How Can You Spot A Roofing Pro?

A roof is one of the most important features of any home. Not only does it add to the aesthetic value of your house, but it also plays an essential role in the safety and integrity of the entire structure. That’s why it’s so important to only work with the best in the business when you need roofing work done – and to be able to spot a roofing pro, there are a few key things you can look for.

1. License And Insurance

It’s neither that easy nor cheap to have the proper licensure and insurance to work as a roofing contractor. Whether you’re looking for a contractor for a roofing project because your roof needs emergency repairs after a storm, or you want to have an entirely new roof installed, you don’t want to leave something as important as that to a person that isn’t properly licensed or insured. So, if a roofer you’re considering hiring doesn’t have both of these things, it’s a huge red flag. A licensed contractor will have no problem providing you with proof of their licensure, and they should also be able to provide you with evidence of their insurance policy.

2. Knowledge

There’s a lot of knowledge that goes into doing quality roofing work. When talking to a contractor, they should easily discuss all the different factors that go into roofing work, such as the type of roof you have, the climate in your area, and what your budget is. If they’re not able to answer these kinds of questions without hesitation, it’s likely that they’re not as experienced as they claim to be. That said, as you get deeper into the conversation, a professional will probably take a minute to give you a well-thought-out answer that takes all the different potential factors into consideration, while an amateur will stick to generic and vague answers that don’t bring a lot of value to the table. In other words, a roofing pro will have no problem answering basic questions because they’ve been over them a thousand times over, but they’ll take the time needed to provide quality answers to more specific questions. On the other hand, an amateur will try to make even the simplest things seem more complicated and will fumble when it comes to answering more specific questions.

3. Reviews And References

If a contractor you’re talking to has no reviews or references, that’s another major red flag. A roofing pro will have plenty of both – and they should be easy to find with a quick Google search – especially because they themselves will be more than happy to promote them on their own website. If they don’t have any online presence at all, that’s not a good sign. Furthermore, when you’re looking at reviews, pay attention to both the quantity and quality of them. A roofing contractor with only a handful of reviews is obviously not as established as one with hundreds or even thousands of reviews. But that doesn’t mean that you should automatically write them off – sometimes, newer businesses can be just as good, if not better, than more established ones. It’s also important to look at the content of the reviews. See if people have consistently had positive experiences with the contractor in question, or if there have been any red flags that have been raised.

4. Experience

Just like in any other business, when you’re just starting out, you won’t have as much experience with different types of projects as when you’ve been in the game for longer. It’s not impossible that a newly established business can do great work with a specific type of project – because it’s something that they’ve already done before. However, it is more likely that they will have a harder time showing the same kind of expertise and efficiency when it comes to more complex projects. Quantity does go a long way when it comes to how experienced someone truly is, but so does diversity. Doing the same job a hundred times is great, but having the experience of doing all kinds of projects- big and small – is even better. This is something that you can easily check by looking at the contractor’s portfolio and seeing what kind of projects they’ve done in the past. If they only have a few projects listed and they all look very similar, it probably means that they aren’t a real pro yet.

There are a few key things that you can look for when trying to spot a roofing pro. First and foremost, they should be properly licensed and insured – anything less than that is a major red flag. They should also have plenty of knowledge and experience under their belts, which you can easily check by looking at reviews and references, as well as their portfolio. Finally, they should be able to answer your questions without any hesitation, and they should be up-to-date on the latest roofing trends and technology.