u/startup_canada

I’m a small exterior contractor in Ontario and I’m at a bit of a crossroads and wanted some opinions from people who’ve been in the trades longer than me.

Right now my business is mostly:

- Siding

- Soffit & fascia

- Eavestrough (I sub out the machine and then install)

- Steel roofing

- Some shingles, but I’m trying to move away from shingling long-term

I usually do a mix of:

- Big siding jobs (2–3 weeks)

- Soffit/fascia jobs (a few days)

- Steel roofs (2–4 days)

- Eavestrough jobs in between (1 day jobs)

I actually really like doing trough because it’s quick, good money, and a nice break between big siding jobs. I usually charge around $12/ft and pay a guy about $4.50/ft for machine + material, then I install it.

Here’s my dilemma:

I have the opportunity to buy a New Tech Mach II 5”/6” combo gutter machine with a single axle trailer for about $6,500 CAD total. New they’re worth way more than that, so it seems like a great deal. Part of me wants it for the flexibility (being able to just buy coil and go to a job without scheduling another guy), but I’m not sure if it actually makes sense for my business.

I probably only do around 1,500–2,000 ft of trough per year right now, and I’ve noticed a lot of bigger siding companies don’t even own machines – they just get chop & drop from gutter companies and focus on siding/soffit/fascia which is higher ticket work.

The other option is to forget the machine for now and invest in:

- A brand new brake (~$3,200)

- Getting my tandem axle trailer set up properly

- Better trailer organization

- Basically double down on siding/soffit/fascia and use trough as an add-on service

Long-term I don’t want to be a “roofer forever.” I’m trying to build more of an exterior company that does siding, soffit, fascia, steel roofing, and eavestrough packages.

So I guess my question for guys who’ve been doing this 10–20+ years:

If you were in my position, would you:

A) Buy the gutter machine because it’s a good deal and adds another service

B) Stick with subbing out the machine work and focus on growing the siding/exterior side

C) Try to buy the machine and flip it for profit

D) Something else I’m not thinking of

I’m trying to think about this like a business owner, not just a guy who wants more tools.

Appreciate any advice from guys running siding/exterior companies.

I’m a small exterior contractor in Ontario and I’m at a bit of a crossroads and wanted some opinions from people who’ve been in the trades longer than me.

Right now my business is mostly:

- Siding

- Soffit & fascia

- Eavestrough (I sub out the machine and then install)

- Steel roofing

- Some shingles, but I’m trying to move away from shingling long-term

I usually do a mix of:

- Big siding jobs (2–3 weeks)

- Soffit/fascia jobs (a few days)

- Steel roofs (2–4 days)

- Eavestrough jobs in between (1 day jobs)

I actually really like doing trough because it’s quick, good money, and a nice break between big siding jobs. I usually charge around $12/ft and pay a guy about $4.50/ft for machine + material, then I install it.

Here’s my dilemma:

I have the opportunity to buy a New Tech Mach II 5”/6” combo gutter machine with a single axle trailer for about $6,500 CAD total. New they’re worth way more than that, so it seems like a great deal. Part of me wants it for the flexibility (being able to just buy coil and go to a job without scheduling another guy), but I’m not sure if it actually makes sense for my business.

I probably only do around 1,500–2,000 ft of trough per year right now, and I’ve noticed a lot of bigger siding companies don’t even own machines – they just get chop & drop from gutter companies and focus on siding/soffit/fascia which is higher ticket work.

The other option is to forget the machine for now and invest in:

- A brand new brake (~$3,200)

- Getting my tandem axle trailer set up properly

- Better trailer organization

- Basically double down on siding/soffit/fascia and use trough as an add-on service

Long-term I don’t want to be a “roofer forever.” I’m trying to build more of an exterior company that does siding, soffit, fascia, steel roofing, and eavestrough packages.

So I guess my question for guys who’ve been doing this 10–20+ years:

If you were in my position, would you:

A) Buy the gutter machine because it’s a good deal and adds another service

B) Stick with subbing out the machine work and focus on growing the siding/exterior side

C) Try to buy the machine and flip it for profit

D) Something else I’m not thinking of

I’m trying to think about this like a business owner, not just a guy who wants more tools.

Appreciate any advice from guys running siding/exterior companies.