OK. So I figured since I didn't write a blog post for over a year, I would write two in a week to make up for lost time.....
You've heard most of these quotes before:
"Do it right the first time."
"Doing it right costs less than doing it over."
"It takes less time to do it right than to explain why you did it wrong."
"Do it right or do it twice."
I grew our company from nothing. I had faith The Eavestrough Company could be one of the best aluminum companies in the Golden Horse shoe region and my wife and I started it out of our house and by cashing in a ton of our RSP's (our accountant at the time thought this was a BAD move!)
Well, here we are 15 years later and cashing out much of our RSP's looks like it was a smart move. When we started The Eavestrough Company our objective was not to be the biggest. Our objective was to have the best reputation in the region and offer the best quality work.
However, as I drive around and meet over 1000 people per year doing estimates, I find out people are looking for different things when contemplating having their eavestroughs, fascia, soffit or siding done. Some are definitely looking for the cheapest price, others want the best quality job. Others are not sure what they are looking for and I try to talk them through it.
I determined when I began this business, I would only use the best quality materials and use the right materials for the job. I want this article to address the crowd that seems to want the cheapest price (which I usually am not).
I understand there are some people who own a house who have budgetary constraints. Some have a lower income, some are on pensions, the list goes on and on. However, owning a home costs money and there needs to be a budget for repairs and sometimes replacement. Every task you perform on your house should be with the desire to have the quality job done.
Every week I have someone ask if I can do it cheaper. By cheaper, they mean way, Way, WAY cheaper. My answer is always, "No". I mean, It can be done way cheaper but there are only a few ways to get a job done cheaply and here are ones I have encountered.
1. Hire people who aren't skilled. These are generally people who advertise on Kijiji or Facebook who think anyone can hang an eavestrough or install siding. I have seen such bad work from these people it would almost bring a homeowner to tears. Of course most of these people want cash up front for their work so if you get a bad job well....."suck it up buttercup" because they aren't coming back.
2. Hire roofing companies to do your eavestrough and siding work. With the exception of a couple companies in the area, Roofing companies are NOT skilled in aluminum work. I have found with roofing companies, they tend to wait until they have secured the roofing work and when they are doing the work they bring to the homeowners attention the awful state of their eavestrough. The roofers then do the eavestrough work. Below is a picture I took this year of a reputable roofing company who also did the eavestrough work on a condo complex two years ago. The condo complex contacted me because they can not get the roofers back!
There is 3" of water pooling in this eavestrough BECAUSE they did not take the time to slope it properly. Most of the water drains away from the downpipes! This is NOT an isolated case. I see this and other major problems numerous times every year. I can't be adamant enough. Don't hire roofers to do your aluminum work!
3. Hire companies who use builders grade materials or even the wrong materials. Aluminum is up over 300% in the last two years. Because of this, there are a number of companies flocking to buy a builders grade aluminum out of Concord, Ontario. This aluminum is about half the thickness of the aluminum I buy from Gentek or Kaycan. New builders are using it everywhere because it's cheap. I handled some of it recently and jokingly said to the guy trying to get me to consider it, "It's so thin I think I could wrap a sandwich in it." He didn't appreciate the comment. Here is their price list below. Nearly all are half the price I pay at Gentek or Kaycan.
The only thing on this list that isn't twice as cheap as I pay is the gutter coil but their gutter coil which is close to the same price, However it will do nearly double the footage of a Gentek or Kaycan gutter coil.
Other ways I have seen companies do jobs cheaper is to use cheaper caulking to seal the corners, space the brackets 3' to 5' apart (they should be no further than 2' apart), use cheap brackets with steel screws because the zinc screws you should use are 4x the price.
So you see, the job can be done much cheaper, but at what price? There is only one way to do the job much cheaper. Contractors are not charitable organizations. If you want a cheaper price, it's not going to come out of their pocket. If you want that cheap price it will come in the form of a substandard job or substandard materials.
When my wife and I started this company, we vowed there was only one way to do work....the right way! There is only one way to treat customers.....the right way! That's why we have 274 great reviews on Home Stars and 75 on Google. Our customers love us because we treat them with the utmost respect and we do great work.
If you would like a quote to replace your eavestrough, fascia, soffit or siding, please contact us at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com
