7 Questions to Ask a Roofer Before Hiring

Hiring a roofer for your home is a big deal. There is a lot that goes into completing a roofing job on the other end that many homeowners aren’t aware of. It's really not as simple as just finding a company and hiring them to complete a certain job.

There are a wide range of things that you’re going to want to know about the people you hire before you have them come work on your house. Whether it is insurance coverage, reputation, or any number of other important variables, let’s take a look at 7 questions to ask a roofer before hiring them:

1. Personal Details

The first thing you’ll want to know is what their address is. If they can’t provide a physical address, you might want to move on. Even if they are just working out of the boss's home, a company should be comfortable providing a physical address for you. If they aren’t, it could be a sign that things are a bit sketchy. Ask for the full company name as well, because once you have that information you can plug it into the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website as well as social media to see what kind of reviews come up.

Another thing you’ll want to ask about is how long they have been in business. It’s not always wise to discriminate against a company with a lack of experience because every company has to start somewhere, but a company with more experience will likely have more reviews to sift through as well as examples of their work for you to peruse.

2. Insurance Coverage

Another one of the most important questions to ask a roofer before hiring is about insurance. Making sure that the roofers have the correct insurance to cover potential damage and accidents is one of the most crucial parts of your search. 

Worker’s compensation insurance will cover you in case anyone happens to get injured while working on your roof. In a job like roofing, this is more common than you might expect. Ladder falls, twisted ankles, slipped discs, and more are frequent occurrences in the roofing industry. 

Liability insurance will protect you from any costs incurred should your roofer happen to damage any part of your home or property while working on your roof. Both types of insurance are an absolute must for any roofer.

3. Roofing License

It’s important to make the distinction between a business license and a roofing license. A business license means that the company has the go-ahead to operate as a business for tax purposes. A roofing license, on the other hand, shows that they have passed the training and inspections required to actually perform the specific job of roofing. Again, if they aren’t able to show proof of a roofing license, it should be a no-go from you.

4. Warranty

What kind of warranty do they offer? A reputable roofing company will offer a sizable warranty and be very open about it in the initial discussions.The typical roofing warranty lasts for one year, but the warranty on the materials themselves could last much longer. 

Synthetic cedar shake shingles from CeDUR Shake, for instance, come with a 50-year lifetime limited warranty. If you want an extended warranty on the roofing work, it could factor into the overall cost, so be sure to work that out ahead of time.

5. Subcontractors

Does the roofing company you intended to go through perform the work themselves with direct employees, or do they hire out to a subcontractor? If they do hire out to a subcontractor, you’ll want to find out all the typical information that you would normally ask a regular roofing company. 

Find out their physical address, if they have the proper roofing certifications, what their reputation is like online, etc. You should also ask them what tasks they choose to hire out for, and why. A good company should be able to provide you with these answers in detail.

6. Written Estimates and Timeframe

Any company worth its salt should be able to provide you written estimates with details about how much each portion of the project will cost. Supplies and surprises tend to cause the most variation within a project’s price and timeline, so you’ll want to see how they budget for those. You can also keep a close eye on the project throughout completion and take pictures to make sure the final price lines up with the materials used and other pricing factors.

7. Clean Up

Details about clean up are also important questions to ask a roofing contractor. A high-quality roofing company will take care to clean up everything they brought to the job and make sure your property looks the same as it did before they got there, aside from your sparkling new roof. For instance, most roofers will bring a big refuse bin for all trash, and will even use a heavy-duty magnet to scoop up nails and metal that may have fallen on your lawn during the project.

They should also take care that their process doesn’t damage your lawn. Leaving heavy equipment on the road/sidewalk, and establishing foot traffic patterns to avoid trampling shrubs or causing ruts in the yard are two examples of good conduct when it comes to project management.

How to Pick the Right Roofing Company

Choosing a good roofing company often comes down to the questions you ask them before they get started. If you want to weed out scrubs and land a solid roofing partner that will take care of you from start to finish, make sure to ask them all 7 questions we’ve listed here. Doing so might save you a lot of time, money, and trouble.

Contact us today for additional help finding a roofer near you!