Repairing or replacing an aging or damaged roof is one of the most important investments you can make in your home. And choosing the right residential roofing contractor is not a decision you’ll want to make on a whim. It’s not a call you should make based on a single referral. And it’s certainly not a task you’ll want to instinctively hand off to the lowest bidder. Picking the right roofing contractor requires a substantial amount of investigative research on your end. And while Google searches and reading up on customer reviews are certainly key, the bulk of your research should come by way of individual surveying of potential contractors. And that starts by knowing what questions to ask a roofer.
Questions for Your Roofing Company
Below are a few questions that any reputable roofing contractor should be able to answer affirmatively and confidently. If they answer with hesitation, pushback, or in a way that suggests they might not be up for the challenge, there’s no shame in thanking them for their time and continuing your search elsewhere.
Are you licensed, bonded, and insured?
Knock this one out early, because if the answer is “no”, then there’s really no sense in having the discussion go any further. ALL roofing contractors worth your investment should be licensed with the state board of licensing contractors, endorsed by a proper bonding company, and fully insured for all persons and equipment that will be on your property.
Have you been in business a long time?
We’re not going to say that a company in its infancy is automatically ill-equipped to handle your roofing project. After all, every business has to start somewhere. What we can say is that a roofing company with a poor track record and a laundry list of unsatisfied clients isn’t going to last long. You will want to get a feel for their experience level. Experience matters and it might not be worth it to take a gamble on your roofing project by handing it over to a contractor just getting their feet wet in the industry.
Do you offer a warranty?
You shouldn’t assume that every roofing contractor is going to offer a warranty with their work (they don’t). And you shouldn’t assume that all roof warranties are created equal (they aren’t). So if your proposed contractor does offer a warranty, ask some follow-up questions to better gauge how that warranty will stack up to competitors. Is the warranty included? How long is the warranty for? What does it cover? Etc.
Can you provide references?
This is a big one. A worthy roofing contractor should be prepared for this question and be ready to furnish a list of recent clients ready to sing their praises. In fact, many roofers are ready and willing to offer up references without being prompted. While online reviews are great, it’s always advantageous to have an identifiable list of satisfied customers to help steer you in the right direction.
What is your estimated timeline?
The keyword here: estimated. Your roofing contractor should be able to give you an approximate start date and end date, but there are many variables, both environmental and otherwise, that can affect a timeline. If it rains for a week straight, for example, that’s certainly a factor outside of your roofer’s control. In any case, you will want to know approximately how long you’ll be expected to wait for your new roof.
Do you handle obtaining proper permits?
Again, it’s not a given that every roofer you interview will handle the permit processes required by your local municipality. These processes can be pretty involved and complex and it’s certainly less of a burden if your roofer can take that responsibility off of your hands.
Conclusion
Remember, the company that can answer all of these questions favorably might not be (and probably won’t be) the one with the lowest estimate. So be sure to dive into each of these factors as well as overall cost before embarking on a roofing project. At CWC Roofing, we have the knowledge and experience to tackle even the toughest of roofing projects in a timely and affordable fashion. We offer warranties on our materials and our labor and will handle the permit-obtaining processes as well. And yes, we have references! To learn more about how CWC Roofing checks all of these boxes and more, contact us today.