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Guide

What to check before you sign

Choosing a roofer is the part of this that homeowners have the least practice at, and the part that decides the outcome.

Guide7 sections1 min readHuntington Park, CA

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What best describes your home?

Different buildings need different crews, so this is the first thing a roofer asks.

Free, and no obligation to anyone.

Prefer somebody you could drive to

Ask where their yard is. Companies that follow storms across state lines do competent work and then vanish, which is fine right up until something needs putting right.

Get everything in writing, including the unknowns

Anything agreed verbally will be remembered differently on day two. In particular, pin down the decking rate, the start date and the clean-up before you sign.

Ask for current certificates of insurance

Insurance certificates expire. A certificate dated eight months ago tells you what was true eight months ago. Ask for one issued this month.

Compare scope, not totals

Lay the quotes side by side line by line. Underlayment type, ice-and-water coverage, drip edge, valley treatment, ventilation, flashing replacement, decking allowance and warranty. Large gaps in the total are almost always gaps in the scope.

Be careful with the deposit

Ten to thirty per cent is normal, often to order material. Full payment before work starts is not, and in several states it is not even legal. Hold the final payment until you have walked the job.

Check the licence yourself

A licence number on a business card is not a licence. Look it up, confirm the name on the licence matches the name on the contract, and check the status is active today.

In short

Do the boring checks. They are the entire difference between a roof that is somebody else's problem for ten years and one that is yours.

Related questions

Do I have to hire anyone?

No. Take the quotes, sit on them, compare them, or throw them away. There is nothing to cancel and nothing owed.

I have solar panels. What happens to them?

Panels have to be detached and reset. Budget for it separately and coordinate the two trades. Never put a new solar array on a roof with under ten years left.

It is leaking right now. What do I do?

Contain the water, photograph everything, and get the request in marked as an emergency. A tarp is the right first job. The permanent repair is a separate conversation and a separate price.

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