The daily Astorian., November 21, 2020, WEEKEND EDITION, Image 8

Dr. Roof: Utilizing the latest technology
When Dr. Roof is working with a client on an exterior or interior
home improvement project, the team’s wealth of knowledge and
experience is the greatest asset they have to offer clients. However,
they also use a variety of technological tools to aid with design
and project management to create a smoother, more streamlined
process.
“A customer really gets to be interactive with the process,” said
Glenn Trusty, owner and founder of Dr. Roof.
The company was established in 1998 in Long Beach, with
a second location starting in Gearhart and then moving to its
current site in south Seaside. Dr. Roof also serves the Portland
metropolitan area.
On the coast, Dr. Roof acts as a full-service contractor, not only
doing commercial and residential roof inspections, repairs and
replacements but also windows, siding, decks, interior remodels,
fences and other jobs that improve the function and aesthetic
appeal of home, office or industrial building.
“It’s a very, very big can of mixed nuts,” Trusty said, adding
they’ve seen a change over the past decade in terms of which
services are in greatest demand. That’s partially due to the fact the
company expanded its general contracting division over the past
few years.
One of the most valuable resources Dr. Roof provides for each
construction project is experience. Not only has Trusty operated
the company for more than two decades, but across various
departments—including operations, production, safety and the
on-the-ground crew—Dr. Roof has many experienced employees
in service. Additionally, Trusty
said, “our subcontractors have
been with us for several years.”
With this experience, Trusty
and his team can guide clients
through critical aspects of the
pre-construction process, such
as prioritizing their project
goals, selecting materials and
budgeting. They tailor their
approach based on each client’s
needs, personal circumstances and preferred level of involvement.
“It’s really kind of a mixed bag depending on the customer,”
Trusty said. “Building budgets is really important when you’re doing
remodels because they can very easily run away on you.”
Many times, the Dr. Roof team guides customers by providing
product knowledge and insight on various features, educating and
empowering them to make their own decisions with a realistic
understanding of costs and feasibility. That provides value to clients
because it allows them to accomplish their vision without exceeding
their budget.
[
“A customer
really gets to be
interactive with
the process.”
Modern technology and technique
To augment the experience and expertise of the team members,
Dr. Roof also implements modern technology through its estimating
processes and customer relations monitoring system (CRM).
Trusty also has been working with a three-dimensional modeling
software since 2016, which he began piloting fully at the company
for residential customers this year. With the software, the team
captures a 3-D image of the exterior of the client’s home.
“Then they get to really interact with the whole process and help
to design,” Trusty said.
Using the software, the clients can see exactly how their house
would look with different types of roofing, windows or siding
materials and styles. It enables them to pinpoint and define what
they want and, better yet, know how it will translate when executed
in real life.
“Sometimes [clients] know what they want but they don’t have a
clear idea of what that vision is,” Trusty said. “It’s about really giving
them the image of what their home is going to look like. …
It brings them into the designing and decision-making.”
If a customer doesn’t like how something looks in the 3-D model,
they can ask to see something else, until they find the right concept
and product. There is no cost associated for the client, but it puts
both them and the construction team at ease, because it mitigates
misunderstandings about what a project will look like when it’s
finished.
“Other than working with an architect, you wouldn’t be able
to see this rendering,” Trusty said, adding they enjoy having
the software available for clients to use. “In a way, we get the
opportunity to show them something we have.”
By Katherine Lacaze