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Installing or replacing a roof comes with a lot of work and decisions. While you are saddled with the responsibility of choosing which roof type is best for your structure, you also have to select the right roofing company for your project.
Choosing the wrong roofing contractor can disrupt the whole project, leading to extra costs of repairs. Hence, you want to ensure you put your trust in competent hands.
One way to be sure you are about to hire the right roofing contractor is by asking them key questions that reveal what to expect from them. Therefore, it’s necessary for you as a homeowner or business owner to know which questions to ask your protective contractor.
Here are essential questions to ask before hiring a roofing contractor:
1. What licenses do you have?
The first question to ask your prospective roofing contractor is if they are licensed or not. Being certified means the contractor has undergone the necessary training and is government-registered in the state of Minnesota. This gives you peace of mind when awarding your project to them.
Also, you’ll want to ask if they are bonded. A bonded contractor means they are connected to a bonding company. Hence, if anything goes south during the project and the contractor cannot fulfill the duties, you have the bonding company to fall back on. To complete this, ask what insurance the contractor has.
It's essential to ensure that your contractor is insured. Hiring an insured contractor prevents clients from running into problems when a hazard occurs on the site.
Checking for the three (license, bonding, and insurance) is critical when choosing a roofing contractor.
Refresh Exteriors is a licensed and insured contractor to consider for your roofing, siding, and gutter projects in Minnesota.
2. Where is your physical office?
Most homeowners and business owners make one mistake when hiring a contractor, neglecting where the contractor’s office is located.
Ask for where your roofing contractor’s office is located and their phone numbers. This gives you an idea of where to go when looking for them should you need them after the project.
Note that not all contractors are from your local area. Contractors often move to where a severe storm just hit, knowing that property owners are looking for a contractor to repair their damages.
Refresh Exteriors is a locally owned company in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
3. What experience do you have as a roofing contractor?
Experience matters when hiring a contractor for a roofing, siding, or gutter project. How long a company has been in business says a lot about what to expect from them. What you get from a roofing contractor with a couple of years of experience is different from what a company with decades of experience can offer.
This doesn’t mean that new companies in the roofing industry are not good at what they do. Sometimes they will offer low prices, resulting in lower quality work. This can lead to new companies folding up.
Hence, you want to go for an established contractor that you can follow up with years after the installation or repair.
With professionals having decades of experience in the residential construction industry, Refresh Exteriors is an excellent choice for all your home exterior needs!
4. What warranty do you offer?
Asking what warranty you receive with a roofing installation or repair is necessary when hiring a roofer. While you get a warranty on the materials, your contractor also offers a quality warranty.
Workmanship warranties differ from contractor to contractor. While some contractors offer as low as a year workmanship warranty, some offer up to 25-year warranties.
5. What roof type do you specialize in?
Before hiring a roofing contractor, one crucial question is if they specialize in your particular roof type.
For example, hiring a roofing company for an asphalt shingle roof requires that the roofer is certified by shingle manufacturers. These manufacturers choose the best contractors in a given area to undergo their training and certification process. With this, the contractor can offer enhanced warranties on their materials.
Hence, ask if the contractor you’re about to hire is certified by the manufacturer of the material you want to install on your business or home.
Refresh Exteriors is a certified GAF Roofing contractor in Minnesota. There is a lifetime warranty on the GAF Timberline HDZ shingles!
6. Do you provide a written estimate?
It is crucial to ask your contractor for a written estimate before hiring them. This should be well-detailed, so you know the cost of materials and labor for the project. The assessment must also include the cost of other items necessary to complete the project.
Ensure you thoroughly go through the written estimate and understand everything included before signing the contracts.
Refresh Exteriors provides well-detailed estimates to their customers, so they know what exactly the project entails.
7. What references do you have?
You don’t want to hire a contractor for a roof replacement based entirely on word of mouth.
You want to see their past projects, and one way to have an idea of what to expect from them is to ask for references from their past jobs.
The testimonials our happy customers have left for us online give prospective customers peace of mind knowing they are in good hands with Refresh Exteriors.
8. How do you protect my property from damage?
Repairing an old roof can expose your property to damage. Your contractor must put measures in place to protect your landscaping, lawn, and light fixtures. Asking about how your contractor plans to preserve these parts of your home or business gives you peace of mind knowing nothing will go wrong with your property during the project.
At Refresh Exteriors, our team has decades of experience in the industry, and we are committed to delivering the highest quality of work to our customers in Minnesota. Our services are not just limited to the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. Wherever there is a high demand for repairs in the Minnesota area, Refresh Exteriors will be there to assist!