The roof is an important aspect of your house. It not only protects you and your family from the natural elements but it also gives your home a good visual appeal. That’s why you need to engage a professional for all your roofing works. But how exactly do you tell a good roofing contractor from a bad one? Well, that can be a challenge, especially for first time home builders.
What you need to ask the roofing contractor before hiring one

But don’t worry about it because we have simplified the job for you by compiling 5 important questions you need to ask a roofing contractor before hiring them.

Ask them if they are licensed

Before you hire a roofing contractor, ask them if they are licensed to do roofing works.  Getting to know whether a roofing contractor is licensed is important for two main reasons. Firstly, you are assured that their work will be up to standard. Roofing licenses are only given to skilled people with provable experience in the industry. Secondly, a licensed roofing contractor has insurance, which means they can take care of any damages that may arise in the course of the roofing job. You don’t want to risk your roof job with a person who might disappear in case the job goes wrong, leaving you with hefty roof repair and installation bills.

Ask them about their customer service

Roofing contractors can be frustrating especially if you find yourself dealing with a company that has poor customer service skills. That’s why you need to ascertain that the company you are looking to deal with has a strong customer care department. Ask them questions on things like how long it takes for them to respond to customer queries in case there is a problem. You may also check out their online reputation on this aspect. This way, you can deal with a company that won’t frustrate you in case you need to follow up on their roofing works.



Ask about the length of time that they have been in the business

Roofing is just like any other profession whereby, the higher the level of experience; the better the quality of work you can expect. That’s why you should ask a contractor about their experience. To increase the chances of a good roof job, go for a roofing contractor who has been in the industry for a couple of years. This way, you are assured that they will do a good job since they have done it multiple times before.  An experienced roofing contract would also not risk a reputation that has taken time to build, by doing a shoddy job.

What to ask a roofing contractor

Ask for their work plans from previous jobs

By asking for previous work plans, you will be looking to gauge their attention to detail, which can be a good indicator to the quality of their work. If they have detailed work plans that include all key aspects of costing as well as timelines for completing different aspects of roofing jobs, then you can rest easy that they will replicate the same on your contract. A contractor with poorly crafted work plans is a no go zone. They may end up with complications such as poor workmanship and budget overlaps.

Will you subcontract my roof job?

Before you engage a roofing contractor, ask them if they will be doing the job themselves or subcontracting it to another company. That’s because, you need to understand the level of competence of the people who will be doing your roof. If they are subcontracting, then request to meet up with the people who will be doing the job, and ask them the above questions to determine whether they are competent or not.

If you need to fix only a small part of your roof then grab a roofing nailer and some shingles and follow our tutorial on how to fix a leaky roof.