what do i need to know before hiring a roofer
Thursday, March 28, 2013 8:22:00 AM
If the shingles on your roof are disappearing equally quickly equally cake at a toddler'south altogether political party, it'south probably time to replace your roof. Great Day Improvements has put together this list of xv questions that every homeowner should ask a potential roofer before signing a contract, so y'all can ensure the visitor you lot hire is reputable and capable of getting the roof done right the first time around.
1. Question You Should Ask: Are you licensed?
Answer You lot Want to Hear: Yes, in most states
Why Y'all Desire to Hear It: Many states require a roofer exist licensed in the state; withal, all states are different. This means one lawmaking may be required in Boston while some other may be required in Nashville. So what's a homeowner to do? Research the code requirements in your expanse. If contractors, including roofers, are required to be licensed in your state, only work with those who are and then you take some recourse in example things go wrong. Be sure the license is upward to engagement.
2. Question Yous Should Inquire: Practice yous take workman'southward comp insurance?
Answer You Want to Hear: Yes
Why You lot Want to Hear It: At one fourth dimension employers with three or fewer employees didn't have to offering workman's bounty insurance; at present they practice by law. Withal, some contractors and roofers will skimp out on this requirement. The reason? Insurance isn't cheap, and some would rather take their chances. The problem, of course, is when the chance is taken on your property and an employee becomes injured. If you rent a visitor that doesn't offer employees workman'due south compensation and someone gets injured on your holding, y'all might detect yourself forking over thousands of dollars to pay for medical bills. This is a loss no homeowner wants to incur. To protect yourself, make sure the company you hire insures each worker that will be present on your belongings.
three. Question Y'all Should Inquire: Do you carry full general liability insurance?
Answer Y'all Want to Hear: Yes
Why Yous Want to Hear It: Workman's compensation covers the employees on your belongings; full general liability insurance covers your actual property. For case, if a contractor accidentally burns your house down in the process of welding something on your roof (it has happened!) and the company doesn't behave liability insurance, you could exist responsible for covering the debts incurred by this tragic accident. When it comes to insurance, though, don't just have the roofer'due south word for information technology. Inquire to see an insurance certificate. This document will listing your name and address as an additional insured, so if something happens on the job, y'all –and all of your difficult-earned belongings - are covered. If you still experience hesitant, call the insurance visitor and inquire.
4. Question You Should Ask: Will you remove my old roof?
Reply Y'all Want to Hear: Yep
Why You lot Want to Hear it: Some roofers volition claim to salve time and money by inspecting, with their eyes, the onetime roof, and then, if all looks well, shingling over it. Notwithstanding, unless the former shingles are pulled up you will never know if you lot have soft spots or rotten woods beneath the electric current shingles. If bad spots remain backside, yous will have larger, costlier problems in the future. Don't let a roofer place a new roof on your house until they accept taken up the old roof.
five. Question You Should Ask: Are you going to install baste edge or border metal when you install the new roof?
Answer You lot Desire to Hear: Yes
Why You Desire to Hear It: Baste edge or edge metal is a pocket-size piece of aluminum placed under the shingle where it comes off of the roof. This piece of metallic extends past the roof and allows runoff to catamenia into, rather than behind, the gutters, protecting the fascia and wood on your roof. If a drip edge or edge metallic is not installed, yous will incur problems associated with water damage. Withal, unless y'all specifically enquire nigh drip edge prior to the job, some roofers will skip over this part of the procedure. For this reason, information technology is essential yous ask well-nigh drip edge prior to hiring a roofing visitor.
6. Question You Should Enquire: Will yous use ladder stabilizers or standoffs to protect my gutters when you install my roof?
Respond You Desire to Hear: Yes
Why You Want to Hear Information technology: You may not think virtually information technology equally you contemplate your new roof, but the method the company uses to get onto the roof is almost as of import as the type of roof yous choose. Ladder stabilizers and/or standoffs should be used in every covering task. Stabilizers are like big artillery that residual on the roof or on the side of the roof. This keeps the weight of the extension ladder, which can weigh a few hundred pounds, off of your gutters. Without some type of standoff or stabilizer, y'all might end up with a great roof but a torn upwardly, broken apart guttering organization effectually your business firm at the end of the job. If the visitor you're considering for the roofing job answers no to this question, you need to ask what they will practice to ensure your gutter system will remain intact and unharmed during the project; if they tin can't answer this question, don't trust them to complete your roof.
seven. Question You Should Ask: Practice you bring a container for turn down cloth?
Answer Yous Desire to Hear: Yes
Why You Want to Hear It: Refuse from the old roof, such as shingles, will need to exist placed somewhere as it comes downwards. The company you rent should bring a container to the job site to contain the refuse. You lot should not exist required to supply this container, nor should y'all have to bargain with the refuse one time the job is completed.
viii. Question Y'all Should Ask: Where volition you place the container for the turn down?
Answer You Want to Hear: Depends upon your property state of affairs, but . . .
Why You Want to Hear It: Asphalt driveways can crevice under extreme pressure level. If the visitor places the container on your driveway, you may wind upwardly with a lot more than to fix when the job is over. For this reason, it's of import to ask where the container will be placed, and then question the answer. If in the driveway, what are the provisions in case the driveway cracks? If not in the driveway, then where will the container be placed?
ix. Question You Should Ask: What will you do in the case of inclimate weather condition during the job?
Question Yous Want to Hear: Encompass the job project in tarpaulins or plastic covers
Why You lot Want to Hear It: Permit's face information technology: the weather guy is not always right. This isn't too bad when you're stuck in the office all mean solar day, but when someone is removing and replacing your roof it can be a major trouble. If the prettiest of days turns into a rain storm, what will the covering company exercise to protect the interior of your domicile? Brand certain your roofer has a plan for this. Your roof should be covered in some type of plastic sheeting or tarpaulin to ensure it, and everything below information technology, remains dry. Also inquire what the plan is if the rainy days extend for a while. Volition the visitor come back to ensure the covering is keeping the habitation dry? If in that location is a storm with loftier winds, will someone be bachelor to come out and secure the covering if it appears to not be holding?
10. Question You Want to Enquire: Practise yous accept a local telephone number and address?
Answer you lot want to Hear: Aye
Why You Want to Hear It: Head down to Florida after a hurricane and it's probable you'll meet a band of trucks roaming the streets, filled with contractors looking for work. While some of these may be on the upward and up, what happens when the chore gets done and then something goes wrong? Who practice you telephone call to fix what was non installed correctly or got damaged before the warranty expired? Will the person that did the work be bachelor to come dorsum out to fix what is incorrect? If yous cull to deal with a company not local to your area, you may non be able to get the company dorsum to fix any potential problems in the future.
11. Question You Should Ask: What is the warranty on my new roof?
Answer You Desire to Hear: Minimum of 25 years
Why You Want to Hear It: Today's dimensional style shingles cost the same price every bit the older style shingles and also last longer. Homeowners should become at to the lowest degree a 25 yr warranty with both product types though.
12. Question Y'all Should Enquire: What is the cost of plywood should y'all find rotten roof or soft roof decking?
Answer Yous Desire to Hear: A dollar corporeality per plywood sheet
Why You Desire to Hear It: Unscrupulous roofers might skip over this information every bit y'all head into an agreement. In one case the roof is up, it's tough for you lot to dispute an overinflated cost for plywood sheeting to prepare what was rotten underneath. For this reason, y'all need to inquire how much information technology will cost per plywood sheeting should the roofer find rotten or soft pieces that demand to be replaced. This volition leave y'all with no surprises during the job, and information technology will permit yous to compare one roofer's estimate to another's.
13. Question You lot Should Ask: How will yous protect my landscaping during this project?
Answer You Want to Hear: Specific details on what the company will practice to ensure your landscaping does non take a beating. (Placement of equipment, traffic patterns to avoid trampling the bushes, etc)
Why Y'all Want to Hear Information technology: Likewise often, homeowners call back nigh what's going on meridian of the roof and forget about what surrounds the house. This includes the gutters, which we talked virtually earlier, but also the landscaping. If y'all spend hundreds - or thousands - of dollars planting trees, shrubs and flowers, y'all don't want to come up dwelling house to a new roof but a torn up backyard. Before you hire a visitor, ask specifically what they volition do to protect your landscaping. Where will the ladders go? Where will the old shingles and potentially rotten plywood be dropped or tossed so that it doesn't bear on the bushes and flowers that surround your house? If an accident does occur and an employee from the company tromps through your rose garden, what will the company do to set the damage?
14. Question You Should Ask: Is there going to be someone on site with whom I can communicate?
Reply You lot Want to Hear: Yes
Why You Want to Hear It: While we always hope dwelling house renovation projects run smoothly, feel – and shows like Holmes on Holmes - prove they don't. If you return home after a long day at work to find your roof is as open every bit a convertible and the company is set to leave for the night, you want to know there is a project manager on site with whom you tin communicate your concerns. While some companies will tell you during the auction that yous'll accept someone on site managing the job, you might discover when the crew shows up in the morn no 1 is sure who that projection manager is. Find out earlier you lot leave for the 24-hour interval. If you still don't know, phone call the company and inquire. And if no one can answer, ship the crew away until they can. A reputable roofing company volition take someone on site throughout the project to answer questions and address concerns.
15. Question You lot Should Inquire: Exercise you provide a written estimate?
Answer You lot Want to Hear: Aye
Why You Want to Hear It: Settling into a contract without a detailed estimate can cause problems in the long run. Exist certain, earlier signing a contract, you lot have a detailed judge for the job. Include the cost of removing the old roof, adding the new roof, and annihilation that could come up in the procedure, such as rotten plywood that needs to be replaced.
Source: https://www.greatdayimprovements.com/15-questions-to-ask-a-roofer-before-hiring.aspx
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