A question customers ask all the time is “how to choose a roofing contractor?”. If it’s your first time doing this it can be a daunting task and difficult to know where to start. In this short article we’ll cover several tips how to choose a roofing contractor for your next roofing project, whether it be a full replacement, insurance claim or a simple repair.
Choose an Insured Roofer
When choosing a roofing contractor, you want to make sure to work with one that has both general libality insurance as well as workers compensation. Liability insurance will cover any damage that may occur to your property by the contractor. Workers compensation insurance covers you as the homeowner in the event that one of their employees were to get hurt on your property during the roofing project.
Any reputable roofing company would be happy to provide a copy of their insurance showing their coverages and how they can keep you protected from the unexpected. At CO Roofing, we provide a copy of our insurance paperwork as a standard procedure and in your customer packet.
Roofers without insurance will often attempt to compensate for this by giving you a low bid since they are cutting corners. Don’t fall for this though because you are putting yourself at risk and if this is an insurance claim, you are also getting an inferior product.
Don’t Get The Lowest Bid
This may seem counterintuitive, but unlike other general construction and home improvement projects, you actually want the highest bid when it comes to having your roof replaced through an insurance claim. Why you might ask? Well, you pay premiums for full coverage for the replacement cost of your roof, so when a claim is made, you want your insurance to pay out for the full replacement cost of a roof of same or superior quality by a reputable roofing contractor. Oftentimes, insurance companies will try to pay out the least amount they can. You want a roofing contractor that will not cut corners and will work with your insurance for supplementation in the event that they are not paying out for the roof that you deserve.
Furthermore, if you choose a roofing contractor with the lowest bid, you will not get to keep this money. The insurance company will simply pay you the amount in which the roofing contractor bid and keep the rest. The problem with this is that not only are you not being compensated by the insurance company for the replacement cost of a new roof, a roofing contractor that is bidding under the insurance amount is most likely cutting corners in order to do the roof. This could mean lesser quality shingles, an inexperienced crew, lack of insurance and more.
Choose a Local Roofing Contractor
Do not sign a contract with just any roofer that knocks on your door. Make sure the roofing contractor you work with is local and has an established history in your city or community. We have received numerous calls from clients that have had their roofs replaced by out of town roofers and were unable to get assistance with warranty claims or found out that their roofs were not covered by the warranties that the purchased and even worse many of these roofs were not installed correctly.
By choosing a local roofer, you can rest easy knowing that you can get the support you need as well as help with warranty claims and repairs when you need it.
How do you know if your roofer is truly local and not using another company to do business in disguise as a local roofer (yes it happens.) Well, first you want to check with the local roofing association. Here in Colorado Springs, our local roofing association is the EPCRA. The El Paso County Roofing Association is made up of local roofers in our area and these out of town roofers would not be a part of this membership.
Another step you can take is checking with the BBB, reviews online on places such as Google and Facebook and also checking with suppliers and manufactures to see if the roofing contractor is local.
By choosing a local reputable roofer like CO Roofing, you can rest easy knowing that we are here to help when you need us and will install a quality roofing system on your most important asset, your home.
Avoid Storm Chasers
Any time a storm comes through our city a swarm of out of town roofers “storm chasers” come flying in and knocking on doors in your neighborhood. They’ll say they are local roofers but they aren’t. These sales people are also commission only and will often tell you that you have damage, when in fact you don’t. This is just a numbers game for them, but for you it can cost the big bucks due to unnecessary claims. These claims go against you and your insurance company will raise your rates or even drop your coverage if you make too many unnecessary claims.
Often these roofers will pressure you into signing a letter of intent. Do not do this and be bound to an out of town roofer that could leave you in a bad position.
One of the best ways to avoid these roofers is to put a no soliciting sign up and call your local insurance agent to ask for a recommendation for a local roofing company that has done work for their customers.
Never Start a Roofing Projecting Without A Contract
Contracts are extremely important when it comes to having any work done on your home and especially your roof. Make sure your roofer has a contract that clearly explains the process of when the project will start and when it will be completed; when payment is due; and other pertinent details such as colors, shingle type, gutters, etc…
Having a contract in place serves as protection for you as the homeowner so that you get exactly what you have agreed upon for your new roofing project.
Need help with your roofing project?
Call the experts at CO Roofing. We are your local Colorado Springs roofer and have been roofing all along the front range since 2006. We’re licensed, insured, certified with all major shingle manufactures, rated 5 stars on Google, Facebook, BBB and would love to help you with your next roofing project. Give us a call at 719-232-8747.
