Choosing a Roofing Contractor
- Be careful about the lowest bid. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
There are roofing contractors that are lower in price but do not carry the
necessary insurances that keeps you safe as a homeowner. Or they do
substandard work and will not be around long enough to take care of the
homeowner in the future should any problems arise. Low bids can also be a way
to trick you into signing a contract but at the end of the project you will be hit with
additional costs. A low price may also mean that someone made a mistake, show
concern by letting all parties know that a mistake may have been made and ask
them to check their numbers again.
- Get references from any perspective roofing contractors. Ask for a list of at least
three to five recently completed jobs and call the homeowners. Plan to visit at
least three of the jobs to see the quality of their work.
- Remember that your roofing contractor is someone that you should trust. You
should feel confident that the roofing contractor will be around for a long time to
help you with any problems should they arise.
- Consider a business that is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business with
a proven tract record. Call or visit on-line the Better Business Bureau @ 916-
443-6843 or www.necal.bbb.org. to check their status.
- Make sure you check the licensing of the contractors you get quotes from. Call
or visit on-line the Contractors State License Board @ 800-321-CSLB (2752) or
www.cslb.ca.gov to check the license and bonding status.
- Check the insurance of the roofing contractors you get quotes from, having
workers comp is not enough to ensure that you are free from liability as a
homeowner. Ask to see two Certificate of Liability Insurance, one will show
Workers Compensation and Employers’ Liability and the other will show General
Liability. On General Liability you should not accept an amount less than $1
million for each occurrence with $2 million aggregate and ask to be named as
“additional insured” and get a copy of the cert for your records.
- Select a roofing contractor that has achieved approved installer status. These
are usually roofing contractors that are proud of their work.
- Before you sign a contract for your roof always ask your roofing contractor for a
list of all the suppliers they will use on your job and then call to find out if the
roofing contractor pays their bills on time.
- Have the roofing contractor explain to you how the project will be supervised.
Ask for the name & phone number of the person that will be in charge of your
job.
- Before your job is scheduled to start make sure your roofing contractor secures
permits, or you will be responsible as a homeowner for any code violations.
- Never pay a roofing contractor any money before the job has started unless a
“special order” is made for your job. Then make sure you pay the material
supplier directly or pay with a joint check to the material supplier and the roofing
contractor.
- When the job is completed walk the job with the roofing contractor before you
pay for your project in full. Make sure to ask for a lien release when you pay and
you can also pay with a joint check to the material supplier and the roofing
contractor.
- Upon Completion ask for the material warranty card so you can register your
material immediately. You may be able to do this on-line so ask for the web site
of the material that was installed on your roof.
- Make sure upon completion you have a copy of the roofing contractors warranty
and the bill, attach to each other for future reference.
G & S Roofing Company, Inc. (530) 626-4660 or (916) 205-2707
|
CA License #842240
General Liability Insurance
Bonded * Workers Comp.
G & S Roofing Company, Inc., P. O. Box 2155, Placerville, CA 95667-2155
Placerville, CA (530) 626-4660 * Sacramento, CA (916) 205-2707