Great products and services may appear to cost more.
But for one Waco resident, it’s clear they cost significantly less.
In 2019, we installed a solar roof on our client’s Texas home. Happy with the production, she and her husband soon embarked on a huge addition to their house—a partial second story—in late 2020.
This required half their freshly installed roof to be removed, stored, and re-installed.
Content to be returning customers, they contacted us for the expanded work. But after reviewing our bid, they told us our new quote seemed steep.
When sticker shock leaves a sting, many homeowners turn to Google and DIY YouTube tutorials. These would-be-customers resign themselves to multiple, cumbersome trips to Home Depot, convinced they can save money by doing projects themselves.
This included our client. She and her husband decided to fully adopt their new project.
At first, things went well. Removal and storage were manageable.
But when they started reinstalling the panels, they wouldn’t work. The rest of the panels—the ones they never even removed—stopped working, too.
Their efforts to go solo had proven too brash. “We knew, reluctantly, we hadn’t made the wisest decision.”
So, our client reached out to us for help. And the additional problems we found were through the roof.
Our new bid was now inescapably more than the original quote. We had to accommodate the extra work of removing nonstandard installation and substandard electrical wiring—both hazardous procedures.
Regardless, our client understood it was time for professional intervention. Trying to save money was leading to more money spent. And perhaps even worse, it was producing loads of unnecessary labor and stress.
We removed and plugged the holes left in the roof. We fixed the fire hazard our clients had created when they overloaded one of the inverters (which triggered a fail-safe and stopped all production.) And we worked with the city inspector to make sure the remodel was up to code.
But before we could even begin that process, the big winter storm of 2021 hit Texas and caused massive power outages.
If our client’s solar panels had already been properly installed, their roof wouldn’t have frozen over. They wouldn’t have had a giant, off-grid heating bill. And, they could have received hundreds of dollars for producing extra power, adding it to the grid, and helping out less-fortunate neighbors.
Despite their best intentions, our client was left unprepared and on the losing side of the scenario. They lost the money they hoped to save. And the aftermath was a big headache.
“In hindsight, I wish we’d accepted the initial bid to move the solar panels, especially since we were happy with the original work. Not only would it have saved money, but it would have also saved some marital discussions, since my husband and I have different emotional reactions to the phrase ‘fire hazard’.”
“As soon as Texas thawed out, Solar Centex sent two crews over and had everything reinstalled and producing power within a day.”
Paying more for excellent service is always more efficient than paying less for less. Work done well will withhold. It ultimately becomes cheaper.
If you’re trying to cut corners in this industry, forget it. Especially with something as crucial as safe and proper roof panel installation.
Unless you’re a professional, you won’t save a dime or your sanity.
Hire a company to get it right the first time.
