How To Select A Roofing Contractor
Questions To Ask Your Roofer
- Does the contractor employ capable applicators to install the shingles?
- Does the contractor provide an estimate or a full and complete proposal?
- Was the contractor or salesperson willing to spend time talking with you?
- Did the contractor or salesperson demonstrate specific knowledge about other work. Shows the amount of involvement in the actual work.
- What is the full name of the company? Is it a corporation or single proprietorship? Who owns the company?
- How long has the company been in business?
- Is the contractor’s office nearby? (Quicker service if the company is based near your home or business.)
- Does the company carry liability insurance?
- How long has the company been in business? (Less than five years may indicate an unstable business.)
- Will the company provide referrals or references from previous jobs? (Ask for job-sites that you can visit.)
- Does your contractor have photos of completed work?
- Does the company provide a written workmanship warranty?
- What is the company's record for solving customer complaints?
- Did the contractor ever lose a job-related court case?
- Has the contractor's license has ever been suspended?
- Does the contractor offer a range of quality in the product? (Typically—good, better and best.)
- Does the contractor provide product literature and samples?
Affordable Roofing
- We offer instant/emergency services.
- We provide full and complete written proposals.
- We spend whatever time it takes to fully understand your needs, and to make sure you know what we are proposing to do.
- Our installation management team conducts customer interviews. We do not have salespeople. They are proud of the work they do, and show it.
- Affordable Builders is a Registered New Hampshire Business, owner operated
- Price match estimates
- Operating since 2010
- Affordable Roofing is conveniently located in Southern New Hampshire to quickly and efficiently take care of your roofing, siding, gutter and replacement window needs.
- Yes. General Liability Underwritten by Commonwealth Contractors
- Affordable Roofing has been in business more than 10 years.
- We will provide referrals. We ask that we call them first to make sure they do not mind your call.
- We provide an extensive list of houses we have worked on which includes the shingle type and color. We also provide the address of the house so you may drive by and look at it.
- We provide a ten-year warranty by the manufacture brand
- We have an outstanding record for resolving any complaints. Most are resolved within 24 hours.
- We have never been to court except to collect money promised but not paid.
- We are fully insured.
- We offer a complete range of quality levels.
- We provide informational brochures, product literature, and samples of the product.
Workers Accidents. Be aware that if a worker is injured on your property, you, the homeowner, might be held liable for all costs unless the employee is covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Hospital bills for serious accidents can be extraordinarily expensive.
Homeowner’s insurance policies normally exclude such injuries. Be aware that Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently imposed fall prevention standards on roofing contractors that mandate the use of safety devices, adding considerable cost to job overhead. These expenses could be the cause of wide variations in prices between contractors who follow the standards versus those who ignore them.
The homeowner is not responsible for enforcement of OSHA standards, but you benefit from them insofar as job safety awareness is higher when OSHA standards are followed. Worker accidents are much less likely. Uninsured Contractors – Roofers who do not carry insurance will most likely be cheaper to hire as they do not have insurance premiums to pay. Workers’ compensation premiums can increase wage costs from about 20% to as much as 100%, depending on the state.
There are a variety of reasons why full insurance may not be carried by a contractor, such as:
- Not a full-time contractor
- New in the business
- Can't afford insurance premiums
- Doesn't stand behind work
It is up to you to determine if it is worth the risk to hire a contractor who does not carry insurance.
Proposals And Estimates
What is an estimate? An estimate offers a single price, a generically described product, a color, and no options. This is traditional and legitimate agreement, but it doesn’t fully communicate what is to be done and how. An estimate is open to dispute if you are not satisfied with the work.
What is a proposal? A proposal is a tentative agreement for a project. It offers a choice of products by brand name, prices, services, and designs. It also includes many other provisions such as change order conditions and financing options.
Affordable Roofing always delivers a full and complete proposal to our customers.