How to Find and Hire Qualified Roofers for Your Home

There are few home repair jobs quite as scary as a roofing project. Everyone knows these can be expensive and sometimes tricky, and people will often leave them to the last possible minute. Yet this procrastination can come back to bite you big time. If there are cracked or missing tiles up there water can get under your roof and into the attic, causing all sorts of mold issues and structural damage. Just as with a car repair, if you leave things too long you could end up spending double what you would have. But you definitely don’t want to put just anyone on the job. A roof repair done poorly will cost you down the line, and you might not see the problem until it is too late. So here are some tips to help you find and hire qualified roofers for your home.

The best and often most reliable approach is to start by looking for personal recommendations. Most people these days are friendly with their neighbors, and if you live in a suburb or have children chances are you know a lot of homeowners. Reach out to some of your closer friends to find out if they’ve worked with any roofers they really liked. The goal is obviously to find a company that tackled the job on time and on (or under) budget, were professional and nice to work with, and used quality materials. Any company that a trusted friend employed who delivered on their promises should certainly be added to your short list of potential hires.

Once you’ve exhausted all of these recommendations, expand the pool by hopping online and looking for more suggestions. Yelp is a fantastic resource for research like this. Perhaps you’ve only used it to find reviews of local restaurants, but basically every type of business can be found on this social review site. Look for roofing contractors with a number of great ratings, but be wary if they are all off the charts awesome. Some shady companies will delete bad reviews to skew the perspective of the general public. Even great companies will have bad reviews every once in awhile, but if you notice they came online and addressed the negativity head on in a responsible manner, that can actually be a positive. You should be able to add a couple more possibilities to your list this way.

Now that you have a handful of options it’s time to get on the phone and set up some interviews. Any roofing contractor should be willing to meet with you to discuss the job and their approach. The first thing you want to see from a company is that they are covered by insurance. That shows you they are professional and responsible, and will take away some of the potential negatives that can arise. Second, you should look for a roofer that is licensed to do that work. This is not an absolute requirement, but it does show the company is led by an established professional who has made roofing his career.

The last two things you want from these potential partners are references and an estimate. You have probably heard some personal references already if you’re meeting with these folks, but ask them to connect you with one or two past clients. This proves they care about their customers and respect the work. Finally, whether you’re roofing in Katy Texas or Manhattan, New York you should always get an estimate. This should cover a tentative completion date as well as costs. It’s the only way you can be sure that your goals and the company’s plans meet up. If all is in order, you’ve probably found your roofer.