5 Questions to Ask Your Roofing Contractor

Finding the right roofing contractor is the first step towards a successful roof replacement. However, your search may lead you to what seems like more questions than answers. How do you know that your roofer will do a good job? Can you trust this company to take care of your home?

In our 30 years of roofing experience in Raleigh, these are the kind of questions and concerns we’ve heard from homeowners on a daily basis. Your roof is an investment, so it only makes sense you’d want to be sure you’re making the right choice. 

Listen, we get it. That’s why we created a checklist of five questions you should ask before choosing your contractor to make sure they’re the best fit for your replacement. By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what to ask in order to find a contractor that’ll take care of your home.

Questions to Ask Your Contractor Before Your Replacement

1. Are You Licensed, Insured, and Experienced?

• Licensed- Your contractor should be licensed through your state’s board of licensing contractors. However, keep in mind that not all states require a license for a roof replacement. For example, North Carolina requires roofing contractors to be licensed through the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors only for jobs worth $30,000 or more.
  
  
• Insured- It’s always a good idea to ask for proof of insurance before hiring a contractor. If they’re not insured, you may be liable for medical bills and lost wages if they get injured while working on your property. A reputable, licensed roofer will be insured and carry liability coverage so you won’t have to worry should something happen to your property or the contractor.
  
  
• Experienced- When trying to find the best contractor for your replacement, experience matters. While your project might not be 100% stress-free, having a seasoned contractor on-site can help. 

For example, roofers often find hidden issues after they remove the first layer of roofing materials. With years of industry practice under their belt, you can trust an experienced contractor to understand the cause of the problem and the best materials, approaches, and practices to solve it.

If your contractor is licensed, insured, and experienced, you can rest assured knowing that they will take care of your home. A seasoned contractor will come with all three of these things, plus a little extra. Read this article to learn more about the benefits of hiring an experienced roofer.

2. Do You Offer a Workmanship Warranty?

Professional roofers provide warranties for both labor and materials to give homeowners peace of mind that their repair will be protected no matter what happens during or after their replacement.  

The warranty on a contractor's workmanship protects you from improper roof installation or any other mistakes that happen during the installation process. Every roofing company should offer you some kind of workmanship warranty. 

Contractor workmanship warranties typically last one year or more for repairs. However, longer warranties are not necessarily more valuable than shorter ones. The length of the warranty is less important than the intent and ability of the roofer to stand behind it. 

A workmanship warranty shows you that the contractor takes pride in their work. On the other hand, if a roofer doesn’t offer a workmanship warranty, continue your search for the best contractor elsewhere.  

To learn more about why warranties are important to you and your roof, check out this article on the different types of roof warranties.

3. What Does Your Clean-Up Service Look Like?

Before hiring a contractor, check and see what their clean-up process looks like. While every roofer will have a different method, let me assure you: a high-quality roof replacement always includes a high-quality clean-up. If your roofer doesn’t include clean-up as part of their service, you may want to reconsider choosing them.

Shingles, nails, pieces of fascia, and underlayment can get scattered around your roof during a replacement. Part of the contractor's job is to clean up leftover debris, and a good roofer will take care to lay down tarps and have a dumpster on-site for quick and efficient removal.

The clean-up process doesn’t start after your replacement is complete; it’s a full-project experience. Read this article to discover how your contractor will clean up before, during, and after your replacement.

4. Do You Have Any Certifications?

Top shingle manufacturers like GAF, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning pick just a handful of contractors in any given area to go through their certification process. If a roofer earns one of these certifications, it means they’ve been vetted by the manufacturer and will install their roofing systems according to the company’s best practices.

Check your potential contractor’s website for a list of their certifications or simply just ask them if they have any manufacturer certifications. If they’re certified, it means the shingle manufacturer trusts them and they’re likely a reputable roofing company. 

If a roofing contractor isn’t certified, it doesn't mean they’re a bad company. However, by checking for certifications, you’ll learn who top manufacturers trust and get the best roofing material warranties.

Learn more about the benefits of hiring a certified contractor for your replacement here.

5. How Are Your Reviews from Past Customers?

If you want to find a reputable roofer, you should check out reviews from past customers. You can use sites like HomeAdvisor, Angi, and Thumbtack to find honest reviews. 

When doing your research, make sure you’re looking at reviews from the last two to three months. This will allow you to view the company’s most recent work and see whether they’re getting positive or negative recommendations.

If you’re hiring a local contractor, you can ask for a list of local references to verify the quality of their repairs and replacements. Reputable roofers may also invite you to visit past homes they’ve worked on so you can personally inspect their work. 

While there are plenty of great roofers on the market, we always recommend hiring local. Because they live and work in your community, they understand the best roofing practices for your area and are more accessible in case of emergencies. Read this article to discover more reasons you should hire a local roofer.

Ready to Hire Your Roofing Contractor?

Now that we’ve gone over five questions you can ask to find the best roofer for your replacement, you should feel more confident in your ability to choose a contractor that’ll give your home a safe, high-quality roof. 

If you’re ready to hire a contractor, the next step is to start getting estimates for your replacement. An estimate will let you know what’s included in your replacement and if your chosen roofer is within your budget. Read this article to learn more about what’s included in a roof replacement estimate.

If you live in Raleigh and need a repair or replacement, don’t hesitate to contact us for an inspection, a free estimate, or to even ask us the five questions we went over in this blog! With over 750 roofs worked on each year, we know how to provide the high-quality roofing service that homeowners, like you, are looking for.