Subcontracting Roof Replacements in Houston - How Do You Vet Subs?

man, those valley flashing screw-ups are the worst - had a sub turn a simple CertainTeed job into a leak fest last summer, had to tear it all out and redo it myself while the homeowner's yelling about the delay. been there with the test gigs, but half the time they still ghost after the small stuff. i just started requiring them to show GAF certs and insurance upfront, saves the headache of callbacks. houston hail season's no joke, dont let em botch your rep like that.

get a signed subcontractor agreement that spells out insurance requirements and pass-through safety rules before they start, then verify with a certificate of insurance to avoid those underlayment headaches.

man, those botched underlayment jobs suck, been chasing leaks on subbed tear-offs for years and it always comes back to me.

hey man, how do you even find decent subs in houston that wont screw up the valleys? i've been burned twice already and could use some tips on spotting the good ones before i hire.

goddamn subs in houston are the WORST, always cutting corners on that underlayment and flashing to chase the next hail check. i had one crew turn a simple certainteed job into a $5k callback nightmare last spring, and dont even get me started on their sketchy licenses. screw vetting with small gigs, make em sign a ironclad subcontractor agreement up front or youre just begging for more leaks and pissed homeowners.

screw certifications and small gigs, i just look for subs who actually know what step flashing is instead of those hack crews treating roofs like their personal cash grab, and yeah i've fired more than i've kept in this houston shitshow.

GAF certs are a joke half the time, just means they paid for training, not that they won't screw your valleys. skip the small gigs and demand a signed sub agreement with pass-through insurance or you'll be footing the bill for their crap work every time.

goddamn subs in houston are the WORST, always cutting corners on underlayment just to pocket extra cash while i'm stuck fixing their messes. had a crew last year botch a whole CertainTeed job on a valley, skipped step flashing completely, and now the homeowner's pissed and calling me nonstop for callbacks. you think checking GAF certs helps? hell no, half of em fake it or got it from some weekend seminar. i started running deep license checks through the state board and pulling insurance certs myself, but even that doesnt stop the lazy bastards from ghosting halfway through. insurance companies are no better, jacking up my premiums because of one bad sub's screwup. tried using that FieldEdge software to track their performance, logs every damn detail, but it aint worth the hassle if they keep burning you. we all gotta band together and blackball these clowns before they tank the whole industry down here.

man, same shit here in texas with subs half-assing the valleys and leaving me to fix leaks. been there twice this year already, its frustrating as hell.

you ever had luck checking their past jobs on angi leads before letting them on a full tear-off, or is that just a waste of time in houston?

screw certifications, half the 'certified' crews out here in houston are just paper-pushers who wouldnt know step flashing from a hole in the ground. i vet mine by riding their ass on the first job, no exceptions, and if they skip valleys or botch underlayment like yours did, theyre gone forever. checklists are for suits, real vetting is watching em work and firing fast.

always start with a small tear-off gig like you do, but make em demo a full valley section and check their underlayment with ice and water shield before any big job. for tracking, jobber's sub contractor module lets you log performance notes and photos after each install, keeps callbacks down to almost zero.

goddamn subs in houston are the WORST, always cutting corners on underlayment to rush the job and leaving you with pissed off homeowners calling at midnight about leaks.

man, i feel your pain on those botched underlayments, had a sub crew in the gulf area leave me with three callbacks last season cuz they couldnt be bothered with proper flashing, total nightmare.

Same here, references are key but I also run a quick lien search on them through the county records. Had a sub stiff a supplier once and it almost came back on me.

asked for refs once and the guy sends me pics of his dog doing tricks ... turns out his 'crew' was just him and a ladder that wouldn't stand up straight.