Questions to Ask Roofing Contractor: TOP 10 Questions

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Replacing the roof of a country house, urgent repairs to eliminate leaks, installing a roof in a newly built cottage – all these are tasks that require a construction contractor with the appropriate qualifications. How to find the one to delegate your roof project to? Hiring a roof contractor is a significant decision that requires careful consideration and thorough vetting. To ensure you choose the right professional for your project, here is a step-by-step guide with essential questions to ask roofing contractors.

Where to start: Some Practical Tips

Before you compile a list of questions to ask a roofer, you need to select several potential contractors for your project. The more companies you find, the better.

Your goal is to find building contractors to take on roofing projects in your area. Why do we recommend choosing a contractor among local companies? First, they are familiar with local building codes, climate, and weather patterns in the region. Secondly, with local roofers, it will be easier for you to find reviews and completed projects to evaluate the quality of company services.

Once you’ve found a few potential doers, find their official websites or visit their office with a question list. Next, we will tell you what TOP 10 questions to ask a roofing contractor and what answers you should hear in return in the best-case scenario.

1. Licenses and permits
2. Experience
3. Portfolio
4. Estimate
5. Payment Schedule and Discounts
6. Roofing materials
7. Warranties
8. Insurance
9. Project Timeline
10. Clean-up and Disposal

Licenses and Permits

What to ask a roofer before hiring in the first place? The first and most important thing for any contractor is to have a permit to carry out roofing work, which is given by the City. When it comes to roofing licenses, requirements vary by state—most often the contractor is required to have a state license, but in some cases, a county or municipal license is required either. Is the roofer licensed and permitted? Great, let’s move on.

Experience and Expertise

You want to be sure that roofers who work on your roof are real past masters, don’t you? Equally important questions to ask when getting a new roof concern the experience and skills of the chosen roofing company. The main problem lies in the fact that there are a lot of types of roofing structures – from flat to hip, gable, curved, so-called ‘saltbox’ or even butterfly-type кroofs. What is more, there are a lot of different types of roofing pie, with different types of waterproofing, vapor barrier, and thermal insulation. As a result, you get hundreds of different roofing technologies. What you need is to be sure that the roofers you choose have practical experience according to the project.

Portfolio

A photo on the website or the smartphone of a project manager is a good sign, but... But nothing gives such confidence in the contractor's qualifications as completed projects that you can see with your own eyes. As we said earlier, it's better to look for a local contractor who can show a roofing installation or repaired roofs down the street or on the next block.

Estimate

Estimates is one of the key factors in choosing a contractor. An estimate is a document that is drawn up after an inspection of the roof and taking into account the project that is agreed upon with the client. The estimate describes in detail all costs for work and materials considering the stages of dismantling, preparatory, and installation tasks. Or maybe you want to add a drip edge, roof deck, or skylight on the roof? These additional tasks must be added to the estimate as well. What questions to ask the roof estimator when getting an estimate? First, what is included in the estimate and how precise is it? Secondly, are changes to the estimate allowed? If so, how will they be agreed upon with the client? Another important thing to ask when getting roofing quotes concerns the status of the document. The estimate must be signed by the contractor and the customer and included in the contract.

Payment Schedule and Discounts

If your project involves anything more than installing small patches in a leaking roof, then be prepared to incur financial expenses. Anything related to roofing is expensive almost always. Therefore, among the questions to ask a roofing contractor there should be a question about possible installment plans, payment schedules, and discounts.

Roofing materials

Which roofing material is right for your flat or sloping roof? What material should you choose for repairing or renovating an old roof? How do materials differ in price (for the material itself and installation), service life, and maintenance requirements? Is it worth overpaying for energy-efficient material or does it make no practical sense in your case? How do materials also differ in appearance? Today roofing industry offers a dozen time-tested roofing materials (rubber, metal roofing, or asphalt shingle roofing) and as many more innovative ones (TPO, PVC). Ask roofers what roofing components they offer and what the advantages and disadvantages of each option are worth noting in the first place.

Warranties

The service life of the roof (as well as its reliability, maintainability, and so on) depends on how high-quality the material the contractor recommended and how well he did the installation. Remember that installation mistakes may not make themselves felt immediately, but after a week, month, or year, so among the questions to ask your roofer, there should be a question about warranties. Also, ask the contractor about the workmanship warranty on materials. Some companies offer a 20-year or even lifetime warranty on materials and labor – it will give you more confidence in your roofing.

Insurance

Among the questions to ask a roofer, insurance is not in last place. Believing in the best is the correct philosophy of life. However, at the same time, we need to be realistic. Something can go wrong during the roofing installation process, leading to property damage or even injury to workers. You should ask yourself: 'How roofers are going to protect my property?' Therefore, the activities and responsibilities of the contractor must be insured. It would be a good idea to have your contractor's consultants tell you how to properly insure your new roof and whether you can receive insurance benefits for damage or leaks in your old roof.

Project Timeline

What to ask when getting a new roof if you have already discussed the cost and technical details of the project? Of course, it is the timing of the project. Firstly, roof installation or reconstruction of a roof can take a long time, depending on the complexity and scale of the project. Secondly, the demand for the roofing company's services changes throughout the year, and during the high season, you may not be the first in line among clients. These issues need to be clarified. Typically, the start date of work and the timing of the project (with additional time for unforeseen situations) are indicated in the contract. The exception is urgent roofing repair tasks which can be carried out without prior reservation.

Clean-up and Disposal

While you're enjoying your new or renovated roof, the last thing you want to do is clean up the construction debris left on your property, right? Even though most contractors include clean up and disposal in their to-do list, among the questions to ask roofing contractors there should be one dedicated to cleaning up the area after the roof replaced, repaired, or dismantled.

Conclusion

Knowing the roofing questions to ask before you hire a roofing contractor is a useful skill. With this knowledge you can choose the best contractor based on objective factors, and not on advertising promises and photos in booklets.

Remember that your right as a client is to ask any questions, even if they seem trivial or generally known to business owners. It is the contractor's responsibility to answer these questions. Moreover, a good contractor will be interested himself in ensuring that his clients are maximally informed and clearly understand the terms of cooperation.