Robert Wewer

Robert (Bob) Wewer often fields questions regarding where he obtained his knowledge of the industry. It is normal for a client to inquire as Robert’s credentials as he has varied areas of expertise. It is for this reason that I am writing about the experiences of “Robert Wewer.”

First, out of a building trades (sophomore and senior years) of high school, Robert Wewer stepped out onto the rooftop of newly constructed homes and condominiums in the State of New Jersey at 18 tears old. Working like a dog in the summer of 1978, he lost almost 30 lbs. of body weight from his 200 lb frame. He worked for $3 an hour shingling roofs for an absolute slave driver of a boss. The boss would give raises every six months and these were set up to be fifty cents per hour. This is what was to be expected for getting up at 3 am on most mornings and getting home around mid-afternoon. They would beat the heat this way in new development work where there were no complaints for early risers making noise.

Long story short, Robert Wewer received a raise every week of fifty cents till he was making $6 an hour. That was six weeks of raises from the slave driver that was stingy with his money. Needless to say he was a hard worker that became very proficient at hand nailing roofing shingles. Robert Wewer’s raises came with squashed fingers from hammer hits and a blistered backside form the Sun. It was a miserable and thankless job, mainly because of his fellow workers and boss. These were not quality people even though the limited knowledge in the one-trade or sub-trade of banging shingles was focused on quality work. The limitations of the job and the raises that came slower over the next year left him yearning for his own business where he could call the shots.

Robert Wewer made my departure after saving his money, buying a truck, insurance and equipment to start his own business. He started subcontracting from various builders. One was a horse barn builder (when there was a 100% equestrian tax write-off). These buildings were massive. He roofed many alone having materials brought to me by forklift and turning down the offer to use the pneumatic nail guns. He was timed in his prime in excess of 6 sqs. per hour, hand nailing. Many have said that this is impossible for someone to nail that fast. Robert Wewer won the NJ fastest Roofing Hand Nailer contest by several minutes and that was only installing one bundle.

Anyway, that got old fast. He started working for more upscale builders and that led to referrals for old work. The taste of old work was something he loved. He could tear off an old roof and actually learn from the old tradesmen of yesterday. Particularly, the metal fabrication was of great interest to Robert. The size of the pans and the old solder joints intrigued him. The current day’s marketplace did not have much of that kind of work. Robert Wewer started to mimic the old timers’ ways in his own work, teaching himself the old world trades. He quickly established the proper ways of installing roofing, siding, gutters, etc. His methods were quite different than the status quo of the industry.

Robert Wewer quickly realized that if he wanted to be paid for his efforts, that he would have to look for other avenues for sales. Sales always was done in the written word for Robert. He was often commended for his detailed proposals. He tried several types of advertising and realized good success with the referral base he had established by the time he was 25 years old. Robert Wewer continued his business, Four Seasons Roofing and Siding, but he noticed that with the increasing territory he was covering, that his business was being confused with other businesses with similar names.

He started to branch out in his service offerings, having watched the other tradesmen for years from the high vantage point of the rooftop. He had gained valuable knowledge in the construction trades. He started doing everything except electrical and plumbing. Some jobs, he would hire a professional at a trade and work alongside him and gain the knowledge he needed to successfully call himself an expert. The hands-on approach has paid off as with the experience, sales calls became easier because Robert Wewer could articulate the company approach, which always was different than the competitors.

Along the way, attending trade seminars and inspecting many thousands of homes, providing estimates for home improvements, he became an expert in the construction of buildings. In particular, problem resolution was his forte as he was often called to rectify issues with structures built during his own journeymen days. Moisture was the main problem most often called in for resolution. Most folks will call a roofer when a leak occurs that is not of a plumbing origin. Robert’s areas of expertise grew to basement drainage (often referred to as “basement waterproofing” in the Philadelphia area), copper roofing, cedar roofing, roof flashings, siding, gutters (particularly Built-In gutters, Yankee Gutters and Philadelphia Gutters), ventilation, air sealing and insulation, framing, drywall, mold remediation and finally new growth wood. The latter, he had watched as it was brought onto the scene in the mid to late 80’s. He knew this was the case because he had worked in the field during this time and found a clear dividing line of about post ’86 or ’87, where wood would rot away if only exposed to nominal water.

Along came the internet and Robert Wewer’s infatuation with it. He had secretly always wanted to be a writer in school. Now he had the internet, where he could post his writings and have then read by the world. He trained himself to design web pages. After frustration with using other’s services for internet exposure, Robert Wewer decided to develop his own company website. He was a late comer to actually using the internet to advertise on his own company website, but better late than never, right? In the first day of 2004 and after six months of working on his website, he launched his company website. It wasn’t long that he had to change the name of the company because of the several other business entities with the same or similar names that operated in the areas he was servicing.

The website was a smash and it grew immensely over the years as Robert Wewer was writing away and posting pictures to tell the world of his opinions regarding the construction arena. Well, not everyone liked Robert Wewer’s opinions and more than one effort was made to silence him. Threats of lawsuits came in because he was telling the truth about the products being spoon fed to the industry. Products that were mechanically incorrect were being accepted by the young one-trade wonders that frequent the trades. Robert had to soften his website copy because he did not have the ammo to fight the big conglomerates. The truth is still there on the site, but toned down and delivered in methodical ways so as to educate the consumer. The website has in excess of 3000 pages (last count – 2011) and it is still growing. Thousands of folks visit every week and Robert Wewer receives requests for consultations from architects and engineers, builders and everyday people that want to know about the pragmatism that is Robert Wewer’s approach to the trades.

Below and to the side, are links to the various enterprises of Robert Wewer:

Basement Waterproofing Philadelphia

Mold Removal Philadelphia