Roofing: The Golden Rules of Hiring A Contractor

Roofing is a serious business, playing an enormous role in the structural integrity of your home and keeping your family and possessions protected. Seeing as how it is so important, it is unthinkable to hire a contractor for installation or repair without doing your homework. While the vast majority of contractors in the business are reputable and fair, the industry does have its fair share of shysters and crooks. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell the difference. If you are looking to hire someone for repair or installation, here are the golden rules you should follow before you do so.

Licensing

You should always make sure a contractor is properly licensed before you consider hiring them. There are plenty of fly-by-night contractors out there, simply looking to exploit an area for money before moving on. They are able to get business (often after a storm hits the area) because they work quickly and they often charge less than their more reputable counterparts. Unfortunately, they will probably not give you the kind of quality workmanship you would get from the contractors who are serious about making a name in the area.

References

Don't hire a roofing contractor without first talking to some people who have had work done by them in the past. Whether this is by asking friends for recommendations or using the contractor-provided list of references is up to you. If a company cannot provide any references, simply move on. This is too much of a red flag to be ignored. Either there is no one willing to go on record about the contractor (which is a big problem), or the contractor has not been in business long enough to have any customers (which is also a problem).

Shop Around

Before you begin looking for roofing contractors, you'll probably only have a vague idea of what the job should cost. And you won't have any better of an idea if you hire the first contractor who gives you a quote. For all you know, that first company could be quoting you a price far, far above industry standard. Shop around a bit. Get multiple bids and see where the average lies. You don't necessarily want to go with the lowest bid you can find, but you do want as much information as possible.

A good roof should last for a decade or more. If you make sure quality materials are used and a good contractor does the work, there's no reason why you can't enjoy your roof for a long time to come.