Looking for the Right Roofer for Your Home

A new roof is always a major investment, but materials alone are not that big a part of the bill. The largest chunk of this investment goes to skilled labor. This is why you have to make sure you hire the right people. So how do you find these "right people?"

You can check the Yellow Pages but only if you can't get a referral from someone you trust. The idea is to get at least two prospects that you can compare. Be sure both of them have been in business for no less than five years. Roofers who do substandard work usually never hit the five-year mark.

Start screening your prospects by looking into their availability. You don't' want to waste time and energy on a contractor who has the rest of the year booked. Ask for names and addresses of references and forget any contractor who hesitates to give you some.

Then do a drive-by check of these properties. If the roofs look good, you can call the references and have a little useful chitchat with them. Of course, you need to ask questions, like, how did you find the roofer? Were you happy with the results? What problems did you encounter along the way? Did the roof leak at any point? Were they friendly and polite? Was the project completed on time and on budget? If not, by how much were the targets exceeded? Were the excesses justified? These are the kinds of things you want to know about a Painting Staten Island NY and roofer you're considering.

If you think you've found a good roofer based on your research, you can ask and verify if they have workers' compensation and liability coverage not lower than $1 million. The keyword is verify. Don't believe them outright if they tell you they're insured. You need to know if the coverage is valid.

Now you can ask for a quote, which should be free. Since roofing is a short-term job, the total cost should be split into two payments. Usually, one-third will be paid upfront to cover materials, and the rest will be settled after the job has been completed to your satisfaction, including cleanup.

Finally, insist on a warranty, which should cover flashing failure, leaks, and other problems that can be blamed on labor defects. The minimum warranty is one year, but if you could find a Roofing Staten Island NY contractor that offers two or three years, all the better. These things should be expressed clearly in the written contract, along with the type of shingles to be used. Finally, always go for the best-rated, longest-lasting shingles that fit your budget.