OMG!!! "Flooded With Repairs"

What was left of Hurricane Ida came across our metro area yesterday and it rained from all directions like cats and dogs! We took 17 calls for repairs alone tuesday during the heavy rains and 26 more repair leads today. I am the only one running these leads and now im already at least a week back just giving estimates! And there is no telling how many more calls will come in the rest of this week and next week. Boy, when they said this business was feast or famine they weren't joking! :woohoo: Time to start cherry pickin! Lord have mercy on my soul!!!! :dry:

Yep! I do it similar to you Robby. Only i don't charge by the hour. I charge a minimum amount and if i can fix their problem for that then they are obligated to allow me to perform the work on the spot and have to pay the minimum fee. If not then i leave an estimate for a much bigger repair job. Sometimes they even turn into replacements on the spot. These little repair jobs also make us the first choice for the replacement in a few years plus these people refer us to many others constantly building up our cutomer base. Today I went 2 for 6 both being larger repairs a little over $1,000 each. Thats on the low end of what im used to ( 1 of 3 instead of 2 of 3 ) but every day is a new challenge. Peace!!!!

When I would go out for storm repairs, most were due to the heavy, constaint rains (pac NW). I average five repair solutions a day. I inform the customer "my goal is to shut off the water and make it permanent, if I have the proper supplies". back then, I was with a company that charges port to port drive time and charged by the 1/4 hr. We would collect payment for every stop I made. If they need a more permanet fix at a later time, I would write up an estimate (usually about 15-20 minutes of time), then write up thier final billing. We get paid for t he.....trip out there, worked performed, and the estimate. So the estimating portion is not a waste of time.

Being an insurance adjuster, roofing contractor , adjuster administrator and many other tasks associated with large events. It has taught me how to handle distribution large volumes of leads ie claims . Jeffs idea with the laptops and software in events is very smart and typical adjuster lifestyle . If anyone wants help with how to handle insurance claims I can help . It was an attempt in the topic Fire at my last rental to bring to lite how to handle the process . One thing I would do is prioritize the leads . Not blow off the supposed junk or bad leads .Response time is crucial . A phone call , I'm in the neighborhood etc . One never knows which leads are good or bad . As a roofing contractor I have had what I first thought a bad lead ie. waste of time . Turn into a very profitable job . Another good post Jeff .

I think i must have thrown everyone off when i mentioned "hurricane" Ida. By the time it got here it was only rain with very little wind. I have not heard of any shingle blow offs. Insurance will not be paying for these jobs as they are not truly storm related. It was just rain but the rain was very very widespread covering the entire state and it was extremely steady, tropical and lasted all day and all night. EXAMPLE: Of the 4 jobs i sold yesterday 2 were very minor. #1( replace 1 pipe collar where the homeowner had smeared black mammy all over it and thought he had stopped the leak until these rains came and it leaked again ) #2 ( replace 3 shingles that blew off during a previous storm but didnt leak until now ) #3 ( replace flashing around a chimney that was all rusted out and had black mammy smeared everywhere. Previous roofers did not reflash chimney when re-roofing the house) #4 ( 2 dormers on the front of a house were both leaking at the bottom corners (from improperly installed flashing) to the point of rotting out the decking below them. ( once again some jack leg smeared black mammy all up and down the sides/corners. So all flashing had to be replaced and the decking below. I also bid to cut the wood siding 2 inches up off the roof to get rid of all the black stuff.)

Congratulation!!

I've become kind of an expert at dealing with the high demand post disaster call volume. In 2004-2005 we were averaging 200 calls a day. We would organize and arrange the RFQ's by neighborhood or subdivision then by street. Laptops with power inverters and printers in the truck are absolutely necessary. It really helps to have good contract templates for the most common roof systems you install or repair. As a rule, we decline to bid any exotic products and focus on the most profitable 4 or 5 systems we specialize in. We prepare the written estimate before leaving the driveway. We take at least 2 pictures of each side of the roof as well as pictures of the front of the house that includes the house number.

Consider also that many homeowners will not call for repairs until after they have met with their insurance adjustor. That could mean 6 to 8 weeks in a medium sized natural disaster. Don't load up to quickly on junk repairs. Also, after a storm, product pricing and availability can change very quickly. For example, roof tile prices after Hurricane Wilma went up over 1000% and the average delivery time went from 2 weeks to 18 months. That's a recipe for some very unhappy customers. Heck, there wasn't even a storm two years ago here and asphalt went to over 50 cents a pound (from 10 cents).

I already hAd enough to last me for a while. I expect more tomorrow. We'll see.

You would get little to no jobs around here with that approach. Today i sold 4 of 6 and performed the repair on two of those. Thats pretty much the norm. We are 250 miles inland so there is no wind damage or any of that. It was simply heavy rains exposing leaks. Most of which never leak unless its a torrential downpour.

With that many calls, I wouldn't be going out to give estimates. I would be telling people it's X number $ to have a repair man at your house tomorrow for a temporary. After things settle down you will return to inspect and give a repair quote. Some people will say forget it, but at least I wouldn't be driving all over the countryside and not generating income. Everyone with a pickup and a ladder will be your competition. Good luck Willie!