You have roofers and roofing companies. There are plenty of roofers around who’ll swing by and take care of your roof for you, however, they’re a bit like people who dabble in replacing your driveway – often you’ll regret your decision later!
It’s much better to stick to a professional roofing company. But how can you tell the good companies from the inferior ones? Here are a few differences to look out for.
Good Roofing Companies Have Positive Reviews
Whether on Google Reviews or an independent roofing site, roofing companies are likely to have been around long enough to generate customer reviews on the web. If they’ve been in business for any length of time, they should care about developing their roofing brand and protecting it. They do this, ideally, by providing excellent finished roofs for their customers which means their customers have no cause for complaint and plenty of reason to post positive recent reviews.
Ask to See Pictures of Recent Roofs They’ve Completed
A decent roofing company should have plenty of images of their completed works. In fact, they should be proud of what their team have completed satisfactorily.
With the pictures, look for any shingles that are not present or damaged. It’s easy to spot an uneven or patchy new roof. It should all look uniform.
Black stains on tiles indicates water damage and possible leakage on a previously fitted roof, so also look for that. There should also be flashing which sticks over the edge of the roof to prevent water getting in.
Bad Roofing Companies Don’t Want You to Talk to Their Past Customers
You’ll probably see testimonials on the roofing company’s website. You can certainly either ask for the contact details of the people who had a roof done or to pass your details onto them to have them call you. Happy past customers don’t mind making a one- or two-minute call just to confirm a roof that they’re pleased about.
Should a roofing company not want to refer your details on – essentially trying to bar you from talking to any references or people supposedly behind the testimonials on their site – then that suggests the testimonials are fabricated.
Ask Them to Explain their Step by Step Process
It’s unusual, but you can ask the roofing company to explain their step by step process for how they replace a roof. This isn’t so you can do it yourself. You can certainly find out the rough process by checking on the internet to know if their answer sounds roughly correct or not.
If they’re a fly-by-night operation where no one can explain how a roof is replaced, then you must question if they have the requisite skills to complete the job. While you may end up speaking to a roofer who is ‘blue collar’ without as much politeness as you’d expect in an office setting, don’t be deterred.
Lastly, in terms of pricing, it’s always a good idea to get 2-3 quotes to compare prices. The best roofer team is not necessarily going to be the least expensive. Look for experience first. Click here to find the find the best roofing companies in Ontario.
