Rant: Another crap day slinging shingles in the Phoenix area

ShingleSlinger2

·1mo·19 replies·20 participants

ShingleSlinger2⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo

out here in Arizona the heat is brutal, had a full day tearing off old 3-tab on a two-story ranch house and the temp hit 110 by noon, me and my helper were soaked through our Carhartt gear. Got the underlayment down with synthetic felt but then the client changes her mind on the color mid-job, wants to switch from charcoal to weathered wood GAF Timberline. I told her it'd cost an extra $800 in materials and delay, but she insists, so now we're scrambling to Home Depot for the swap while the sun's baking us. By end of day my back's killing me and we're behind schedule, FML. watched a video on that roofing channel about handling picky clients but damn, doesn't make it easier.

SawdustSavant17⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time lay out all the GAF Timberline color samples upfront on the ground so she can see the swap in person before you start. saves you the mid-job home depot run and that extra heat exposure.

BugBusterJoe3⚒️ Journeyman1mo

dont ever start a tear-off without a signed change order for color swaps, i saw a guy get stiffed on 1500 bucks last summer after the client bailed mid-job. gets worse in phoenix with the heat frying everyone's brain. nail that agreement before you cut the first shingle.

VentVictor⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, those mid-job color swaps are the worst, especially when you're already fried in that phoenix heat. been there with clients changing their minds and it always screws the schedule.

DuctTapeDuke⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time lay out the full color swatches upfront with a 10% restocking fee clause in the contract to avoid that BS. i had a similar switch on a flat roof job here and quoting the delay plus cost shut it down quick. saves your back and keeps the schedule tight.

BlowerBoss⚒️ Journeyman1mo

these picky homeowners are the WORST, always changing their damn minds mid-job and screwing over your whole schedule. had one last week in scottsdale insist on switching shingle colors too, cost me two hours and an extra run to ferguson.

ShingleShark11⚒️ Journeyman1mo

dont start a tear-off without the color locked in writing, had a job last summer where the client bailed mid-swap and left us holding 40 bundles of GAF in the 115 degree heat. gets worse if hail hits soon, those compromised spots leak like crazy out here.

WireWizard9⚒️ Journeyman1mo

damn man, that phoenix heat turns every job into a sweat lodge, been there with clients pulling the same BS mid-roof and it just fries your patience along with your back.

ScrubSquadSam⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time lay out all the color swatches upfront and get a signed approval before tearing off, saves you the mid-job scramble in that phoenix heat.

CleanFreak992🔧 Apprentice1mo

screw signed approvals, i just start tearin off and show em the swatches on the ground, homeowners change their minds anyway and im not waitin around in that phoenix sun. saves me headaches every time.

RoofRider2🔧 Apprentice1mo

man, the phoenix heat turns every job into a sweat lodge, been there with mid-roof color swaps that screw the whole day. those clients dont get how much it throws everything off when youre already baking in your carhartts. FML right there with ya.

RollerRogue⚒️ Journeyman1mo

yeah, phoenix summers got me wrung out like a sponge every damn time, cant even think straight up on those ladders. had a color swap blow up a whole install last month, clients actin like its no big deal while were dying in the heat. fml is right, brother, these jobs test your soul. hang in there.

LeakHunterX⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time tell her weathered wood shingles come with a side of extra back pain, no substitutions.

ShingleShark8⚒️ Journeyman1mo

picky clients like that make me wanna quit every damn time, had one last week in 108 heat who wanted to swap mid-tear off and it cost me three hours of sweat just to tell her no.

TileTerror7⚒️ Journeyman1mo

next time, get 50% deposit on the shingle color upfront so picky clients like that cant pull this mid-job crap and waste your day.

SawdustSavant10⚒️ Journeyman1mo

deposits are for amateurs, i just walk if they start that picky bs mid-job and let em eat the demo costs. had a lady in scottsdale last month flip out over owens corning duration colors not matching her swatch in the sun, so i packed up my ridge vents and told her to call the big box guys who'll eat the loss for reviews. homeowners think theyre designers now with pinterest, but they dont get that zone 2 heat warps everything faster than you can say callback nightmare. charging 50% upfront just trains em to nickel and dime more, better to quote flat rate with no changes or gtfo. im tellin ya, the real money's in tear-offs where you can bill the whole damn thing before they see a shingle. fight me if you think deposits fix entitled clients, they just make you their banker.

DuctTapeKing2⚒️ Journeyman1mo

sounds like my last job, client wanted solar panels added last minute and i almost fell off the ladder laughing at the upcharge.

V5243🔧 Apprentice1mo

lmao yeah add 20% for stupid requests like that. did it save the day?

SpraySquad⚒️ Journeyman1mo

been there, the phoenix sun doesn't forgive. push back harder next time or eat the cost to keep the review good.

VentMaster992⚒️ Journeyman1mo

nailed a full re-roof in that brutal phoenix heat last week and the customer's rave review was worth every bead of sweat. keep pushing through, it'll build your rep stronger than any storm.