Growing up on the dirt roads of Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania my closest neighbors were an amish family. I definitely have respect for their lifestyle and how they value their history and stay true to their culture. I’ve enjoyed peaceful cups of coffee on their front porch, eating fresh baked cookies, and so many other memories. Now, as a business owner in the roofing industry, I have even worked side by side with amish guys on some of our bigger jobs. Unfortunately, that had to come to an end when I asked for their tax and insurance information so I could legally pay them. I even have felt jealous of how the amish are able to dodge workers compensation and payroll taxes. I can’t help but let my mind wonder, thinking of all the ways I could have spent that saved money!
So with that being said, yes, amish roofers are cheaper. But, before I go too deep into this topic, I do want to clarify that I am speaking about the amish from my local community in PA and NY. These are my experiences as a contractor and growing up around their culture. Following up their work and sometimes even having work done from them, I know that there can be differences. But this is my small list of pros and cons for hiring amish contractors.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Cheaper: If you are okay with doing some leg work, driving to see them, running for materials, loaning your tools, horses in your yard, ect. You will get a cheaper job for sure.
- Work Ethic: Very hard workers and they will always finish the job.
- Clean crews: The horse might be a little stinky but I’ve never seen an amish crew on drugs or alcohol.
Cons:
- Communication: PA Amish have no cell phones. So often you can find you have to drive to their house to talk to them.
- Quality: Amish crews are never in business long. They like to make enough money to pay for their house and then they will think of a way to make a living from home. Traveling by buggy is time consuming and dangerous. This being said, quality crews are always fluctuating.
- Recommendations: Amish like to install metal roofs because you need minimal tools and equipment. Be careful on letting them persuade you into a metal roof if your house isn’t designed for one. This is the biggest problem I see in our local roofing industry. So many houses are having metal roofs installed without the thought of how this metal roof will function in the winter. Most of the metal roofs are installed without vapor barriers or proper flashing techniques.
