Frequently Asked Questions
I’m not sure why they would want an estimate before they specify what repairs they would agree to. That’s like asking a waiter what your bill will be before you’ve even ordered your meal. You should read this article from our Learning Center.
There’s a mutual element of trust in every business transaction. But everyone has some skin in the game. At the time we complete your project, whether one day or several months, we will be much more invested in you than you are in us. A deposit ensures that you are serious about proceeding so that we can keep a place for you on our list, and that you will be able to pay your final bill once the project is complete. The level of deposit we will accept depends on several factors. Certain materials we order are special order and cannot be returned. Many projects have a long duration, and we need to be able to keep paying bills and payroll every week. Sometimes there is a lengthy payment process, such as when a mortgage company and/or insurance company is involved. They will require paperwork and often third party inspections before they release payments.
We are a small business, not a bank. So down payments help build trust while also allowing us to keep our lights on and focus on providing the best customer experience there is.
On paper we have a 10 year workmanship warranty for residential projects. But when you choose to work with us, you become a part of what we call the “Weather-Tite family”, and you will always be a valued member. This is free and included with every project. We have an annual family picnic, occasional giveaways/events, and other fun ways to stay in touch so that you don’t forget who we are and you come to us if you ever have any issues with your home’s exterior. Family’s forever. You always take care of family.
Yes. Most of us born and raised in Rapid City or the Black Hills. Our owner, our management, and all of our core teams are local, and many of our workers have been with us for many years. Some of our teams are seasonal due to weather constraints, and so they find work to do in warmer states in winter (usually December-March or so) and then come back to Rapid City or the Black Hills. But with the unprecedented amount of hail damage in our communities in recent years, many of us reputable contractors from time to time have had to call in help from friends from out of town/state. We are hiring nonstop, but there is often just too much demand and there are not enough people locally to perform the work.
Now there is a major difference between what we do in those situations and what you’ve seen some other contractors do. We don’t just “sub out” all the work to some crew we do not know. Each of our subcontractors is thoroughly vetted and usually has worked with us for many years. Even when we do use a subcontractor on your project, you still have our entire management team including project managers and production managers monitoring and coordinating every crew. Our crews are all working full time for us, whether on the payroll or an independent contractor. And regardless of who is on site to install, its Weather-Tite who will stand behind the work down the road. We all live and work in the Rapid City area year round. We don’t have “offices” in other areas and don’t go chasing after storms and leave our local customers hanging.
It’s smart to be leery of roofing contractors these days, unfortunately. If you have hail damage and it isn’t severe, I would wait until winter to get started with contractors. Many of the out of town companies will be gone so it will be a little easier to discern who is actually local. New shingles need warm weather to properly seal and you’ll be better off waiting until spring anyway if the damage occurs during or after rally.
Also, do some research. Google us. Google others. I think you’ll find trust in Weather-Tite Exteriors.
Tons. But why take our word for it? If you are asking somebody for references, then you do not know them very well. Anybody can put their friends names on a piece of paper, or the few jobs they actually did well. But these days we have better ways of finding true, verified, unbiased information to help us know who to trust. Whether buying a toaster or remodeling your entire home, online reviews can help us weed through the advertisements and find reputable companies to do business with. Google, HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List, BBB, etc are all good sources of unbiased and verified information. But we do have a list should you want it. Also, not to brag, but we were voted #1 Best of the Black Hills three years in a row by the Rapid City Journal – in five different categories.
Our licensing, manufacturer certifications, and all of our team training is based upon IRC building codes and traditional stick built home construction. We don’t currently take on projects on mobile, manufactured, or modular homes. They are built in custom way by a manufacturer often in a different part of the country where available materials are different, in a controlled setting and not to a universal set of instructions designed for out in the field. It is a different set of products and conditions than what we have trained for and have experience in, and it is not our expertise. There are many similarities, but we have run in to enough surprise situations that we have learned to admit it is out of our wheelhouse.
As a contractor, we advocate for the best and most thorough repairs. We illustrate to your adjuster from a contractors point of view why a certain repair is needed or justified in order to be thorough/warrantable and to return your property to “pre-storm condition” using “like kind and quality” materials. However, as a contractor, we are legally limited to our opinion and that of building codes and material manufacturers. Read more in our Learning Center.
