A residential Roofer in Tacoma WA typically has a certain type of preferred payment schedule for installation work the customer is expected to follow. Sometimes, a deposit is paid upfront and the balance paid later. That deposit allows the roofing contractor to buy shingles and other supplies without having to use the company’s own funds or credit. Asking for the entire estimated amount before the job begins is unreasonable.
Forms of Payment
As long as the customer has verified that this Roofer in Tacoma WA is reputable, there should not be any concern about paying a deposit. The deposit and other payments should be made in a way that can easily be tracked. In other words, payments should not be made in cash. A credit or debit card, check, or money order will all be suitable options.
Contracts
Roofers such as Statewide Roofing write up contracts for their customers that provide details of the work to be completed, the estimated full cost, and the payment structure. Some roofing companies do not ask for a deposit while others do. The deposit may be the precise amount for the necessary materials, or it may be a percentage of the full estimate. That percentage can vary a great deal among contractors. It might be up to one-third or one-half of the full estimate.
Buying Shingles
In some cases, the customer has the option of buying shingles directly from a supplier instead of paying the contractor for these materials. Either way, the supplier delivers the shingles to the site and places them around the perimeter of the house. This is generally done a day or two before the roofing project begins.
An Unreasonable Request
Paying the entire amount due before the work begins is considered unreasonable for a few important reasons. The main one is that this is exceedingly rare in any form of contract business. If anything should happen that prevents the roofer from doing the job, the customer now has the task of getting the money back. In addition, some roofing companies are tempted to put off this project now and complete other ones that have not paid the full amount beforehand.