Monsoon season starts mid-June. The contractors who prepare now book out in May and June on pre-season work. The ones who wait spend July doing emergency repairs at the same rate they charge for planned jobs. Here is exactly what each trade should do before the first storm hits.
Most contractor markets have a slow season. Tucson's monsoon is not a slow season. It is a concentrated demand spike where HVAC failures, roof leaks, water intrusion, and power surges all happen at once, within a few hours of the first major storm, across thousands of homes simultaneously. The contractors who are already known, already booked for pre-season work, and already positioned as the trusted call are the ones who win the emergency dispatch.
The others spend July trying to catch up on calls they can't fulfill.
Each section below covers what to inspect, what to fix, and what the revenue opportunity looks like before the season. Share the section that applies to your trade with your crew. If you are a GC or know multiple trades, read all of them.
HVAC
Now through June 10
Pre-Season Checklist
Revenue Opportunity
Pre-season tune-up packages. Price: $89-$149/unit. Easy to sell in May when homeowners remember last summer's emergency call.
Roofing
Now through June 1
Pre-Season Checklist
Revenue Opportunity
Pre-monsoon inspections at $75-$150 each. In May and early June, homeowners are receptive. By July, you are doing emergency repairs at triple the price.
Plumbing
May through June
Pre-Season Checklist
Revenue Opportunity
Water heater inspections and drain clearing are easy upsells when you are already on-site for any service call. Monsoon flooding that backs up into floor drains is a common emergency — be the plumber they already know.
Electrical
May through June 10
Pre-Season Checklist
Revenue Opportunity
Whole-home surge protectors install in 30 minutes and retail at $300-$600 installed. They are an easy close when you explain that one monsoon lightning strike can wipe out every appliance in the house. Book these in May before the rush.
General Contractor / Restoration
Now
Pre-Season Checklist
Revenue Opportunity
Water damage restoration jobs average $3,000-$15,000 and often require 3-5 trades: demo, dry-out, plumbing, HVAC, and finish work. Contractors who can coordinate the full scope, or work within a coordinated network, win the jobs that solo shops cannot handle.
Landscaping
May through June
Pre-Season Checklist
Revenue Opportunity
Post-storm cleanup is high-volume but competitive. Pre-season drainage grading and tree trimming are higher-margin and easier to sell in May when the conversation is prevention, not emergency.
When a major monsoon storm hits Tucson, the first calls go to contractors who already have a relationship with a homeowner. The second wave of calls goes to contractors referred by insurance agents and adjusters.
Gage Lafarga of Lafarga-Franz Construction has built his business around exactly this: water remediation, dry-out, and full-scope restoration GC work. His approach is not to wait for the storm. He builds the relationship with the adjuster before the season, so when a claim comes in, he is already the trusted name on the referral list.
The 1of1 Contractor Network is built for exactly this. HVAC, plumbing, restoration GC, painting, and electrical under one coordinated umbrella. When a storm damage call comes in, the network handles the full scope. One call. One trusted coordinator. One invoice.
Use the checklists above as a service offering, not just an internal to-do list. Send your past customers a short message: "Monsoon season is six weeks out. We are booking pre-season HVAC tune-ups and roof inspections now. These slots fill up fast." That message, sent to 50 past customers, will book 5-10 jobs at full margin.
Identify two or three independent insurance agents in your service area. Not the big captive agencies. Independent agents who handle homeowner claims regularly and have the discretion to refer contractors. Book a 20-minute coffee. Bring your COI, your license number, and a one-page overview of your response protocol. Ask them what their biggest frustration is when a client files a water damage claim. Then listen. That conversation will tell you exactly how to position yourself.
If you are a licensed contractor in Tucson and you want to be part of a coordinated multi-trade restoration dispatch, the 1of1 Contractor Network is where that happens. Members post leads, claim jobs, and coordinate on larger scopes through the Lead Board.
| Action | When | What It Gets You |
|---|---|---|
| Run pre-season checklist on your own equipment | This week | Ready for peak demand, no emergency downtime |
| Offer pre-season service packages to past customers | May 23 through June 10 | 5-10 booked jobs at full margin before the rush |
| Contact 2 independent insurance agents | May 23 through June 1 | Referral relationship before claim volume peaks |
| Pre-stage dry-out and restoration equipment | Before June 15 | First-to-respond when storm damage calls come in |
| Join the 1of1 network if not already a member | Now | Access to Lead Board, coordination on multi-trade restoration jobs |
Every year in Tucson, the same thing happens. A big storm hits in July. Contractors who did not prepare spend August trying to source parts that are backordered because every other HVAC company in the region is ordering the same capacitors and blower motors. Roofers who did not stock materials are waiting three weeks for shingles. Electricians without inventory are turning down surge protection calls.
The contractors who prepared in May are booked solid, charging emergency rates, and referring overflow to the other members in their network. That is the difference between a good monsoon season and a great one.
Monsoon season is not a problem for prepared contractors. It is the best revenue window of the year if you position correctly. Six weeks of pre-season work. Three months of peak demand. One relationship with an insurance agent that pays dividends for years.
Run your checklist. Book your pre-season slots. Build your insurance relationship this month. And if you want to coordinate with other trades on storm damage jobs, the 1of1 network is the place to do it.
1of1 Contractor Network
HVAC, restoration GC, plumbing, painting, and electrical all in one coordinated network. Post a job, claim a lead, or get dispatched on a restoration scope. ROC-licensed. Tucson-based.
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Ernesto Romero
Ernesto is the founder of 1of1 Consulting and the 1 OF 1 Contractor Network. He grew up in Tucson working alongside family in property restoration, spent his summers doing demolition for RCD Tucson, and has worked across HVAC, paint, and restoration before launching 1of1 to give contractors the systems and community they never had access to.