How to plan ahead, find a home renovation contractor during ‘extremely busy’ storm season

WINDSOR, CA (KGO) — Homeowners in flooded rooms or under leaking roofs are receiving emergency help right now.

But what about the overhaul?

Contractors spoke to 7 On Your Side about what’s in store for weary residents.

Contractors told 7 On Your Side that even before the storm, materials and skilled labor were in short supply. And the wild wind and rain have exposed problems that homeowners didn’t even know existed, like solar panels breaking through their roofs or trees weakened by drought. The overhaul may take some time, but they say start now.

“I mean, once this rain stops, all the contractors will be very busy,” said Nicole Humber of Bravo Restoration.

Nicole Humber of Bravo Restoration in Windsor says strong hurricanes were too much for rooftops, trees and drainage systems, many of which were left unattended during the drought.

“Heavy rains in the middle of the night, the wind pushes the water in two directions, and it gets into every corner of every house, which no one was ready for,” Humber said.

Thousands suddenly need repairs that strain the system.

“Now there are not as many contractors and salesmen, men and women, as before, and therefore everyone already had a waiting list to make repairs or do something. And now it’s just, I mean, it’s crazy now,” Humber said.

Roofer Adrian Contreras, owner of Diablo Roofing, says people didn’t think about taking care of their roofs during the drought and are now paying the price.

“I have been doing this for almost 30 years. And I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “We can go out, put down a tarp, but it’s hard.”

Image Tree’s Jeff Cowell says people didn’t realize the drought had weakened their trees. “So, these trees that are standing there, and they haven’t been cut in years. They act like a sail and the wind just pushes against them,” he said.

Experts say repairs could take months or more, but find a contractor now.

The website of the State Contractor Licensing Board can help. Just enter your city and the type of job you need. It will show all licensed contractors in your area.

For example, Geyserville has no licensed roofers, while Santa Rosa has 42.

Most repairs cannot be completed until the rain stops, but you can take action now.

“We want to remove standing water as quickly as possible. And then we want to open up the drywall because mold spores are everywhere,” Nicole Humber said.

First, prevent more damage: cover the damaged roof with a tarp, inspect the trees on your property, and get a damage estimate from the contractor before showing it to your insurance agent.

CSLB has a list of all licensed contractors on its website.

  • Santa Clara County Builders’ Exchange
  • Marine Builders Exchange
  • North Shore Builders’ Exchange
  • The 7OYS Consumer Hotline is a free mediation service for consumers in the San Francisco Bay Area. We help people with consumer-related problems; we cannot help with business-to-business or family law cases, criminal cases, landlord-tenant disputes, labor or medical issues. Please see our frequently asked questions here. As part of our process of assisting you, we need to contact the company/agency you are writing about. If you do not want us to contact them, please let us know immediately as this will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.

    If you are on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

    Copyright © 2023 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

    Content Source

    California Press News – Latest News:
    Los Angeles Local News || Bay Area Local News || California News || Lifestyle News || National news || Travel News || Health News

    Related Articles

    Back to top button