Home Owners Often Have to Make Choices Between Quality and Affordability
Most of the decisions that consumers make involve a careful balance between quality and affordability. In fact, if money were never an issue, every home would be built with the best materials and every car would have all of the most efficient and comfortable parts. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Families have many bills that they have to pay and repairing a damaged roof after ab unexpected hail storm may have simply not been in the budget. As a result, there are many times when consumers, especially home owners, are making repair and replacement decisions based on the highest quality materials that they can afford.
Some property owners may decide that affordability is the greater priority when repairing a damaged roof in a location that is known for having lots of hail storms. Knowing that the next hail storm may only be a few years, or even months away, may make a home owner more likely to select a roof with a lower resistance to wind and hail, savage money at the time. The fact that every home owner’s insurance claim comes with a deductible means that even a lower amount can add up. For example, a $5,000 deductible that has to be paid three times in 15 years equals to a significant amount of money. As a result, a home owner in this situation may find themselves fixing a roof, but not replacing gutters. Or, selecting a shingle that still has good ratings, but does not have a 50 year warranty.
Other property owners make quality the higher priority when they are repairing a damaged roof and dealing with gutter issues. For these owners, making the decision to take out a loan for replacing or repairing a damaged roof is their best decision. In fact, they may be hoping that in the event of a future hail storm the insurance adjustors will credit the value of the more expensive materials and allow for those numbers when they are offering a settlement. In the end, even if there is another storm even a year or two later, the property owner’s investment in quality will have paid off. Investing an extra $3,000 in a shingle that has high wind resistance ratings means that future insurance settlements will be based on the thigh higher quality purchase.
Fortunately, there are also other advantages to investing in the higher quality materials. For instance, by selecting the right roofing material, your decision could result in as much as a 30% decrease in a the energy needs of a home. In addition, higher quality purchases might mean that you can avoid making any repairs the next time a storm comes through the area. For example, the best newer roofs are built to withstand snow loads of 15 to 30 pounds a square foot. This is a factor that can help property owners avoid expenses if this winter brings heavy snowfalls.
Roofing Contractors Are Not the Only Businesses That Offer a Number of Products in Many Different Prices
Unfortunately, there are many times when home and business owners find themselves navigating this delicate dance between wanting the highest quality material and determining how much they can afford. Making changes to siding, for instance, is another example of when a home owner has to decide what is the greater priority: quality or affordability. Many home owners may want to install a vinyl siding that will not require any kind of repainting or maintenance. Although this is a much more expensive investment than a regular type of siding, some owners justify the initial expense because they know they will not have to spend future money on painting.
Just as in all areas of life, consumers often have to make a decision about what their priorities are. If money were not an object, then obviously every one of us would live in the most well appointed home and drive the highest qaulity vehicles. Because money does matter, however, most decision that are made are an attempt to find the. happy balance between how much we can afford, and what is the highest quality that budgeted amount will allow us.