On Tops Roofing Blog

Best Way to Find a Raleigh Roofing Company

Written by Christian Avy | Sep 21, 2022

In the Raleigh area, there are approximately 28,389 roofing companies, all of whom are constantly vying for your attention, and business. 

Okay, maybe that first part is an exaggeration, but there are plenty of them out there, and they definitely all want you to work with them over their competitors. 

So what do you, as a homeowner, do to sort through the weeds to find a great local roofing company to complete your project on time and under budget? 

Well, the first thing you can do is to read this blog! Because today, we’ll be going over the best ways to find a roofing company in Raleigh through online sources, and give you some green lights and red flags to look for when you begin your search!

Alright, let’s get started! 

What are the best ways to find a roofer in Raleigh? 

Using an online search

The most accessible, and most effective way to find roofing companies is probably the same way you found this blog! That might sound a bit anticlimactic, but there are a few places that you can search for, or look at, to help narrow down your search process. 

1. Online Lists 

While searching, you may come across companies (like us!) creating lists of the best roofing companies in their service area. It may seem counterintuitive for companies to write good words about their competition, but believe or not, sometimes we just want to make sure you find the right company for your situation.  

The goal behind blogs like these is to be honest and up front with homeowners, and hope that you start to feel like you can trust us, before we even have our first conversation with you. So, those lists are something we feel like can do a great job of that. And for you, it helps you narrow down your choices dramatically, as there are a ton of towns, and roofing companies in the Raleigh area.  

2. Review Websites

Another type of website that you’ll come across on your search are review based websites like Angi, Yelp, and BBB. However, some of these websites require companies to pay to be listed on them. They may even have ads that make it look like a certain company is in the top spot, when really it has no business being there.  

Angi is often regarded as one of the best review sites, largely because companies can’t pay for advertising or for a positive reviews, and remove their names from a negative review. 

Houzz is a good overall contracting and home design review website, and has a large photo archive for homeowners to get inspiration for their own projects. However, this website does show sponsored contractor listings at the top of every page, and you’ll have to be paying close attention to tell the difference. 

Porch, similar to Houzz, has detailed descriptions and photos of several home renovations, but also has a feature that allows for homeowners to “endorse” a contractor to show the quality of a contractor’s work. Porch also offers a paid plan for contractors to subscribe to, and appear to be ranked first in their area. 

Google reviews are also a great way to check out what customers think of a company. Most people have a Google account already, so it’s likely the most accessible service, and therefore most likely to have the widest range of reviews and opinions. The downside is that Google reviews can be left by anyone, not just customers of their companies, which can lead to some reviews that are, let’s just say not entirely based in fact. 

We’ve done a blog about the best review sites already, so check that out for more information on this topic! 

Things to look for in a Raleigh roofing company 

Green Lights (Pros)

  • They are experienced
Roofing companies that have been around a long time have likely done so through ethical practices, and good work. In this business, it’s difficult to stick around for more than a couple of years if you don’t provide a roof that will last. For more, check out our blog on the reasons you should hire an experienced roofing contractor. 
  • They have lots of examples of completed work 
If you want to see a contractor’s work, you should be able to find that pretty easily, either in a gallery on their website, social media, or Google page. If a company has plenty of pictures of their work, that can help you decide if they are a good fit by comparing the homes in the photos to what your own project will be like. 
  • They are certified or authorized 

Roofing material manufacturers like GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning offer contractors the ability to become certified or authorized if they meet certain criteria. These badges that are awarded to contractors help you understand the level of business they are doing, and the trust they have with the different manufacturers. To learn more about the different levels, click here for GAF, and here for CertainTeed.

Red Flags (Cons)

  • They don’t have a physical address 
If a company doesn’t have a physical address clearly listed, or doesn’t have one that’s accessible, that could be a good reason to steer clear. Companies that are locally based will have a much better understanding of your local building codes, as well as weather patterns and the kind of roof that is best suited for your location. 
  • They show up right after a storm 
A pretty common roofing scam tends to pop up just after a storm comes through town. There are contractors, known in the roofing community as “storm chasers,” who will often drive around an affected area the day after a rough storm, looking for roofs and neighborhoods that have received damage. They often pressure homeowners into getting the roof replaced that day, performing rushed and shoddy work, and leaving the homeowner with a roof that still needs a lot of work. 
  • They don’t have a good rating 

If you’re looking at a roofing company that has a low review rating, with a high enough number of reviews, you may want to look elsewhere. Every company worth its salt will have a solid rating, and plenty of customer reviews or feedback. Stay away from companies that have low average rating, as chances are they’ve left customers pretty unhappy. Keep in mind what we talked about earlier, that some reviews may not be legitimate, but if there are enough to get a good average, the rating shown should be a good estimate of how people actually feel.

Ready to search for a Raleigh roofing company?

Hopefully after reading this, you have a much better idea of how you should be looking for a roofing company in the Raleigh area. We’ve including several links throughout this blog that well help you learn more about each topic, so be sure to check those out! 

Also, once you’ve found a roofing company, there are certain questions that you should ask to find out if they are a good fit for you. If you’re feeling ready to get started with us, click the “Contact Us” button below, and fill out the form on that page. 

Here at On Tops Roofing, we’ve been repairing and replacing roofs in Raleigh for over 30 years, so whatever your roofing project requires, we are happy to help!