Replacing or repairing your roof is a serious ordeal. It’s one of the most important aspects of your home and you shouldn’t let anyone work on it unless they’re experienced and qualified. While you may be able to find a dozen or more contractors in your area, not all of them are worth your time or money. In order to separate the good from the bad, you need to know what you’re looking for.
Where to Look for Qualified Contractors
First off, you have to know where to look for qualified contractors. While you could technically flip through the phone book and start calling each of the ‘professionals’ you come across, this shot-in-the-dark mentality isn’t wise. Instead, there are three primary places worth looking:
- BBB. The most trustworthy name in business is the Better Business Bureau (BBB). As an organization, the BBB’s goal is to set standards for marketplace trust by recognizing reliable companies and educating consumers about substandard behavior. Before selecting a roofing contractor, it’s wise to search the BBB for their accreditation status or any warning flags. While you shouldn’t make your entire decision based on a BBB accreditation, it’s should certainly give you some confidence.
- Online. You can also discover some pretty helpful information by looking around online. A simple Google search of contractors in your area should bring up a handful of websites, articles, and reviews. Compare a few different contractors, cross-reference them against the BBB, and see what you find.
- Referrals. Finally, ask around and see if any of your friends, neighbors, or peers have any referrals for you. This is the best way to find a contractor, because you can hear firsthand how good they are at what they do.
6 Things You Want in a Roofing Contractor
Thankfully, we’ve narrowed down everything into a concise list of the top things you need in a roofing contractor. Read through the following and certainly don’t overlook them when it comes to hiring the right company for the job.
- Years of experience. While there’s nothing to say a new company can’t be qualified, you’ll find that industry experience is typically directly correlated to the quality of work you receive. Contractors who have been in the business for years and years have been exposed to numerous different situations and understand how to quickly and effectively tackle various problems they may encounter during a project.
- Licensed and insured. It’s illegal for roofing companies to work without a license, but you’d be surprised to learn how many contractors try to get away without one. When considering a contractor, immediately ask about licensure and insurance. They should be able to show you proof, or provide you with numbers that can be verified. As for the insurance, you ideally want the contractor to carry both liability and worker’s compensation. Without both of these, you can be exposed to lots of risk.
- Past referrals. Even if you’ve received referrals from people you know, it’s a good idea to ask the contractor for their own set of referrals and testimonials. They should easily be able to provide you with a few. If they have difficulty locating any referrals, this is probably a warning flag.
- Qualified labor. When a roofing contractor accepts a job, they either tackle the project with their own employees, or they subcontract it out. Generally speaking, it’s better for you if the contractor uses qualified labor in the form of employees. It speaks better about the company and could potentially keep you better protected should something happen.
- Warranties. There needs to be some sort of guarantee or warranty on the labor. This is usually called a workmanship warranty and is different than the standard materials warranty that comes with the roof. Whereas the manufacturer warranty protects the actual materials used on your roof, the workmanship warranty protects you against any issues that arise as a result of shoddy work.
- Thorough contract. One of the more confusing aspects of the process – for consumers – is the contract or agreement that’s involved. However, as the BBB clearly advises, it’s important to ensure all contracts are as detailed as possible. Not only does the contract need an agreed upon price and written description of the work, but things like contact information, price breakdown, payment due dates, start and completion dates, and other critical details need to be included.
Top Questions You Need to Ask
After conducting your research and narrowing your list of potential contractors down to a handful of seemingly qualified companies, you should conduct an interview with each. Use these interviews to get comfortable with the contractor, but also to uncover some answers to the following questions:
- Will you remove my old roof before replacing it?
- How will you go about protecting my house/property during the process?
- How will in climate weather affect the timetable of the project, and what will you do to protect my home?
- What is the cost of [insert XYZ problem] should you find previously undetected issues during the project?
- Is there always someone on the site whom I can communicate with and ask questions?
- What’s your current workload and how much attention will you be able to give my project?
- Are there consequences should you fail to finish the project by the agreed upon completion date?
- How long have you and your crew worked together?
It’s also a good idea to ask the contractor if they have any questions for you. The more details and uncertainties you can flesh out, the smoother the process will go.
Contact Iron River Construction Today
At Iron River Construction, we’re a family owned and operated construction contractor and remodeler. We’ve been in operation for 20-plus years and have an A+ rating from the BBB, in addition to numerous other accreditations and recognitions. When it comes to our work, every roofing job is backed by a 50-year material and labor warranty, because we stand behind every single project we complete.
For additional information regarding roofing installation, replacement, or repairs in the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and greater-Minnesota regions, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. We’d be happy to give you a free initial inspection and quote.
