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Guide

Questions worth asking

You do not need to know roofing to ask good questions. You need to know which questions have answers that can be checked.

Guide7 sections1 min readStanton, CA

Get it looked at

Three questions, and up to three Stanton contractors. Free either way.

Free · Up to three quotes

Get it looked at

Three questions, and up to three Stanton contractors. Free either way.

Step 1 of 6

What best describes your home?

Different buildings need different crews, so this is the first thing a roofer asks.

Nothing is charged and nothing is booked.

"What is your licence number, and who holds it?"

Then look it up. You are checking that the licence is current and that the name on it matches the name on the contract you are being asked to sign.

"Can I see a job you finished five years ago?"

Recent work shows tidiness. Older work shows competence. Ask for the older one.

"Who is actually doing the work?"

Ask how long this specific crew has worked together. Roofing companies keep their name and change their hands more often than most trades.

"What happens if the decking is rotten?"

The right answer is a specific price per sheet, written into the contract before work starts. A vague answer here is how a fixed price stops being fixed on day two.

"What does your workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?"

Material warranties come from the manufacturer and are conditional on correct installation. The workmanship warranty is the contractor's own promise, and it is worth exactly as much as the company behind it.

"What underlayment, and how are the valleys done?"

This is the question that reveals whether you are comparing the same roof. Underlayment, ice-and-water placement, drip edge and valley treatment are where quotes quietly diverge.

In short

Write the answers down. Two weeks later, when the quotes have blurred together, the notes are what you will actually decide on.

Related questions

It is leaking right now. What do I do?

Contain the water, photograph everything, and get the request in marked as an emergency. A tarp is the right first job. The permanent repair is a separate conversation and a separate price.

What time of year is best to re-roof in Stanton?

Practically, the long dry run from May to October. Crews are busiest right after the weather turns — November through March — so booking outside that stretch usually buys you a better date and a keener number.

How much deposit is normal?

A third at most, and never the full amount. Pay the balance when the job is finished and you have walked it. Some states cap the deposit by law.

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