Hiring A Roofer Checklist: Ask For These Things

Whether you’re thinking about replacing the shingles on your roof or are making a roof for your new house, you should be very considerate and cautious when thinking about hiring a roofer or roofing contractor. You don’t want to end up hiring someone who only provides you an estimate of the job at hand without getting them to deliver the end product that is as you expected, do you?

So before you think about contacting a roofer, you need to ask them a bunch of questions to ensure you’re not being taken for a fool. That’s why you need a ‘hiring a roofer checklist’ which we have prepared right here for your convenience.

How Many Years of Experience Have You Had in This Business?

This is one of the most important questions to ask before hiring a roofer. Hiring a roofer who has had little to zero experience or is just starting out is not going to fly or is very assuring of the job they’re going to do. You’ll need to set your standards a bit high instead of going the quick and easy route. Hence, you’re better off hiring somebody who has more experience and has an overwhelmingly positive and trusted customer reception from previous clients.

Do You Have Any References?

This is a follow-up to the previous question, but it also serves its purpose in knowing the background of your potential roofer. We recommend inquiring or looking up local residential job sites as well as look into some of the previous roofing jobs that they’ve completed. Better yet, you can personally ask some of the past customers because at times a contractor may only refer to some of their happier customers. So be sure to ask previous roofing clients about whether or not they were satisfied with the job completed by your potential roofing contractor.

Do You Have General Liability Insurance?

General liability insurance will ensure your property is covered for the roofing job that is done for your house. For instance, if let’s say a roofing contractor breaks one of the walls of your rooms upstairs during the welding process, the contracting company will cover the damage expenses.

Hiring a roofer without insurance will have you be the one shelling out thousands of dollars for the damage that someone else has caused. Also, you should just take hang your hat on the words of your roofer. Be sure to ask them for an insurance certificate as well. The certificate must include your name and your property’s address. If you’re still unsure about this, you may contact the insurance company on the certificate and ask.

Sometimes, contractors will have subcontractors fill in for them. And if you find that the subcontractors are being compensated in the process, then you need to get familiar with a lien waiver, which you can learn about from the experts at Procore.

Do You Have a Warranty?

Ask your roofing contractor how long their company guarantees the work they provide their clients. The answer that you should be getting is a minimum of 25 years. The price of dimensional-type shingles costs exactly the same as older-type shingles and also lasts longer too. Whichever type of shingles you choose, you should be getting at least a 25-year warranty on both.

However, you should know that there are two separate types of warranties; a manufacturer warranty and a roofer warranty. The manufacturer warranty covers the materials used for the roofing job while the roofer warranty covers the work they do. You can ask the contractor about the type of things are covered in each of those warranties as well as the length of the coverage for both.

Will You Be Replacing My Old Roof?

Sometimes, roofing contractors will replace your old roof but not before making claims to have inspected your roof with their own eyes to save money and time. But unless the old shingles have been pulled out of their spots, there’s no way for you to know if there’s rotten wood or soft spots under the new ones that you’re getting. If some of those bad spots remain as they are, you have plenty more expensive problems down the line. Therefore, you must ensure with your own eyes that the old roof has been taken out before your roofer adds a new one.

Do You Have Manufacturer Qualifications?

The manufacturers of the roofing materials that will possibly be used for your roof, need to have special training and/or certification before they permit a roofer to have their products installed. First, ask your roofing contractor about the type of roofing products that the company is permitted to install. By ensuring every product is qualified, you’ll end up having the best product for your roof.

Do You Have a Local Address and Phone Number?

You’ll obviously need to contact a roofing contractor in order to fix a broken or damaged roof after a storm or build a new one. So it’s of the utmost importance to ask your roofing contractor to share their company’s phone number as well as address so you can either call them or head down to their office and ask for a roofer from the nearest office. If by some chance, you got your roof installed by a company that isn’t local to where you live, then it will be very difficult to get in touch with them if any other issues surface sometime later.