Recession. Depression. Downturn. Correction. They're all terms we don’t want to hear, but given the economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, we were all expecting to encounter them at some point. What does the the economic downturn mean for the roofing industry and specifically for metal roofing? I’ll do my best to provide one perspective on trends we might expect.
More Available Roofers
There has been a shortage of roof mechanics (AKA roofers or installers) for the past year or two. The current situation may upset the economic apple cart enough to prompt more folks to take up this particular trade, particularly if they find their “regular” job has been curtailed. At the least, I can hope!
Decreasing Metal Prices
While a large percentage reduction in the price of metal is a possibility with a reduction in worldwide demand, it’s not likely it will have an equally large percentage decrease in the price of new metal roofs - but it will certainly help!
More DIY Roofing
If your regular job is put on hold for now, you have an abundance of a rare commodity - time. I foresee a lot more people taking on their own re-roofing projects as a result. It’s not a difficult trade to master, although there’s certainly no substitute for experience, and anyone with average home handyman skills can certainly learn how to install most types of roofing. Incidentally, metal roofing offers the unique advantage of being the lightest roofing material (by a considerable margin!) commonly used, so if you want to minimize the amount of brute strength and physical endurance most roofers normally display, we're happy to answer your questions about our products.
Increased Virtual Estimating and Purchasing
Since social distancing is our new normal, it's likely we'll see an acceleration of remote measuring, specifying, and supplying of roof material packages. It’s something we’ve been doing for quite some time, but many folks who expect that a roofer or supplier can quote from a set of drawings on a desktop computer might be surprised to learn that the same service can be offered for most re-roof projects. Aerial mapping of buildings is remarkably accurate and thorough for urban areas in North America. New software to scale those images means that a roof material package can be calculated for the vast majority if buildings without anyone needing to climb on the roof - or even make a drive across town. A lot of the most tech-savvy roofers even offer labor quotes from these same virtual roof maps.
If you're spending your increased time at home researching metal roofing, we're here to help. Feel free to reach out.
