Omaha Roofing Trends (And How It Affects Homeowners)

This year, so far, has been an interesting for Omaha Roofing Trends. Interest rates have been on the rise, indicating a thriving and healthy economy, and consequently, there are collateral effects.

As it relates to the roofing industry, here are some things that Mutual Roofing has noticed in our industry and other roofing contractors.

Increasing Prices on Material

After Hurricane Harvey struck in 2017, we saw a slight increase in the cost of building materials. This drove up demand that consequently spread throughout the nation.

In our own local market, it has been a “seller’s market” for the last several months with inventory staying low and demand staying high. As such, many people aren’t waiting for the right home to come up- they’re building it themselves. In the Elkhorn area (where Mutual Roofing is located) the new construciton marketing is booming. According to Elkhorn Public Schools, there are approximately 4,200 lots waiting to be built on. The same growth is shared among neighboring cities such as Bennington and Gretna.

As such, this high demand in construction is increasing the cost of materials. Many building material manufacturers are working hard to keep up with the demand, and yet still, there isn’t an abundance as there once was.

Mutual Roofing works hard to bring you quality shingles and materials at a fair price, therefore, we work hard with our suppliers and vendors to negotiate pricing. If you’re shopping for the cheapest roofing company in Omaha, we first ask you to consider which insurance policy you carry. You may not need to go the cheapest roofer in Omaha if you carry an RCV policy. For those with an ACV policy, it may be wise to act sooner than later.

Efficiency With Technology

The roofing industry is typically not technologically progressive, however, much of this is turning a tide. There’s an increasing emergence of new roofing software. At Mutual Roofing, we personally use Acculynx to manage our workflows.

We adopted this about 2 years ago and have since reaped the benefits internally which also translate to client benefits.

For the homeowner, this means efficiency, less errors, and more accuracy. For instance, we are able to now streamline photos as evidence to insurance adjusters. Our clients have realized higher levels of approval on claims. Alternatively, we can corporately keep better tabs on our clients to personalize our customer service.

Political Implications

The roofing industry along with the construction industry has struggled with keeping quality laborers. As such, it can be challenging for roofers to fulfill work obligations because of the shortage of crews.  Shortly after the 2008 recession, many of those skilled laborers left the construction industry and have not returned.

To add to that shortage, about 30 of all construction workers are foreign-born with about half of those being from Mexico.

The new administration has made good on their promise to start to deport illegal workers. This effort will slowly dwindle and potentially deplete an already low labor pool of skilled laborers.

For roofers and homeowners, this may create delays in turnaround as many roofing contractors try to train and line up the manpower to complete roof installations. We have seen several Omaha roofers affected by sudden deportation of workers. Mutual Roofing has not been affected directly by such changes, however, we encourage homeowners to act quick to schedule their repairs once an agreement is reached.

Summary

These cover some Omaha Roofing Trends we have noticed so far this year.  As you read and learn these trends, we hope that you can make informed decisions on your roofing contractor. As always, call us at (402) 889-3381 for a FREE inspection or fill out our contact form.