Critique from a client's wife changed how I quote jobs completely

I was doing a roof quote for a house in Oak Park last month and the wife came out and said, "You didn't ask a single question about our insulation. How do you know we need new shingles?" She was right. I had been walking onto roofs, counting squares, writing numbers, and never once asked about the attic or what problems they actually saw. Now I spend 10 minutes talking to homeowners about their energy bills and ice dams before I even look at the roof. Has anyone else had a customer point out a blind spot in how you work?

3 comments

3 Comments

verar212mo ago

Honestly, that's wild but I get it. Most roofers just eyeball the shingles and call it a day. Her calling you out on insulation was a smart move, those hidden issues mess up roofs just as bad. Good on you for actually listening and changing your process.

kim1912mo ago

Not quite though - insulation problems can actually ruin a roof just as fast as bad shingles sometimes.

jennysullivan1mo ago

Oak Park is a classic case here - those old Victorian houses have insulation problems that'll kill a roof in 4 years flat. But let's be real, spending 10 minutes grilling homeowners about their energy bills seems like a waste of time when 9 out of 10 people just need new shingles based on visible wear patterns. My uncle ran a roofing crew in Berwyn for 20 years and never asked about insulation once, still did fine work. If you start acting like an energy auditor you're just going to confuse people who called you to fix their leaky roof, not solve their drafty living room.