Questions To Ask When Hiring A Roof Contractor
Hiring a roof contractor is some serious business. You need to make sure that you are choosing the right company or person for the job, rather than taking the first person that you can find on Google. There are a lot of contractors out there that are pretty great - you could visit KiddRoof for instance! But in many cases you may find it difficult to get the kind of person that you need if you aren’t thinking carefully about your choice.
So how do you choose the right roof contractor? Well, a lot of it comes down to asking the right questions and making sure that you have all of the information in front of you before you make your choice. With that in mind, here are some questions to ask when hiring a roof contractor.
How Long They Have Been Practicing
One good question that you should ask your contractor is how long they’ve been in the roofing business. There are certainly contractors out there that are new and incredibly skilled, but if you want to have the peace of mind that the job will be done by an experienced hand then you need someone that’s been practicing for much longer.
Do You Provide Warranties?
We all want to think that nothing will ever go wrong with our brand new roof, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes things can and do go wrong. It’s best to be prepared for these eventualities and give yourself some peace of mind. Look for a contractor that provides a decent roofing warranty for their work. In most cases a roofing warranty will last for around a year, but there are contractors out there that provide longer warranties than that.
Check what the warranty covers too - does it cover the materials and the work? Also note that if you have an extended warranty, the project is likely to cost you more money.
Are You Licensed to Roof My Property?
You can’t just get any old random person off the street to do your roofing for you. You need an experienced roof contractor with the right credentials and licenses. Otherwise you are running the risk of a poorly done job - not a risk you want to take when roofing can cost a pretty penny.
When you are asking this question, make sure that you are checking who the license holder is and then double check that it’s valid at your local licensing offices. Make sure in particular that it’s a roofing contractor license - it’s quite different to a business license.
What Do You Do With the Refuse Material?
When your roof is done, you should be able to admire the handiwork of your contractor. What you should not have to do is clear junk from your yard from all of the said handiwork. It’s inconvenient for you and annoying, though technically it’s not a dealbreaker. A contractor should have a proper method of getting rid of their refuse though. They may take it to a dumpster for materials that have been damaged and any debris. Their answer should not be that they just leave all of the waste on your lawn!
How Do You Manage Your Time on A Project?
If a contractor tells you that a project will be completed by a certain time or date, then you should be able to trust that they don’t deviate too much from that estimate. Of course, things can happen that can delay the completion time, but you will want to hire a company that does all that they can to overcome any obstacles before they’ve been encountered. They should always have back up plans to ensure that you, their customer, are left satisfied. This could include a plan to use other employees in case there’s an emergency, or having backup tools if they are needed. They should have a plan for bad weather, and any other issues that may crop up. Asking them what their back up plans are - it will tell you a lot about how well organized the company is.
What Do You Do To Protect Lawns?
You don’t want your lawn to be completely destroyed because of the roofing work. For that reason, you should be asking your contractor what they do in order to ensure that no lawns are damaged during the process of work on your roof. They should have a plan in place to ensure nothing happens to your well manicured lawn.
Conclusion
Those are just a few of the important questions that you should be asking before hiring a roof contractor. After hearing the responses, consider whether you are satisfied with them before making a final choice. If you do that, then you can ensure that you get the best professionals on hand for the job.