Home construction, renovations and repairs are tasks that call for professional help.

No matter how eager you might be to do it on your own, you’d be better off hiring someone who has the knowledge and experience to do the job right. No matter what part of your home you plan to have worked on, you can never go wrong when you hire reputable company to get the job done.

The same can be said for roof issues – as tempting as it may be to do some repairing on your own (after all, it’s just the roof right?) you’re better off leaving the job to a trained professional.

The roof is actually one of the most important areas of any home. It makes up a third of your actual home and provides protection for the content and the people inside. So, it's definitely something that is best left to the professional roofing specialist.

But part of the problem is finding the right roofing contractor. So, to make your job easier, we've compiled a list of questions that you should ask any roofing company before you hire them for your roofing job.

Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor

Most construction projects we decide to run heavily depend on the contractor’s expertise and reliability.

If you seek someone to repair or replace your house roof, you want to hire someone who is responsible, qualified and experienced to prevent any catastrophes that might occur.

Before you hire a roofer and sign a contract, make sure that you sit down with them (or chat to them on the phone) and ask the following questions – it will save you a lot of time, nerves and money.

1. Is the company a licensed contractor and a member in good standing of a trade association?

The first thing to do before hiring roofing contractors is checking whether they are licenced – they need to have an appropriate licence for the state where their business is currently operating (and the state where you’re planning to hire them).

Always make sure that their licence is up to date. You can check this information at your local government offices.

2. How long has the roofing company been in business?

The more experienced the contractor is, the better – it’s more likely they will do satisfactory, high-quality work.

The number of years they survived in the business is a good indicator of the company’s reliability and success.

If possible, hire a contractor with more than five years of experience because research shows that 90 percent of roofing businesses shut down within the first five years.

It's also a good idea to make sure they have experience with your particular type of roof. Whether you have metal roofing, tiled roof, or even terracotta tiles, it's important to ensure the roofing team you choose has experience with it.

If a company has been around for more than 5 years, they should have a wide range of experience.

3. Will the company provide referrals or references from previous jobs?

A professional contractor wouldn’t mind giving you references and phone numbers and addresses of their previous customers.

Call some these customers and ask them if they are satisfied with the contractor’s work and if there were any unpleasant surprises.

Don’t hesitate to reject roofing companies who can’t (or won’t) provide his list of customers.

4. Does the roofing contractor or the company carry insurance?

You might not know this, but if the worker you hire gets injured on your property and he doesn’t have general liability insurance, you will be responsible for his medical expenses.

Also, if the contractor doesn’t have insurance, you will be held responsible for all the damage that happens on your property.

Always ask a contractor to provide certificates that prove their insurance coverage, and to confirm that the insurance type they have is appropriate for your property and area.

5. Does the roofing contractor do onsite inspections and provide written estimates?

Only an onsite inspection can provide the contractor with all the necessary information for estimating the condition of the roof.

If a contractor asks you about the roof over the phone (shape, size, condition) and avoids an onsite inspection, you might want to hire another roofer.

An onsite inspection prior to any contract confirmation or quote is so important because this gives them the chance to actually not only see the size of the roof they are working with, but also the roof structure, the condition of the roofing materials, and really understand your roofing needs.

Also, ask for a detailed and written estimate with all specific costs before you sign a contract.

6. What kind of warranty or guarantee comes with the service? Is it provided by you, the manufacturer, or both?

If your roofer tells you that the manufacturer’s warranty is provided, ask whether it’s a material-only or material plus workmanship warranty.

The materials are usually under a manufacturer’s warranty, but ask the contractor to give you at least a two-year warranty on his workmanship.

A warranty protects you in case something does go wrong. While great roofing companies will do all that they can to ensure their workmanship and the materials they use are of the highest quality, your roof can be affected by so many different things, so having the warranty in your back pocket is always going to provide peace of mind.

Always keep the copy of the warranty your contractor proposed to you./

7. Does my roof need to be repaired or entirely replaced?

Ask your roofer what he thinks – will your roof “survive” with several repairs or does it need to be removed and replaced with a new one?

In some cases, replacing damaged shingles can extend your roof’s lifetime up to 10 or even 15 years.

In other cases, your roof might look worse than it actually is and really only needs a roof restoration to fix some minor issues and make it look new again.

If the damage to the roof is more severe, it’s better to do a partial reroofing or a complete roof replacement.

8. What is the exact type of roofing system the contractor is proposing and how will it be installed?

If you opted for complete reroofing, you’ll have to make another important decision – whether to install a new roof over the existing one or tear the old one off.

Have in mind that, according to law, you mustn’t put a new roof over two or more applications of roof covering. Therefore, if you have two layers of shingles, you’ll have to remove the old roof before placing a new one.

Your roofing contractor should be on top of all of these rules and advise you of the options available and the limitations you may face.

9. What happens if you take longer to complete this job than we originally agreed to?

When talking with your potential roofer, it’s best to ask questions about unexpected and unpleasant situations that might easily occur.

Failing to meet the objectives stated in the contract is certainly something you’ll want to discuss in advance to see how your contractor would behave in such a situation. Whatever you agree on should be specified in the contract.

Roofing work can be affected by the weather, so ensure you ask what happens in the event of bad weather making it difficult to complete the work.

Your roofing specialist in Sydney

If you are looking for a roofing company in Sydney that is highly experienced, has a lot of satisfied customers and is insured and qualified, then Roofline is the team for you.

For more than 20 years, we've been providing our roofing services all over Sydney on all kinds of homes and buildings. Whether you're looking for a roof cleaning service, a roof restoration, or just want some peace of mind about the current condition of your roof, we can help you.

You can get in touch with us by clicking here or calling us on 1800 555 800.

What Questions Should You Ask Your Roofing Contractor?