5 Signs of a Good Roofer

So you are new to the area and you have a roof leak. Who do you call?

Most people do not have a list of contractors to review when things go bad with your home. For those who have been in their homes for years, may recall a catchy commercial may trigger a name or service to call when needed. Maybe you have had a name branded into your brain from yard signs, service trucks and your brain pops out the roofer's name when you need one. The phone book has worked for many years but now a huge amount of homeowners use the internet to search for a roofing contractor, but how do you know if he will be good a roofer?

Let's say you have found five names of roofers. My advice to you is to do a little bit of homework on each of them. Start with a file for each one. In these five files have forms to fill out, have questions about the way the contractor conducts business, products they use, insurance for workers comp and general liability. Take control of the meeting with your roofer by asking and writing all the information on each roofer page you feel is important. This will help you when deciding later by comparing the contractor's answers later.

The questions to ask the roofers can be found here on the website but today I want to provide 5 ways to identify a good roofer. Again in your file have a form ready to fill out. On this form grade, the roofer from 1-10 1 being the worse.

• How did the first call go? Was there someone who answered the phone? If not, how long did it take to get a callback? I don’t know about you but I hate leaving a message when I need some assistance. Many roofers work from home and may not have an office staff. Some roofing companies may have an office and warehouse to store materials and to some, this means more overhead but to me, it means a solid company and one I won’t mind paying a little more for their service. Was the first impression good or bad? Was the call pleasant? Remember they are there to get as much information about you and the roofing job you want and book an appointment.
• On the day of the appointment was your estimator on time? I know there is traffic as such but an estimator that is on-time deserves credit for that because that means they respect your time. A phone call should be made even if being a few minutes late. This is a good sign of being organized and how the job timeline should go.
• Is the estimator prepared with brochures, examples of jobs like yours? Does he have the correct equipment to look at the roof and provide you an estimate right there and now? Can he provide you with the credentials to do business like licenses and proof of insurance certificates? Some larger and more difficult jobs may take more visits but most roofers should be able to provide you an estimate while there and review the scope of work. Getting it done in one visit instead of dragging it out for another appointment saves you time.
• Does the estimator ask for the job? Is he prepared to complete a contract and get you scheduled to start the roof? Don’t be offended by this, it is their job to get business for their company and a well prepared and professional roofer will ask for the business.
• Are they timely in getting other information you may need or ask for? Some times there are some questions that need research and promising to get back to the customer is an important thing and sign of a good roofer. Does he do that in a timely manner?So, after asking your roofer some questions and taking notes, be sure and take notice of the 5 signs we provided to you. If you do, you stand a pretty good chance of finding a quality roofing contractor.

Have a question? AskARoofer HERE 

Need a contractor?  Check out our list of Roofing Contractors HERE.