How to Hire a Roofer
How to Hire a Roofer
Did a storm damage your roof?
Are your shingles wearing out prematurely?
Do you have a new leak or a chronic leak that won't go away?
You need a roofer unless you have skills like I do that allow you to do your own roofing work.
But you want to hire a PRO, not some bottom feeder that's unskilled and might rip you off.
Just how do you hire a roofer that will do the work properly and for a fair price?
It's going to take a little work on your part to find this professional, but believe me he's there in your city and town right now.
In fact, there may be more than one.
Step One:
Look for a roofer long before you need one. The worst thing to do is to be in a situation where you need immediate help and are in a position of weakness.
It only takes a few hours at most to locate a real pro, so budget the time long before the storm clouds gather.
Understand that when a storm happens and many are affected, it's impossible for all the roofers in your town - even the BAD ones - to do all the work at once. The law of supply and demand kicks in.
You need to establish a relationship with a great roofer long before you need him.
Step Two:
Understand the marketplace.
Here's the reality: Not all roofers in your town or city are true professionals just like not all attorneys, car mechanics, doctors and accountants are the best in their fields. Every profession has losers, middle-of-the-roaders, and the real pros who are exceptional.
Only a small fraction of the roofers treat their jobs as a vocation, not a paycheck. You want a person who's proud of their work and looks at their career as a vocation.
Step Three:
Perhaps the best roofers are ones who have a small crew and will be up on your roof with their crew. Yes, there could be larger roofing companies that just have employees do the work and you may get lucky to have a stellar crew, but don't count on it.
Step Four:
Don't count on those Internet websites where you can get FREE QUOTES. Do you know how those work? The websites sell your name, address and phone number to five, ten or more roofers at the SAME TIME. These roofers are usually desperate for work, why is that?, and they claw at each other to get to you as soon as possible.
Realize that great roofers rarely need to advertise and they RARELY are out of work. Because they have such good reputations, the pros almost always have a BACKLOG of work. There's no need for them to pay for a lead. The pros' phones ring constantly from referrals.
Step Five:
You should try to become familiar with how roofing and flashing is done before you talk with a roofer. For example, you can watch my Plumbing Flashing Video to understand how it needs to be installed.
Or, you can watch my Bathroom Vent Flashing video to get a handle on what the roofer should do at your home with these unique flashings.
If you never want leaks after you re-roof your home, then you should watch these videos about the underlayment I used on my own home:
First Ice and Water Shield Video
Second Ice and Water Shield Video
Third Ice and Water Shield Video
Grace Ice and Water Shield Video Review
You should also spend time reading many of my past Roofing columns that will help you discover at least one right way to have a leak-free home.
CLICK HERE to view all the roofing columns and videos on my website.
Step Six:
You should ask the roofers coming to your home lots of questions that they need to answer correctly. This tells you if they know what they're doing.
If you don't know the questions to ask after reading all the above and looking at my videos, I've assembled the most important ones in my hiring guide for Roofing Contractors. CLICK HERE to get it.
My Hiring Guide contains four SECRET videos that show you how to find the pro roofer in your town in less than two hours! Yep, it's possible. You'll see me do it in the four videos that are part of my Roofing Replacement / Repair Checklist!