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What You Need To Know About Selecting the Right Roofing Company



Selecting the right roofing company is tricky business because,from the outset, almost every company looks like the right choice to someone who doesn't have intricate and in-depth knowledge about the roofing industry. Given that we are talking about the average homeowner here, they are not the minority!
Even if you have decent knowledge about roofing itself, it doesn’t mean that you know the local businesses who are offering those roofing installation services to you. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it helps immensely if you really do have a bit of understanding about how roofers work, because then you may be able to find out if your potential roofing company is really as knowledgeable as they claim to be. There is still a lot of guesswork involved though, since there is no guarantee that just because a roofing company consists of knowledgeable workers, they will do their job as diligently as they should.
As roofs are indeed huge investments and the right roofer can help you invest in one that lasts a lifetime, it’s worth the extra effort necessary to take the guesswork out of the selection process. To that end, let’s now discuss a few key points which will let you find the best possible options you have in your area.
Check Their Reputations: It’s Not that Hard to Find Out
Even if you have just moved into the area and your knowledge about the local roofing services are little to none, the internet is there to help you. Search for contractors online, or simply check the user reviews to see if a local roofing company really does have the reputation it claims to have.
If you want to go old school instead, there’s a more direct way to check the reputation of a roofing contractor, which is by asking them for their previous clientele’s contact info. Just call up a few of them and ask what kind of a job they did while working on their respective roofs. If they are hesitant in providing the contact info, then it could be a sign that their reputation might not indeed be so great after all.
Don’t forget to ask your neighbors while checking out the kind of work they have gotten from their contractors first hand. As already mentioned, it helps a lot during these inspections if you can actually tell if the work is good while checking them out.
It’s still more reliable to search the internet for user reviews though. Alternatively, you can also check out the Better Business Bureau ratings, which is an unbiased organization and promotes better business conduct in general. 
Valid Quality Stamps: Very Few Contractors Have These
If you have managed to find an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor near you, you are in luck, because they are among the best in the country. There are only a handful of Platinum Preferred Contractors in the whole of the United States, and they are not just authentic and trustable - they will,without a shadow of doubt, provide you with the best roofing services available to retain their Platinum standard.
In California, Semper Solaris is an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor for roofing installation, repairs, maintenance and other services. They cover nearly all major sections of the state, so if you can get the roofing company to work on your project, you don’t have anything to worry about in regard to quality. Semper Solaris even states that most roofing installation projects done by them last a lifetime, as these are designed to withstand heat, rain and wind, specific to the Californian climate in general.
An additional advantage of working with a local roofing company like this is that they are, by default, better accustomed to both the roofing code regulations and where to find the best raw material suppliers in the area - both of which can be a serious issue for an outside contractor, irrespective of how good they might be.
Do a Bit of Research on Roofing Itself
Like already mentioned, most contractors seem okay in the beginning, but it’s not until you start to actually talk to them that you realize your mistake. That revelation is brought on by the fact that during your discussions and questions, they are unable to answer certain basic/advanced questions or simply avoid those topics altogether.
That is a red flag because after all, no roofer should be stumped by someone who has only decent understanding of the job that they are supposed to have been doing professionally for years! Read up a bit even if you do not have specific knowledge about roofing in particular, and if you still manage to stump them, it’s time to look for another roofing company.
Expect a Long Warranty Period
Roofs are supposed to last for decades if not longer, but that only happens if the work is good enough. On the other hand, if the work is good enough, there is no reason why the contractor should not be offering a long warranty period. Platinum Preferred roofers are going to give you decades of warranty, which might very well be a lifetime for most people.
In case the warranty period seems rather short, it is a dead giveaway that you are dealing with a company that does not have faith in their own work, and neither should you for that matter!
License and Insurance Check
Depending on the state, not all general contractors and roofers may require licenses, but it’s always better to make sure that the workers have specific training to work on your roof safely.
Insurance is by default a must, because the last thing you would want would be for one of the roofers to get injured on the job and sue you for negligence. Even if you can’t find any logic behind it, there is a high chance that they will win too, so make sure your roofing company has a comprehensive insurance policy to not just protect the workers, but also to protect your property if they end up damaging it.
In case they do not have insurance, you will have to likely hire a lawyer and sue them instead to get the necessary compensation for the damage to your home, which is another situation nobody really wants to go through during or after a roof renovation/replacement project.
How to Screen the Final One: Budget Can be a Good thing Here!
When you have managed to find more than one roofing company that you like, but can’t decide between the two, try and get a better quote from both of them and see who has a better offer. At this point in time, the best part from the homeowner’s perspective is that they can’t really go wrong either way, as they have already screened and selected the best roofers around. 
Whichever one you pick will likely do a good job to bolster their reputation and live up to the expectations that they had set already. Budget becomes the only constraint now, so go with the cheaper one if you can’t find any validity in spending more by going with the more expensive contractor. It is to be noted though, if the difference between their quotes is huge, there will be a significant difference in quality as well.

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