The Cost of Contractor Inexperience: A Homeowner’s Guide

• Inexperienced crews can make serious mistakes: cutting into structural beams, skipping waterproofing steps, or using the wrong materials for the job.

• Without proper training or oversight, even a well-meaning crew can lead to damage and yet more expensive repairs down the road.

• Texas homeowners need to hire the right team upfront to get the job done right.

While we’ve been exploring home repair fraud, corner cutting, and red flags in our recent series, not all bad work is nefarious. Sometimes, contractors just don’t have proper training or aren’t under good supervision. In other words, the crew might mean well, but that doesn’t mean the job will get done right.

This kind of failure is more common than most people think. We’ve seen major framing mistakes, cheap paint used where specialty coatings were needed, and good materials ruined by bad installation. Here are just a few examples we’ve seen on the job.

Dangerous Structural Mistakes

Some mistakes go far beyond poor workmanship. On one job, we saw someone’s team had cut straight through the middle of structural beams to make room for mechanical lines. That’s a big problem, weakening the frame of the home and potentially causing long-term issues. Those won’t be easy or cheap to fix.

We’ve also seen balconies coated with traffic paint instead of using a proper lightweight concrete system. That’s not what the material is designed for. It can’t handle the exposure or foot traffic. Over time, it cracks, fails, and lets water in. That kind of damage can spread into the structure below.

Again, these aren’t always deliberate shortcuts. Sometimes the crew just didn’t know better. But whether it’s on purpose or not, the result is the same: damage that costs a lot more to fix than it would’ve cost to hire a good crew of contractors.

Wrong Materials in the Wrong Place

Sometimes the material itself isn’t the issue, just how it was used. Roll roofing is a good example. For the right application, it’s great, but we’ve seen it installed in the wrong places even by contractors who really care about their customers. They just don’t have the experience. The same goes for shingles installed on slopes outside the safe range, which can lead to leaks that won’t be clear until the damage is done.

These mistakes are common enough. Sometimes it’s because the contractors haven’t been trained, don’t learn from the manufacturer’s instructions, or just genuinely think they’re doing a good job. But they’re setting the homeowner up for problems a year or two down the line.

No Oversight, No Accountability

Even a decent crew can run into trouble when no one’s in charge. We’ve seen trades overlapping each other or leaving key steps out because no one was coordinating the work. Flashing skipped. Siding that wasn’t nailed correctly. Balconies installed without a waterproof base layer. Roofs with incorrect fasteners.

This is what happens when there’s no site supervision. The builder might hire a mix of subcontractors for the job, and with no one tracking the details or checking the work, things fall apart. That’s why the Texas Attorney General warns that unusually low bids can be a red flag. Homeowners should know that there aren’t “bargain” contractors. You always get what you pay for.

We’re Here to Help

Need more information? If you have any questions or need assistance with damage, contact DFW Roofers at (469) 751-4018 or schedule an appointment through our online appointment form.