How Do I Know I Can Trust My Roofing Contractor?

Often, Seattle homeowners feel tempted to ask the same generic questions because they assume that their roofer knows what they're doing. 

We'd encourage you to be a bit more skeptical and ask questions that dig a little deeper to prove that your roofer is competent and invested in the quality of your roof.

Questions like "How long have you been in business?" and "How many crews do you have?" are decent starting places. 

But, to determine if your roofer is putting thought into your roof and has the experience to back up their decisions, ask these questions: 

1. Where can I save some money without materially lowering quality?

2. Where should I be investing more money into my project?

3. What’s special about my project?

4. What's special about your company?

5. What’s your story?

Based on how your roofer answers each of these questions, you'll be able to tell if they're putting thought into your roof and creating a proposal based on your roof's unique needs. You don't want a generic, one-size-fits-all proposal. This also gives your roofer the opportunity to get creative and show their expertise by giving you unique suggestions.

Here is a video with more information:

So, if your roofer doesn't have to prove their qualifications to become a roofer, how do you know that they actually have experience and know what they're doing?

You'll need to do research on any company that you're considering to see how much roofing experience they have. Here's what to look for:

• A portfolio or photo gallery: Look on the roofing company's website and social media accounts to see if they've shared pictures of their previous roofing projects. 

• Background check on their business practices: Before you let anyone near your roof in Seattle, look up their profile on the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries’ Verify tool and look up the roofing company by its name or license number. 

  This will show you: 

  • How many workers they pay workers’ compensation on (this will give you a better sense of whether they are doing the work themselves or subbing it out. We strongly recommend a company that does all the work because the best way for companies to ensure good quality is by doing it themselves).
  • What insurance they have
  • If they are up to date on things like insurance, bonds, licensing, and workers’ compensation premiums
• Read their reviews: Reviews can be very helpful because they can reveal both the good and bad of each roofing company. Make sure you take into account positive reviews, but also look at negative reviews. Seeing what went wrong and how the roofing company responds to it can tell you a lot about them. 
• Get referrals: If you know someone who recently got their roof done, then ask them if they're happy with the roofing company. This is a good starting point, but make sure that you still do research on the company. It might seem like the roofer was great, but the roof could end up leaking in a few years. 

Most roofers only make it a few years before going out of business. So, if your roofer has been around for 10 years or more, it shows that they know what they're doing.

When you're looking for a roofer, it's up to you to decide what you want. Some people are willing to take a chance on someone new, and sometimes it goes well. 

Choosing a roofer who has been around for 10+ years has many benefits, including: 

• More experience: Even if they started with no experience, after 10 or more years, they’ve had a lot of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. By the time they get to your roof, they most likely know what they’re doing. 

• They can uphold your warranty: If your roof has workmanship issues that cause a leak or other damage after several years, you’ll want a company that you can trust to be there when you need to call in your warranty coverage. 
  
  
• Familiarity with local codes and regulations: After 10 years, your roofer should be familiar with building codes, permit requirements, and other regulations in your local area. Permit requirements can be super confusing in the Seattle area since every city has its own rules, so it’s useful to have a roofer who can help you navigate them. 

You certainly want a roofer who listens to your wishes for your roof and makes them happen. However, it's also important that your roofer is honest with you and makes sure that your roof will function properly. 

If your roofer seems too eager to agree with everything you say or quickly brushes over the details of the project, that’s a sign that they might not be invested in your roof’s quality. 

Roofers who are vague about the roofing process or say yes to your every request without consideration are more likely to be on the job for the money, no matter how your roof turns out. A roofer like that is usually the cheapest option. 

Based on the number of issues and damage we've seen when repairing or replacing roofs, choosing the cheapest roofer saves money up front and then costs more later on when damage from your roofer's mistakes starts to appear and become a real problem. 

We recommend finding a roofer who will dig deeper and put thought into the project to make sure that ALL of their roofing problems are fixed. They'll cost more up front, but ultimately save you money in the long run.