The Cheapest Contractor Isn't Always the Least Expensive

My first rental needed a roof, and I needed it done fast.

I got three quotes. I hired the lowest one. That felt like the whole skill of being a landlord — same job, three prices, take the small number. I was watching every dollar, and this was me being smart with them.

The repair held just long enough for my first tenant to move in.

Then I got the phone call every landlord dreads. The roof was leaking — and not a drip. Water had gotten inside and damaged the interior of the home. The money I'd "saved" disappeared in about a week, and I ended up paying more than the highest quote would have cost me in the first place.

Here's the part that actually stuck with me.

When the second crew tore into that roof, they didn't find one layer of shingles. They didn't find two.

They found three.

The previous owners had roofed over the old shingles instead of removing them. And the contractor I hired — my low bidder — had done exactly the same thing. He didn't fix the roof. He added a fourth layer on top of a problem that was already three layers deep.

That's when I understood what I'd actually done. I hadn't compared three prices for the same job. I'd compared three prices for three different jobs — and I had no idea, because I never asked what was included. One contractor was tearing off and inspecting the decking. Another was covering up the evidence. On paper, they were both "replacing a roof."

Now I spend less time comparing numbers and more time understanding scope. What exactly are you doing? What happens to the old materials? What are you looking for underneath? I check references. I ask the annoying questions before anyone climbs a ladder.

The invoice is only part of the cost. Communication is part of the cost. Reputation is part of the cost. The repair you don't have to do twice is the biggest part of all.

Sometimes paying a little more the first time is the least expensive decision you'll make.