Just realized my evaporative cooler install cost me $900 more than needed

I paid a contractor to install a new swamp cooler on my Tucson roof back in April, and they charged extra for a roof pad that I later found out was just a standard rubber mat from the hardware store. The whole thing worked fine until June, but then the cooler leaked and ruined the drywall in my hallway because the pad wasn't rated for the weight. Has anyone else overpaid for something like this, and how do you check if the parts they quote are actually necessary for desert heat?

1 comments

1 Comment

the_jake19d ago

That rubber mat comment got me thinking, cause a lot of those pads are just repackaged garage mats with a markup. Did you ever check if the contractor actually pulled a permit for that roof work?