DIY vs. Professional Roofing: What You Need to Know

A house without a sound roof won’t provide you with either protection or comfort. It’s vital to keep your roof in good repair — but does that mean you need to hire a professional roofer? Or is it something you can do yourself?

Which Is Better for Cost?

If you’re a keen DIYer, you might be tempted to treat it as a DIY project, especially in challenging economic conditions. After all, hiring a professional roofer is expensive, whereas doing it yourself cuts out all those costs.

It’s not actually quite as simple as that, though. You still have to buy materials, and you probably won’t be able to get them as cheaply as a professional roofer. You also have to consider what specialist tools you might need. You could end up spending a considerable amount on tools you’re rarely going to use.

You also need to consider that, even if you’re an excellent DIYer, you might make mistakes that could be expensive to fix. A professional roofer is not only far less likely to make mistakes but should also offer a warranty for both materials and workmanship. In the unlikely event of an error, it will cost you nothing to put it right.

Which Is Better for Skill and Safety?

However excellent you are at doing jobs around the home, roofing is a very specialist area, requiring an understanding of techniques like structural integrity, proper sealing and drainage. Unless you’ve actually worked in roofing, you’re almost certainly a lot less skilled than a professional, and you risk issues like leaks or structural damage.

And then there are the safety issues. Working on a roof is very different from climbing a ladder to paint the ceiling, and you need not only specialist safety equipment (harnesses, tethers etc.) but also experience in working at height and moving heavy materials. Whatever savings you make won’t be much comfort if you end up in hospital.

Which Is Better for Quality of Materials?

It might seem that a DIY project would allow you to choose the materials you want, whereas a contractor may well have a preferred supplier. Up to a point, this is true — but you also need to ask yourself whether your choices are necessarily as appropriate as the materials a professional roofer would pick.

In general, the materials a good roofing company will source are likely to be both higher in quality and lower in cost than those you can get yourself — and they’ll also have full warranties. Although you might be able to get warranties for materials, they can be voided if you don’t install them correctly.

Which Is Better for Time?

One of the biggest advantages of the DIY route is that you can start the work when it suits you. Professional roofers, on the other hand, are likely to be busy, and may not be able to start for a while.

On the other hand, a professional will be able to get the work done considerably more quickly than you’re likely to. DIY work is likely to drag on, with a greater risk of running into bad weather. As long as you make arrangements with a roofing company well in advance, you’re likely to be able to get the work booked when you need it.

So Which Is Better — DIY or Professional Roofing?

DIY can be a great option for many jobs — but roofing isn’t generally one of them. If you try fixing your own roof, you’re liable to end up with a job that drags on longer, doesn’t meet the same standards and could end up putting you in hospital. And then you might still end up paying more to have the errors fixed.

Of course, to get the full effects of a professional roofer, you need to pick the right firm. Check that they have the necessary skills and experience, as well as make sure they offer warranties and are fully insured.

If you want to find out more, give Empire a call, for all your professional roofing needs.