How to Hire a Roofing Contractor Without Regret
The Yancey Family, Serving Sacramento Since 1888
Homeowners often fall for sales pitches and promises that turn out to be misleading and sometimes, out-right lies. Replacing your roof is not just a cosmetic home improvement. It’s a critical component to the protection of your home and your families’ safety.
But, sometimes things go wrong in the contractor selection process. Remember that if it “sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. The biggest mistake homeowners make that leads to roofing contractor regrets is no following the “Trust but, verify”.
Five Of The Most Common Roofing Contractor Regrets:
- Selecting the Cheapest Bid: This is probably the most common regret. Saving money upfront looks appealing. Often the cheapest bid is due to low-quality materials. Shoddy workmanship. Lack of proper warranties. Inexperienced crews.
- Not performing due diligence: Blindly hiring a contractor to work on your roof without fully vetting the company is a huge mistake leading to roofing contractor regrets.
- Vague contract lacking details: Not having a clear, written contract that outlines every detail of the project is a big mistake. Roofing contracts should always include scope of work, materials used, timeline, payment terms, and warranty specifics.
- Poor quality workmanship and/or installation errors: The best roofing materials in the world do not install themselves. Improper training and manufacturer certification always leads to leaky roofs and costly attic repairs.
- Not reading warranties and guarantees: Read and understand the manufacturers warranty and the contractors guarantee. All materials used for your roofing project have a written warranty and the contractor will have their workmanship guarantee written right into the proposal and contract. Don’t take word of mouth. Verify in writing.
What To Look For In A Roofing Contractor – Avoid Regrets
Choosing the right contractor to roof your home is vital to the safety and security of your family. Here’s what you should check out before signing a contract:
Time In Business: Make sure you verify the contractors claim on how long they have been in business. Check the various authorities listed here in to confirm when they formed or incorporated. The Better Business Bureau has company incorporation dates as well as on the business license.
Reputation: Don’t just take their word for it. Check review sites like Google, Angi, Houzz and others. Ask for referrals where you can drive by and see a completed job and potentially talk to the homeowner regarding their experience.
Verify License and Insurance: Don’t let an unlicensed or uninsured roofer step foot on your roof. Yancey Home Improvements CSLB license is #714569 and our extensive General Liability and Workmans Compensation insurance certificate is here on our website.
Check Manufacturers Certification: If a contractor claims to have “authorized, certified, expert or elite” status, avoid regrets. Check it out. Yancey Home Improvements is a GAF Master Elite roofing contractor. We are also an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor. Both of these certifications guarantee we have been vetted by the largest roofing and building materials manufacturers in the world!
Warranty and Guarantee: The contractor’ bid/estimate/proposal should outline what products will be installed. In detail. Once you have the make and model of a product, look it up on the manufacturers website to verify what the proposal states. For example, GAF Timberline HDZ, a popular brand we carry is covered on their website. Workmanship and labor guarantees should be written clearly on the contract.
A Cheap Roof Can Cost You An Arm And A Leg!
Roofing contractor regrets can be the result of any number of factors. Getting the lowest price probably means the contractor is using cheap labor and inferior products. Maybe they are cutting costs by under insuring their business or their employees. Poorly installed roofing materials will perform poorly. Leaks, delays, and work stoppages all end up costing you more.
Avoid Roofing Contractor Regrets!
Popular Questions:
One way is that unlicensed roofers get discovered during the permitting and inspection process. You’ll immediately have roofing contractor regrets. Work will have to halt and you may have to hire a qualified roofer to finish the job. Some of the work they did will have to be torn out and redone to pass inspections.
The non-insured contractor can affect you and your family severely. If a roofer falls off your roof and gets injured (or worse) you could become liable if the company does not have workman’s compensation. If your contractor damages your property or your neighbor’s property, you can be liable for repairs and other compensation! This always leads to roofing contractor regrets!
Frankly, mistakes happen. Nails are not placed according to manufacturers specifications. Valleys and pipe jacks are not properly flashed. Shortcuts are taken during installation leading to water damage, mildew and rot.
Plenty. First of all, work by an unlicensed contractor will be stopped by City or County Inspectors causing delays and fines to the contractor. If they end up out of business, you could be liable for hiring a reputable contractor to get the permits and fix all the poor quality work. City/County fines in Sacramento can be up to $1500 per day, per violation!
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