Prescott Roof Installation

Dependable Roof Installation Services

A new roof is an important investment that can cost thousands of dollars. The materials you use will represent a small part of your cost. Most will go toward labor. Choosing an experienced roof installation contractor is the best way to cover your investment and make sure the job is done properly.

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, roofing is a trade that doesn’t require more than a pickup, a ladder and some basic tools to get started, so you need to be careful in choosing the right contractor for your job.

If you can get recommendations from neighbors or friends, its probably the best way to go. Get the names of at least two companies. Be sure each one has been in business for at least five years — roofing contractors that do shoddy work usually don’t last that long.

Check their availability. There’s no reason to waste your time or theirs if they’re booked up for weeks or months. Be sure to get names and addresses of references, and cross any contractor off your list that balks at providing them to you.

Next, do a drive-by inspection of some of their recent projects. Visually confirm that the spaces between individual shingle tabs line up laser-straight as they alternate rows. Make sure the shingles are trimmed in a clean line along the valleys where they overlap the flashing. On the ends of the roofs, shingles should be neatly trimmed to align with the edge of the roof. Uneven lines mean inferior workmanship. Also look for neat, tar-free flashing at the roof’s valleys and at the eaves.

If the roofs look good, call their references and ask these questions:

• Would you use this roofing contractor again?
• Did the roof leak after it was repaired or replaced? If it did, did the roofing company respond immediately? Were they courteous and did they charge for any work they had to do to fix the issue?
• Did the job come in on or under budget? If not, how much was it off? Were the additional charges justified and needed?
• Did the roofing contractor damage any landscaping or personal property, and did they leave nails or debris in the yard? Flat tires are a big problem during and after roofing jobs. Good companies make sure to pick up any loose nails with large rolling magnets during and after the project.
• Was there a designated individual to address any problems during both the tear-down and the installation of the new roof? (These jobs are sometimes completed by different crews). You want a responsible person there for any issues or concerns you have during the project.

Since your roof is the first line of defense for your home against the weather, it's extremely critical that you choose the best roofing installation contractor possible. There are many roofing companies, so it's important to follow a few basic rules when finding, choosing, and ultimately hiring a professional, licensed roofing installation contractor.

Interview More Than One Contractor
You need to interview several roofing companies so you can figure out an honest and reasonable price range that you’ll need to pay. You don't want to make your final hiring decision based on a few hundred dollars for a project that could cost several thousand dollars, but you should be careful of any extremely low or extremely high estimates. This will also give you plenty of opportunity to build rapport and trust with the contractor you hire and to stick to the other rules for hiring a roof contractor.

Research Their Credentials
Besides interviewing several different roofing companies, it's also important to do some research on the contractor you ultimately choose to hire. Reputable, honest contractors will be licensed and willing to provide you with at least three references verifying they do good work. After you've checked your roofing contractors out and you’re satisfied that they're legit, hiring a roofing contractor will be much less stressful.

Read the Contract and Warranties Thoroughly
Never sign a contract or agreement without reading it over very carefully. Professional contractors won't be bothered by you taking the time to read through and understand the terms of your agreement, and most will be happy to sit down with you and explain anything you don't understand. You also need to make sure you understand the warranty that comes with your new roof. All materials and workmanship should be guaranteed for at least 5 years, and the roofing itself ought to come with a 20- to 40-year warranty.

Cover All Your Bases
Before work begins, make sure to cover your bases. Check with your contractor about whether you need to acquire a permit or not (most roofing companies will take care of this as part of their service), and make sure their employees are covered by workers comp insurance. Finally, if you're submitting an insurance claim on your roof, make sure you've followed all the necessary procedures and had all work approved before work on your new roof is started.

Never Pay the Full Amount In Advance
Never pay the entire balance of your new roof upfront or in advance. This goes for any large project. If your contractor requires this, DO NOT sign the contract. Asking for a deposit as a good faith offering or a payment schedule that goes along with the work are fairly common and accepted practices. Either way, if you can, don't pay with cash or check. Using a credit card increases the chances that, in a worst-case scenario, you can recover your money without going through expensive legal proceedings.

Check Their Reviews and References
Get at least 3 recent past customers and 3 customers from more than 3 years ago from the contractor and call them all. The recent ones will tell you about their current customer relations and quality of installation and the customers from several years ago will tell you how well they handle long term relations and customer service issues as problems arise, as they inevitably will with a new roof.

Also, check the company’s rating at the Better Business Bureau and Registrar of Contractors. This should give you a good look at any problems the contractor might have with unresolved recent customers. Better safe now than sorry later.

Of course, there is no magic pill for hiring the right roofing contractor. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation about your roof installation or replacement, give Mikku and Sons Roofing and Repair a call at (623) 465-1068.