There are a lot of roofing contractors listed all over the place and finding one is not a problem. What is a problem, is when you hire the wrong one? Having a new or replacement roof is a substantial investment and something you shouldn’t have to worry about being repaired for a long time. Fly-by-night roofing contractors are more numerous than a full box of coiled roofing nails and serious consequences can be a result of using one.
If you live in the great State of Pennsylvania and are looking for a professional roofing contractor Beaver Valley PA or surrounding areas, please click on the link at the end of this article for fast, quality, and friendly service. Below is a list of the top 10 mistakes to avoid and information that will help you make an educated choice for a professional roofing contractor.
1. Contractors Insurance: This is a huge concern that homeowners should be aware of. Ask for current copies of their liability insurance, worker’s compensation, and are they licensed or bonded by the state in which they reside?
2. Read the Contract: Make sure you read the contract in its entirety and look for warranty details, hidden charges, extra charges above the estimate, materials, and overtime rates. Read everything before you sign the contract and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
3. Disposal & Cleanup: Make sure your contractor knows what is important around your house for landscaping, flowers, and shrubs. Figure out the best place for a construction dumpster, some contractors will have their own debris truck so make sure they know where they can drive it.
4. Who’s in Charge: Most times you may not deal with the actual roofer who’s in charge of the project once the contract is signed. Ask the representative who’s going to be in charge of the men at your house and ask to meet him before the job starts.
5. Sub-Contractors: Do not hire a roofing contractor who wants to sub your job to another roofing company. This is common practice for shady people making money from being the middleman and almost always end with sub-standard work.
6. Researching the Contractor: Check the contractor’s online presence, community standings, years in business, customer reviews, and BBB rating. All of these things can be done with an online search. An established business will be around to honor any warranty issues whereas a fly-by-night contractor will be long gone.
7. Specialized Roofing: If you’re looking for a metal roof, cedar shakes, TPO, slate, rubber or tiles, do not hire someone who has never installed these materials. Standard asphalt roofers lack the experience for properly installing these roofing materials.
8. The Weekend Warrior: Knowing a friend or someone that can help on the weekend for half the price is a fine proposition, however, they will not have liability insurance and roofing is a dangerous job. If someone gets hurt or a ladder crashes through your picture window? You’ll be the one paying for it.
9. Handymen: Do not hire the local gardener who can produce beautiful landscape, repair a door, paint walls, and other chores that he might be great at doing but when it comes to a roof, hire a professional roofing contractor.
10.Traveling Side-Shows: This is typical of a portable roofer who travels to natural disasters for quick easy money. There’s no doubt that some of these guys are fully set-up with all of the equipment to perform the job with a full crew of men, however, most cases they have no liability insurance or worker’s compensation.