SHULLSBURG - July's severe weather brought more than just property damage to Lafayette County.
Storm chasing building and roofing contractors have converged on the area to help repair property damage from hail, wind and heavy rain, according to local and county officials.
In Shullsburg, at least two new contractors, Sun Roofing and Buckshot Exteriors, are advertising with signs along roads since the storm, July 24 , City Clerk Marsha Einsweiler said.
"They are storm chasers," she said.
The city has a need for extra roofing contractors because of the amount of damage done by the summer storms, Einsweiler said.
"Basically every house in town," she said.
About 110 people, or just under 10 percent of the city's 1,204 population have come in to get a building permit to repair a roof, she said.
The demand for the $25 residential or $35 commercial permit began shortly after the storm came through, Einsweiler said.
There could be even more demand for permits in the spring because property owners are waiting for an available contractor to repair their roofs. Demand for their services is so great, waiting lists have formed, she said.
"We won't see exactly how many until the spring," Einsweiler said.
Though new companies like Buckshot, which has set up shop across the state since 2007 in Wisconsin Rapids, Platteville, Evansville, Beloit and Janesville, according to the Better Business Bureau, provide relief for home and business owners needing a repair, buyers should be cautious, Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley said.
There is potential for fraud and shoddy construction work, he said.
"It is possible that complaints will come when people find examples of shoddy workmanship," he said.
There have been no complaints to the sheriff's department yet, but Einsweiler also suspected the city could receive some complaints.
An employee of an out-of-town contractor even asked her if the city compiled a list of the contractors to track the businesses as new operations move to the area, and to monitor fraud.
"He said, too bad, you should," Einsweiler said.
In late July, Pedley released a series of tips for property owners to handle involvement with contractors.
His recommendations included, getting all agreements in writing, avoid large up front payments, don't give in to high pressure tactics, ask for identification of any worker and be weary of door-to-door solicitations.
Need for an influx of contractors is understandable, Pedley said, but with that damage comes risk.
"We have not seen this type of thing before, but a storm of this intensity has not struck our county since the 80s," he said.
Storm chasing building and roofing contractors have converged on the area to help repair property damage from hail, wind and heavy rain, according to local and county officials.
In Shullsburg, at least two new contractors, Sun Roofing and Buckshot Exteriors, are advertising with signs along roads since the storm, July 24 , City Clerk Marsha Einsweiler said.
"They are storm chasers," she said.
The city has a need for extra roofing contractors because of the amount of damage done by the summer storms, Einsweiler said.
"Basically every house in town," she said.
About 110 people, or just under 10 percent of the city's 1,204 population have come in to get a building permit to repair a roof, she said.
The demand for the $25 residential or $35 commercial permit began shortly after the storm came through, Einsweiler said.
There could be even more demand for permits in the spring because property owners are waiting for an available contractor to repair their roofs. Demand for their services is so great, waiting lists have formed, she said.
"We won't see exactly how many until the spring," Einsweiler said.
Though new companies like Buckshot, which has set up shop across the state since 2007 in Wisconsin Rapids, Platteville, Evansville, Beloit and Janesville, according to the Better Business Bureau, provide relief for home and business owners needing a repair, buyers should be cautious, Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley said.
There is potential for fraud and shoddy construction work, he said.
"It is possible that complaints will come when people find examples of shoddy workmanship," he said.
There have been no complaints to the sheriff's department yet, but Einsweiler also suspected the city could receive some complaints.
An employee of an out-of-town contractor even asked her if the city compiled a list of the contractors to track the businesses as new operations move to the area, and to monitor fraud.
"He said, too bad, you should," Einsweiler said.
In late July, Pedley released a series of tips for property owners to handle involvement with contractors.
His recommendations included, getting all agreements in writing, avoid large up front payments, don't give in to high pressure tactics, ask for identification of any worker and be weary of door-to-door solicitations.
Need for an influx of contractors is understandable, Pedley said, but with that damage comes risk.
"We have not seen this type of thing before, but a storm of this intensity has not struck our county since the 80s," he said.