Installing a new roof onto your home is a major investment. While it will increase the value of your home while boosting the property’s energy efficiency, it is important to hire the best contractor for the job. Simply going with the company that offers the least expensive price or is the first company to appear on Google is not the best way to go about it.
You need to search through various contractors, asking questions along the way. This will help you pinpoint a roofing specialist that will not only do a quality job at a fair price but also work with your schedule and treat your property as they would their own. If you’re wondering what questions I should ask my roofer, here are some suggestions to consider.
Ask About Insurance
You might not consider insurance questions when searching for the right contractor, but this is one of the most important questions to ask. The roofer needs to have booth worker’s compensation and liability insurance coverage. If they don’t and someone is hurt on the job, a worker might try to go after the homeowner (you) to pay for their injury. Chances are they would not, but you want to take that out of the equation altogether.
The last thing you want to deal with is a roofing installation where someone is injured and then goes after you for medical bills and other associated costs. Just because you have homeowner’s insurance doesn’t mean these kinds of accidents are covered, so don’t let a contractor tell you otherwise. This is the roofer’s job, and it is their responsibility to have adequate insurance coverage.
Ask About Their License
Any contractor you look for online and appears near the top of Google will have a license with the state. There are two reasons why you need to ask this. The first is if someone recommends a roofer for the job. Word of mouth is great, but you might be inclined to relax by looking into the service provider. Don’t do that. You still need to make sure they are licensed in the state.
And that brings about the second point. You need a roofer that is licensed within your state. Just because someone can install a roof in South Carolina means they can automatically do it in North Carolina. It is two different states, and that means two different licenses.
How Long Will It Take To Install?
There are some issues that can arise that are not always forecasted. The weather, for example, is one of them. In advance, you’ll be scheduling a new roof installation for weeks, if not months. You won’t know about a sudden and prolonged storm that prevents the installation of your roof. Beyond this, though, the contractor should give you a pretty concrete length of time estimate. They have been in business installing roofs, so they know how long it will take to set up, install, and clean up.
While discussing the length of time, make sure to ask about how they intend to set up and what they do with heavy machinery. You don’t want to be forced to pay for a landscaper to come in and repair the damage caused by a roofing contractor. So discuss with them, so you know what to expect. It might take a little longer to set up certain equipment if they can’t position it on the lawn, which should be factored into the time estimate.
Ask About Warranty Protection
You’re spending a good chunk of change on your roof. You don’t want to have to repair or even replace it in months (or even a matter of years). A quality roofing provider is going to offer you a warranty. Not because they think you’ll need it, but because they stand behind the quality of their work. An inferior service provider won’t have a warranty (or their warranty will be limited) because they know their work is less than exceptional, and chances are you’ll claim the warranty.
A typical warranty will last for a year, but other companies will offer longer warranties. You’ll also want to check what the warranties cover. Your roofer will have a warranty that covers the installation, while the manufacturer of the material will cover the material used. You want to have warranty information on both.
Ask About A Written Estimate
It’s always a good idea to get your estimate in writing. This will help you in two different ways. First, it gives you something tangible to take to other contractors if you want to shop around. You can show the price to another service provider and see if they can beat the price estimate for the service. It also gives you something when it comes to later pricing. While an estimate is not a set-in-stone price tag for the roofing installation, it gives you something to go off of, and an expert roofing contractor’s estimate is usually very close to the final cost.
Contact the Greensboro Roofing Specialists For More Information
If you’re interested in learning more about a possible roof installation, the staff at Greensboro Roofing Specialists are here to help. This group of contractors specializes in roofing and nothing but roofing. While other service providers are general contractors who might perform roofing, plumbing, and window installation (for example), it can spread their expertise. With a roofing-only contractor, you partner with a service provider who focuses all their time and energy on roofing. However, before you decide, your next step is to contact the staff at Greensboro Roofing Specialists to see if the specialized contractors are right for you and your new roof installation.