Roofing


We at proud to announce our affiliation with Live Roof.  Russell Cazeault & Robert Cazeault recently attended the training sessions at the Live Roof facility in CT.  Live roof is is a fully vegetated green roofing system that arrives and is installed 90% vegetated.  You can lean more about Live Roof at www.liveroof.net. The website is well designed and has lots of information. Paul J Cazeault & Sons Roofing is the certified installer for the Eastern Mass area. 

A Liveroof system extend the live of a typical roof by protecting the roof for the ultraviolet radiation which tends to breakdown & degrade roof membranes over time. A green roof system also saves energy, especially in the summer by keeping the roof temperature cooler, thus reducing the cooling costs and saving an average of 25% on your air conditioning bill. 

Make sure you follow our blog as we will be adding pictures of some upcoming green roof projects scheduled for the summer of 2009.