By: Tom Ingram, Coastal Windows & Exteriors

Ladies and Gentlemen, spring has finally arrived! Many of us New Englanders have never been so thrilled to experience the joys of spring. Saturday afternoon baseball games, green grass (or seeing grass in general), flowers and trees beginning to come into bloom, and that cool spring breeze have given us the gratification that we have weathered one of the worst storms that New England has seen in a long time. However, if you’re like thousands of other homeowners in Massachusetts, after your stomachs are full of hot dogs and cold beverages from the day at the ballpark, you come back to a home that has taken a beating from the record breaking snowfall.

Ice dams have caused massive amounts of damage to the interiors and exteriors of many homes in the North East. In a perfect world, being able devote hours of your time researching companies and meeting with them to decide which contractor best suits you would be amazing. I highly doubt that one would make a wrong decision if that was the case. The fact of the matter is, the majority of us do not have the time to devote to the strenuous decision making process when it comes to picking the roofing company that will provide you with a roof that protects your number one asset, your home. If it isn’t our long hours on the job that makes this a challenge, the immediate need to fix snow and ice damage is forcing people to make rash decisions regarding their contractors. This can be just as scary as seeing a three foot ice dam filling your gutters and roof line with the inevitable water damage soon to follow.

Now you may be wondering ‘why is picking a roofing contractor such a scary thought?’ According to the Better Business Bureau, “Construction and Remodeling Services” ranks in the Top 1% of most customer complaints received! Do you know which of the many construction projects rank the highest complaints for the entire industry? You guessed it, ROOFING! Don’t get me wrong, when a new roof goes onto a home, it almost always looks amazing. However, one in three Angie’s List members who took an online poll and had roofing work done say they had an issue with their contractor or developed a roofing problem down the line. Nearly 70% of those who took the poll stated that “shoddy work” was the problem. Others cited that trouble with the roofing contractor price gouging, a lack of insurance and/or licensing, or the contractor took their money and ran. Attorney Generals also attempt to warn consumers annually to be wary of roofing fraud and scam artist (if you check out the article cited at the bottom of the page, you can find ways to avoid the top 5 roofing scams). Are you scared yet?

Now that I have your attention, the question has to be asked: how do you avoid being a statistic by choosing the right roofing contractor? After all, a new roof can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to protect an asset that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a huge investment and should be (although in most cases it isn’t) a one-time investment. I’d say that a pretty big deal!

Simple Tips for Finding the Right Massachusetts Roofing Contractor:

1.Get a Reference

One of the hardest parts about picking the right contractor is having a sense of trust that the contractor will do a great job. A reliable method of choosing the right contractor is to query your friends, neighbors and peers on who they have trusted in the past. Simply put, ask if they’ve had their roof done. If so, questions that you may want to ask are: Were they happy with the job that the contractor did? What was the experience like? Would they work with the contractor again?

Just think about it, would you go with the chain restaurant that blast commercials on your television nightly or when you want a great meal, would you go to the new local restaurant that your friends rave about Monday morning at work? Why should choosing a contractor being any different?

If you are new to a community and do not have this avenue, look on trusted websites. Companies like GAF have what’s called GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractors. These are contractors that the manufacture GAF trusts to install a manufacture backed lifetime warranty (only 2% of roofing contractors in the nation qualify for this!). Another trusted resource is Angie’s List which has the Super Service Award only give to companies which have maintained “A” ratings for customer reviews.

2. Do Your Research

If you have identified at least three qualified roofers, you should start to investigate each of these roofing contractors. Contacting your local chamber of commerce is a quick and easy way to check to see if there are any outstanding complaints filed against the company in question. When investigating these companies, you also want to make sure that they are fully licensed and insured. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a roofer is not mandated to be insured before they get their license. God forbid someone were to fall off of the roof in any circumstance, but if a worker were fall off of your roof and the contractor was not insured, guess who’s covering their workman’s compensation? YOU!

3. Meet with the Prospective Contractors

Now that your list of prospects is narrowed down, have them meet with you. Feel out the personality of the contractor. The contractor should be excited to meet your needs to provide you with an excellent service. Also, make sure you make a list of questions that are your greatest concerns when it comes to the roofing process. Any reliable contractor should be able to answer all of your questions without hesitation. With that being said, I understand it can be intimidating speaking with an expert in a field that you may know very little about. Do not hesitate to ask questions that could ease you through the selection process. If it’s important for you to know an answer, just ask the question! A reputable MA roofing contractor should be able to professionally ease your concerns with an answer. Examples of questions you may want to ask are: Which materials are being used on the roof and why? Have you done other jobs in the area I can look at? Do you have references that wouldn’t mind speaking with me personally? What weather proofing prevention methods will you use besides the basic shingle application? How long will this project take? What is the man-power needed for a project like this? What kind of warranty will I receive when the project is finished?

4. Get the Work in Writing!

Work should not be done without a signed contract that details all of the work to be done on your new roofing system. If specialty work is needed and promised, you must protect yourself by having it in writing. If the contractor does not have appropriate documents for specific work, you must request an addendum or work order laying out the specifics of your unique job. The saying ‘a man is only as good as his word’ comes to mind when people shake hands on a deal. If the contractors’ spoken word is so strong, having it documented in ink should not be an issue. A reputable Massachusetts roofing contractor should request to have every aspect of a job in writing anyhow to protect the homeowner and also to protect himself as a business. This will make the process as smooth and painless as possible.

5. Good Roofing isn’t Cheap, Cheap Roofers aren’t Good

Sticker shock is a big problem in the roofing industry. This happens because the industry has changed significantly in the past 20 years. With that change, products are becoming more expensive. Research and development have made many advancements that can provide you with a better looking, longer lasting roof. These advancements are being made in the quality of the products and the methods in which these products are installed. This is a far cry from nailing shingles down as a summer job. Doing a quality roof in this day and age is not a cheap remodeling project. The great contractors in the industry are installing these pricey roofing systems now-a-days because they know for a fact they can be proud that they put their name on it. Also it keeps their cost down because of the rare service calls that come along with these new roofing systems. With that being said, if a contractors’ price seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a contractor is significantly cheaper than all other bidders, he’s most certainly sacrificing in 1 of 3 areas of your project. Craftsmanship/labor (hiring day laborers or under-qualified workers for installation for cheaper wages), Product (not replacing all old products like flashing or using extremely cheap products that are not suitable for a long lasting roofing system), or Warranty (changes license number often so warranties do not exist for those problems you’ll see down the line). Without getting technical in the multiple graphs you’ll see on websites, remodeling magazines and relator publications, simply ask yourself: What is the value of my home? Do I think paying [x] amount of dollars for this roof is giving me the peace of mind that it will protect my number one investment? After all, you’re not just gambling with your money, you’re also gambling with your home and everything that the roof should protect inside your home.

Spring finally has given us the sigh of relief we’ve all needed – days of clear skies, near perfect weather and the satisfaction of driving with your windows down listening to your favorite tunes. We know that winter has finally left us for good, but she didn’t leave without leaving her mark on us homeowners here in Massachusetts. Spring has sprung, and roofing season has begun! When choosing your roofing contractor in Massachusetts take these steps to ensure you make the right choice. Above all else, trust your intuition.

Good Luck!

Resources:

www.angieslist.com/articles/roo-rip-beware-scams-shoddy-contactors.htm

www.gaf.com/roofing/residential.htm

www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-find-a-coofing-contractor