Bucks County Roofing – Hiring a Roofer in Bucks County PA
So, you have decided to hire a roofer. Here are many steps to ensure you hire the right roofer/roofing contractor.
Seven Steps to Follow when Hiring a Roofer in Bucks County or Anywhere:
1. Decide what type of roofing you want. Are you looking for asphalt shingles or wood? Or is slate more your style? Your decision will depend largely on the style of your home and your budget.
2. Contact several roofing contractors. Ask the builder, as well as friends and neighbors, for recommendations. If you’re having difficulty locating contractors, try contacting the local builders association to see if it can suggest someone.
3. Have the contractors come out and quote prices on the project. Provide access to the property and make sure all the contractors are bidding on the same type of roofing (such as a specific grade of asphalt shingles).
4. Make sure the roofers are including the removal of old roofing in their bids. (Note that it’s not always necessary to remove the existing roof when installing a new one.)
5. Find out if each roofer has experience with the type of roofing you’re installing. Most roofers have asphalt-shingle experience, but wood and slate roofing are specialties. If you’re installing an expensive wood or slate roof, you’ll want a contractor who has experience in this area. Ask to see pictures of prior projects.
6. Ask for references and check them out. Are the previous customers happy with the work that was done for them?
7. Execute a contract for the work specifying cost, payment schedule, materials to be used, start date and completion date. Try to minimize the deposit you pay to the contractor prior to the start of the work or delivery of materials.
Qualifications
Finding a qualified professional roofer can seem like a difficult task, but if you do your homework and follow a few tips, the experience can be a positive one:
- You want someone who has good experience and can show you three to five roofs that they have done recently.
- Make sure that you like the work they have done.
- As far as warranties, most contactors will warranty a roof for about three to five years.
- However, this is not nearly as important as the reputation and experience of the contractor. The warranty will only be good if the reputation of the roofing contractor is good. Make sure you are comfortable with the contractor who is building your roof.
- Is there 24 hour emergency help available if needed?
- Does the company perform all installations according to the manufactures specifications or the old fashioned way? If they don’t, your warranty will be voided by the manufacturer.
Credentials
There are several credentials that a good roofing contractor will have:
- First, they will have an established company with a permanent address, telephone numbers, and a business license.
- You can even request to see the company’s financial statements.
- Next, the roofer should be able to provide information about certifications, training, bonding, and insurance. It is very important that a roofing contractor have valid insurance.
- They should carry both worker’s compensation insurance and general liability insurance. Otherwise the homeowner could be liable for any property damage or accidents that occur during the job.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for proof of insurance and be sure to verify that the dates are effective.
- Your state’s licensing commission or agency can answer any questions about the requirements they have for bonding and licensing. Many states will even provide verification of an individual roofing contractor’s licensing.
- It is a good idea to also check with your Better Business Bureau to make sure no complaints have been filed against the proposed roofing company.
- A professional roofing contractor should provide you with a detailed written estimate that describes the materials they will use, labor costs, warranty specifications, and an estimated time of completion.
- It’s a good idea to get at least three bids on a large project such as replacing your roof.
- The lowest price does not always equal the best deal. Significantly lower prices could mean that a contractor is cutting corners with the quality of his workers or insurance liability.
- You should expect to pay an up-front deposit of 10% or $1,000, whichever is less. The final payment should be made after satisfactory completion of the project.
- A professional roofing contractor will provide you with a contract that describes all the agreements and procedures in detail and provides information about necessary building permits. The contractor should take care of obtaining any building permits that are required.
Compiling a List of Roofing Contractors
In order to compile a list of potential roofing contractors:
- Consult your local phone book, service directory, or the National Roofing Contractor’s Association.
- Visit The NRCA’s website (www.nrca.net), which lists professional roofers by region.
- As with any service provider, the best way to locate a quality roofer is to ask friends, neighbors, and co-workers for recommendation.
- Consult the Better Business Bureau.
- Get in touch with your local chamber of commerce for qualified candidates
- Search via Google or other search engine by putting in your city/area and the term “roofing”. You can also add “residential”, “commercial” or industrial to the search.
- Ask your neighbors who completed the work for them and if they are satisfied with the work.
For the full FREE Report with much more, check out http://www.buckscountyparoofing.com
Watch this video about roofing contractor
This is a Flat Roofing project near the midtown tunnel in Queens. After doing so good on a job a Brooklyn flat roof, the contractor decided to sub out this roofing job to us. This is a certified Firestone roofing installation which means every part of this roof installation has to be applied according to manufactures requirement, A Firestone rep has to visit job site periodically to inspect roof if he does not pass inspection an NDL warranty will not be issued for this roofing project. Check back with us soon to see this roofing project in a different stage. Please help to answer the question about roofing contractorRoofing Contractor suggested doing just half the roof for an investment property. does it make sense?
Hi,
A foofing Contractor I contacted suggested a new roof for just half the roof of an investment property. He said it will cost $3,800 just to do half the roof and that the other half is in a better condition. should I ask him to replace the entire roof or does it actually make sense what he suggests? also, it's in Ontario Canada – is the price reasonable for half the roof of a single family 1600 sq. ft. house? THANKS.
About Author
Kev Co -
About the Author:
Hi, my name is Kevin and I am an expert at finding the most qualified roofers or roofing contractors in Bucks County, PA. http://buckscountyparoofing.com
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July 10th, 2010 | by roofing contractor |
By ttgl10 on Jul 10, 2010
In the world of remodeling, home improvement, or residential construction contracting; "great" and "cheap" do not usually go together.
A legitimate business needs to make a profit to stay in business. In order to stay in business over the long haul, the business must pay taxes, carry liability and worker's compensation insurance, and pay other normal operating expenses. This usually means that their prices are somewhat higher than the guy who works out of the back of his truck for cash.
Unfortunately, many homeowners make their buying decisions based on the cheapest price. They are often burned when an uninsured workman is hurt on their job and the only way to recover damages is to sue the homeowner. They are also frustrated when they can't find the contractor a year or two later for a warranty claim. In some cased, they are forced to pay for materials twice when a supplier files a lein against the homeowner's property because the "contractor" failed to pay for the material.
Contractor complaints like these will be among the top three types of complaints received by your state's Attorney General's Office (usually the division of Consumer Affairs). The only way you can assure that these problems do not befall you is to deal with reputable contractors.
My advice is to decide what brand and color shingles you want on your house before you contact roffing contractors for a price. This ensures that each is bidding based on the same criteria. At a minimum, I recommend screening contractors using the following criteria:
1) Make sure the contractor has been in business for at least ten years. This demonstrates in a very real way that the contractor is on the up and up.
2) Ask for, and check out references in your area. Previous customers will usually be very glad to tell you their experience with a contractor.
3) Insist that a contractor furnishes you with a Certificate of Insurance proving that they are covered by general liability and Worker's Compensation Insurance. The Certificate must be mailed to you by the contractor's insurance carrier because it is just too easy for a clever contractor to phoney up a copy.
4) Make sure that any warranty on workmanship is in writing. They will usually provide a separate manufacturer's warranty on materials.
5) Make sure that all of the details of the job are spelled out in writing in the contract.
6) Do not give a contractor more than a 10% downpayment when you sign the contract. Contractors who ask for more money "so they can buy materials" should send up an alarm that you shouldn't ignore. You can bet that a contractor who demands a large downpayment has no working capital and will soon be out of business. Do not pay the contractor the balance owed until the entire job is done to your satisfaction. Once they are paid in full, you lose all leverage in getting them back to finish up the job.
Keep in mind that this is a highly competitive business and a contractor who charges very high prices will not be in business very long. The prices from legitimate contractors will usually be very close if they are all bidding on exactly the same work.
I hope this information helps you make your decision.
Good luck with your roofing project.
By cbmtrx on Jul 10, 2010
i would not hire this contractor, could end up costing you more money in the long run
By Windstar on Jul 10, 2010
How about a Roofing/Building Material wholesale company? Outside sales position? His experience would really be beneficial to his customers. Or a technical support or trainer for a roofing manufacturer try the Metal & Asphalt Shingle manufacturers, if he was in the business he hopefully should have some contacts to reach out to. My best advice would be to network within the industry, and to be patient. Something should come along; but not without his local "industry" knowing he is out there and looking for an opportunity.
By adam0149 on Jul 10, 2010
Yes. Go to http://www.cslb.ca.gov/
By Edita S. on Jul 11, 2010
Is this a trick question?
Or is it that you are just really bad at math?
By PrachiDesai36 on Jul 11, 2010
I found that asking my neighbors and friends who had roofing done to be the most reliable way!
Make sure they are insured. Small, one or two man companies often have the lowest prices but also are risky. Some of those might be excellent, but many don't know what they're doing because they do lots of things not just roofing, and they don't have as much equipment.
My next door neighbor liked his company, but he recommended not paying the entire amount up front. You can often get a deal by doing so, but he said you don't know for sure what you're getting until you've had a good rain. Even good companies occassionally need to fix their work. There was one spot they needed to fix and because he paid everything up front, the company was not in a hurry to come and fix that part.
I have also found that i can get great advice on which people to use for anything – roofing, plumbing, electrical, etc. – that the people at my local hardware store know who's really good and who isn't because they hear it all from their customers. But then, i'm in a small town and it's an independent hardware store. The people at the church also knew who was good and who wasn't because they had four buildings and had used lots of local contractors until they found ones that were great and they'd go back to them again and again, so you might try asking your church secretary for a recommendation, too.
By Chugga on Jul 11, 2010
By Independent_guy on Jul 13, 2010
I would say it seems high, but then I think everything is high and do it myself. In Ontario, a properly aligned roof would get a lot more sun on the south side and probably a lot more wind and cold on the north side and so it might be reasonable to only replace half. I am assuming that by half you mean one side from the peak down, not the lower half or upper half all the way around. Get some other bids and see. I would expect that half a roof would cost somewhat more than half the cost of the whole roof – no matter how much you take down and put up, you still have to bring trucks and equipment out and get set up and haul away.