Although many of us are tempted to save money by repairing our roof without the aid of a professional, the truth is that it is often best to bring in the pros. But, many of us are nervous about doing this because we have heard so many stories about bogus contractors running away with people's money without completing the job. Even when a contractor finishes the job, the work may be substandard and need repairs that exceed the cost of the original job. If you need the help of a roofing professional, here are some tips to keep in mind to help you stay in control of the job and make certain that you receive the level of service that you are paying for.
Clearly you need to be sure that the person that you are entrusted with a large sum of money and the welfare of your home is a professional. Do not feel bad about asking for references and then checking on those references. A true professional will not be offended and should actually volunteer this information in the beginning. If certification is required in your area for roofers, ask to see it.
You are more likely to receive quality service from a roofing professional that is well established in your area. Do they have an ad in the yellow pages? Do they have a tax id number? Can they provide you with a list of vendors and credit references? If the answer is no to any of these questions, think carefully before handing any money over.
Examine the equipment they use on roofing jobs. What is the condition of the equipment? Is it new? Do they have a ladders and other equipment in their truck? Check to see if their truck has their company name or logo on it. If it does note the professional appearance of it. Do they employ the use of air nailers and other modern tools? If their equipment looks like it's crumbling, run. They may not necessarily be out to take your money, but it looks more like that then anything else.
You definitely need to consider certain things about a contractor such as the level of skill their crew possesses. Does the contract have full time skilled roof mechanics or are they using temporary employees and day laborers? The competence level of the crew is much lower if it consists of day laborers. You want a roofing company that has qualified roofing mechanics. Demand that the team consists of only qualified roofers. If they give you any hassle about this do not hire them.
Has the roofer told you what type of materials they are going to use when working on your roof? Be sure that they don't dump cheap materials on you. This can happen easily because there are several different grades of shingles and plywood. If you end up with cheap materials you will no doubt have to make repairs in the next year or two. Therefore, you need to specificy the brands and types of materials you want them to use.
I cannot stress this point enough: the lowest bid is rarely the best deal. Inexperienced roofers or people seeking to con you out of money often employ low-balling in their bidding to entice people to go for a deal that they really should already know is too good to be true. Competing bids should really be within 10% of one another so if someone comes up offering a really great deal, use extreme caution!
Finally, get everything in writing and do not sign a thing until you understand every aspect of the contract. Reputable contractors will offer service after the sale in order to safeguard their reputation and maintain high customer satisfaction and loyalty. Whatever you do, never engage in a high dollar business transaction without a contract! By taking these and the other precautions mentioned above, you can take control of your roofing job and make sure that you are getting the best service for your money.
Clearly you need to be sure that the person that you are entrusted with a large sum of money and the welfare of your home is a professional. Do not feel bad about asking for references and then checking on those references. A true professional will not be offended and should actually volunteer this information in the beginning. If certification is required in your area for roofers, ask to see it.
You are more likely to receive quality service from a roofing professional that is well established in your area. Do they have an ad in the yellow pages? Do they have a tax id number? Can they provide you with a list of vendors and credit references? If the answer is no to any of these questions, think carefully before handing any money over.
Examine the equipment they use on roofing jobs. What is the condition of the equipment? Is it new? Do they have a ladders and other equipment in their truck? Check to see if their truck has their company name or logo on it. If it does note the professional appearance of it. Do they employ the use of air nailers and other modern tools? If their equipment looks like it's crumbling, run. They may not necessarily be out to take your money, but it looks more like that then anything else.
You definitely need to consider certain things about a contractor such as the level of skill their crew possesses. Does the contract have full time skilled roof mechanics or are they using temporary employees and day laborers? The competence level of the crew is much lower if it consists of day laborers. You want a roofing company that has qualified roofing mechanics. Demand that the team consists of only qualified roofers. If they give you any hassle about this do not hire them.
Has the roofer told you what type of materials they are going to use when working on your roof? Be sure that they don't dump cheap materials on you. This can happen easily because there are several different grades of shingles and plywood. If you end up with cheap materials you will no doubt have to make repairs in the next year or two. Therefore, you need to specificy the brands and types of materials you want them to use.
I cannot stress this point enough: the lowest bid is rarely the best deal. Inexperienced roofers or people seeking to con you out of money often employ low-balling in their bidding to entice people to go for a deal that they really should already know is too good to be true. Competing bids should really be within 10% of one another so if someone comes up offering a really great deal, use extreme caution!
Finally, get everything in writing and do not sign a thing until you understand every aspect of the contract. Reputable contractors will offer service after the sale in order to safeguard their reputation and maintain high customer satisfaction and loyalty. Whatever you do, never engage in a high dollar business transaction without a contract! By taking these and the other precautions mentioned above, you can take control of your roofing job and make sure that you are getting the best service for your money.
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