142 CSD
are remodeling or building coastal homes worth half a mil- lion dollars or more. They want to make a long-term investment to protect their valuables in the not-unlikely event of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Or, they just like how sleek it looks. One thing about metal
roofing: It can’t be installed by a garden-variety roofer. Special expertise is required to fit the metal segments tightly for a hermetically sealed building envelope. A metal roof must be precisely measured, since it is not simply nailed to the roof deck. G&S crews attend special installation programs offered by manufacturers before applying metal roofs. Moreover, “there are specialty tools necessary that you can’t just run down to the hardware store to buy,” says Steele.
Here are the usual steps in installing a metal roof. First, a homeowner orders a roof and hires a qualified installer. Next they wait three weeks for the product to arrive from the man- ufacturer. If there’s a challeng- ing corner, extra cuts may be needed. Let’s say the installer needs two more segments. That’s another three-week wait. Meanwhile, you have an unfin- ished roof.
G&S avoids all that by having its own fabrication shop. When Steele’s crew needs another piece of roofing, they can call the shop—a 45,000-square- foot warehouse on Ashley River Road—and have it cut and delivered an hour later. Better yet, their fabricating machines are mobile, so segments can be shaped right at the worksite. This limits waste and reduces
costs compared to other installers. Of all the roofing materials available, metal provides the biggest return on investment. For every dollar spent installing a metal roof, a typical home- owner will recoup 86 cents when they sell the house. That’s superior to the resale value of homes with asphalt shingle roofs.
G&S was founded the year after Hurricane Hugo. Steele estimates that he and his team have roofed or sided 8,000 homes during that time. “We don’t sell metal roofing,” he says. “We sell a phone number people can call if they have a problem. It’s hard to say we’ll be around forever, but after 26 years we have some credibility.” Indeed, following the historic flooding last fall, G&S spent the next three to four months
working through a backlog of requests for help from custom- ers. Steele says he tries to show his customers compassion, even if the issues with their houses are beyond the scope of his work.
G&S begins its second quarter century in business by offering good customer service and a great roofing product. “People see the sleek look of a metal roof and say, ‘Wow, I really like that.’ I see a metal roof and say, ‘That’s gonna stay on,’” Steele jokes. 2
G&S SUPPLY COMPANY 1850 Ashley River Road Charleston SC 29407 843-614-6000
gshomeremodeling.com
Barry Waldman is principal of Big Fly Communications, a PR/marketing firm for nonprofits and small businesses.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244