Here at Whonnock Roofing, we do not use subcontractors on any of our roofing projects.

However, this is a question I am frequently asked, so I thought it would be helpful to explain why many Roofing companies in the Lower Mainland use subcontractors, and how it benefits them, but not you, the customer. Please let me explain how this works…

If you are a roofing subcontractor you are paid per job. Basically they are paid by the square which means a dollar value per 100sq ft of roofing. There are also added costs for skylights, chimneys and other detail work.

This means that the faster the job is completed, the more money can be earned by the subcontractor in a shorter time. Unfortunately, this can mean that shortcuts are taken, lower-quality materials are used, and the quality of the work suffers. That is not always the case and there are some good sun contesting crews, but it can be a gamble on which one is going to show up to your house.

Our team here at Whonnock roofing are all paid by the hour, and take the time to do the job right with an experienced crew of ticked and journeymen roofers supervising the work. In fact, as far as tickets go, years ago, my brother and I were hired to help design and fine tune the steep roofing final exam for ITABC.

Another issue is with Liability Insurance, or as can be the case – no Liability Insurance. A subcontractor may not have any, and if there is a problem on-site, if a worker is injured, or your home is damaged, you could be footing the bill if a court case arises! 

We carry a $5 Million Liability to cover these eventualities, giving you the peace of mind you would expect.

How can I tell if my Roofing company is using subcontractors?

Blank trucks and workers not wearing any company-branded workwear are the biggest clues. Basically, for example, if “Truck & Ladder” roofing shows up, they should be showing up in “Truck & Ladder” roofing vehicles and be wearing “Truck & Ladder” roofing uniforms. The bins are also provided by a separate waste management company. These bins that can be waiting for a pickup for days and they can damage your driveway if not picked up correctly. We’ve seen this many times. Almost every mid to large size roofing company now use sub-contract crews for their roofing installs. To me, that means you aren’t even getting the said roofing company you hired to do the actual roofing work!

At Whonnock roofing we own all our own equipment from small dump trucks and dumping trailers, and never leave any bins for another party to come and take away. When our crew finishes a job (99% of which are finished in 1 day!) we leave the work area and driveway of your house completely clean.

We are also now a 3rd generation company! Our oldest sons, pictured below, are now working towards their Red Seal qualifications and are working full time for the roofing company started by their Grandfather and Grandmother in 1978. That equals 44 years of roofing experience and an ongoing tradition of working for clients’ satisfaction.

Our goal is to create a safe clean working environment which helps explain why we have 4 of our employees who have been with us for 16 years, another 3 for over 10 years and many over the 5yr mark.

When our crew arrives on-site, you can see they are all employees of Whonnock Roofing and can be confident that their roofing skills and experience will make sure the job is done to the highest standard.