One of the most difficult situations homeowners find themselves is finding the right roofing contractor to handle their project. This could be either to replace the roof, install a new roof entirely or carry out a repair job. However, not knowing who to choose doesn’t mean you should hire the first contractor that knocks on your door. It’s important to have some important knowledge before selecting a contractor. In addition, it’s crucial to choose a roofing contractor that is honest, trustworthy, reliable and professional in every sense. This might seem like asking for too much, but it’s possible to get the right person, that would do an excellent job for you. This article would give some tips you should consider when thinking of hiring a roofing contractor.

  • Endeavor to get roofer recommendations: One of the best ways of getting a good contractor is by getting recommendations from people in your community. There would be a number of people in your community that has made use of the service of a roofing contractor, before moving to their house. In addition to recommending a roofer, they would also tell you how satisfied or unimpressed with their job. At the end of the day, it’d be left to you to choose the contractor that you’re most comfortable with.
  • Hire a contractor that has a lot of experience: Considering the labor and expenses associated with roofing, it’s important to hire someone that a tremendous experience is doing it. As an illustration, you’d not hire a doctor that just graduated from medical school, to operate on your heart. The same thing applies to your roof. Although roof contractors with a huge experience may charge more than those with little or no experience, the extra money they charge would make sense in the long run. Paying a small amount to inexperienced roof contractors, then having to repair or even replace the entire roof in some years, would just amount to being penny wise, but pounds foolish.
  • Past work: One of the easiest ways to know how good and reliable a contractor is, is by looking at their best job. You can ask them to give you a list of people they’ve worked with in the past. Then you should go inspect and possibly interview the homeowners. This is the only way you can get a true picture of the contractors’ performance and job. You should hire the contractor you’re most impressed with.
  • Hire a contractor that can get the job done for a good price: It’s important to consider your budget when thinking of hiring a roofing contractor. Although it’s best to for quality, this doesn’t mean you should break your back, or go above your budget. You should endeavor to find an experienced contractor that can get the job done, even at a fair price. One of the ways of doing this is by getting estimates from multiple contractors. This would give you an idea of how much you should offer a roofer.
  • Interview your top choices: One of the ways of finding roof contractors is looking at their online directory, and placing a call or an email to some of them. You should read up on their works and charges before contacting. After establishing contact with them, it’s important to take the time to interview them. Interviews are a good way of starting the process of processing and evaluating the roofers. In addition, you should ask a lot of questions during the interview, and ensure you understand whatever seems unclear to you. You can learn a lot from the responses they give you.
  • Read your contract before you sign them: One of the common mistakes people make is not fully understanding the contract they’re signing. The first rule is not to sign the contract you’re given immediately. You must endeavor to take your time to read through it, before signing. Do not hesitate to ask for any clarifications on parts of the contract you’re unsure of.
  • Get an extensive warranty: Getting a warranty is crucial. This is to protect yourself in case of any problems with the work done. It’s also important to get an extended This is because not all contractors offer a warranty. This type of warranty would ensure that you wouldn’t have to pay for repairs or incur any cost, should there be any damage, incorrect installation of the roof, within the warranty period. You must know that you’d have to foot the bill yourself if you don’t get a warranty. In addition, most insurance companies might not want to fund repairs, especially if the damage is due to the mistake of the roofing contractor. Lastly, a roofing contractor that is proud and sure of his job would not hesitate to give a warranty that will back this up.
  • Certifications and memberships: One of the ways to identify a genuine roof contractor is by asking for their certifications and memberships. Most roof contractor professional bodies do have a minimum requirement that members must attain before they can join. Knowing your roof contractor has met these requirements, and belongs to these bodies is reassuring. In addition, people that have certifications and memberships are usually guided by the rules and regulations of the bodies they belong to. The always puts them in check, as they can strike off the list if they act in a way that is not acceptable to the statutes of the body they belong to.
  • Angie’s list: This is a website that gives rating and reviews to members across various enterprises and fields. Anonymous reviews are not allowed on this website, which makes the reviews more authentic. You should look through this website, and check for the reviews of roof contractors you might like to hire, after which you should proceed to contact them.
  • Safety: You should ensure the roofing contractor you’ be hiring has gone for safety This would not only protect the roofing contractor and his employees from injuries, and accidents associated with the job but would also save you the cost of having to pay for their medical treatment. According to statistics, roofing is the most dangerous part of the construction. Records have shown that about 50 roofers die due to injuries or accidents in the United States every year. This is why safety it’s important to insist they’ve gone for safety training. People that have participated in safety training are usually given a certificate to show that they’ve successfully completed the program.
  • Hold your ground: There are some roof contractors that would put pressure on homeowners to sign a contract, even before the insurance company has estimated the damage. Although some contractors may say they can work with whatever the insurance company eventually settles upon, however, you must ensure you don’t settle for just any amount, but the right amount.
  • Insurance: Considering the dangerous nature of roofing. It’s vital for roof contractors to be on insurance plans. Having insurance would not only protect their lives and that of their employees but also cover the properties of the homeowner, in case of any accidents. There are various types of insurance that roofers can benefit from. Some of them include general liability insurance and workers compensation insurance.

References

Insurance | NRCA, National Roofing Contractors Association. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.nrca.net/roofing/Insurance-631

Roof system types | Everybody Needs a Roof. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.everybodyneedsaroof.com/roof-system-types

Roofing. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.angieslist.com/roofing/

The Best Roofing Contractors Near Me (with Free Estimates). (2019). Retrieved from https://www.thumbtack.com/k/roofing/near-me/