10 Tips For Choosing The Right Roofing Contractor
1. Choose A Roofer With Standards.
Would you settle for a plumber, restaurant, or doctor that is just “average” or has “decent” standards? That’s not going to cut it if you’re going to spend $10,000 or more on a roof that protects your home from the elements. When it comes to something as expensive and important as your roof, you want a roofing company that expects and demands the very best in roofing quality.
It can be tough to find businesses with high standards these days, but the best roofers focus on great materials, craftsmanship, and training for employees. They’re happy to share their processes and decisions with you because they’re confident that they’re providing you with an excellent roof. Plus, they understand the importance of providing their customers with a certain degree of transparency throughout the roofing process.
If you’re wondering whether a not a roofer has high standards for their work, just ask them. It only takes a few questions to understand if a roofer has high standards — and in turn, if they meet yours.
2. Choose A Roofer With Quality Materials.
Even if you have the best installation team on the planet, cheap roofing materials just won’t stand up to the elements. Here in the South, high humidity, heavy rain, tropical storms, and even hurricanes can put your roof to the test — and low-end roofing shingles, nails, and the like just won’t be able to protect your home in the short-term or the long-term.
Before you hire someone for your roof replacement, learn about the roofing materials they offer. Do they offer high-wind protection? Are they algae-resistant? Are they fire-resistant? Do they have protection against UV rays? When it comes to roofing materials, you can’t ask too many questions — grill your potential roofers to make sure the shingles they’re using are up to snuff.
3. Choose A Roofer With A Great Online Reputation.
Before you start believing everything you hear on the internet, remember this: not all reviews and review sites are created equal. Sites like Yelp! have users that give much lower ratings than other sites, and that’s because they profit on people who need a sounding board for negative feelings. Think about it: are you more likely to leave a review for a reasonably good experience or a poor experience?
It’s only natural for people to vent their frustrations on review sites. However, just because someone has a complaint about a business doesn’t mean it’s a bad business. Many reviews could call out roofing professionals online because of a misunderstanding or a mistake, and that’s not necessarily a cause for concern.
It’s when you notice patterns within the reviews that you should worry. Negative patterns of behavior, like a roofer using cheap products, not communicating clearly, lying, or having high-pressure sales tactics could be — and should be — enough to scare you away.
Check Google, The BBB, Angie’s List, Top Rated Local, and other relatively neutral review sites to see what your friends and neighbors have to say about local roofers, and don’t forget to take in the entire story before making a decision on your next roofing contractor.
4. Choose A Roofer With The Right Licenses And Insurance.
Licenses and insurance protect homeowners and roofers in a variety of situations — it’s the only thing standing between you and disaster if something goes wrong during the roofing process. That’s why it’s crucial for any roofer you work with to a) have licenses and insurance and b) have them on hand at all times.
Let us be clear: if your roofer doesn’t carry licenses or insurance, find a new roofer. If they have the documents but refuse to show them to you, find a new roofer. If they “misplaced” the documents but will bring them by once they start the roofing job, find a new roofer. Your home is too important to be under the control of unlicensed and uninsured roofers.
5. Choose A Roofer Your Friends And Neighbors Trust.
Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding when it comes to a roofer’s quality of work — and that means there’s only one group of people you can trust with roofing opinions: your friends and neighbors who have gone through the roofing process.
If your next-door neighbors and your sister both chose Roofer A, and they’re both having water leak problems with their new roofs, there’s a very good chance that you should avoid Roofer A. But if you have three coworkers who all chose Roofer B five or six years ago and they love their roofs, you might want to consider Roofer B.
Your friends and neighbors shouldn’t be your only source of information about local roofers, but their first-hand experiences provide you with empirical evidence that can help you… Read the rest