Roofing Contractor Near Me: Common Mistakes Made When Hiring One
According to the website of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 129,890 roofers in the United States. Thus, if you type in the phrase ‘roofing contractor near me’, it’s likely you’ll find one without much trouble.
COMPARE QUOTESHowever, finding the best roofing contractor for your project is another matter. Not every roofing contractor has all the credentials necessary for high-quality work. If you hire an unqualified contractor, you could have to pay to undo and/or fix their shoddy craftsmanship.
The problem is that, on the surface, it can be challenging to separate a good roofing contractor from a bad one. However, it’s not impossible to do so. You just have to know what specific actions to take and details to inspect.
If you’re about to go on a search for a roofing contractor, read the searching for a roofing contractor guide below. This article will detail some common mistakes a typical roofing contractor searcher may make.
Not Inspecting Your Roof Type
One of the most important roofing contractor tips to remember is that services can vary. Many roofing companies are limited by the qualifications of their roofers to perform certain tasks. For example, to install metal roofing materials, a roofing technician has to have specialized training.
Thus, you can find a roofing company that you like and then find out later that they can’t help you. In the worst-case scenario, you may find this information out after you hire them. Both situations can be frustrating and inconvenient.
It’s best, then, to do a bit of research on the different types of roofing. You can then get up on a ladder and look at your roof (don’t walk around on it, though). Once you know what type of roofing you have, you can then make sure that you hire a company that works with your roof type.
Not Doing Some Roofing Research
Don’t limit your research efforts to roofing materials alone. Do what you can to dig a bit deeper into some roofing knowledge. Ask the search engine questions like ‘what is a roofing contractor’, ‘what does a roofer do’, and/or ‘what tools does a roofing contractor use’.
You don’t need to learn a huge amount of information. Just try to learn some industry-specific terms, techniques, etc. You can limit it to the amount of spare time that you have.
With this information, you can ask contractors some knowledgeable questions. If they struggle to answer your questions, you’ll know that you’re dealing with a scammer or an unqualified contractor. Contractors that are worth their salt should have at least a basic level of knowledge about the roofing industry.
Not Setting a Budget Ahead of Time
Having a budget for your roofing project beforehand can save you a lot of searching. You can also avoid not getting your money’s worth from an unqualified and/or cheating contractor.
To set a reasonable budget, you first need to check the average roofing contractor cost in your area. Set your budget a bit more than this in consideration of any unexpected costs. Then, use this budget to help filter the possible choices for a roofing contractor.
Don’t just focus on finding a roofing contractor that’s within or lower than your budget and has all the necessary qualifications. Keep a close eye on how far the price is from the average cost. Be extra suspicious if the price is much higher or lower than the average.
If the price is too low, the roofing contractor may compensate for the low price by using lower-quality materials. If the price is too high, the company is likely charging more than its services are worth.
Not Asking for Recommendations
When they need to search for something, most people jump to their favorite search engine. Doing so can get them many great results. The problem is that there may be too many of them.
If you want to save yourself the time and effort of weeding through so many contractors, there’s another method you should try. This is to ask other locals to recommend different roofing contractors to you. You can then use the list of contractors that you make from their answers as a starting point for your search.
There are a few ways that you can get these recommendations. The first is to ask locals that you know personally (friends and family) about the contractors that they’ve used. You might even ask people in your social circle to ask other people they know about what roofing contractors they’ve used.
If you don’t get a lot of leads from this method, go online. There should be plenty of social media subgroups based on your local area or somewhere close by. You should be able to ask for roofing contractor recommendations on there and get some answers.
Not Using a Local Company
It’s not critical for you to use a smaller, local company over a large franchise. However, going with a local company may have a noticeable impact on the quality of your roofing project.
This is because the local company will know a lot more about which roof types work best for the local climate and architectural aesthetic. They should also know about any building permits that you may need for a project. Thus, they should thus be able to give you some great roof recommendations if you need them.
Not Assessing the Company’s Professionalism
Most of the time, a company that is qualified and professional will look qualified and professional. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Thus, doing a quick assessment of the professional level of a company can be a great way to raise or lower suspicions.
Check the roofing contractor’s website first. Is it organized, fairly attractive, and free of technical errors? If so, the company behind it is likely the kind of company that you’d want to work on your project.
If you have the time, you can also visit the company’s physical location. Check and see if the office building is clean and well-organized. You should also see if the workers are well-kept and polite.
Having these specific details is another great indicator of professionalism.
COMPARE QUOTESNot Looking at the Company’s Experience Level
You should be able to find the amount of experience a company and its employees have on its website. If not, you should be able to ask the company’s customer service line for this information. Once you have this information, write it down and use it to compare different companies.
As you may expect, you should choose the company that has more experienced employees and has spent the longest time in the area. The reason you should do this, however, isn’t just because of the large amount of knowledge and skills more experienced parties will have.
Having many years in the business also proves how well the company and employees have treated their customers. Customers who feel they’ve been wronged by poor service won’t return and won’t recommend services. When they feel pleased with the service, the opposite happens and this keeps the business and/or the roofers working for many years.
Not Researching the Products the Roofers Use
Roofing contractors don’t make their own shingles, lining, etc. They purchase their products from manufacturers. The best roofing companies should have the knowledge of roofing materials and the care for their customers to use the best products available.
Many companies will have information about the products they use on their sites. You can then use this information to look up customer reviews of the products and brands. If the reviews seem questionable, that may be a sign that you need to use a different roofing contractor for your project.
Not Searching for Licensing and Certifications
When a roofer has proven their skills, knowledge and experience to a respected authority, he or she receives a license. A similar process happens when a business receives a certification. However, in this case, the respected authority judges the quality of the service or product the business has offered to its customers.
Depending on the state and local laws, a roofer may or may not be legally required to have a license. Business certifications are usually not required by law. However, they are a great indicator of the quality of a roofing company and its employees.
For this reason, you should prioritize certified companies and licensed roofers over others. Look for certifications and licenses on the roofing company’s site. If you can’t find any, you can ask customer service, but most businesses should proudly display their licenses and certifications.
Not Asking About Warranties and Insurance
Warranties and insurance are similar, but they’re used for different purposes. Insurance is used to compensate a client should anything go wrong with the roofing services. Warranties do the same, but they’re only paid out if a product doesn’t work as intended.
These two policies are not necessarily an indicator of quality. However, they do make a company a much safer choice as you know you’re protected should something go wrong. Beyond that, these policies prove that the company cares about its customers and that’s always a good quality to have.
Not Requesting a Particular Roofer for Your Project
There’s a trick that illegitimate roofing companies may pull on you with their roofers. They will display roofers that are licensed and highly experienced on their site. Then they will send an unlicensed and incompetent roofer to do your work.
Asking for a particular roofer that you saw on the company’s site may help with this. If that roofer isn’t available, ask about the qualifications of the one they’re sending. If it doesn’t seem like enough, you may want to go with another company.
Keep in mind, though, that lesser experienced roofers will often work under more experienced ones to gain more experience. However, these types of workers are not supposed to work alone. As long as a less experienced worker is working with a more experienced one, you can disregard any suspicion of scamming
Not Getting All the Work in Writing
Before you get an initial price quote and hire the roofing company, ask customer service if the workers will provide you with a written receipt. If they won’t, you may want to work with another roofing contractor. An honest company should be more than happy to provide you with a receipt with all the services and prices at the end.
A company that doesn’t provide a written receipt has the opportunity to put extra charges on your bill. Beyond that, if you notice these issues, you can’t easily report the matter to a criminal authority. The lack of a written bill makes your claims difficult to prove.
Not Waiting to Pay Until the Work’s Done
Another common scam is to run away with a customer’s money without doing any work. For this reason, you should be suspicious if roofers ask for the money upfront. A contract should be enough to bind you to an agreement to pay.
Not Limiting What Roofing Contractors Can Do
Speaking of contractors, the contract you sign should only allow the roofers to perform certain services. It shouldn’t allow the roofers to do whatever services they wish and then charge you for them. Letting the roofers have free reign like this can lead to unnecessary work getting done which leads to more expenses.
Roofers may notice certain problems with your roof as they’re working. This can include unnoticed damage or missing shingles, for example. If they notice this, they should ask you first before they perform any work.
If You’re Typing ‘Roofing Contractor Near Me’ Check Us Out
As you can see, you have to put a lot of work into finding the right roofing contractor. However, if you get frustrated, remind yourself that the work is necessary. You don’t want to end up getting scammed.
Also, if you’re searching ‘roofing contractor near me’, look at our site. We help homeowners find the cost of roofing contractors in their area. Go to this link for a quote.
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