My neighbor got quotes for 3 weeks of price shopping for new roofing last summer. I would estimate that she spent a good amount of time creating a spreadsheet on her laptop with color coded tabs, and stacks of sticky notes crawling up the monitor to keep track of everything. In the end she didn’t feel like she had made a more informed decision than she would have made without all of the research. That was an epic failure of information gathering, but it is totally reasonable in the roofing industry, because there is a lot of murky water that one wades through when making a decision. More information can actually create more confusion as too many signs can create indecision when fewer signs might create more decision.
To continue reading about the biggest mistakes people make when hiring a roofer for a residential home, keep reading below.
Why Choose a Rockville Roofing Company?
Choosing a local expert ensures that your contractor understands the specific environmental challenges and building codes of your area. For instance, a Rockville roofing company serves as a prime example of a trusted professional that brings regional knowledge and accountability to every project. By hiring locally, you benefit from faster response times and the peace of mind that comes with working with a neighbor who values their reputation within the community.
Don’t Just Go For The Lowest Price – Ask The Right Questions Before Receiving A Quote.
When it comes to comparing the prices of different roofers, it is often said that you get what you pay for. That’s not to say that you should automatically rule out the cheapest roofer from the start. But when it comes down to it, a lower price for a roofer can mean less for your money in the long run. For example, if a roofer is using underlayment that is too thin, or if they are spreading their workers too thin, then this can cause problems in the future. And if you’re hiring a roofer to work on your house while you’re away at work, then it can be difficult to trust them to make the right decisions when it comes to your home. Before you start comparing the prices of different roofers, it’s a good idea to ask a few very important questions. These questions will help you to get a sense of who would be the best roofer to hire for the work that you need to be done on your home.
What you want to know before anything else:
- Are they licensed and insured in your state? Ask for documentation, not just a yes.
- Do they pull permits for major work, or do they ask you to look the other way?
- Who is physically doing the installation — their own crew, or a subcontractor they’ve never worked with before?
- What does their warranty actually cover, and for how long?
There are two kinds of people in the world of building: people who want to do a good job, and people who want to make a sale. These are the kinds of questions that will help you determine which category a contractor falls into.
What a good estimate actually looks like
A good roof estimate will detail the following for you: materials, labor, the disposal fees for the old materials, and how long the project will take to complete. The materials to be used on your home should be listed along with the brand and quality of the shingles. This will give you an idea of how your home and gutters will be protected from the tear-off of your old roof, as well as how your plants and siding will be protected from debris.
Looking at two estimates side by side is like looking in a mirror at a contractor’s operations.
| What to look for | Strong estimate | Weak estimate |
| Itemized costs | Materials, labor, disposal listed separately | Single lump sum with no breakdown |
| Material specs | Brand, product line, and warranty noted | Generic “architectural shingles” |
| Project timeline | Start date and estimated completion | Vague or no timeline given |
| Cleanup plan | Debris removal and site protection explained | No mention of cleanup process |
Reviews Matter
But Read Them With Skepticism
Five stars based off of 12 reviews is very different than 4.7 stars based off of 300+ reviews. Many contractors complete a few great jobs and receive great short term ratings. It takes time for a contractor’s true colors to come out. Look for a contractor with hundreds of reviews, including the few bad experiences that they had. How a contractor handles a complaint is more revealing than how they complete an easy job.
Contrast these with the following: Did the roofer do a good job (read: jobs) as indicated by great reviews for great job (reviews) by customers who were serviced by said roofer. Read reviews for the following items: 1) Did the roofer show up on time for meetings and to start work. 2) Was the roofer’s bill correct as per the scope of work agreed to. 3) Did the roofer and his/her crew do a great job of cleaning up as they finished work on your roof, and then moved to the yard, pool deck, siding, etc. for rest of the cleaning of roofing work and resultant debris at your home. The work of your roofer and their crew to put a great roof on your home is hard work. But rest assured, the underlayment, shingles, cut ends of roofing material, etc. will leave a big mess of roofing nails, etc. throughout your yard and landscaping. It will take a few weekends to collect all of the roofing debris thrown down from upper areas of your home by the roofer’s crews in order to make sure all roofing debris was removed from your yard.
A quick digression worth making
Lastly, trust your gut when it comes to communication with a contractor. Yes, this is somewhat vague and does not fit into a checklist, but my personal experience is that if a contractor does not have time to return your initial call and answer your questions thoroughly before you hire them, they will not have time for you after you sign the contract and they are in the middle of work on your home at 7am on a Tuesday.
Local experience is genuinely worth something
On the other hand, local chauvinism will incorrectly lead some homeowners to discount years of local experience a given contractor has under his belt and instead continue to shop around for the lowest price by a contractor with little to no local experience. Clearly, having knowledge of local building codes, typical seasonal weather stressors and knowledge of which typical building products will hold up best in a given climate (tropic, desert, moderate temperature with lots of humidity, four distinct seasons with freezing temperatures, etc) can greatly aid in properly servicing a home’s exterior. With these items in mind, when it comes to searching for, interviewing, and hiring a company to install or repair your roof, it is good to look for contractors that have many years of experience servicing homes within your local geographic region.
When searching for roof repairmen or roof replacement companies it is best to search for companies who complete a lot of work within your area. These local roof contractors will have a lot of knowledge when it comes to the local building codes that are required in your town. They will also have lots of experience when it comes to all of the different types of weather in your area. This can affect how a home is built and even how your home is maintained after it has been built. The materials used for the roof of your home will be important as well. You will want to make sure that you find a contractor who has plenty of experience with the materials that are used for the type of roof that you have on your home. Also when searching for roofing contractors be sure to look for a contractor who can provide you with a written contract that lists out all of the work that will be completed on your home and the cost of said work. The payment terms should also be clearly explained as well as the warranties that will be provided to you once the work has been completed on your home.
Common mistakes that cost homeowners later
Here’s where most people stumble:
- Choosing based on availability alone because the project feels urgent
- Skipping the permit conversation entirely
- Accepting verbal promises without written documentation
- Forgetting to ask about post-installation inspection or follow-up
The above mentioned point is worth a lot more explanation on its own. A small roof leak can seem like a major emergency late at night when it is pouring rain outside. It can make for a very long and miserable night. Most people don’t know what to do with themselves while the repair is being done. While most roof leaks can be repaired quickly a lot of contractors will want to get in and out as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next job. These kinds of contractors are not your best option for a quality roof repair. The kind of contractor you want is one who is going to make sure the job is done right the first time. This kind of contractor will charge more than the person who just wants to get in and out, but the extra cost will be worth it in the end.
(And lastly: permits are not something that a contractor is trying to get around by calling them “bureaucratic red tape.” Permits exist to protect the homeowner, and if a contractor is not willing to pull the permits required for a job, then he is asking you to assume the liability of the contractor for the job. That is not a favor to you, that is a disservice, and you should run the other way.)
One final thought before you sign anything
Trust the process over the sales pitch. If someone is detailing for you the steps they are going to take to complete your roof and is able to answer all of your questions in detail then they are the type of contractor you want to hire. They won’t try to pressure you into signing a contract on the spot. They won’t get defensive or evasive when you ask for more information. My neighbor went through a bunch of color coded tabs before she found her roofer. She said that her roofer wasn’t the cheapest, he wasn’t the flashiest, and he didn’t have the most reviews. But he did answer all of her questions clearly. The contract he had her sign was very detailed and outlined all of the work that he was going to complete in great detail.
Your roof is not a sexy item. Hopefully it’s not something you’ll be spending a lot of money on in the near future. However it is an important part of your home and it’s worth taking the time to research and get a few good contractors to come to your home and provide you with a quote for the job of replacing your old roof.
