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If you think all contractors are the same... you would be wrong!
Some of us take pride in our work and some of them are in it just for the money.

Doing repair work for over 35 years I see mistakes others are making,
creating future problems from poor workmanship.
Let me give you some examples on the differences.

Roofing example:

I recently repaired a leaky roof that was installed by another contractor
3 weeks prior to my repair.
The homeowner hired the lowest bidding roofer and this is what I found.

They didn't use metal flashing against a cheek wall,
they used strips of water and ice barrier.

Numerous shingles had only 3 nails and some had 8 nails
with some of them going right through the shingles from using a nail gun.

They installed the shingles with "zipper joints"
meaning, the shingle joints stagger back and forth 6 inches all the way up the roof.

All these issues could have been avoided by reading the shingle package.

This is a contractor who is pride-less
and do you think the homeowner really got their "lowest price"?
Not really, because they paid again to have it repaired
and now the rest of their roof will give them years of problems
unless they re-roof the entire roof again.



Water and Ice barrier should never be exposed to the elements, it is not flashing.

Shingle joints should be pyramid style not "zipper joints".

Shingles require 4 nails and 6 nails for storm nailing.

Painting example:

Got a call for some exterior trim repair work.
The homeowner said that they just had the house painted
and I can use the leftover paint to match the rest of the house.
That was great not having to try to match the "white" trim paint.

So I installed the new trim, sanded it, caulked it and primed it,
it was now ready for painting.
To my surprise, when I opened the can the previous painter left the homeowner,
it was watered down and didn't even look like paint,
when applied, it was more like a "white wash".

I asked the homeowner if that was the correct can and she agreed it was.
So I looked around the house that they painted
and noticed that they never caulked anything,
didn't prime rusty nail heads or fill holes and gouges.

There was scaling and peeling paint that they just painted over

and gave the entire house 1 coat of the watered down paint
that matched the original color.

Needless to say, the homeowner will be painting their house again in very short time.
The homeowner said she hired the painter because his price was $500 less
than the other 2 estimates she received.

Was that worth a $500 savings if you have to paint your house again next year?
I think the $500 difference was that the contractor didn't buy paint,
caulking or patching supplies.

I have painted houses that after 10 years still look like they were painted this year.
Not all painters are created equal.

Finish Trim example:

I see in many bathrooms where contractors are putting baseboard on top of floor tile.
That is wrong!

Baseboard always gets installed 1st, leaving a grout joint around the perimeter.
The same goes for cabinets and vanities, always install before installing floor tile.
Otherwise water gets under your baseboard by way of the grout joints
and creates mold and mildew not seen.

I also see a lot of window aprons and mouldings cut square with no returns
(looks unprofessional IMO).

I see stained trim casing with no colored fill over nails.

I also find trim rough and not smooth.
Sandpaper does wonders but you can't be lazy about it.

Not all contractors make great finish carpenters.

Me; also being a cabinet maker for over 25 years,
I am meticulous about fine finish and details.

Siding example:

Went to repair some new clapboard siding recently installed by another local contractor.
When I arrived to the jobsite I noticed nails popping out and siding falling off.
Hmmm, I said to myself, let me set up the ladder and see what we have here.

You will not believe what I found.
Are you ready for this?
The siding wasn't nailed on the studs,
they were nailed at random not hitting anything solid.

They used galvanized "box nails"
that is a 6p nail with a very small head and a smooth shank.

No wonder why the nails are popping and siding is falling off.

You are suppose to install siding with an 8p ring shank
galvanized or stainless steel nail hitting all studs.

This project certainly wasn't worth the homeowner hiring the lowest bidder.
Did I mention they also installed siding joints 3 inches apart
and strips on top of windows and doors.

All joints should end on studs and random staggered joints (no pattern).

All siding over doors and windows should span passed the ends to the next stud.

This house was a mess when I got there
but the homeowner was very happy when I was done.