Telling A Good Roofer in Grand Rapids Michigan from The Bad

It can seem like there are more horror stories than positive ones when it comes to hiring roofing contractors and people to work on your Grand Rapids Michigan home. Everyone loves to share their nightmare experiences, but fewer people take the time to share the good stories. That means more people expect the worst, making it important to be able to sort the good contractors from the bad. Not every experience needs to be bad, and there are lots of great contractors out there, you just need to know where to look.

Telling A Good Roofer in Grand Rapids Michigan from The Bad

One of the biggest problems for home owners when hiring a roofing contractor is that they aren’t needed frequently. In fact, as long as your roof is properly maintained it can last for 15 or more years. That means that many roofing companies will try and take advantage of this and being aware of what to look for is a must to ensure the roofer you choose for your roofing project is one of the best. While we hope you will choose Grand Rapids Home Pros for all your home improvement needs including roofing, we decided to post some tips about what you should look for in a roofing contractor for your new roof or roof repairs.

Some good ways to sort through roofing contractors to find the right ones for the roofing project you need include:

Staying Local to Your Area 

You should always try to stay as local as possible when hiring contractors. This is because they are easier to contact and work with, as well as get referrals for. You can more easily see examples of their past work, as well as trust that they know the rules and regulations to make sure everything is done to code.

You also avoid issues like traveling roofing contractors which may not be properly licensed, acting more like storm chasers or door to door salesmen. Anyone who comes to you, or isn’t tied down to a place you can reach them, is typically not going to be a safe bet. While some of these contractors can be good, it’s always better to stay with a company that is local to the area.

Getting Several Quotes

By getting several quotes, you can better gain an idea of what the job will cost on average. If someone is charging you a much higher price than average, you are being overcharged. If someone is drastically cutting the price, this can be a sign of poor work quality or added charges once the work begins.

Verifying Their License and Insurance

Never work with anyone who isn’t fully licensed and insured. This both indicates that they put effort into becoming a legal contractor, and removes the liability risk off of you. Make sure that the information is correct and get a copy of it to reference if there are any issues. Someone who will not hand over the information is not going to be someone who is considering your liability and your need to feel secure in hiring them.

Putting Everything in Writing

Without proper contracts there is no security for making sure that they complete the job correctly for the amount of money you agreed to. If a contractor does not want a contract, or refuses to sign it with you and give you a copy, they are not someone you should work with. If they don’t want to include things like describing the work being done, a timeline, payment schedule or repercussions for breaking the contract you should immediately start looking for someone else.

Don’t Feel Pressured

You should never feel like your contractor is pushing you around or pressuring you to do something you aren’t comfortable with. Even something that seems relatively small can come back to bite you if you aren’t thinking things through and going with your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t and that contractor isn’t the one for you. This is especially true if they are trying to get money before the contract is signed or before the job is finished.

 If you have roofing problems be sure to contact Grand Rapids Home Pros today. We offer a full range of roofing services to help protect your home.