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.All roofers need to begin somewhere, but you should think twice before agreeing to be your roofing company s first customer. If you want to ensure that your roofing project is completed efficiently, it is best to choose a roofer that is professional as well as experienced.

You should inquire as to how long the roofer has been in business and ask for verification regarding the history of the business, certifications, licenses, and insurance. As a general rule of thumb, you should consider choosing a roofer that has been established for at least three years. A business that has been established for at least three years tends to have overcome many of the obstacles that face newer companies.

When you are selecting a roofing company, it may seem overwhelming to determine if the company is professional or not. The best way to make this assessment is to simply interview the roofing company. At best, you should try to schedule at least an hour or so to talk with the roofer first hand. This is a great way to determine if the roofer is knowledgeable about the industry and it also gives you a chance to ask any questions that you may have.

It is a good idea to write down your questions before you interview the roofer. You may want to consider asking the roofer if they are licensed with any of the national roofing associations such as the National Roofing Contractors Association or the National Association of Home Builders. This is especially important if your state does not require roofers to be licensed.

When asking the roofer for references, you may want to specify that you would like the name of a previous client who had a complaint that the roofer solved. This is a great way to determine if the company has a history of solving problems that may arise during the project in a reasonable manner.
It sounds simple enough. If you want to ensure that your roofing project is contracted with a reputable roofing company, choose a roofer that is licensed and insured. However, some states don’t require licensing. This can make finding a qualified roofer a bit more difficult, however, it is not impossible.

The first course of action is to check with your state’s Department of Professional Regulation and Licensing. Your local department is a wealth of information and can give you all of the information that you need to ensure that your roofer is highly qualified for the job. Once you find out what your state’s licensing and insuring policies are, your next step is to ask the roofer for verification.

A common mistake that many homeowners or business owners make in regards to choosing a licensed and insured roofer is that they simply don’t ask for or verify references. You should ask the roofer to see proof of certification, licenses and their insurance as applicable to state law. However, you should also ask for references from former customers. Yet, those references won’t do you any good if you don’t call them. Make sure you are diligent and thoroughly check out any references that the roofing company gives you.

If your state doesn’t require licensing, you can ask if the roofer has been trained or licensed by any of the manufacturers that they work with. Typically, manufacturers of various roofing materials will provide training and courses in proper installation. A qualified roofing company should be able to provide you with these certifications. Additionally, you should also check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any past complaints filed against the company. You should also make certain that the roofing company only hires insured and thoroughly trained employees. Ask to see proof of workman’s compensation or other safety certifications for the company’s employees as well.

Roofer

2.I am sure you have heard the saying Get it in writing and when it comes to your roofing project you need to get everything in a detailed written estimate. Your written estimate is the tool that you will use to make an informed decision regarding the work that you will have done, the total cost for the project, as well as the expense of any materials and labor that will be involved. Additionally, you will use your detailed written estimates to compare between roofing contractors and choose the contractor best suited for your roofing project needs.

If you receive the written estimate but find that the roofer failed to include information such as what type of materials will be used, or that they haven’t detailed each category to explain how the labor will proceed or what type of insulation they will use, you may need to ask them for a clearly defined estimate. If the estimate simply has figures or cost estimates without an explanation of how they reached that number, it will be very difficult for you to compare estimates between roofers. You should also make certain that theroofer is making a bid for enough materials to complete the roofing project as well. You may also find that once you have all of the information written down in your estimate, the company you select may not be the one with the lowest bid. When you can review the process that the roofing contractor will use to complete your project, you will be able to ask any pertinent questions regarding their choice of materials, how much material they will need, etc. and you may find that you prefer aroofer that uses higher quality products over one that offers a lower bid. However, without the detailed written estimate, you will be unable to compare roofers and make a qualified decision.


Many times, homeowners do not have matching shingles or tiles on hand to make needed repairs. The roofing contractor can help you find the correct shingles needed and ensure that the project will be completed with matching materials.

However, if you have experience and want to tackle the project yourself, you will need to remove each shingle or tile before replacing them with new ones. You will need to use a hammer pry bar and a utility knife to carefully pry the old nails and remove the shingles or tiles. You will need to remove the first row of nails and then pry the damaged shingle up. Once it is removed you will then replace it with a new shingle. If you find that the existing shingles are very dry or brittle, the remaining shingles may crack or tear if you try to remove them. In these cases, it is best to hire a professional contractor who can repair and replace shingles and tiles without damaging the other remaining shingles.

If you have damaged shingles or your roof is just leaking, you may also have damage to the underlayment of your roof. This is an additional reason why hiring an experiencedroofing contractor will get the job done right the first time and reduce the amount of damage that can occur from letting this type of problem persist.

3.How to Find Good Roofers in Surrey

So you have decided it is time to bring in a professional to work on your roof. Whether you are getting a small problem fixed or getting the whole roof replaced there are many things to consider when making this important decision.

Steps to finding a professional roofer in Surrey:

1) Get two or more references of previous work.
2) Ask how long they have been in business.
3) Get at least two other bids for the job to make sure they are not ripping you off.
4) Get flat rate estimates so you know the total you will pay beforehand.

The best place to start asking about Surrey roofers is your family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues. Have they had roofing work carried out well (or badly)? Also, local estate agents may be able to recommend someone. When asking for references, be sure to check the type of job the roofer was called in to accomplish. Also, determine if the roofer specialises in residential or commercial work.

Good questions to ask a reference

Were you happy with the quality provided by the roofer/roofing company? Everybody has their own ideas of quality, so you should take a look at their house and judge for yourself.

Were they courteous and polite?

This is a very important consideration. The entire experience, from beginning to end, needs to be as stress free as possible. Plus, if the roofer enjoys their job, the quality and attention to detail will be better. The roofer’s attitude can and will affect the entire roofing job. Hopefully this will be the first question you ask. If the answer to this question is “no” then don’t go any further, you don’t want to work with that person.

Was a guarantee included?

If a guarantee was included, find out if it had a reasonable amount of time before expiring - somewhere in the region of 5-10 years. Also, was the guarantee of any use? Simply stating that there is an x year guarantee isn't enough. It needs to be detailed and in writing – you need to be able to understand its limitations. A good roofer is happy to stand behind their guarantee. Good roofers use quality materials and know their level of expertise. If a roofer does not offer a guarantee, it should be a big warning sign for you.How to Hire a Roofer

Think about the last time you purchased a car. Chances are you didn’t go to the yellow pages, choose a dealership at random, and buy your car from the first place you visited. Many times, though, this scenario describes the way homeowners find a roofing company - they look in the phone book and call the roofer with the largest ad or the first one listed. But much like purchasing a car, finding a qualified roofer requires research and comparison shopping.

Ask For a Quote


Invite different roofers to look at the job and ask for a quote in writing. In the quote ask them to specify the time it will take to complete the job. Make sure that all of the quotes are for exactly the same piece of work with the same specifications. If there are any differences then you won’t be able to compare like with like. Estimates and quotes should be provided free of charge.

Create a Contract

Create a contract specifying the work to be done, total cost, payment schedule, start date and estimated completion date. Make sure the contract specifies that the roofer is responsible for all clean up and removal of any waste materials.

Things to Look For in a Professional Roofer

There are a number of things that can set a professional roofer apart:

Insurance

Be sure that the prospective roofing company you are considering is fully insured. Their insurance policy should cover Employer’s Liability, Public/Products Liability and Contract Works. They should be able to provide you with a copy of their policy.

Safety Commitment

Accidents can happen with almost any home improvement project, so ask your prospective candidate what steps he or she will take to prevent injuries and property damage. Again, if a roofer is good at his work he or she will be able to answer this question with ease.

Clean Up

Ask the roofer how he or she intends to leave the work area once the job is completed. You don’t want to be cleaning up after a roofer for hours (or even days!) after they’ve left your home. Also, ask about disruption during the project.

Tips

Small business roofers will be much more affordable because their overhead is lower. If it's a big job, ask for quotes from a number of roofing companies and discard the cheapest and most expensive options. The cheapest will have underestimated and will sting you for it later and the most expensive doesn't really want your business, probably because they are already very busy.

Beware! Things to Watch Out For

Exaggerated Sales Pitches

Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is. Be especially aware of extremely low estimates.

Door to Door Salesmen

Never hire a roofer that offers their services door to door.

Imaginary Problems

Be very wary of 'awful' or 'very complicated' problems. If you can't find about the 'problem' easily online it probably doesn't exist. This is a good reason why you should obtain multiple estimates. If one person talks about a 'terrible problem' and the others don't mention it then you can be fairly confident that they were making it up!

"This Needs Fixing NOW!"

Undue stressing of this is always a bad indication. An honest roofer will not pressure you into making a hurried decision. This probably actually means "We need cash flow NOW!".

4.You are building a new house or you are repairing an older home. You have all the materials and the budget to do it. You want your house to be beautiful from inside and outside. From the ground up to the roof it should be well organized and well done.

Let us say you may be renovating your home, and have almost finished. But you still don't have the people to do your roof. The next step that you are going to do of course is to hire people who can do the job. You will hire a roofer.

Hiring a roofer is an easy task, but hiring a good roofer that can do a good job yet stay within a budget is a difficult task. Especially nowadays, you can only trust a few people around you. Iif you don't want to spend a lot of money in hiring a roofer that is not trustworthy here are the five top questions you should ask when hiring a roofer.

The first question you should ask when hiring a roofer is if he can provide evidence for his liability, license, and workman's compensation insurance. This will ensure you that he has all the legal background of his professionalism as a roofer.
The second question that you should ask when hiring a roofer is if he has a list of references from other people that he had worked with before. This question will lead to ask those people that he had already worked at before if this roofer is really a good roofer or not.

The third question you should ask when hiring a roofer is the cost of the job. This will tell you the amount that you need to budget for the expenses that will be covered in roofing your house. You must get a firm estimate, as well as a schedule of payments due as the work progresses. You always want to be a bit ahead of the roofer. If you pay too much in advance, a less than honest contractor may not complete the job.

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