Since I have been providing estimates in 2009 I have always been surprised by what questions I am asked. I am even more surprised by the questions that never get asked. In this weeks blog, I will provide you with an inside look into what you SHOULD be asking your roofer.
1) Most homeowners will ask about insurance which is a great question to ask, but to be honest if a roofing contractor is not insured they more than likely aren't going to be the most honest guy. Proof is important. Make sure that you have an up to date insurance certificate, not just the policy printed out from months ago. If a payment isn't made on your car insurance it will cancel; the same goes for general liability insurance.
2) This could be the most important question to ask WORKERS COMPENSATION, make sure that the employees are covered if any accident happens on your property. In most cases, I've found that homeowner assume that this is covered in the general liability insurance, but it is not. If there was to be an accident at your house, your homeowners policy would be responsible in picking up the tab and things can get messy. Workers compensation is the most expensive expense for a roofing company and is definitely an item that can be forgotten about.
3) Does this company hire subcontractors to perform any work that will be done. If a company is giving your work to another company you will not know who will perform the work. Now-a-days I think that knowing the company is very important. In most cases in Pittsburgh company will have a different crew come out and do the work. This isn't a bad thing but if there are issues this can become a mess. Take the time to find out who will performing the work, I hear a lot of homeowners telling me that the salesman will tell them " We use the same crew all year" or " This guys only work for us" which is a way of telling you they use sub-contractors. Again, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, but in my experiences if a company is not use to dealing with their Sub-contractor this can cause problems.
4) The last question that I like homeowners to ask is about the Warranties. There are 2 different warranties that you should ask about. The material & labor warranty and the workmanship warranty. A lot of homeowners think that labor = workmanship, however the manufactor will not back up poor workmanship if your roofing system fails. EAS ROOFING is a "Select Shingle Master" with CertainTeed which is the only case the manufactor will back the workmanship. If the contractor is not considered the highest credential with their shingle manufactor their workmanship will not be backed. A 50 year material and labor warranty and 25 year workmanship warranty is giving out on every job that EAS Roofing does a 5 star warranty on. If you are being offered any less you should know why.
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