11 Things to Consider when Choosing Commercial Roofing Contractor

Commercial building projects are larger in scope, involve specialized materials and knowledge, require larger crews, and deal with bigger budgets. Therefore, choosing the right professional for your commercial roofing project is critical for the successful accomplishment.

Here is a list of factors you must consider when choosing a commercial roofing contractor.

A commercial roofer must have the proper licenses, certificates, and affiliations

This is a must. You should always ask the potential candidates for their license, certificates as well as insurance. You must ensure that the roofer is licensed to practice in your state and all his paperwork is up to date including worker’s compensation and liability coverage. You can get information from the licensing department in your state and don’t hesitate to call their insurance carrier to check if it is still valid. Some states do not require insurance such as Texas, so it is not a requirement for commercial roofing companies in Kansas City.

Having confirmation is essential because you can be financially responsible for damages to property and body if an accident takes place or something wrong happens during roofing service, repair, and installation.

Since it is a commercial building, you will be subject to regular inspections. So, it is vital that you ensure that all the employees working on the project are trained and certified and not just the contractor so that your roof is sound and pass those inspections. So, it is vital to be clear on the papers’ side if you wish to avoid facing thousands of dollars in unexpected costs in case something were to go wrong.

Look Locally

Look for a local quality commercial roofer with an established reputation in your community. Not only will the local roofing crew know the roofing necessities of local businesses but also have a local reputation to uphold with its every new installation. So, you can have a roof with high quality.

Furthermore, hiring a far-away company is not good because they can be out of sight long before the roof’s standard warranty period comes to an end. Therefore, it is important to select a local, established company you know will be there when you need them.

Ask for referrals and recommendations

Every company says it’s the best, but the only proof of a company being best is its satisfied customers. Thus, you must ask your business associates, friends, and even other businesses for their recommendations. Your contacts will be able to give you their honest insight into any roofing companies they have used in the past and whether their work has stood up to the expectations and the test of time. Ask questions about:

▪         Friendliness of staff

▪         How well they communicated on the job

▪         Whether the follow-up work needed before the job was completed satisfactorily.

It will also provide you with an accurate idea of a company’s customer service, its workmanship, and what your experience with the commercial roofer will be like. However, it is good to have the referral that has had work done recently and make sure to ask for their previous work’s portfolio.

A written proposal is a must

Always ask for a detailed and written proposal and inspect it for their full descriptions of the work and specifications. These should include estimated starting and completion dates as well as payment procedures and their expertise in the commercial roofing sector.

Insist on the company to provide its portfolio with client references and a list of finished projects. You can call these clients to learn whether they were satisfied.

Make sure the company has expertise in all commercial roofing matters

A commercial building cannot be exposed to the risk of an inexperienced roofer who cannot handle all the matters of working on this kind of roof. It can turn into serious frustration for you if you have to hire multiple companies to work on one roof or the company subcontract the job to different establishments. It will only lead to more mistakes and problems which will likely to arise from working with unknown companies.

The lowest bidder does not always mean the greatest value

It is true that you would want to save money but remember a low price doesn’t mean it is the best. Most companies who offer incredibly tempting low prices, tend to use low quality materials, substandard installation techniques to keep costs low and cut corners to outbid competitors.

It will only cost you more money in the long run and can also lead to complete roof failure in extreme cases. Therefore, make sure to ask the company how it arrived at the given estimate before signing the contract. Normally, more middle-of-the-road pricing is the safer bet.

Don’t rely solely on advertisements

Expensive and flashy ads are not the indication of quality. Therefore, you must conduct research and check the company reviews. You can check online sites like Angie’s List or the establishments like the Better Business Bureau or Department of Professional Regulation to see if there have been any significant complaints about the roofing contractor you are interested in. In case you find any complaints, must pay attention to the patterns because 1 or 2 customers might be looking to grind with bad reviews.

However, if there are several reviews criticizing the company’s slow response time or neglected appointments, you will get to know a lot about how they operate.

Read Documented Policies

Documented quality assurance measures and written safety policies are both signs of a strong company with a promise to excellence. You can also ask for a supervisor review of all work for quality assurance before signing off on the job.

Ask plenty of questions

Asking questions is vital to evaluate their qualifications and make an informed decision. You may not know the commercial roofing terms like elastomeric roof coatings or bitumen rolls, but there are a lot of things you can ask to assess them like:

▪         how long the company has been in business

▪         ask the contractor to explain his project supervision

▪         the company’s quality control procedure

▪         how many workers will the job requires

▪         what is the estimated completion time for the proposed job

These questions will give you a good idea about their work as most companies with poor reputations don’t last for long generally and have a satisfactory portfolio or proposal. Generally, the roofing company you pick, must have at least five years of experience. Also, a quality and professional company will be happy to answer your questions to ease your worries and form a good relationship.

Make inquiries about the company’s safety record

Safety is central to your employees and clients, and the same goes for any vendor you select, especially a commercial roofer. Therefore, choose a company that is committed to worker safety and education. You can ask the company what kind of safety training the company provides for the workers and what industry education programs they have attended.

A good company will readily provide you with its data to validate their claims which will be a good sign of the company’s overall culture and good work habits.

Get everything in writing

A reputable commercial roofing company will provide a written agreement detailing the estimated price, the scope of the project, and the expected completion date before getting started. This document is vital because it communicates the written comprehension of what you can expect from the company, and for what price.