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Houston Roofing
A Short Overview of Our Unique Situation
Houston roofing has a unique place in the overall roofing picture throughout the United States. We are different in many areas: available labor force, weather conditions, roofing materials used, and state and local regulations, just to mention a few. The labor force for the typical Houston roofing company will be comprised mainly of Hispanics, many of whom are illegal. There are several reasons for this but, in my view, the main reason is that there is such a large pool of Hispanic laborers who are willing and able to do the work. I will leave it to others to discuss the legality and/or morality of this issue, but in my experience the homeowner does not seem to mind if illegal labor is used, he is generally more interested in how much the roofing installation will cost. In fact, I cannot remember a single instance in over 15 years as a Houston roofing contractor when the homeowner asked me if my workers were legal, or not.
Every area of the US has its own particular weather patterns just as we do ourselves. While we aren’t concerned with “ice dams” or snow storms when talking about Houston roofing, we do have our share of hail storms and hurricanes. Overall, the materials we use in Houston are very similar to what is used throughout the states, but our installation procedures are a bit different. In general, we have to be sure the roof can withstand at least minor hail damage, and strong winds.
One of the most unique features of the Houston roofing scene is the lack of regulation. At the time of this article, Texas is the only state out of the entire fifty states which does not require the roofing contractor to carry workers compensation insurance. In fact there are no insurance requirements for Houston roofers at all. A Houston roofing company is not even required to carry general liability insurance.
While insurance is one area where Houston, and Texas, lag behind the rest of the county, there is also the question of licensing. In Houston, a roofing contractor is not required to have a roofing or contractor’s license. I am only speaking of Houston, not of every city and county in Texas. The strange thing is that in West University or in Sugarland, a license is needed to get a roofing permit, and to obtain a license, insurance coverage must be provided. However, in 90% of the greater Houston area, there is no Houston roofing license requirement. Basically, if you call yourself a roofer in Houston, then you are a Houston roofer.
One other area of interest is that of roofing permits. Houston itself requires a permit but it is apparently only so the taxing authorities can increase the valuation of the property. In order to obtain a permit a few papers must be signed and a fee paid, that is basically all there is to the process. There are no onsite inspections during the roofing installation, just an “after the fact” inspection. Once the job is completed the roofer will call in on an automated phone answering line and will say that the job is over. The city then sends someone out to pick up the permit and sign-off the job.
I don’t personally see any value in having a permit handled this way since it is impossible to look at a roof from the exterior, after the job has been completed, and determine that the roof was installed correctly.
Overall, there are many issues which need to be addressed in the Houston roofing arena in the future. However, any changes will surely bring about higher roofing costs so that must also be taken into account.
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