Roofers: Quality Workmanship and Materials
The roof of the home is the shield between the outside elements and the contents and residents within its four walls. It provides the barrier between the weather, foliage, flora and fauna and the people living inside the structure. Roofers are the individuals who have the knowledge for how to maintain the roof at peak performance.
Regardless if a home is a tiny century old cottage or a custom built multi-million dollar mansion,
the roof should be constructed of the highest quality materials the homeowner can afford to purchase. It is a roofer's job to install and properly maintain the roof of a home and to inspect, repair or replace one that is faulty or damaged.
Roofing contractors are highly skilled and trained professionals who possess the knowledge to evaluate a roof’s condition and carefully note any and all irregularities they find: moisture or weather damage caused by ice dam buildup throughout the winter months, shingles blown off by a wind storm, rooftop fungus, flashing issues, bubbling or blistering are a few of the problems a roofer may find. All of these issues can cause a leak to occur in the home’s roof, which can lead to structural damage to the rest of the building.
Many roofing companies will provide a free evaluation and written estimate for a homeowner. If it is determined a tear off is the best and most cost effective route to take, the homeowner will need to decide what sort of roof they want as a replacement: asphalt shingles, metal (aluminum, copper or steel), slate, clay tile or wood: shake or shingle. This may be an opportunity for a homeowner who has a desire to “go green” to choose shingles made from recycled materials and request the roofers haul the old materials to a zero-waste landfill.
The roofers hired to work on the home should be highly trained installers, licensed by the state and certified to work in this particular field of construction. The company should be both bonded and insured and their employees should have experience working on all types of roofs: gables, peaks, flat, dormers and differing slopes, as well as knowledge of how to work around chimneys, vents, skylights and solar panels.
A request should be made that all warranties and guarantees be put into writing, along with the estimate for the work that will be done. The estimate should include the cost of all materials, the fee for the roofers labor and the expense involved in the tear off, haul away, disposal and cleanup. Also, insurance against damage to the house or landscape should be put into writing, so there is no misunderstanding when the job is complete. All of this may be combined into a contract with the company.
When making the decision which roofing company to hire, the decision should not be influenced or based solely on price; experience, reputation, customer feedback and quality workmanship are of great importance. The highest quality materials can be used for a new roof, but if they are installed incorrectly, the roof will fail and the investment will have been wasted in the end.
