4 Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor before Potentially Hiring Them

Are you in need of roof repairs or a brand-new roof? Finding the right contractor and determining whether or not they’re the perfect fit is never the easiest task to accomplish. This is especially true if you’re a brand-new homeowner hiring a roofer for the very first time.

Ultimately, the best way to choose roofing companies is to ask them pertinent questions and pay close attention to their answers.

What questions should you ask? Well, we’re going to share the four most significant questions to ask roofers prior to hiring them. We’ll also tell you the answer you definitely want to hear and the reason you want to hear it.

Sound fair? Keep reading to discover the right questions to ask and answers to expect and you’ll have no problem finding the perfect company to meet your needs in no time at all.

  1. Are You a Licensed Roofing Contractor?

The wide majority of states in the US require roofers to have a valid license. But it isn’t absolutely necessary in all of them, so you’ll have to learn about the rules in your state to make the final determination.

Licensing is important because roofers need to follow certain codes set forth by the state. What might be a code in New York City might not be a code in Boston, or vice versa, and the contractor needs to know this stuff. So learn about code requirements in your state, find out if your contractor needs a license or not, and use this information to help determine which company is best suited to meet your needs.

  1. Does My Brand-New Roof Come with a Warranty?

If you don’t know it already, your roof is going to be an expensive investment. We aren’t going to beat around the bush and tell you otherwise. You’ll have to shell out thousands of dollars – maybe even five figures depending on the size of your home – to replace your roof in its entirety.

Guess what? Your roofer absolutely better offer you a fantastic warranty. In fact, the roof warrantee should be a minimum of 25 years. Because today’s shingles come with at least a 25 year warranty, no matter what type of shingles you happen to use on your brand-new roof. Roofers such as Carsa Construction can also help home owners file an insurance claim on their roof. Visit https://carsaconstruction.com/ to learn more.

  1. Does the Roof Repair Specialist Have General Liability Insurance?

Every homeowner unquestionably has to ask potential contractors if they carry general liability insurance. If they say no for whatever reason, you tell them that their services aren’t needed and they can have a nice day. Because you should have absolutely zero interest in hiring a company without general liability coverage.

Why? It’s very simple. Things happen all the time. Something could happen to your property while they are installing your brand-new roof.

Guess what? If the roofer doesn’t have general liability insurance coverage, you’ll end up paying for their mistakes out of your own pocket. Is that what you really want? We certainly hope not.

Instead of leaving yourself vulnerable to huge potential expenses if a problem were to arise, you should just move on and find another roofer. And if the company you’re interviewing claims to have this insurance coverage, ask them to show you their insurance certificate to prove they are telling the truth.

This isn’t an area you want to take lightly. Ask about general liability insurance and make the roofer prove they actually have it. Otherwise you could find yourself in a tough spot that could potentially cost you big bucks if you aren’t careful.

  1. Is the Contractor Removing the Old Roof and Starting from Scratch?

You need to ask this question because it’s critical to know you’re going to get what you pay for. In certain cases, it isn’t necessary to strip your entire roof and put down new plywood. Sometimes it’s okay to just shingle over the existing roof.

But you need to know what’s happening ahead of time. If your contractor plans to charge you for an entire replacement, plywood and all, it would be nice to know if this is actually going to happen. Otherwise the contractor is just price gouging you and your family and you could end up wasting serious cash on absolutely nothing but lies and false promises. Nobody wants that, right?

Final Thoughts

Hiring a roofing company can be a tumultuous situation if you aren’t prepared. We’ve done our best to guide you through the hiring process. But we can’t force you to ask these questions during your initial consultation. So it’s up to you and we’ll leave you to it. Good luck!

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