For a lot of homeowners, having a roof replacement is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Most roofs last about twenty years provided the roof doesn’t experience any major weather events or any heavy impact. Because of this, when it comes to finding an Omaha roofing company, most homeowners don’t have experience with looking for one. It is important to work with a roofing company that will do the job well, work with your homeowners insurance, and make the process easy.
These guidelines will help you find a good roofing company in Omaha, and ensure that your local roofing contractor is qualified for the work. Here’s what to keep an eye out for.
Check the roofing company for licensing
Is it possible to obtain a contractor license in your state or locality? If it does, double-check that your roofing contractor is licensed. Check to see if any prospective contractors or roofing companies are currently licensed. And don’t just believe what they say. Check your state’s public license database to be sure.
For example, licensed contractors in Nebraska can be found through the state’s Department of Labor’s contractor search. You can pull up the state’s entire list or search for a particular contractor.
Each contractor’s profile will display their information, including the phone number they should use (which is useful for fraud protection) and the number of employees they have registered. Use this to verify their identification and check that they are licensed. This won’t guarantee that you’ll work with a good firm, but it will exclude individuals who lack this crucial qualification.
Make sure the roofing contractor has bonding and insurance
Only work with bonded and insured contractors. A bonded roofing contractor has obtained a third-party guarantee to safeguard you, the property owner, from financial damage if they don’t finish the job or pay their suppliers and laborers.
Workman’s compensation and liability insurance should be carried by your roofing contractor.
- If any roofing workers are hurt on your property, worker’s compensation will shield you from lawsuits.
- Liability insurance protects you in the event that a contractor’s work causes damage to your property.
Reputable roofing companies have manufacturer and product affiliations
Look for contractors who are connected to the producer of your roofing product. Roofing materials are frequently covered by warranties. However, in order for these warranties to stay valid, the roof must be repaired by a licensed contractor.
Check with your shingle roofing manufacturer to see if this is required. If it does, a public database of affiliated installers and repairmen should be available.
If you’re determined on a specific roofing brand, this is a simple method to cut down your options.
A good roofing company will have a lot of local experience
Examine their professional history after you’ve confirmed their legal eligibility and brand affiliations. Examine each contractor’s bio, social media profiles, list of services, and any case studies or photos.
- Is there a certain type of job they do more of?
- Have they worked on projects like yours before?
- Do they have experience with the same type of residence, roofing type, and repair or installation job?
Make an effort to create a profile of who this roofing contractor is and what types of work they excel at. If they look like they’d be a good fit for your project, ask them for further information.
Ask each contractor:
- What kinds of roofing do they install?
- Do they focus on a certain type of roofing?
- How many jobs have they done that are similar to yours?
- Are they located in your local area?
- How long have they been in business, working in roofing, and working in the area?
- What was their basic training and education in roofing?
- How have they continued to learn?
- What is the crew’s level of roofing installation training?
- Is the owner involved in the projects?
References
Learn about each contractor’s company reputation immediately. Do they have any previous clients you can speak with, or can you drop by and see a project in progress?
If you can speak to prior clients, ask some of these questions:
- What was the job type and how long ago was it done?
- Did they get an accurate quote or estimate?
- How long did the job take to complete and was this within the quoted timeframe?
- Were there any in-project issues?
- Have there been any issues with the roofing work?
- Was the roofing company prompt, courteous, organized, thorough, and clean on the job?
Make sure to check out each contractor’s profile on homeowner forums and review sites. Look for people they’ve worked with in your neighborhood. You might get a different story from their reference than they did.
See if you can chat with any of their suppliers while you’re at it. Examine whether the contractor pays his payments on schedule. If they don’t, it’s a red flag.
Project managers will handle working procedures
Examine how the remaining contractors manage their work on-site. Construction zones can be noisy, filthy, and potentially dangerous. If the roofing company doesn’t provide your project with a project manager to oversee the project, that is a red flag. A project manager is there to make sure the job is done to the homeowner’s specifications and work with the insurance company.
Ask the project manager:
- What’s the estimated project time frame?
- What safety measures do they take to protect you, your home, and the crew?
- Will you need a building permit and who is responsible for that?
- Do they intend to bring a port-a-potty on your property?
- Will they handle any material removal and waste disposal?
- Are they using roofing components approved for use with the shingles?
- Will they inspect areas inside the home, like the attic?
- Who will oversee the project?
- Will there always be a project manager or supervisor when work is in progress?
- Will they protect your driveway, roofing gutters, lawn, and property from damage?
- Will they repair or cover any damage done to your property?
- How do they handle poor weather?
- Do they use subcontractors?
- How do they handle project changes? What happens if an unforeseen issue will delay the project or increase the budget?
- Will they remove the old roof or do they plan to install over it?
- Are they going to reuse flashings and other components? Or are they working with all new accessories?
- Do they guarantee their work?
Get an estimate
It’s time to receive an estimate once everything else has been satisfied. Always demand a formal pricing breakdown that covers roofing labor, cleanup, installation accessories, and contingency estimates.
Get their payment plan and approved payment methods in writing while you’re at it.
