Have you felt overwhelmed by all the roofing companies in Seattle that seem to say the same things, but you’re not sure who to trust? Are you worried about hiring the wrong roofer and getting stuck with a leaking roof and a big repair bill later?
Too often, surface-level questions don’t uncover what really matters (like whether the person you’re talking to will stand behind their work or disappear the moment things go wrong).
At RoofSmart, we help hundreds of customers replace their roofs every year. Many of our customers reach out to us because their previous roofer did a poor job installing their roof and it ended up failing prematurely.
We don’t want you to have to waste thousands of dollars on your roof over and over again when it can easily be avoided. This article will help you evaluate your roofers so that you can confidently choose a qualified roofer.
In this article, you’ll learn five deeper questions to ask any Seattle roofer before hiring them. These questions will help you quickly spot who’s truly experienced, transparent, and invested in your home (and who’s not worth your time).
What are the questions everyone says you should ask, and why isn’t that enough?
Finding a roofing contractor who is qualified and trustworthy can quickly feel like an overwhelming task. A lot of people start by asking the same kinds of questions. Here are some examples:
- How many years have you been in business? And, are you licensed, bonded, and insured? You can also use the Verify Tool created by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries to confirm this information. It’s a good baseline to check if the roofing company is legally qualified to operate and see how long they’ve been around. This is good to ask but there is no test that they need to take to become a licensed roofer. Even someone with no roofing experience can become a roofing contractor in this state.
- How long has your longest employee been with the company? This gives you a general idea of the company’s work environment. If the company is 10 to 15 years old but the longest they’ve kept an employee is only a few years, that could be a red flag. It’s a good question to ask, but it can still potentially leave you in the dark because there’s no way to verify it. But you should at least get an answer.
- How many crews do you have? This is a good question to ask if you care about your roofer doing work in-house. You can also check how many people work for the company on the Verify Tool. If the roofing company doesn’t have any crews, that means they subcontract the work out. In my experience, this likely means that you’ll get low-quality work from people who don’t care about you or the roofing company. So you want to ask this question, but you must verify the result.
These questions are a good starting point, but they don’t tell you what you need to know. The most useful information that you’ll get is how long the company has been in business. A lot of roofing companies in the Seattle area don’t last more than 10 years.
This means that if the company has been around for longer than 10 years, they are at least good enough to stay in business. This also shows you that they have several years of experience.
Plus, you should always do research to make sure that what the roofer says aligns with information online. You might not be able to verify all of these answers online, which is why you should ask more questions beyond these basics.
What questions should I *really* ask before choosing a Seattle roofer?
Here are the 5 questions you must ask your Seattle roofer to determine if they're invested in your project and have the right experience.
1. Where can I save some money without materially lowering quality?
First, this is a great way to check if it’s possible for you to save some money on your roofing project! Projects are more expensive than ever, so any chance you have to spend less (without sacrificing quality!) is great for you.
This question is also useful because it helps you see if your roofer has your best interests in mind. If they just say no, then you know they’re probably not interested in helping you get the best value on your roof. Either they aren't paying attention or they're incompetent. Neither is great.
If they suggest you skip out on something important (like making sure your attic ventilation is working properly and up to code), then it shows they haven’t put any thought into your best interests, and they probably aren’t a good fit for you. Unless you like incompetence.
2. Where should I be investing more money into my project?
This gives your roofer the opportunity to make recommendations that are useful to you. They might recommend making sure some areas of the roof are extra layered with waterproofing, or that you level up your pipe flashing to avoid leak damage. It should be something custom and specific for your job, not a copy/paste answer.
An important update to consider in the Seattle area is making sure that your attic ventilation is up to date. If not, it can cause mold and damage to your roof. A qualified professional should ask you about your attic ventilation and make sure that it’s working properly.
The most important thing here is that your roofer demonstrates that they’re thinking about your project and can give an honest recommendation that benefits you. So it's almost like it's a competence and a character test all in one. You can also run their answers by AI, which is a real game changer. It's not as good as having a real trustworthy human expert, but it will give you better context to sniff out a snake-oil salesman.
3. What’s special about my project?
This one might seem overly simplistic or silly, but it’s actually very important. If your roofer is able to point out unique issues that you face with your roof, they’re showing that they’re invested in finding a customized solution for you and your situation.
You don’t want someone who cannot point out any differences. They’re likely looking to use the one-size-fits-all method, which does NOT work for roofs in Seattle. They’re not putting much thought or effort into your roof, and think it’s the same as all other roofs.
That has never been true on any roof that I've looked at, and I've probably looked at 10,000 roofs. If they see nothing special about your project, they’re not thorough or careful. That's the face of the company you're talking to and they're demonstrating laziness. What kind of work will they do?
4. What's special about your company?
This is where you want to find out if they say anything that is actually unique to their company.
Could you copy and paste what this roofer says about their company and match it with any other company you're talking to? If so, then by definition it's not special.
This is why you interview job candidates. You're filtering. You’re looking for someone who cares about doing a good job, has something unique to offer, and it should align with what actually matters to you, whatever that is. Maybe it’s affordability? Craftsmanship? Pride in their work? Dedication to going above and beyond? It’s not your job to guess because they should be able to sell themselves before you trust them with the job.
If you can’t trust them to tell their unique story, then can you trust them to be honest about anything else? Or adequately make the case when you should do one thing vs another? It doesn't mean you absolutely shouldn't hire them, but it does mean you should question whether you can count on them for competence.
5. What’s your story?
The point here is to figure out why the person you’re talking to decided to do this for a living. What makes them passionate about the job? If they're just a mercenary out for taking you for all you're worth, the way the answer will tell you a lot.
There is no particular right answer to this question. This is simply up to you to assess how you feel about their answer. Do they seem enthusiastic about the company they work for? Do they seem willing to share their story? Or, does your roofer seem closed off and uninterested?
Imagine your worst experiences with a vendor. Maybe it’s like the DMV, where famously bored workers don’t seem to make any effort to speed things up or improve your customer experience.
You probably want to go with someone who is excited about helping people and excited about being at their company. Someone who is passionate about roofing is probably more likely to do their best work than someone who isn’t, and I strongly recommend you choose a job candidate who cares strongly about customer (that’s you!) satisfaction
Why is it important to find a qualified roofer?
Finding a roofing contractor who is experienced and trustworthy is important, especially if you live in the Seattle area. You want to make sure that your roof gets installed properly so that you don’t have to worry about leaks or damage when the rain inevitably starts up again.
Improper installation is by far the most common reason for roof damage that we have seen in the Seattle area. Leaks can be hidden for a long time, causing thousands of dollars in damage before you even realize what’s happening.
Leaks can lead to:
- Water stains and damage
- Mold
- Rotting wood
- Structural damage
How do I know if my roofing contractor is qualified?
At this point, you’ve learned five powerful questions that go beyond the basics and help you uncover which Seattle roofing contractors are trustworthy and experienced.
Making the wrong hire can cost you more than just money. It can mean hidden leaks, poor craftsmanship, and no one picking up the phone when you need help. That’s why asking better questions is your first line of defense.
Now that you know what to ask, your next step is to learn how to verify if a roofing contractor is actually qualified to do the work.
Read our article “Is Your Seattle Roofer Actually Qualified? Here’s How to Tell Before It’s Too Late” to learn what credentials matter most, what red flags to watch for, and how to use Washington State tools to double-check any roofer’s claims.
Want to go deeper on some of these questions?
- Where to spend more for a better roof?
- Where can I maybe save some money on my roof?
- What would void my brand new roof's warranty?
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