Jimmy Waller

Adding a specialty business isn't for everyone, but it can be a real profit center. More

Tearing off the old shingles can add anywhere from a few hours to a day to a roofing job. "You could be spending $750 or $800 in dump fees," contractor Jim Lydon points out.For all those reasons, Lydon tells clients it's OK to roof over existing shingles if (1) it's a relatively new building and "basically up to code"; (2) the old shingles are "nice and smooth," providing a relatively even surface for reroofing; and (3) the beams and boards of the roof structure are in good enough shape to hold a nail. More

The crew reroofed the first house, finishing the job at 3 p.m. Then, the estimator waited four long hours for the homeowner to return from work.He was shocked, but the next day the homeowner agreed to sign a liability waiver, refusing to pay anything toward the roof, which Waller estimates at $15,000, between hard costs, project manager time, and attorney fees. More

We collect change order payments at the end of the job. For a $10,000 job, we usually have an average change order cost of $750. More

Five years ago, my company, Waller Construction, bought a roofing operation and set it up as an in-house division. At the time, almost all the roofing installers were Hispanic, and they spoke only Spanish. More

Re-roofing the entire home when you build an addition is a smart proposal for you and your clients.Finding shingles to match is not a problem when Waller Construction, Lakeland, Fla., is building an addition. But if the roof has less than five years left in it, says secretary-treasurer Mark Pennington, "we strongly suggest they make the change, More

The value of being a niche business is it defines processes for you. It directs your marketing. General remodelers spend a lot of time trying to figure out where to go and what to do. We don't have to do that. More