Choosing A Roof Contractor For Your Roofing Job
Selecting a good roof contractor from the hordes of advertisement in trade journals and yellow pages is tough task by any means. It is safe to assume that not all facts touted in the advertisement are not as they seem. It is important to get recommendations and proof before you believe the claims made by roofing companies. At the same time it is true that there are a number of experienced and well-trained roofing contractors available in most areas due to roofing jobs being plenty in every area.
Here we list a few factors to take note of before hiring a roof contractor:
Trust but verify every claim made by roofing contractor. Get references from clients for whom the contractor has already done a job. Get specific references on names of any particular roofing contractor the clients had worked with. Most roofing companies have several roofers on their rolls. So, be absolutely sure you are getting relevant information on specific people.
To be sure that the company you are hiring is not a fly by night operator verify that they have a fixed abode, telephone number and required licenses to run a professional outfit. Check out the number of years they have been in business. All this gives you an idea that they are serious about their business and will stick out for a long time, so if you have any problems with your roofing jobs you can get it rectified.
Insurance cover for the roof contractor is a must. Ask to see the documents to see that they are fully covered for accidents on the job, any liabilities and compensation for the workers. See that all workers who will be working on your job are covered. This ensures that you are not liable for accidents suffered at your work site.
The roofing company’s safety record should be of the highest standards. The roof contractor and other workers should have adequate safety training which helps them to work safely and securely in dangerous work areas like steep slopes and steeples.
Most states have state licensing and registration requirements. They want the roof contractors to be bonded and licensed with the state boards or other relevant authorities. You can get details about this from your state board by making a phone call. This is a way to protect yourself so don’t neglect to check that the contractor has been vetted by the state authorities.
It is okay to get multiple quotes. Different contractors work with different set of parameters and slight differences in quotes are quiet acceptable. When there are wide differences then find out why it is so. Find out what those extra costs are for. Usually the more expensive contractors have more experience and work with quality products and there are very few problems once the job is done. But this is not always true. Get your doubts cleared by asking questions. Some roof contractors might answer your queries and may be eager for your job, but the busy roofing contractor might not enetertain any queries till he knows you are serious about your job.