Roofing is one of the few repair categories that falls somewhere in the middle of typical home services. For the cost of a new roof for a home, a homeowner has a roof that will last 20-30 years. Thus, in a lifetime of owning a home, a homeowner will get to purchase a new roof only once or twice. Therefore, because of the nature of work to a roof (expensive, failing slowly, usually hidden by other parts of the house), much value will be obtained from a well-run, professional contractor. Much grief, on the other hand, will be experienced by a homeowner who cannot tell a well-run, professional contractor from a good salesperson.
In summary, a list of documentation that a homeowner should be able to request from home improvement contractors to test whether they are good to work with and not just very good salespeople.
Verify the credentials that carry legal and financial weight
Verify a contractor’s insurance by having them send a certificate of insurance directly from their insurer or agent to you, the homeowner, listing you as the certificate holder. Make sure that both general liability and workers’ compensation insurance are current and will remain in effect for the entire duration of the expected project.
Be sure to verify if the main contractor as well as all of the subcontractors have adequate workers’ compensation insurance in place for the project. In the worst-case scenario, a crew member could get injured on the job and the homeowner could end up being held liable for the damages. Therefore, it would be very important to ask for the names of all of the subcontracting entities that would be working on the property and to verify whether or not they have their own workers’ compensation insurance in place.
Manufacturer certifications and what they actually mean
The majority of roofing manufacturers offer certification programs for roofers that are typically tiered in nature. These tiers typically require things such as a minimum amount of time in business, to be insured, to have good credit, low complaint volume, etc. Contractors that are certified roofers can offer extended system warranties on certain manufacturers’ products, for example. Ask the contractor what tier of certification they are, what manufacturers they are certified with, and what the warranty they propose will be for the higher tiered system.
Read the proposal for what it specifies, not what it costs
A roofing proposal should read like a specification document for a home improvement project. In the end, the contractor will be installing the roof with the same materials and methods that he or she has proposed for your job. Therefore, it is very important to have him or her propose the specifications in writing for your review before the contract is signed.
- Underlayment type and coverage, including ice and water shield placement at eaves, valleys, and penetrations
- Ventilation calculations, with intake and exhaust addressed as a system rather than a ridge vent add-on
- Flashing scope, specifying which flashings are replaced versus reused
- Decking inspection and a stated unit price for replacing deteriorated sheathing
- Fastener type, nail count per shingle, and starter and hip and ridge products by name
- Debris handling, magnetic sweep, property protection, and permit responsibility
A homeowner should be able to clearly read through their contract to see that the contractor has included in the contract the cost of replacing the decking prior to the start of the work, and listed out specifically, i.e. “Allowance for possible future decking repair, $0.00”.
Distinguish material warranties from workmanship warranties
It is worth noting that the majority of roof failures within the first decade of a roof’s life are caused by failures in the installation of the roof. Therefore, the most important warranty for a homeowner to review is the workmanship warranty for the roofing installation. Unfortunately, in the roofing industry, most contractors fail to properly document their workmanship warranties.
| Warranty type | Who stands behind it | Typical term | Key question to ask |
| Standard material warranty | Manufacturer | Limited lifetime, prorated after an initial period | When does proration begin, and does it cover labor to replace? |
| Enhanced system warranty | Manufacturer, via certified installer | 25 to 50 years, non-prorated portion included | Which components must be from one manufacturer to qualify? |
| Contractor workmanship warranty | The roofing company itself | 2 to 25 years | Is it transferable, and what voids it? |
A long workmanship warranty offered by a 2-year-old company with no operating history is worth less than a short workmanship warranty from an established company. Ask for the number of warranty claims a company services in a year and how long it takes them to service these claims. A company with a real service department will answer these questions without hesitation.
Interpret reviews with a critical eye
Reviews, Volume vs. Pattern. Even with a large budget for advertising, it is difficult to get customers to write reviews. So, even a company with many reviews will have a pattern of how they treat all reviews, positive and negative. For the most part, negative reviews will have a theme or two such as communication and not returning calls in a timely manner. Some reviews may be old but be persistent. Others may be slowly spreading out over the years.
Evidence that ages well
A portfolio of recently completed work (including tear-off work and in-progress photos) is worth so much more than a newly-roofed home’s exterior. If a contractor agrees to provide references for homes with roofs installed 5 years or more ago, most will happily provide addresses for said homes. In fact, the best roofing companies keep a portfolio or list of prior work on hand and are glad to walk a potential client through it. Therefore, be wary of a contractor who is reluctant to provide references for prior work, as this could indicate that the contractor is relatively new, has had few prior customers, or does not generate enough prior work to be of value as a sales tool.
Judge project transparency during the process, not after
If a contractor agrees to check out a potential job for repair or maintenance prior to delivering a written service proposal (also called a bid or estimate), you can test his communication skills. If he agrees to call or email you within a day or so to report on what he found, whether or not he walked the attic, took measurements, or even took photos of what he found, this will give you insight as to how well he will communicate with you during the repair. If he promises to keep you posted on the progress of the repair, and to let you know what will be done and when you can expect the work to be completed, this too will help you evaluate the contractor. In addition, ask for the payment terms and schedule, and whether a large deposit is expected prior to delivery of the materials needed to complete the job.
It is also important to request the final documentation package prior to completion. Typically this would include closed permit documentation, manufacturer warranty registration, and images of the concealed components such as the flashing and underlayment. Contractors who are able and willing to provide the above documentation are likely building in a manner that is very different from a roofer who is not able or willing to do so.
