Hiring a Roofing Contractor? Here’s How to Choose the Right One
When it comes to protecting your home from the worst Denver hail and strong storms, working with the best roofer makes all the difference. But how can you choose the right roofer with confidence and clarity?
Our team at Elite Roofing & Solar has outlined some reliable strategies you can use and questions you can ask to identify the roofing contractor you’ll want to hire for your roof replacement.
1. What Credentials Should a Roofing Contractor Have?
To start with, it’s important to evaluate each roofing contractor’s experience and credentials. Ask them how many years they’ve been in business, if they carry any roofing licenses, and if they can provide proof of insurance.
These credentials help to establish a roofer’s legitimacy and ability to do work by the book. In addition, more experienced Denver roofers will be better able to handle unexpected situations. Finally, a roofer who has been in business for longer will be more likely to stick around to honor any warranties or guarantees they offer.
2. Why Do Reviews Matter When Hiring a Roofer?
As you build a shortlist of licensed roofing companies, you’ll want to begin evaluating their reviews. Filter out roofers with lower ratings (you’ll definitely want companies with at least 4.0/5.0 stars), then comb through some of the Google reviews left by past customers to evaluate what real people think of them.
As you look through customer reviews, you’ll want to answer two questions:
- What do positive reviews praise consistently about each company?
- Do they respond to negative reviews, and how do they do so?
Recurring themes like responsiveness, professionalism, fair pricing, good communication, and insurance expertise are all positive indicators. On the other hand, failing to respond to reviews or immediately becoming defensive when a customer leaves a negative review is not a great sign.
3. Why Should You Hire a Local Roofing Company?
Local roofing companies should take priority over roofers based farther from you or large, national franchises. Local roofers with roots here in Denver offer several advantages to their customers, including:
- Knowledge of Denver permitting and other local regulations
- Experience recommending materials for our local climate
- A relationship with the community
- Faster response times in emergency roofing situations
4. What Warranties Should a Roofer Offer?
While any roofer will give you their word about the quality of their work, that word means a lot more if they stand behind it with a warranty or guarantee. Ideally, you’ll want your new roof to be covered by one or both of these:
- A workmanship warranty
- A manufacturer’s warranty
Roofing contractors that offer a workmanship warranty are making a promise to homeowners that if any issues arise due to installation errors, they’ll fix them free of charge. At Elite Roofing & Solar, our workmanship warranty is good for five years after we install a new roof.
Manufacturer warranties, on the other hand, cover the materials used for your roof. If there are any defects, or the roof fails prematurely, you’ll be covered.
Manufacturer warranties can generally only be offered by roofing contractors with the right credentials, so you’ll want to ask each roofer what certifications they have from industry leaders like GAF, Owens Corning, and others.
5. Can I See Examples of Your Past Roofing Projects?
One of the best questions to ask a roofing contractor is if they have a referral list. You should also ask to look through a portfolio of their work.
A referral list gives you a chance to call other homeowners the roofing contractor has personally worked with, giving you the opportunity to ask about their experience with that particular roofing contractor.
A portfolio, meanwhile, gives you a visual representation of the work that they’ve done. This is especially helpful if you have particular roofing products in mind for your home.
6. What Should a Roofing Estimate Include?
Transparency is key when hiring a roofing contractor. As you start to seek quotes and estimates for your project, you’ll get a clearer picture of how thorough each roofer is and how openly they communicate about their pricing.
A complete roof estimate should include:
- A full materials list, including shingles, underlayment, flashing, etc.
- Labor costs
- Permitting costs
- Contact information
- Licensing and insurance
- Warranty information
- Timeline for the project
7. How Can You Tell If a Roofer Is Professional?
Our last tip for how to choose the right roofing contractor is more of a “gut check.” Throughout the process of talking to each roofer, asking questions, and getting estimates, which one seemed the most communicative and professional?
In other words, how responsive were they to your calls or emails? How willing were they to answer questions, and how transparent were their answers? Was their scheduling straightforward, clear, and easy to understand?
The more professionally your roofer operates, the easier the entire roofing process will be. Meanwhile, working with an uncommunicative and difficult roofer will inevitably lead to headaches.
Hire the Best Roofing Contractor in Denver: Elite Roofing & Solar
At Elite Roofing & Solar, we’ve worked hard to become the best roofing contractor serving Denver and the Front Range. We’re a family-owned Denver roofing company with decades of experience.
Since 2006, our customers have consistently praised our commitment to professionalism and transparency, the quality of our workmanship, and our friendly customer service. You might also check out the awards we have won.
Still have questions for our team? Ask away! Reach out to us online or call (303) 296-0361 for a free estimate.
