Picking a Reputable Roofer 

Throughout my career as a project manager, I have come across many common questions online through various platforms that I am involved with.  One that doesn't come up often enough is how to pick a good roofer.  I get it, it's less than 12 hours since hail pummeled your house, you have a parade of roofers driving down your street, beating on doors, throwing flyers all over the place...it's quite an overwhelming experience.  It may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be.  So, how do you find a good roofer?  

Look Them Up!

So, you have a pile of flyers and you don't know where to start.  The first thing to do is start looking them up.  They should have an some sort of online presence.  Do they have a website?  Do they have a local office?  How about a google or Facebook page?  You are looking for a somewhat complete picture here.  In this day and age, I judge professional businesses harshly if they don't have a functional website.  

Check for Insurance

It's is imperative that your contract carry current insurance.  You are looking for general liability and worker's compensation.  I carry this document around with me in digital and paper form, and I provide it with every estimate I give out.  In some instances, I can even have a customer endorsed on our insurance.  Your contractor or project manager should be able to make this happen pretty easily.  If they cannot produce a current insurance document, I would weed them out on the spot.  The last thing you need is a mishap on the job that ends up costing you.

How are the reviews?

Reviews are a bit tricky.  You want to make sure your contractor the company you are researching has reviews.  Specifcally, you are looking for not only good reviews, but bad reviews.  What were the bad reviews?  Were they legitimate?  Were they addressed?  Did the owner or the company respond to the bad reviews, or just let them sit with no feedback?  This is important.  The information contained in reviews and feedback gives you a complete picture of the contractor's committment to customer satisfaction.  Roofing has many moving parts, and sometimes things do not go perfectly smooth.  The mark of a good company is not one that has a spotless records, anyone can handle that.  The mark of a good company is what that deals with issues head on and makes sure a customer is made whole and the issue is addressed.

What are their certifications?

Any roofing company can install shingles.  Whether or not they are installed properly is another question.  Most manufacturers have requirements for the way they want their products installed.  To that end, they will often offer extended warranties for top level companies who are certified.  For Infinity Roofing, we are GAF MasterElite certified, Owens Corning Platinum rated, and 5 Star ShingleMaster certified for Certainteed.  Very few roofing companies carry all three of these.  Almost every roofing company should carry at least one of the top levels for a particular brand of shingle.  This harkens back to committment to quality.  With certified installations, you are eligible for better warranties that are manufacturer backed, and that's a good thing.

Does all of the paperwork match?

After that storm rolls through and you are standing in your yard with shingles laying all around you and four roofers knocking on your door, another thing you can do is simply check out the paperwork.  Are the numbers local?  Do all of the phone numbers and addresses match between business cards, contracts, agreements, brochures?  Do they have brochures at all?  A reputable company will have all of this and if they are serious about working, it will all be there on the spot and ready to go.

Does the number on the business card work?

Call the number on the business card.  Call all of the numbers on it.  Does it go to what sounds like a professional answering the phone?  Did the project manager answer?  If not, did the voicemail message state the person's name and company?  If not, it may be a red flag.

Putting it all together

All of the items above should be looked at objectively.  The point of all of this is to establish a full picture of the company that is going to be ripping off your roof and installing new shingles.  They may be conversing with your insurance company, providing estimates, speaking to your spouses, so make sure you know who you are dealing with.  To make this a bit easier in a summarized format, I have provided our "How to pick a contractor" page.  It offers a checklist to compare us, an established, certified, legitimate company with others that may come along.  I hope that you find it useful.

Tips for YOUR consideration: Your Contractor Should...

• Be an established company with a minimum of 10 year track record.  Has a verifiable business address, phone number, and license information.
• Have verifiable insurance certificated for both general liability and workers compensation
• NEVER ask for first payment until roof is completed
• Be able to provide credit reference for supplier (very important)
• Have a licensing for the city/county of the area of your property
• Be able to provide listing information for BBB
• Can provide hundreds of local references
• Provide a written, detailed proposal
• Coherent company policy on insurance deductibles is presented and followed
• Are they a certified and backed contractor by the manufacturer? (Master Elite and Platinum Preferred)
• Had the contractor been recognized by other media sources?
• Does the contractor pull permits and final inspections included in the project?
• Are they a member of your state's Roofing association?
• The National Roofing Contractor Association member?