Looking to protect your home in Florida? Hiring a company that provides quality roofing services is important.
You want to find a Florida roofing contractor that you can trust with your upcoming roofing project, right?
Well, you are not alone; No one wants to hire a bad contractor.
We get it.
We understand that a roofing job is important. Whether it’s a small roof repair or a full roof replacement. It's an important job that needs to get done right the first time.
Our family at Roofcrafters of Florida has helped many homeowners over the past 30 years. We've done so by repairing and installing high-quality roofs. We also provide our clients with the longest-lasting warranties in the roofing industry. That includes warranties for small repairs.
Over the past several years, we have seen quality and poor quality contractors in the Florida market. We know what to be on the lookout for.
So, in this article, we are going to provide 7 tips for hiring a quality contractor. And hopefully, by the end, you'll have the information you need to make a great hiring decision. Sound good?
Let’s hop right in!
Verifying Licenses and Insurance: Essential for Florida Roofers
Verify the roofing company has proper Florida state and local business licenses. Make sure the contractor has proper insurance coverage; workman's compensation and general liability.
A trusted roofing company that does high-quality work will also have a major manufacturer supporting them. For example, our family is backed by GAF and CertainTeed. Which means they back the material and labor warranties for your protection.
3 tips to help you find a local roofing expert:
- Proper State licenses to apply for permits and get your roof inspected are a must. (verify)
- Proper Florida insurance policies will protect your assets if an accident happens. (property damage or worse, body injury)
- Contractors certified by a manufacturer can offer long warranties. These warranties are backed by roofing manufacturers. To be eligible, the contractor must meet strict guidelines.
Evaluating References and Online Reputation
Yes, get local references and check online reviews. Look at social media profiles. You can easily Google the name of the local contracting company. You'll learn a lot and can weed out those with low ratings fast this way.
3 tips to helping find a trusted roofing company:
- Keep in mind, that a roofer will not provide references for jobs where there were issues. Ask them to provide the name, address, and number of past clients where something went wrong. This is very important, you want to know how the roofing contractor will handle problems if they do occur. NO roofing contractor in Florida has all great jobs. It's construction, things happen sometimes. Bushes and shrubs may get damaged or the siding could get damaged from shingles sliding off the roof. How the contractor handles the "mishaps" is great to know... before you hire them.
- Checking online reviews can help, (Google, BBB, Facebook)
- Social Media can tell you a lot about the contractor, don't be afraid to "stalk." NO, it’s not weird and this could save you TIME & MONEY.
Steering Clear of Storm Chasers and Aggressive Sales Tactics
Hiring an out-of-town roofer can result in wasted money, should you have a roof issue later on. Storm chasers come into town fast. But, local roofers see them leaving in a hurry, leaving homeowners to pay twice for repairs.
Warranties handwritten on paper contracts are not valid if they are not around to honor them.
- Door knockers will try to pressure you into letting them do a "professional roof inspection." Do you like to get disturbed in the comfort of your home? Only to feel pressured into a transaction without being able to verify the company? Slow down and do some research...you'll be glad you did!
- Storm chasers come into town and do as much work as they can. Ok, but then they leave town shortly after. Unfortunately, this leaves homeowners with poor roof installations. We see homeowners all the time with leaky roofs that they have to pay local roofing experts to fix.
Safety First: Ensuring Safe Roofing Practices
As a homeowner, being concerned about the safety of the workers on our property is a real concern.
You don't want anyone to get hurt on your property, do you?
No! Not having safety procedures in place says a lot about the contractor. Our roof installers are our family!
During the inspection ask, "Do you have and enforce roofing safety standards?'
"Are there safety protocols in place for the crew members who will be performing the work on my property?"
"What are those procedures?"
Just listen, you'll learn a lot and know if they're serious about safety!
The Importance of Onsite Supervision for Your Roofing Project
Verify that you'll have a designated supervisor, a project manager, a foreman, a crew leader, or someone in charge. Roofing companies will send a crew out to perform the work without supervision. And sometimes without someone that can communicate with you. No Bueno!
Supervision or project management will ensure you have a direct line of communication with the team. Before, during, and after your roof installation is complete.
Also, you want to know if the roofing crew is installing the roof system you are paying for, right? Well, proper roof supervision is your insurance policy.
Trusting Your Instincts When Hiring a Roofing Company
Yes, number 7! Last but not least, Go With Your Gut, during your contractor evaluation process.
YES, trust your gut instincts!
Are you in the habit of making good decisions?
You should be nodding your head yes! LOL
Look, if it doesn’t feel right at any time during the inspection. Start over. Keep searching until you find a quality roofing contractor. Be patient, you'll find a roofer that you feel confident about. That'll be your contractor and they'll provide you with the quality roofing services you deserve.
Don't settle, 4 tips to help you:
- If the roofing contractor can't provide the proper documents, move on. You need licenses, insurance, certification, and local references.
- If you call to schedule the appointment and the office is rude, move on.
- If your contractor shows up for the initial inspection late, move on. Without communicating (not valuing your time) the job will likely start late. It likely won't get finished on time either. Accountability starts with the leaders in the company, moving on.
- Hire someone you want to do business with and don't ever feel like you have to settle, You deserve the absolute best!
Taking the Next Step: Hiring a Local Florida Roofing Expert
Here at Roofcrafters of Florida, we want to be a part of helping educate all the communities we serve. Roofing is a big investment and an important one at that. Hopefully, you feel confident along every step of the way of your roof investment journey.
That's why we've also created a hiring checklist for you. It has 10 questions to ask a potential roofing contractor. So that homeowners like you can feel confident making a great hiring decision.
Would like to save yourself time? If you are ready to move forward we would love to send one of our expert estimators out to meet you. They will perform a professional roof inspection for you. They will go over the services we provide and answer any questions you have about your project. You are only one step away, click the button below to start the journey.
