All too often we get called to do roofing repairs and roof replacements on a roof that age-wise should not yet need repair. In many cases, the underlying problem was a poor roof installation to begin with.
While Florida’s climate can be very harsh on a roof, hiring a good and dependable professional roofer, who does an excellent job in replacing or repairing your roof, will help your roof resist Florida’s elements (see how long a roof should last in Florida).
Many repairs and upgrades you do on your home are to make it more aesthetic. But when it comes to a roof, repairing or replacing your roof directly affects the comfort and safety of your home. Locating and selecting a trusted roofer will make all the difference when it comes to your comfort and peace of mind.
BUT HOW FO YOU FIND A ROOFER YOU CAN TRUST?
To make the process easier for you, we listed out some of the most important things you should take into consideration when looking for a roofing company that will do a good job at repairing or replacing your roof.
What Does A Good Roofer Look Like?
How do you find a roofer to begin with? Perhaps you search for “roofer near me” in Google. Or maybe you post a job on Home Advisor or you check for a roofing company in your area on Yelp.
All these are valid ways to find a roofer. Most likely you’re going to call the first 2-3 maybe 5 roofing companies that show up in the results. And most home owners end up going choosing the first 2-3 that reply and come out for an inspection. But are those roofing companies you can trust?
Before we go into telling you the key points to look out for, let’s first cover what a good roofing company looks like so you at least have an idea of what to look for when hiring a professional roofer.
HERE IS WHAT A GOOD ROOFER LOOKS LIKE:
A trustable roofer will be professional in his approach and in the way he speaks, they will have a good track record with good Google reviews, they will be able to fit within your budget and most of all they will be knowledgable and take the time to answer all your questions and educate you sufficiently so that you feel confident about your choice to hire them. And that’s the key. If you’re not confident that your roofer will do a good job, he’s not a trustable roofer.
Tips To Finding A Roofer You Can Trust:
ASK FAMILY, A FRIEND OR A NEIGHBOR
If you’re looking for a roofer to do a roof repair or a roof replacement, a very good place to start is to ask your family, your friends or your neighbors. If they can refer you to a professional roofer, ask them how their experience was, if they were happy with the result, if they are still happy with the result, if there were any problems, how was the roofers customer service and very important, was the roofer able to stay within their budgets and within the price they quoted?
DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH
Whether your family, friends or neighbors refer you to a roofing company, or if you find them online, do your own research into the that company. Check their Google reviews, but don’t just look at the positive or only the negative reviews. Read all the reviews to get a feel for how the company’s overall customer experience is. Check their website and check reviews in other places like Yelp, Angie’s List or the BBB.
MEET THE COMPANY IN PERSON
By asking for referrals and by doing some of your own research online, you will have made a list of 3-5 or maybe up to 10 professional roofing companies in your area. All companies that you’ve checked out and you feel will do a good job based off of the information to hand.
Now call them and have them come do a roof inspection. Most professional roofing companies offer free inspections. And when they come, meet with the roofers, ask them questions, ask them what materials they use and why, ask them to explain their entire process and why they take each step, find out how long the job will take and how many people will be working on site and so on. Take your time to get all the information you need in order to feel confident about that company. Don’t be worried about seeming “silly” or “stupid”. You’re not a professional roofer but you’re a home owner. And ultimately, the roof repair or roof replacement will be on your home. It’s completely alright for you to ask any question you have and gather all the information you need.
CHECK THEIR LICENSES AND WARRANTIES
While we don’t want to overstate the obvious ensure that the roofer has valid and up-to-date licenses and that the workers who will be working on your roof are licensed professional roofers.
It’s also very important that you ask to review their warranty policies. While a roofer can explain to you the materials he uses to repair or replace your roof, find out what happens if something is damaged. What’s their process of fixing it and how long do they guarantee various aspects of their work and materials for?
What happens if they break something while on the job or if they create other damages to your home, do they fix those or will you need to cover those repairs? And be sure to get all of this in writing and review it for yourself. The roof of your home is going to be one of the single largest investments you make, so be sure to find out all the information about their warranties and guarantees.
FINANCING
Similar to buying many things, the cheapest option doesn’t always mean it’s going to be the best option. Just because a roofer gives you the lowest price, it doesn’t make him a roofer you can trust. The key to finding a roofer you can trust is following the above steps and locating a roofer who fits the description we gave – someone who gives you confidence that they can do a quality job within your budget. If a roofer is within your budget and does that, they are a roofer you can trust.
There are MANY professional roofers that are very dependable, they can be trusted to do quality roof repairs and roof installations and they offer very fair and competitive prices. This article is not to give you the wrong idea or to say that there are many “bad roofing companies out there”.
On the contrary, we work with and compete with many roofing companies in our area that are completely trustable. This article is to help guard you against the roofing companies who don’t do a good job and to give you some guidelines that will help you feel confident when choosing a roofer for your roof repairs or roof installations.
We hope you find this article helpful and useful.