Finding a Local Roofing Contractor

Houston Roofing Maintenance

Choosing a qualified and trustworthy roofing contractor in Santa Rosa, CA is very important when it comes to the overall maintenance of a home. Your roof is what protects a home from the elements and you want to make certain it is stable, going to last long, leak proof, and you are not going to pay too much getting it worked on.

Lets outline some steps you can take to get the best local roofing contractor Santa Rosa, CA and its surrounding areas like Sonoma, Nampa, and Petaluma have to offer.

1. Ask Your Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, and Co-Workers for References

This may come as a surprise but you are probably not the only one who has a house. Anyone who owns a home will need their roof repaired and patched up every 20 years. Why not ask them who they went with and if they were satisfied? Did they feel like they completed the job in a timely fashion or did they take forever? Was the roofing contractor that they picked pleasant to work with? How was their customer service department and did they answer all questions and complaints in an acceptable way? Even though the job was done right, was the price fair?

These are questions you need to ask. If a the answer is yes then why go with another local roofing contractor in Santa Rosa that you know nothing about?

2. Check to See What Their Reputation Is

If a roofing company has been in business for at least five years they have some sort of reputation. They have a reputation with local businesses, suppliers, creditors, past customers, and their employees. You want to find out what it is. Have their past customers been pleased? Do they owe everyone around town? How do their employees feel about them.

There are tons of forums, review sites, and local Santa Rosa blogs on the internet you can check. You just have to spend a little time doing it. People talk and you can find out a lot by typing in a roofing contractor's name with some keywords in the search engines.

I would also suggest you ask around town. Talk to some of the managers at Home Depot, Lowes, or suppliers of roofing materials. These guys will give you some inside information. They will know all the roofing outfits around town and can usually give you the dirt on all of them.

3. Are They Experienced

Please be diligent in ensuring a potential roofing contractor has several years of experience. I know every business has to start somewhere but you do not want your house to be a "guinea pig". You want to go with a company that has seen and heard it all. Problems are bound to arise the any construction industry and you want to know that your roofing contractor is prepared to deal with them. Five years is usually good enough.

4. Licensed and Insured

First, make certain they are licensed by the state . They need to have a contractors number and should be able to produce it if you ask for it. The state makes sure all contractors are in compliance with state laws and regulations in addition to making employees do background checks.

Second, and this is even more important, you need to make sure they have adequate insurance. If you get an extremely low bid, BE WARY.

The general business liability policy will cover the roofing company's workmanship. If they repair or install a roof and mess up they are covered under this policy.

Lets say a contractor repairs your roof. The next week it rains. Your roof was not repair properly and the it starts to leak. Water gets into your home and causes a lot of damage to appliances, furniture, and your floors. You can make a claim on their general liability policy which will pay for all the damages.

The workers compensation policy is for a roofing company's workers. Lets say an employee slips and falls off your roof while putting up shingles. Maybe he falls off a ladder. The workers compensation policy would kick in a pay for any medical expenses, time lost, and rehabilitation costs. Make sure they have this because you do not want an injured employee suing your homeowner's insurance their company was not covered.

5. Get Three or Four Bids

This should be obvious but you would be surprised by how many people get only one bid. You should get at least three estimates from three roofing contractors, maybe more.

When you are looking over the bids consider more than costs. How long is the job going to take? What are they offering? What warranties are they offering?

Also do not go with the cheapest guy. He may be cheap because he has no insurance! Keep in mind that administrative and insurance costs are high for roofing companies and at least 30% of the estimate is just to cover those costs. That is not including the costs of material and labor. Even though it is expensive to fix a roof, believe it or not, the profit margins for the actual owners of roofing businesses are low. They make money by doing volume and completing a job quickly and efficiently.

When a roof is properly installed it will last a long time. You not only want one that will be ascetically pleasing but one that will be maintenance free for at least two decades. That is why choosing a qualified and dependable company to do the repair or installation is of great importance.

Source: ezinearticles 

Portton Construction Inc: We are a General Contractor in Houston and surrounding areas. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, we provide general contractor needs for all domestic markets. In need of a home makeover? Look no further! We provide services in all areas of home remodeling.

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