Kay and I officially became “empty-nesters” a little over three years ago. Right around that time we sold off our big house in favor of a townhome. The yard (the official size of our lot is 1/20 of an acre) and other exterior maintenance is all done by the HOA. Since we were never that big on landscaping or yard maintenance we generally subbed that out even when we were at the big house, but this really is easy.

Kay and I officially became “empty-nesters” a little over three years ago. Right around that time we sold off our big house in favor of a townhome. The yard (the official size of our lot is 1/20 of an acre) and other exterior maintenance is all done by the HOA. Since we were never that big on landscaping or yard maintenance we generally subbed that out even when we were at the big house, but this really is easy.

This kind of “cooperative living” does have some drawbacks. You cannot just do anything you want on the exterior. We take that to be a good thing since the neighbors’ tastes in exterior appointments may not suit us any better than ours would suit theirs. This place has one thing that the several homes we have inhabited over the years did not have: a deck with a view.

Ours is not a big deck and the view is not over water or mountains or anything. In fact, we can still see the retention pond (not really a pond … it is a high-tech ‘dry’ system), and will be able to for at least another year until the cypress trees hide it completely. But we do have hills and a meadow (nearly overgrown now) and a small running creek that cannot be seen, but can be heard following a good rain. And we have birds. As many as we want to feed. In fact, we have counted 38 different species from our deck, which sits a floor above the patio below. I suspect as we grow older we will have even more time to spend with our feathered friends on the deck.

What the hell does this have to do with the roofing business? Just the fact that empty-nester baby-boomer folks like Kay and I really like the outdoor spaces and we like them even better when we can access them from our back door. My good friend, Bill Collins, got me thinking about this a few years ago. The next great home remodel is the exterior of the home, including the backyard. Folks who really like where they live (everyone doesn’t sell the big house in favor of cooperative living) and who have some money to improve their home will want to upgrade all facets.

Kitchen and bath upgrades are hot, but conventional home additions are really expensive and modern building codes do not allow for just anything like they used to. Building a great backyard deck is, by comparison, a great way of adding living space and is growing in popularity year after year. Many roofing contractors who peddle their reroofing wares to homeowners have the opportunity to expand on their offerings. Let’s face it: one of the toughest things to come by in this business is a paying customer. Once you have done work for a homeowner, you can and should offer them more. Do you really want to work off an annual inspection for the next 20 years before you sign another contract with a good account? They have needs, you have crews, tools, and expertise, you trust and need each other - why not offer replacement windows, doors, siding, and decks?

How do you begin? My suggestion is to seek out a non-competing residential roofing and remodeling contractor (one from another city or state) and find out how they do it. You may also find that your supplier is already in the business. Members of roofing trade associations have an easy time locating another contractor to consult on such matters. Several of the top manufacturers of asphalt roofing products also have a line of composite decking and other exterior products such as cultured stone, cement-fiber and vinyl siding. Their business is exterior products and it is a natural fit for them. It is a natural fit for many roofing contractors as well.

And your good customers are just waiting for you, their preferred contractor, to bid the installation of (the rest of) their upgraded and improved exterior.