CHOOSING A WATERPROOFING CONTRACTOR
While there isn’t just one formula for investigating the right waterproofing companies, there are helpful tips that everyone can benefit from using. They include:
Company history
Insist on dealing with Manufacturer
Fly-by-night companies rarely have any company history. A reputable waterproofing company should have an established, verifiable history of taking care of their clients. Company history guides you to know how reliable is the company in their services and whether they can provide you after sales service as expected. Whether a company has its own team or they sub contract? Whether they have their own trained professionals or they depend on others? Quality of waterproofing work depends on qualified and trained team. Always insist on manufacturer trained team to carry out services.
Proper Waterproofing System
All waterproofing coatings have specific benefits and disadvantages associated with application over specific roof materials and systems. No one coating may be suitable for all applications. It is a best practice to determine the roof coating required for each specific project based on the condition of the existing roof system, age of the existing roof materials, type of roof materials/system in place, and if there is continual presence of ponding water over roof system.
The anticipated life-extension time-period will also be a key factor in the determination process. Is this to be a short-term repair or is it expected to be a long-term restoration? It is in the client’s best interest to have all conditions in writing so that there are no misunderstandings of expected performance if and when problems arise.
Client should check with Manufacturer of materials on compatibility of their products to the existing roof. Discuss the available coating options, as well as proper uses and performance, with manufacturer to ensure the option provided by Waterproofing Contractor is based on their requirements. It is common in the market to find customer’s being cheated with a wrong product or system proposed or used by Contractor on their roof.
Warranty
Many of the warranties on the products used by contractors are voided and not supported by manufacturer if they are not installed as per specified method. There are instances where manufacturer recommends 5 year warranty but uncertified contractor offers 10 years warranty to the customer for the same system. Sometimes the products used by uncertified contractor is not compatible with area and surface it has been used resulting in failure of the system.
References
Any reputable waterproofing company will have references from their previous and current customers. It is one of the most common ways that potential customers hear about successful companies. It is references which highlight the Waterproofing company’s capacity to perform a project.
Awards & Certificates
Waterproofing companies that are leaders in the industry will have received awards and certificates showcasing their talents and ability to provide quality service for their customers.
They need to have Quality and Safety certificates followed by few appreciation letters. Work at height certificates should be asked work is going to be carried out on roof.
Trained and Qualified
Never hire any contractor who isn’t licensed and trained by the manufacturer. It is always safe to work with Manufacturer rather than uncertified contractors. Certified installers should meet recommended method of manufacturer. The successful performance of all waterproof coatings is based on two factors: 1) proper preparation and 2) proper application. If there are shortcomings in either one of these areas, the roof coating will fail to provide performance for its anticipated service life.
Roof coating application can be completed with less labor and at elevated performance. However, the applicators must be properly skilled in the application procedure to realize these benefits. Most roof coating performance failures are due to improper preparation and/or improper application completed by unskilled applicators.
Written Contract
Written contracts are necessary to protect both you and the contractor. A red flag should go up anytime a waterproofing company suggests doing a job without having it in writing. Read every line on the contract. Look for any fine print and check the back of the contract as well. Every contract should include the details of the work being done, an estimate for the time it takes to do the job and the estimated cost for the work being performed. Always get a draft of any guarantees and warranties in writing before the job starts.
Conclusion
Regardless if you need only a cat ladder installed, Gutter replacement, or replacement of Skylights, Thermilate Middle East has a proven track record that covers every portion of waterproofing.
Contact us today for a FREE roof evaluation and get a detailed roof report from us. Our waterproofing team will inspect the roof home and provide you and provide you a working solution, including a written contract that spells out each detail for you, without any hidden agendas.
