These questions can help you vet your options and get a clearer idea of who you're working with. This way, you can ensure you're working with a reputable contractor who will deliver high-quality repairs without ripping you off.
Important Questions For Your Lakewood Roof Repair Contractors
Most reputable roofers will offer complimentary roof inspections. These in-person consultations are great opportunities to ask the essential questions listed below.
However, before you schedule any inspections, it's important to conduct secondary research on local roofing companies. Remember to closely examine things like:
- Customer reviews - Google, the BBB, and Angi's are all great places to read through past client reviews. They will offer great insight into your local roofers.
- Project photos - Most roofers will display images of past projects on the aforementioned 3rd-party directories. Check out those images to evaluate the quality of work they can provide.
- Product offerings - If you want a specific type of roof (e.g., tile roofing, metal roofing, etc.), ask if your roofer can supply the needed materials.
Once you've narrowed your list down to a handful of options, you can start scheduling consultations and inspections. Remember to ask the following 5 questions during those meetings.
1. Can I See Your Contractor License?
Never trust an unlicensed contractor. If your contractor lacks a proper license with the state of Colorado, there's no guarantee they have the skills, knowledge, or resources to fulfill your roof repair needs.
In fact, it is illegal for a contractor to practice their line of work without a license with the state, and they may be subject to criminal penalties (Colorado Legal Defense Group).
So, if they can't show you that they're licensed to work, then it might be best to look elsewhere.
2. Can I See A Copy Of Your Insurance Policies?
Insurance is incredibly important for any roofing restorations. At a bare minimum, roofing contractors must have a worker's compensation policy and a general liability insurance policy (IKO). These policies help protect you, as a homeowner, from multiple financial disasters, such as:
- On-the-job bodily injuries
- Incidental property damage that may occur during the repairs
- Incurred personal injuries from roofer negligence and/or accidents
If a roofer lacks those core insurance policies, then you should look elsewhere for roofing support.
3. Will You Subcontract My Repairs?
Your roofing company may subcontract all or some of the work to other contractors. While this business practice can work well sometimes, subcontracting can present a handful of prospective problems for your repairs. These may include:
- Inconsistent quality of work - Subcontractors may not hold themselves to the same standard of work as the primary contractor.
- Insurance discrepancies - The subcontractors may have different insurance coverage than the prime contractor.
- Customer service issues - There's no guarantee the subcontractors will be as friendly, professional, or customer-oriented as the prime contractor.
If your roofer plans to employ subcontractors for your repairs, then ask to meet the subs so you can pose these questions to them as well.
4. Can You Explain The Findings Of Your Inspection?
As a homeowner, you deserve to have a detailed understanding of your current property damage. The more detail and information a roofer can provide on their findings, the more you can trust their expertise.
And if you've scheduled roof inspections with multiple Lakewood roof repair contractors, they should all be able to spot similar issues on your property. For instance, let's assume you schedule inspections with four different roofers, and one of them reported far more roofing damage than the others. It may be possible that given roofer is looking for ways to squeeze in extra repairs and upcharge you for their services.
For that reason, it's important to learn exactly what each roofer uncovered during their inspections. You may even want to compare the findings against one another to ensure nothing is getting left out.
5. How Will You Protect My Property From Damage?
Even the most careful contractors make mistakes sometimes. During your repairs, debris and other items may fall from your roof and risk damaging your property.
The roofer's general liability insurance will help protect your home if any property damage occurs. However, the best roofing experts will take extra steps to keep you and your property protected. These may include things like:
- Hanging tarps or Visqueen around your home to catch falling debris
- Using dumpster trailers for debris collection
- Surveying your landscape with nail magnets to pick up fallen debris
Your roofer should also have a plan in place to protect your home and their work from inclement weather, like rain or hail.
Book Your Consultation With The Top Lakewood Roof Repair Contractors
If you're looking for reliable, reputable, and customer service-oriented roofing professionals, look no further than Ethos Roofing & Restoration.
We'll take the time to thoroughly answer all of your questions during your free consultation. And we'll leverage our decades of roofing experience to deliver high-quality roof repairs at an affordable price point.
Contact Ethos Roofing & Restoration today to schedule your FREE property inspection with our Lakewood roof repair contractors.