Home improvement projects can be expensive and stressful, but they don’t have to be. When a homeowner is knowledgeable, has a plan, a budget, and the right team, the job goes smoothly. Before you choose the right contractor, you should have realistic expectations and know all your options. We wrote this guide to help you make an informed decision.
Here are the 5 questions you MUST ask before you hire a roofer.
1) Do they offer a warranty?
Your vehicle has a warranty; why doesn’t your roof have one? Warranties are crucial for helping maintain the resale value of your home. These assurances safeguard you from coming out of pocket for any issues that are likely to pop up after completing your job. These issues can involve labor mistakes, manufacturer defects, or unforeseen weather conditions and can present themselves as leaks or cosmetic blemishes.
Even the most skilled roofers may occasionally misplace a nail, and 1 out of every thousand shingles probably have a defect. Sometimes you won’t know until your roof ages and gets in contact with the elements. The good thing is that these problems are typical and come with the territory, but having a good warranty in your back pocket will save you in the long run.
So what kind of warranty should we expect?
You can read all about our warranty and use it as a reference when you secure bids from other roofers – Click Here to learn about roof warranties.
(P.s. – If a roofer does have a warranty, find out the term limits and if it’s transferable if you decide to sell your home.
2) Are they priced correctly in the market?
Hiring someone because they’re cheap might seem like an intelligent idea upfront, but it can quickly go south and prove to be a big mistake on the backend; we’ve seen it happen countless times.
Here’s an extreme example: A homeowner will hire a contractor who swears they can do the job for a vastly undercut rate, knowing that it’s impossible. In their blind enthusiasm, the homeowner agrees to the roofer’s terms and cuts them a check, only for them to disappear as soon as the deposit clears. If they’re lucky, they may eventually get the roof put on. Still, even then, the workmanship may be so poor, and the materials so secondhand, that the homeowner would have been better off with the original roof.
On the other side of the coin, companies overcharge, which is more worse, especially if the roofers aren’t exceptional. The last thing you want to do is overpay for shoddy work and cheap materials. A good roofer will never overcharge you for supplies because they do thorough, critical measurements and have updated information about the tax rates in Oregon & Washington. Our critical measures include detailed pitch reports, 3D diagrams, and satellite imagery to give us an accurate picture of the roof. We do all this to ensure we give you precise material quotes upfront, without hidden fees once the job starts.
3) Are they certified by their manufacturer?
This is the secret to getting quality work that rivals any model home in a new neighborhood. A certified contractor has to perform exceptionally well or risk losing their certification and eventually their warranty. When a roofing company is certified by a manufacturer, they are subject to random quality control audits to ensure their brand name is lived up to.
A roof without a certification has nobody on the hook for its quality, so the manufacturer has no obligations towards you or your home. Legit exteriors and a handful of other companies are platinum certified by Owens Corning.
Click here to read about Owens Corning’s quality assurances and check out this video of our founder David’s visit to an Owens Corning inspection – https://youtu.be/izy72zQGOTE
4) How long have they been in business?
One of the most giant red flags for any homeowner should be how long the company has been in business. You shouldn’t distrust someone because they’re just starting out, but if they don’t at least have a proven track record of completed projects under their belt, there’s no way of telling if they will ever do a good job or not. Ask your roofer about their experience level and ask to see their past jobs; if you get some images of their work, ask an expert to grade it for you.
As a roofer, there are so many unique case scenarios that can pop up at any time during the job. The only way to navigate them is through past experience, the kind you can only get from having roofed 1000s of homes.
Take, for instance, chimney flashing; if you don’t caulk it correctly, rainwater will enter right into your home, you’ll be right back at square one. Trust us, we do repairs, and we see hundreds of bad installations every year.
5) Do they have reviews & testimonials?
This one is pretty self-explanatory and is surprisingly under-looked by many homeowners. If your roofer has pictures of their completed jobs, ask them if they have any feedback from their previous customers.
Pay close attention to things like;
- communication
- Speed
- Quality of service
- Safety Protocols
- Respect for your home
You want roofers who are attentive, reliable, kind, and efficient. The best way to get this is to ask to read past testimonials.
In conclusion, we hope this was helpful and will help steer you in the right direction when choosing the right contractor. If you’re in the market for an honest quote, please feel free to reach out to us.
