How To Choose The Best Roofer Near You

So Many Roofers!

Which roofer is the best for me?

Looking for the best roofing contractor near you? Who would you choose and why? Where do you even begin to look for a reliable and affordable roofer? If you have been asking yourself these questions, then read on. We will break down all the usual questions in this article and give you our expert opinion along with some tips and tricks to help you achieve a positive experience when hiring a roofing company in your area.

Do Your Own Research

You may have already started a bit of ‘research’ by asking the neighbors for their recommendations, or if you live in an area as part of a Homeowners Association (HOA) they will likely have approved contacts for you to call. If you find your neighbors or your HOA’s suggestions haven’t offered the right roofer for you, the next logical step would be to get online and do your own ‘digging’. Bookmark this article to reference throughout your process, and keep a checklist to go through so you’re confident you’ve not missed out any important detail.

Getting a second opinion:

Schedule consultations! This means having a few (at least two, but as many as 4 roofers if it’s a big project) come by to inspect your roof’s needs and have a face-to-face about what you want – think of it as an interview. That is, you are interviewing the roofer! So don’t be wary of asking the ‘silly’ questions. Ask them to provide you with references, photos of their recent projects, and their qualifications or specialties. If you’re trying to decide between two bids, feel free to ask them to help you compare the quotes. Of course they’re going to be biased, but they may be able to explain some subtle differences or specifics not mentioned in their quote. Their final price could even be negotiable!

As mentioned, you are the interviewer. Treat the consultation and inspection meeting with that attitude. Be polite and open to gaining insight.
In no particular order, here are some general and specific topics to ask about and consider in the section below.

Qualifications

Roofing contractors have to meet the criteria of their municipality.

Do your due diligence and check your state’s roofing contractor qualifications through the state registrar’s directories. You will find them easily if they are:

Licensed in your area
Insured
Bonded (Different from liability insurance. More on this below)

Those points are essential! However, the following points are almost as crucial:

Certifications of specializations with reputable organizations
Recurring training to maintain modern roofing standards
Take safety seriously, with proof of regular training (safety training is paramount in the roofing industry!)
Upfront with references and good online reviews
Timely drafting and adjusting of estimates

Services Offered

Some roofing contractors specialize in specific products, styles, or services. This can vary from one contractor to another.

Regardless of specialties, most will (or rather, should) be able to offer common services, such as:

General Inspections to check for:
- Leaking roof (or if the leak is from elsewhere).
- Damage to the roof, or the attic space.
- Failing roof system due to age, growth, or other factors.

Maintenance after repair or replacement is practical for both you and the roofer.
Installing or replacing parts of a roof (from gutters and drip edges to skylights and chimneys).
Weatherproofing a roof or solid decking membranes.
Insulation: offered by some, but typically not something every roofer will offer.
Ventilation. Again, not included by all roofers, but most roofing contractors you choose should have a vast knowledge of what trapped humidity can do to a roof, and they will have experienced many roofing projects concerning ventilation or the lack thereof.
Snow removal and managing ice dams. This can be quite sought after during the obvious times of year – so most roofers will offer this service or point you to someone that does.
Cleaning with the right tools and using safe products: Very important to prevent damage to your roof and the environment around your home.
Sealing, treating and painting a roof effectively. (common with wood or metal roofs)
Remove debris from gutters and valleys – an annual maintenance to be done before winter sets in.

Several of the services listed are concurrent, or precede naturally one after another. So if your roof needs cleaning of some stubborn mildew, water will need to freely flow off all the way from the highest ridge. So if you haven’t cleared the gutters of debris in over a year – Kill two birds, one stone! Combining multiple services with one contractor will likely be cheaper too.

9 Pro Tips To Find The Best Roofer:

1. Filter your search for local roofing contractors

There are very good reasons to choose a roofing company that is local to your area. National chains are household names because they spend a ton on marketing, not because they are the best choice. Likewise, they can sometimes slightly undercut a local roofing contractor because they purchase their supplies in bulk. The other side of this coin can be longer wait times for products to arrive from a distribution center. If you have issues or follow up questions, you will most likely be dealing with a customer service call center in another state or even outside the US. When they ask for your customer number, it’s pretty obvious that is what you are to them, just another number.

When you hire a local roofing contractor, if the time comes for maintenance or emergency repairs to your roof after their work is done, it’s going to be addressed by the same roofing company as quickly as possible. Having their physical office and operation within your local area will make for a smooth process in the event of ‘aftercare’ and if there’s any problem with your roof in future.

A local roofer is, at the end of the day, a small business. They rely on word of mouth to help new clients find them. Therefore it’s in their best interest to make sure you’re completely satisfied with the results, but also your overall experience. At Anytime Roofing we know how true this can be. In the course of several years, we have single handedly replaced 80% of the roofs on a single residential street. Our name gets passed around at neighborhood events or local facebook groups and we’re grateful to have earned the business of each client we work with and their referral.

Predatory Carpetbaggers Do Not Make Good Roofers

It’s an unfortunate situation anytime a massive storm comes through and causes widespread damage to people’s homes. At times like this, the demand for qualified professional roofing contractors skyrockets. This causes a predictable rise in shady fly-by-night “Roofers” and scheming out of state roofing companies looking to make a quick buck.

Because homeowners’ roofing needs are in a dire situation after bad weather, these companies will undercut the bids of honest local roofing companies for their benefit. They won’t be concerned with local codes or other ethics of workmanship, they will take as many shortcuts to profit as much as they can. After all it’s not their state and most have no plan to guarantee their workmanship in the event a customer has a complaint.

Standards Exist For A Reason

There are installation practices that must (or should) be followed according to the state and local codes. There can be a myriad of legal paperwork and permits required before even starting a particular roofing project. An experienced local roofing contractor would be better suited (compared to an out of state company or ‘Craigslist Handyman’) to confirm your roof is installed professionally and the whole process is compliant with requirements in your location.

2. Only entertain roofing contractors who are licensed, bonded, and insured!

Plans change as things unfold and it can be out of anyone’s hands. Normally things go as expected, but neither you nor your roofer have X-ray vision or a crystal ball. You can avoid or mitigate potential financial loss by only hiring a roofing contractor who is licensed, bonded and insured as it covers their work on your roof and you as their client. Just knowing that the process and their work is covered and your roofer has met local requirements is very comforting for everyone involved.

Moments Of Discovery

"Just replace the old torch down" they said... "Easy job" they said...
The reality was slightly more complicated than either the customer or our crew realized. As it turns out, the old roofing had been starting to fail for years on this commercial low pitch roof. This section hangs over the sidewalk so it went unnoticed that whole time. It wasn't until our crew started to peel back the old layers of roofing that the rot was discovered. "No problem" our guys said. We were able to remove the rotten decking and shore up the framing before getting it all put back together. This just highlights that even with an on-site inspection, a roofer can't anticipate what's waiting to be discovered beyond their site.

How Will You Know?

Your chosen contractor must be licensed, bonded, and insured within the state of your roofing project. Therefore, it is well within your right to ask for proof. And if they’re proud to show you all of this, their transparency is already a great indication they’re a professional outfit!

So, what exactly does each piece of paperwork mean?

Licensed

First and foremost, in order to be a licensed contractor, registration with a state’s board of licensed contractors is needed.

The cost of a project then determines which license a roofing company needs. This may vary depending on your location, but generally projects with a bid of more than $3,000 will require a home improvement license. Projected costs that are upwards of $25,000 would need a general contractor’s license, and this would be the case for many diligent roofing companies. After all, a roof is a big investment!

Bonded

What if the roofing company makes an expensive mistake on your roof? What a catastrophe! But not if they were bonded. The bonding company will ensure you don’t suffer financial loss to fix any workmanship that needs to be addressed.

A bonded roofing contractor comes with some assurances. The bonding company is confident the contractor’s work will be of a professional standard, so they will put up the bond knowing a claim against the roofer’s workmanship is highly unlikely.

Insured

Insurance coverage policy of: general liability, workers compensation, vehicles, and more is the general standard. There are so many safety measures to take into account that a contractor who is not fully insured is, to be frank, ‘asking for it’!

Depending on the scale of the project, general liability insurance and workers compensation limits would vary. The general liability on a large-scale project, such as a skyscraper with hundreds of workers, could be sky high (bad pun intended).

Without insurance, if a mishap occurs, you haven’t a ‘leg to stand on’. You might be covered by your homeowners policy, but there may also be a clause written in that puts you on the hook if you hired an unlicensed or uninsured person to work on your house. That’s why you should make this the first on your checklist: Is the roofer Licensed, Bonded and Insured?

3. Be confident in a roofing contractor who is confident in their workmanship

You’re more likely to be convinced if your roofer is convinced of their skills, right? Apart from experience and skills of their trade, a roofer ‘worth their salt’ will ensure you receive all necessary information about the warranty on their work, as well as the materials of your roof. Keep these warranties to protect your investment.

Human errors can happen, so if there was a mistake made installing your roof, the warranty on your roofing contractor’s work offers you protection. Popular manufacturers and retailers of roofing materials, such as Velux skylights and Malarkey shingles, also offer a warranty on their products. For these product warranties to be considered valid by a brand, their product needs to be installed by a certified installer. You may notice how Anytime Roofing proudly posts manufacturers certifications on our website. When you see this, you know you’re dealing with a professional you can trust.

All warranties, whether on a roofing company’s workmanship during the project or any of the roofing materials, have a validity period. Some could be as long as a lifetime. A lifetime warranty indicates a guarantee the work and materials are reliable. For example, here at Anytime Roofing, we offer a 10 year guarantee on our work and the products we install could have a warranty of 10, 25, or even 50 years. This is some of the information we provide when helping you to decide on your choice of roofing material.

4. Certified by reputable Roof Shingle Manufacturers

Within any given location, renowned manufacturers’ of roof shingles officially certify a handful of contractor’s who they deem as equally renowned in the trade of roof installation. This official recognition with enhanced warranties of roofing materials, in addition to the warranty of their work makes their service even more attractive to consumers.

Look on a potential roofing contractor’s website or ask them if they’re certified by any of the manufacturers they work with. What the certification tells you and other homeowners, is that the shingle manufacturer trusts that specific contractor and that they’re a reputable roofing company.

Usually, it’s the manufacturers and retailers of roof shingle products who approach the roofing company. They would do so based on the contractor’s highly praised reputation that has established them as a leader in the community for their excellent service.

We can tell you from experience that the process to get certified is no joke. Our crews spend anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks of the year attending training sessions with the manufacturer. When new products are released or local codes are updated, subsequent training may be required to keep a certified installer status. Anyone caught falsely claiming to be a certified installer is facing a hefty lawsuit because suppliers don’t want that certification to be meaningless or be abused.

The BBB is OG!

The Better Business Bureau has been around for a long time. They were one of the first agencies in place where people could review or register complaints against a company who's practices were in question. Now sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Trip Advisor have become the mainstream platforms to praise or condemn any business. Unlike these online review sites, the BBB processes complaints and follows up directly with the business. In the case of a dispute, they can help with mediation or arbitration to resolve the matter. Businesses that seek to hold a high BBB accredited rating are highly motivated to respond. You can look up almost any established business on the BBB website.

5. Customer reviews are very honest. Read the more recent ones.

So many companies ask customers to review them after receiving their service, and not nearly enough customers actually do. Consider reviewing your next customer service experience because really you are doing a disservice to other potential consumers when you don’t. If a past customer of a roofing contractor you’re researching on doesn’t share their opinion, you could be ‘passing up’ on a great roofer. Or if they were horrendously unsafe, you could unwittingly make a regretful decision.

A roofing company should want to receive honest feedback about their service too, and they should always want to improve their operations in any way possible. Their response to, and interaction with dissatisfied customers are also important to note – do they care enough to apologize, or mend the relationship by rectifying the cause for the negative review? Do they respectfully defend their work if the criticism is unfair?

Focus on recent customers’ reviews (within the last 2-3 months if possible), because more than likely the work crew and any administration staff will be the same people that will be working on your roofing project.

Though some people review unfairly or with ill intent, hidden under the cloak of anonymous online reviews. Depending on the review site’s rules there may or may not be guardrails in place to identify fake reviews, but this doesn’t always work. Competitors have tried to tarnish a roofing contractor’s reputation with their negative, public opinion. Occasionally customers even do this to selfishly negotiate more benefits from the company who may feel pressure to salvage their reputation. Our advice is to try reading the reviews as a whole and look for trends in the compliments or complaints.

Lastly, it should be obvious but we will point out, not many people go out of their way to say “Good Job!” People tend to only leave a review when they have something to complain about. While most people tell us personally how happy they are, we are lucky if 10% of these customers ever leave us a review.

Meanwhile, if you miss an email or voicemail from someone asking about potentially working on their roof, they will let everyone know how unhappy they are. As unfortunate as this rare occurrence may be, it has nothing to do with the quality of work or the overwhelming good relationship with the majority of customers. We would guess that this happens for local businesses of all types.

6. Good Communication Is So Reassuring

Nobody likes to feel ‘ghosted’! It’s bad enough when it happens in personal matters, but even worse when you’re paying thousands of dollars to protect your home. You want a contractor who is respectful in this regard with good communication skills! Sure everyone gets busy, especially a contractor juggling lots of projects. But if you’re ‘left hanging’ for weeks, that’s not a good sign.

If you receive written promises of timekeeping from a roofer, hold them to it. Miscommunications can happen, but if they clearly state in writing they will provide a bid by a certain date and you don’t hear from them way past that, it’s not a bad idea to look elsewhere. Save yourself the time and hassle you might waste on constantly reminding them (possibly for months on end!) of their poor customer service. Simply put, if they’re too busy to even send you a proposal, it’s a red flag and sign of what you can expect if you hire them.

7. Visit a jobsite or previous project

Some roofers may be so sought after in your local area, you may be placed on a waiting list for your roofing project. That’s a good sign even if it doesn’t seem like it. This usually means they have a dedicated crew and aren’t subcontracting everything out to keep up with demand.

If you can, before you accept a bid from the contractor, visit one of their worksites to check out the team in action. See what safety measures are used – there should be plenty! Harnesses and ropes and carabiners of all kinds, hard hats, back support braces, reflective vests, protective eyewear, face shields, respirator masks, ear muffs, sturdy ladders – the list goes on!

You could request for an in-person review of their work from the homeowner or the neighbors if you happen to meet them. Ask casually if their daily lives have been affected in any way. For example, were they hammering away at 6 am? Do the workers keep a schedule of starting and finishing their working day at reasonable hours? Did they make an effort to protect the landscaping and clean everything up as they went?

To be fair, if a contractor hesitates to tell you the address of a current project of a past client, this can be for a good reason. They are possibly protecting the privacy of their customers and you would want the same privacy yourself. That said, any contractor who’s been in the business for a while should have at least a few clients who they will grant permission to allow prospective customers contact them or drive by to see their completed roof.

But they have great photos online!

Job photos are a good sign of a contractor who shows pride in their work! Not everyone can hire a professional to come out with an expensive camera or drone, but the fact that they take the time to take and post some photos is encouraging at least. If the photos look a little too perfect, polished or generic, you can use Google image search to verify that they’re not using stock photos to pass off as their own work.

Photos that look like their from Zillow, not a roofer...

8. Knowing What You Need

Roof materials and roofing systems can vary from job to job. Different types of materials will have a specific method of application, and this can affect the overall size of your job. Naturally people want to keep their costs down and a repair is preferable to replacing the whole roof. So, with that in mind, it really is essential for a roofing contractor to visit and thoroughly inspect your roof. Only then will they be able to properly consult you on the options and give you an accurate bid for the project.

It’s Obvious What’s Wrong, Right?

In this day of Uber Eats and Carvana, we have grown accustomed to shopping online and getting our needs met remotely. Our office at Anytime Roofing receives emails or facebook messages from time to time with photos of a roof, and a request that goes something like “How much would it cost to fix that part of my roof in the photo”. The reality is that any roofer who gives you a quote without an onsite visit is not giving you a bid you can rely on. They are just guessing at best, or giving you a ‘ballpark’ quote.

If the roofer is only getting half of the story: ‘…just a few shingles on my roof are missing from the strong winds last week and need replacing…’, they will quote you a bid for the materials of those few shingles, and the labor to replace them. The problem with this approach is when the price changes later.

For example, if your roofing contractor makes a visit for a full inspection, they may find you have some rot in the structural deck from a water leak caused by some missing shingles. This will change their advice to you and the final price of the job altogether. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are trying to drive the price up. They’re giving you all the information needed so you can make an informed decision on how you wish to proceed.

Straight Shooters!

Once you’re informed of the recommended scope of work needed on your roof, be sure to go through the roofer’s estimates with a ‘fine tooth comb’. You can compare the materials they will use and the application for your roofing system. If one contractor is telling you “don’t worry about that spongey section of the roof, we’ll put new shingles over it and it will be fine”… Well, it might be tempting to go with this roofer’s lower bid, but they’re doing a disservice to you and perhaps they’re just telling you what they think you want to hear in an effort to get your business.

By the same token, if you’re comparing bids and one estimate is much higher because they say your roof requires a specialized treatment, while 2 other reliable contractors say otherwise, we suggest you do some more research to see if this is true. We would like to think it’s uncommon, but it’s possible that some roofers will upsell you on high end products or materials you can do without. Honest contractors (Yes, they do exist), make a career out of shooting straight with their customers, and not by taking advantage of what you don’t know.

9. Safety Record

When it comes to home improvement projects, roofing work is inherently in the high risk category. Finding a roofer with a good safety record should be a priority for both you and your bottom line. Even if you’re not financially responsible for any injuries that happen during the project, it opens up the potential for all types of delays and complications.

There are a myriad of safety courses aimed at construction workers individually and construction companies, so ask your potential contractor about what safety training, if any, they provide for their team. Frequent safety training is the mark of an experienced, skilled and successful business within this industry. The very nature of working on roofs involves using technical tools of the trade that require training, practiced skills, and a ‘safety first’ mindset.

Regardless of your contractor’s insurance and bond, it’s a good idea to check with your homeowners insurance policy to see what a contractor needs to provide for your own coverage requirements.

Ideally your chosen contractor will be forthcoming with this information and you may not even need to ask these questions. This doesn’t need to be a lengthy process, and can go a long way to assure you that you’re dealing with a professional roofing contractor.

In Conclusion

If you’ve read this article and found it helpful, you clearly want to be an informed consumer. While others will just search for “Roofing company near me” and call the first company in the paid results, that isn’t your style and you’re likely to be rewarded for doing your due diligence.

Hopefully you enjoy the process of learning through your research and getting to know your roofer and their team! If you’re looking for a great roofing contractor in the Seattle Tacoma area, please consider giving us a call at Anytime Roofing. For all of you reading this in other places, we hope you got some value from our perspective and industry knowledge. We would appreciate you sharing this with others and wish you a solid roof for your home for many years to come!