NewsWest 9
MIDLAND/ODESSA - The work is far from over for roofers across the Permain Basin. Ever since golf-ball sized hail hit homes in April, local roofing companies have been swamped with hundreds of phone calls and dozens of repair jobs. On Thursday, NewsWest 9 caught up with several companies that are working to keep up with the demand.
There are still many residents here in West Texas who are dealing with hail damage, and that means roofing companies are not about to slow down. In fact, they said the amount of repairs will keep them busy for possibly the rest of the year.
"We've been covered up," Dan Nicholas, owner of Roofs By Nicholas, explained. "It's been unbelievable. This is Midland's largest hail storm we've had in over 20 years, dating all the way back to 1988. We feel like we are meeting ourselves coming and going."
Many crews are working sun up to sun down, six days a week. For lots of Tall City homes, the damage is bad enough many need to be re-roofed.
"Probably about half the town got hit with hail," Nicholas said. "And what you find is normally we have golf ball sized hail that came through, swept through, and when the hail made impact, it actually put holes in the roof. It actually knocked the granules loose and exposed the fiber glass and some of the shingles, and the U-V rays will put a hole into the roof that will eventually cause a leak."
Nicholas said because of the April storm, he'll probably repair at least double the amount of roofs from last year. With summer quickly approaching, many of the workers will tell you they're just trying to take it one house, one day at a time.
"Yeah, we've been really busy," Hugo Garcia, foreman for a Roofs By Nicholas crew, said. "Roofs By Nicholas puts in about 80 roofs a week. There's 23 crews so we do about 80 or 90 roofs a week. It's really hot though, maybe 105 to 106 [degrees] sometimes so we got to drink Gatorade and a lot of water."
It's not just Midland. Workers with A-1 roofing in Odessa said they're busy too, but are trying not to overwhelm themselves. With such a high demand, some managers are urging West Texans to be careful with companies that aren't local.
"You have a lot of companies and individuals that are popping up and all of a sudden they are putting in a nametag on the side of the door: 'We're a roofing company.' What's happened is after they have done the inital work, and then you have a problem with the manufactoring product or the labor or the installation, then they realize when they make a callback that that company no longer exists or they simply do not come back," Javier Joven, with A-1 Roofing and Framing, said.
Joven also said take your time if you are still looking for a roofing company.
"Patience, patience, patience," Joven said. "Don't be in a hurry. Check whoever is going to do your work. Ask your friends. Ask those who have done it. Ask for references."
