When hiring a roofing contractor for your house, you need to be thorough with your choice. A new roof for your home is one of the biggest investments you will make and you sure want to make it right.
Many homeowners may think the DIY approach is the best for their roofing projects, which is wrong. The job of a roofer is one of the world’s most dangerous work. It requires professionalism to ensure the safety of people and that of your property.
Below are the ten questions you need to ask a roofing contractor before hiring them. Meanwhile, you can get the best roof cleaning tampa florida here.
Are You Licensed?
The requirement for licensing may vary from States but most states require that roofing contractors are licensed. Your roof is the primary defense of your property from natural elements, and you don’t want just anyone handling this salient task.
You should hire an experienced and licensed roofing contractor to work on your roof. You must vet the license to ensure that it is up to date and it’s applicable in your areas. Some contractors may have a license that is accepted in different states but not your own. Hiring a contractor with a license will give you the best course of action when things go wrong.
How Many Years Have You Been In The Roofing Business?
Asking this question is to fully examine how experienced the contractor is before hiring them. Also, this is to ensure that they have dealt with different types of roofing styles and designs and are armed with the knowledge to deal with any eventualities that may develop.
How Long Have You Been Operating Under Your Business Name?
This question is similar to the previous one, though a little different. This is to check if the contractor has operated under a different name in the past. Some roofing companies may close down every few years and reopen with a new name or different owner to void any post-installation warranties, you don’t want to fall for a scam.
What Types Of Insurance do You Hold?
Another question you need to ask is what types of insurance policy is the contractor operating. There are two types of insurance mostly operated by roofing contractors, they are workman compensation and general liability insurance. If both are missing, you should not even bother proceeding with hiring the contractor.
The workman compensation insurance makes the contractor liable for any harm that happens to their employees while working on your property but many contractors don’t like paying this money. While general liability covers any accidental damage the construction can do to your house. If both are not on the ground, any mishaps will be borne by you.
Do You Make Use Of Subcontractors?
The next thing to look out for is a roofing contractor that hires other subcontractors to carry out their duty. This is in a bid to muddle up the paperwork, license, and insurance that has to be in place. You wouldn’t be able to verify anything and might also be at risk of unprofessional risk and workers.
Can I Get A Copy Of The Written Estimates?
There are certainly some problems that are beyond the direct control of the roofers which will lead to higher fees. But having a detailed written price quote will ensure that you are not hoodwinked to pay for irrational expenses. A contractor who is reluctant to provide you with a written quote poses a threat and should be avoided at all costs.
How Long Will It Take You To Finish My Job?
Though some circumstances may be unforeseen which will impede the certainty of any timeline you are given, an experienced contractor should be able to factor all conditions and accidents likely to happen into consideration before providing you with a timeline. Also, this is to ensure that the contractor works according to plan and can not delay you unnecessarily.
Who Is Going To Be My On-The Site Contact?
Another important thing is getting the contact of the person who is going to be on the ground till the project is finished. This is to allow you to have someone who can answer your question and concern. Also, it would allow you to get regular updates concerning the stages of development and how well it is all going.
How Will You Protect My Structure When Working?
Roofing work can be quite messy regardless of whether it’s a new roof or a replacement of an existing one. You want to ensure that the contractor will take good care of your property and protect it from damage during and after the projects. Also, the contractor needs to assure you that the surroundings will be free from any roof-related metals such as small nails that may be injurious to people.
Ask For References
This will make sure you’re able to verify their claims. Ask where you can get reviews and references from customers.
A reliable roofing contractor should be able to give you a list of references or past customers to check the veracity of their information.