7 Important Questions to Ask Your Roofing Contractor

As a homeowner, you’re constantly evaluating the needs of your home. You want to keep up on maintenance so your home retains its value and acts as the right place to live. 

If you’re considering a roof upgrade, you know it’s a big investment. But you might be happy to know it also provides a 69% return on investment and one that lasts a long time. 

If you’re ready to invest in a new roof, you might wonder how to find a roofing contractor and what kinds of questions to ask once you find one.

Read on to learn more about the important questions you should ask your roofing contractor before investing in the roof for your home.

1. What Kind of Roofing Work Do You Do?

This is really a question directed at what kind of experience does your roofing contractor have in the field. You want to know if they do commercial roofing and residential roofing. Do they specialize in one type over the other?

Ask the roofer to talk to you about the roofing work they do on a daily basis. How often do they see and work on other roofs that are like your roof. 

You want to know how long your roofer has been in business. You also want to know if the roofer does their own work or if they subcontract their work out to others. 

 

2. How Is the Roofing Price Calculated?

Of course, when you’re making a major investment into your home, cost is one of the biggest considerations. The national average for roofing cost is $70 and $170 per hundred square feet. 

Many people will mistakenly assume the lowest bid is automatically the best bid. You want to consider quality, experience, and types of shingles being used when you look at cost. 

Your roofing contractor should be willing to explain to you exactly how they calculate cost. Some factors for cost include:

• Number of square feet of the existing roof
• Age of roof
• Pitch of roof
• Current market price of materials
• Existing issues with the roof

Your roofer will also want to discuss with you the layers of shingles and the cost of removal before the new roof is installed. 

3. Who Will Do the Work on My Roof?

There are many roofing companies that will act only as a roofing contractor. This means they seek the work, visit the work site, do estimates. But then instead of completing the work themselves or having their own employees do the work, they are contracting it out to another roofer. 

This isn’t ideal for a few reasons. First, it likely means you’re paying more. The initial roofer who does the estimate will take their cut and still need to pay the subcontracted roofer. 

The other big concern is that you don’t know anything about the skill level or experience of the roofer who is actually doing the work on your roof.

If the roofer you hire sends their own employees, you still want to ask about who supervises the crew and what quality standards are in place to ensure the work is done correctly.

4. What Is the Installation Process?

Ask your roofer to go over the installation process with you. Will they have a dumpster delivered to haul away the old roofing material? How long will the process take?

If the roof installation will take multiple days, what will be done to protect your roof during the installation process? 

It’s good for you to understand how the workers will reach your roof and what kinds of safety measures they use while up on the roof too.

5. Is There a Warranty for My New Roof?

When you make this kind of investment in your home, you want it to last. The average mid-range roof typically comes with a 25 years warranty. 

As you not only consider what roofer to hire, you’ll also want to choose what materials they will use. Most roofers will work with a variety of shingle manufacturers. This will provide you with some options for style and color and life span of your shingles. 

Obviously, the longer the warranty on the shingles, the likelier it will be that they cost a little more. 

In addition to the shingle warranty, you will also want to discuss with the roofing contractor what kind of warranty they provide on their work.

6. Do You Do Roofing Layovers?

There is a debate in roofing about roofing layovers. Simply put, this means you get new roofing shingles and they are installed directly on top of the olds ones. The new shingles get nailed over the top of the old ones. 

On the one hand, this saves some cost because you’re not paying the roofer to remove the old roof. 

However, you want to consider why you’re investing in a new roof. Do you really want to leave the old shingles on the roof and not understand what’s happening to your roof under the shingles? Further, you need to consider the weight of a new layer of shingles. 

Shingles are heavy. You want to make sure your roof is structurally sound to just add a layer without first removing the previous layer. 

7. Are You Licensed and Insured?

This question is important for both you and the roofer. 

Most states require roofers to be licensed with the state. You want to make sure your roofer has done their due diligence in taking care of their professional responsibilities. 

You want to make sure they carry both workers compensation insurance and liability insurance. 

Workers compensation insurance will cover their workers in the event of an accident or injury while on your property. It protects you from being responsible should something go wrong. 

While workers compensation insurance covers the workers, liability insurance covers the property. It provides protection for you in case they cause damage to your property while working. 

Get Your Questions Answered From Your Roofing Contractor

When you make a big investment in your home you want to make sure you’re selecting the best to complete the work. Find a good roofing contractor by asking these questions and listen closely to the information they provide in response. 

If you’re ready to get more information on what your roof needs, whether it’s an inspection, repair, or complete new roof, contact us today. We’ll schedule an inspection and discuss with you your roofing needs.