1. Insurance is Essential When Hiring a Roofing Contractor
You should be sure your roofing contractor of choice carries workers’ compensation and liability insurance. Ask the contractor to see these certificates, and make a quick call to the insurance carrier to be sure the papers are legitimate. This will award you peace of mind, and also shows which roofing contractors are conscientious businessmen.
2. Choose a Shreveport or Bossier Based Roofing Contractor
It is always important to shop local, and even more important to hire roofing contractors that are local. Roofing contractors with longstanding businesses in a certain area have an established reputation they will work hard to uphold. Remember, the five-year warranty on your roof only stands as long as the company that installs it!
3. Avoid Storm Chasers. They Are Not a Quality Roofing Contractor
These are the roofing contractors that will just “happen” to be roaming your neighborhood after a hail storm, knocking on doors and offering to examine your roof.
Oftentimes these roofers will insist you have roof damage and have you sign a letter of intent. They will work hard to convince you to decide quickly, without gathering referrals or references. These tactics are opportunistic at best. It is always better to choose a roofing contractor based on a referral from a satisfied customer.
4. You Get What You Pay For
One of the most important things to remember about hiring a roofing contractor is that the best roofing contractors will have insurance, overhead costs, and will carry the best quality materials. These roofing contractors will need to establish prices that help cover these costs.
For this reason, when you select a roofing contractor based on price alone, you run the risk of being saddled with shoddy materials, or potentially being forced to shoulder extra costs if you hire a contractor without liability insurance. A small crew roofing houses on the side can always do the work for cheap, but in the end, price isn’t everything.
5. Get Job Details in Writing with Roofing Contractors
It is critical to establish details of the job before work begins. Oftentimes, it is inadvisable to pay before the work is finished; you want to be sure you’re satisfied with the result before paying. Ask your roofing contractor how long they estimate the job will take as well as any payment details that need to be discussed.
6. Communication is Key With Any Type of Home Contractor
The roof of your house is a vital element to your family’s continued safety and happiness in that home. You want to be sure the lines of communication are wide open between you and the person replacing it.
Before hiring a roofing contractor, ask yourself: did the contractor return my calls promptly? Did they follow through with any promises made? Did they provide documentation when I asked for it?
If the answer to any of the above questions is “no”, share your concerns with your potential roofing contractor. If they can’t help you, walk away.
And for any of your future roofing concerns, call 318-747-1254.