5 Things To Consider When Hiring A Roofing Constructor For Your Family Home.

About a year after my husband and I got married, a flash flood ravaged our home. The dirty water stunk up our rooms, ruined our books and destroyed our clothing. But the flood was nothing when compared with the fire that gutted the building on New Year’s Eve of 2018. I still remember the thick, black smoke that billowed from the roof. After the fire men emptied two trucks of water, the fire died slowly. However, the roof was gone.

Ignore Pharrel Willims. A house without a roof is not happy. It is impossible to romanticize a roofless home. Your family can’t feel safe. Couples can't make love under a burnt out roof with charred zinc dangling precariously from partially burned beams. Especially not when you've lost your favorite home appliances.

In our case, we became squatters at my father-in-law’s house. From our temporary accommodation, we consulted structural engineers and other roofing constructors. We desperately wanted the services of an excellent roofing expert. A professional like Westchase Roofing, for example.

If your house has been ravaged by a storm, a hurricane or time, you might be considering buying a new roof as well. If, on the other hand, the roof has a few loose shingles, you probably don’t need a completely new roof. You need to contact a roofing contractor if:

·         The roof has been completely destroyed (as was the case with us)

·         The old roof is already showing signs of granule debris, bald shingles and shingle damage.

·         Your roof leaks water during the rainy season

·         There are watermark stains on the ceiling

·         There are general signs of wear and tear.

Now that you have established that a roof replacement is necessary, here are 5 things you need to consider. 

1.      Learn about available shingle options

If you don’t do enough research, you might miss an opportunity to choose the best roofing shingles for your home. Homeowners or property owners who have small budgets are more likely to get better deals, if they study all the available shingle options.

• What should you look for in a roofing shingle?
•   Matching style and color (make sure it’s a fit for the design and color of your home) 
• ·What kind of weather elements will your shingles have to contend with? For instance, Houses in hurricane prone areas require more durable roof shingles.

• ·         Shingle warranty

• Guidelines regarding installation of shingles.
• And of course, the cost of the shingles.

2.      Contractor's level of expertise

Reliable roofing contractors are hard to find. But if you’re patient and vigilant enough, you can find an excellent roof contractor to install or repair your roof. 

First things first, here are important things to consider before you hire a roofing expert:

·         Level of experience

·         Customer reviews

·         Licenses and insurance

·         Do they have the right tools and equipment?

Hire a good contractor so that you will get a decent and durable roof over your home.

3.      Experience with the exact kind of roof shingles you want to install.

It is one thing for a contractor to be experienced in general roofing. But it is another thing for the roof contractor to be experienced in installing your preferred type of roof shingle.

When hiring a contractor, engage them in a conversation. Learn more about their work history. Have they installed the exact kind of roof you’re interested in? Asking the right questions will help you to avoid the common mistakes that homeowners make when hiring a contractor.

4.      Budget

Of course, budget is everything. So before you sign that agreement with a contractor, make sure that you have seen a quote.

A quote is an estimate of the cost required to execute the roofing project. You can request quotes from a couple of contractors. Not only will this give you an idea of the cost, it will also help you choose the right roofing expert for you.

It is pointless to hire an expert you can’t afford. Before you sign the dotted lines, look at your budget.

5.      Read the contract agreement

Many homeowners make the mistake of rushing off to sign on the dotted lines, even before they have read the contents of the agreement. This is a wrong move.

Before you sign that contract agreement, be sure to read the terms and conditions. If you aren’t comfortable with any clause, be sure to complain and change it. Make inquiries where necessary. Ask questions about the things you don’t understand. 

Some contracts are structured in ways that are sometimes, unfavorable to the homeowners. So before you sign that document, ensure that you’ve read and thoroughly understood the terms and conditions on the page. After all, you would do the same if you had to buy a home appliance or a car.

Final thoughts on things to consider when hiring a roofing contractor. 

Hiring the right roofing expert is important. We realized this after we began searching for an expert to replace our roof. Had we hired an experienced roofing expert early on, we would have gotten a more durable roof. It took a fire outbreak for us to learn our lesson. Read more about how a poor roofing job can cause a fire outbreak here. Before you make any decisions, ensure that you have considered the right things.