Tips to choose quality contractors
BBB rating. Look for a company that is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. This tells you that the company is serious about maintaining high business standards and in dealing fairly with customers.- Licensed, bonded, and insured. There are a lot of pretenders out there who will happily take your money (often at a lower price), do a poor job (or worse), and then have no accountability. Your roof is the one thing protecting your most valuable investment; you want to be certain that the roofer you hire is qualified to do a good job and is properly insured.
- References. A good roofer should have no problem providing references from happy customers. Also check customer reviews on sites like Google Plus, Yahoo, and Yelp.
- Accreditations. See if the contractor has earned special accreditations, such as those awarded by major roofing materials manufacturers. Roofing contractors typically must pass stringent testing to attain lofty designations like GAF Master Elite, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred, and CertainTeed ShingleMaster, for example. These kinds of accreditations are generally indicative of extensive knowledge and experience in the industry, and they also mean (usually) that the roofer is permitted to offer generous manufacturer’s warranties that other roofers cannot.
- Warranties. Speaking of warranties, a roofing contractor, especially in a rainy state like Oregon, should offer its own warranties covering workmanship on new roof jobs, in addition to any manufacturer’s warranties. (The occasional exception would be for repair jobs.) Many roofers provide one or two year warranties, but if you can find one providing five or 10-year warranties, that’s even better.
- Communication. You want a roofing contractor who COMMUNICATES. No one likes to be left guessing when an estimator is going to show up for an appointment, or when the job will begin, or what you should expect during the job, etc.
- Well-established. A roofing company that has been in business for at least a few years is more likely to REMAIN in business than a new company is. So, if you need follow-up work done on a roof job or you have a claim on your warranty at some point down the line, the established company is more likely to be around to take care of you. Also, since a poor roofing company isn’t likely to stay in business for long, you can feel a little more secure in knowing that the work done by a roofing contractor with a history is more likely to be of decent quality.
- Based in Oregon. The climate in this state is very different than it is in many other parts of the country and you want a roofer who’s well-versed in the roofing options best-suited for Oregonians and their homes.
