5 Tips on How to Pick the Best Contractor

For any home renovation, it is important to pick a contractor that you feel is honest and does not try to pressure you, especially when it comes to your home’s first line of defense: the roof. When you’re picking a roofer, you want somebody who will educate you on the process and what to expect while providing transparent and easy-to-understand pricing. If it is an insurance-related job, they should understand the insurance process and explain what to expect. But how do you know who will do these things? How do you choose the right roofer for your project?

1. How to Pick the Best Contractor: Ask the Right Questions

When you’re considering working with a new contractor you need to make sure they are reliable, but how can you tell? We recommend asking these questions before working with anyone:

• Do you have a local office and how long has that office been open?
• How many employees do you employ locally? 

Asking if the company has a local office and local employees can help weed out contractors from out of state that chase storms into local areas and present as local companies to take advantage of homeowners with storm damage. Additionally, local companies will have local representatives who care about the local community and build relationships for the long term.  Should you have a question or issue, they will be available – not out of town chasing the next big storm. 

• What warranties do you offer?
• Who will handle the warranties if there are issues?
• Do you have a license from the city? 

Asking about warranties and licensing will help you determine if a contractor is honest in their business practices and will provide support and further services after your roofing job is complete.

• Does your company have generally liability insurance and workers compensation insurance and if you have a sub-contractor can you verify that they also have carried these coverages?

It is important that your contractor has these policies because if a worker gets hurt on your roof and none of their employers have workers’ compensation or liability insurance that burden could possibly fall on the homeowner and turn into a legal situation. 

2. Consider the Company’s Relationship with Suppliers and Manufacturers

Does your contractor recommend a good quality shingle at a good price, or do they just offer the cheapest, lower quality shingles just so they look cheaper than the competition? Does the contractor have established, long-term relationships with local/regional suppliers and manufacturers? 

These are not questions that most homeowners think to ask, but they say a lot about the contractor you hire.  Shingles are just like any other manufactured product and they occasionally have defects.  Having been on thousands of roofs, we can attest that all brands of shingles can have issues.  This is why Como Premium Exteriors has worked to build strong relationships with local suppliers and shingle manufacturers.  Because of our experience and relationship with Owen’s Corning, we recommend them with confidence. We know that if there is ever a problem with any of their shingles, they will support us and our customers by upholding their warranty. 

3. How to Pick the Best Contractor: Look for Transparent Pricing

Transparent pricing is a sign of an honest, experienced roofer. If we come out to your house and give you a bid, that is what it is going to cost you. Any possible unexpected costs will be outlined in the contract ahead of time so that it is clear there is a possibility for additional costs. An example of an additional cost is if we tear off shingles and realize your wood decking is rotted.  In order to maintain your shingle manufacturer’s warranty, we will need to replace that rotted decking to ensure a solid nailing surface. The price for this would be outlined in the original estimate. 

It is a red flag if a contractor asks you to pay the whole price upfront, and we do not recommend you do this. However, it is standard practice for contractors to request 50% of the estimated cost upfront and the balance upon the job’s completion.  

4. Recognize Storm Chasers

Roofing companies locally, regionally, and nationally send their people out to neighborhoods, going door to door, after big storms offering inspections. This will happen very quickly and can be overwhelming for a homeowner with several companies you’ve never heard of knocking on your door. These companies often hire top roofing SEO companies try and present themselves as local companies even though in reality they are national companies only in town for a short time. In fact, the most aggressive storm-chasing companies will come to town and lease an office for a short period, get a local phone number, and have yard signs printed within only a few days. If you become their customer at this time, you will most likely be dealing with them remotely along with a large pool of other customers from across the region. Working with a company like this is a hassle for homeowners, especially if there are any flaws that require warranty attention. So be sure to look online and verify that the contractor you choose has an established local office.

5. How to Pick the Best Contractor: Research the Company’s History

Another thing to look for when determining if a contractor is reliable is company history, reviews, and warranty policies. One thing you can do is look at the company’s Google reviews to ‘vet’ them yourselves. Reviews are easily available online and a company’s history should be easy to find as well, if they are not easy to find this is a bad sign.

Como Premium Exteriors has almost two hundred reviews and our company history is easily available online, and we are always happy to answer any other questions you may have over the phone or in our Mid-Missouri offices. Don’t hesitate to Contact Us today and we’d be more than willing to assist.