<p>What the heck, I’ll ask on CC!!! I have a roofer coming over this afternoon for an estimate. What do I ask him? How do I know FOR SURE that his workers are insured? Thanks for any advice.</p>
<p>Ask for proof of insurance. There is a form. Also, the estimate is usually based on visible work. Once they remove the old roof (if they do) they may find dmaged or rotted plywood. Ask how much each sheet with labor will cost you. Also, any fascia boards that need to be replaced if not in the estimate - how much. How long? Will they make sure the workmen keep the doors free of debris? Do they use a magnetic roller to get all the fallen nails, etc? When can they start and how long? How many other jobs are they working and how many men will they have free to do your job? Warranties of shingles and labor??? Hope this helps = third roof just went on this past week.</p>
<p>Also, if ridge vent is included in the estimate. Those old roof turbines aren’t the best anymore. Pays to have a ridge vent.</p>
<p>Make sure he bids minimum 30 year shingles. Most of your cost is labor and better shingles won’t add much to the cost. Check Consumer Reports for shingle brands. Find out if he will tear off, new felt, repair of any decking, new vents, drip molding included, full cleanup and haul off, etc. New shingles over old aren’t acceptable to many insurance companies.</p>
<p>evitajr;
Thanks! Wow, maybe I’ll actually sound like I knwo what I’m talking about!</p>
<p>bandit:
Thank you. What do you mean by “New shingles over old aren’t acceptable to many insurance companies.”? Do you mean for our homeowners? How do they know?</p>
<p>If you submitted a homeowners insurance claim resulting from a problem with your roof, or even an unrelated problem like a fire that eventually involved the roof, the insurance company would find out that you had new shingles over old. Therefore, it would be prudent now to know what the insurance company requires or allows.</p>
<p>Thanks for asking the question! I’m in the same situation!</p>
<p>I would suggest you get recommendations from recent jobs. You do not want to put new shingles over old, it may cost more but you really want to take this opportunity to see the condition of the wood on your roof and you don’t want new shingles nailed through layers of cupping or decomposing old shingles.</p>
<p>I second the idea of getting the longest lasting shingles…</p>
<p>Get three estimates…and don’t feel obligated just because someone is nice or spends time talking to you.</p>
<p>Check the work if possible. As much of the most important work is covered in the end, it’s worthwhile to have a look at the replacement underlay, flashing, etc. as it goes in. Work should look neat and professional.</p>
<p>“Do you like sugar in your ice tea?” ;)</p>
<p>Get refereences and check them.</p>
<p>Good call, mini!</p>
<p>First, do some reasearch on roofing materials, there is a wide variety and wide cost range. I think many tradesmen will sell you the material they can make the highest margin on, so I like to have the facts myself. You can educate yourself in about an hour at a good roofing supply store. Most places require a permit for reroofing. I always have the trade people pull the permit from the town because the town makes them show proof of insurance. Make sure your town does this. With all that and a few local references, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Weenie, just from our experience, don’t let a roofer sell you the newest product on the market. Stick with the tried and true asphalt shingles. They have a nice selection of colors available now, and a good asphalt shingle should hold up well for 30 years, or more. </p>
<p>Unless, you’re in an extreme weather region (e.g. up in the mountains with tons of snow where metal roofs are popular, or say, in the desert Southwest where tile works well), asphalt shingles should work well for you. Look around your neighborhood and see what other houses are using. Ask the roofer if he can give you the addresses of some of the other homes in your area where they have roofed. Then, take a drive around your neighborhood and see the finished work for yourself. </p>
<p>If you’re brave, you could strike up a conversation with the homeowner and get some direct feedback. Ask how long it took the roofer to do the job. Ask the homeowner if they have had any leaks, and if they have, did the roofer respond in a timely manner to make the repair? Ask if the roofers left the property in good condition, i.e. did they trample expensive landscaping? Did they leave debris scattered around the property? Did they damage wood decking with equipment or tools? </p>
<p>Ask the roofer how you will be compensated if they dent or damage your gutters. What recourse do you have if they accidentally step through your ceiling? This happened to us. Our roofer patched and taped the drywall, but we had to repaint the ceiling, so the roofer deducted the cost of repainting from our bill.</p>
<p>The first time we reroofed, we got ripped off to the tune of about $14,000 when we let the roofer use a brand new product that looked like the cedar shingles we were replacing, but was a composite material made from concrete and wood. It looked just like wood, it was lightweight, and it stood up to high wind. It was supposed to last for 50 years.</p>
<p>The stuff soaked up water like a giant sponge, and the top of our house looked like an algae farm during the rainy winter seasons. We were actually lucky. Dozens of nearby new construction homes had this crap on top of it, and it was so heavy when it got wet, it actually collapsed some of the roofs. Talk about a new home nightmare! Five or six years later, there was a class action suit filed against the company that manufactured the product, and because of that, our roofer would not provide us with any compensation. The company had gone bankrupt, and there was no way to contact anyone associated with the product. Ask about warranties on the work and on the material.</p>
<p>Be wary of roofers who ask for a substantial down payment. Don’t pay the balance until the work is done. </p>
<p>We found our second roofer through our neighbor who got the name of the roofing company from a friend at work. The roofer bid on both of our homes, and because we both selected the same type of roofing, the roofer gave us both a good deal. 
Do your homework. Check references. Check their website. Make sure that their contractor’s license is up to date, and ask to see it.</p>
<p>To summarize: QUESTIONS TO ASK A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
- Do you have a valid contractor’s license to perform roofing? May I see it? Check with the contractor’s state license board to verify that they are in good standing. </p>
<ol>
<li> Are you bonded and fully insured? Will you have your insurance carriers send me proof of insurance? An unlicensed contractor won’t have worker’s comp or liability insurance.<br></li>
<li> How many years of roofing experience do you have?</li>
<li> How long has your business been in existence under the same name?</li>
<li><p>Where is your business located? </p></li>
<li><p>Do you have references in my area? Pictures of finished jobs? </p></li>
<li><p>Do you have experience installing the product I am interested in? </p></li>
<li><p>Do you obtain all required building permits? (The answer should be YES.)</p></li>
<li><p>Are any required inspections carried out by Building Department inspectors? (The answer should be Yes.) </p></li>
<li><p>Do you include all permit costs in your contract price? (Again, YES.)</p></li>
<li><p>Will you provide a detailed written contract of the proposed work involved? </p></li>
<li><p>What is the length of your “workmanship” warranty? How about a product warranty?</p></li>
<li><p>Will my roof installation meet or exceed the manufacturer’s minimum requirements? (YES, it should. It’s a good sign if the roofer exceeds the manufacturer’s min reqs.)</p></li>
<li><p>Do you use only high quality, (number one grade, no seconds) roofing materials? YES.</p></li>
<li><p>Is the job site cleaned on a daily basis? YES.</p></li>
<li><p>Before any payments are made, will you furnish Material and Labor Releases? YES. This is to protect you against any unjust claims should the contractor fail to pay his bills.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>We have a standing seam metal roof with a 50-year warranty. It’s not a “new product” at all, although its use in residential applications is relatively new. It doesn’t grow anything, is lightweight, looks good.</p>
<p>We have also in the past re-roofed over old shingles at the recommendation of several builders; it saves on disposal costs as well as roofing costs.</p>
<p>IMHO, the most important thing to ask is “what kind of music do you listen to?” We had the members of a rock ‘n’ roll band roof one house (yes, they were licensed) and they played heavy metal really loud. And it came right through the roof. The great thing about them was that they didn 't start until about 10 AM, then worked until 6, which I preferred to the later roofers who did a different house and started at 6:30 AM every day. Those roofers listened to bad country and western. Really loud.</p>
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<p>Dmd: LOL but you are SO right!
I have a friend who hired a contractor solely on the basis that the guy liked bel canto. It turned out to be an inspired choice, and not only musically. Besides singing Rossini and Puccini, etc…, he did a first-rate job and did not shatter any glass.</p>
<p>Once again, thanks everybody for taking the time to help me with this. I now have a good long list. </p>
<p>I’d rather listen to heavy metal than Rush though…</p>
<p>If you live anywhere near where they ever have wildfires, do not mess around with any kind of shingles. Get fire-proof tiles.</p>
<p>Here in San Diego after the late summer fire season, so often you see a ravaged neighborhood where the wooden shingle homes are all piles of ashes and the tile roof homes are still standing.</p>
<p>Seconding Coureur’s advice on a high fire-resistance rating. Class “A” roofing material has the highest fire-resistance rating and can stand up to severe exposure to fire. It’s a good idea, imho, even if you don’t live in wildfire country, but you have one or more fireplaces. </p>
<p>We got rid of our old cedar shake roof right after the big Oakland Hills fire in 1991. Opted for the “fire proof” new cement/fiber composite shakes that we ended up having to totally replace seven years later. :o</p>
<p>Nothing like a good slate roof. Hard to retrofit and you need to live in the house 50 years to make it pay but they look terrific IMHO.</p>