A new roof is a substantial investment. On average, a new roof costs between $8,500 and $14,000. Be careful not to put too much stock in these figures. Average costs vary significantly in different areas. Also, a new roof on a Hollywood mansion costs much more than a new roof on a starter home in Phoenix. Nevertheless, regardless of the expense, homeowners need to know they have the best partner possible before they sign on the dotted line. Since modern roofs last so long, many people have little or no idea how to select a Phoenix roofing contractor.
After you look over these tips, you’ll agree that Four Peaks Roofing is the only roofing contractor your family can trust to get the job done quickly and correctly. We are not a cut-rate, fly-by-night contractor. We’ve been in the roofing business for over thirty years. When you only do one thing, which is to install and repair residential and commercial roofs, you’d better do it well. And we do these things very well.
Ensure Legal Compliance When Selecting a “Roofer Near Me”
First things first. The last thing you want is a Phoenix roofing contractor that plays fast and loose with applicable laws or, even worse, ignores them altogether. Legal non-compliance, even something like an expired license, should be a deal-breaker. Generally, contractors that don’t take care of business don’t do good jobs. Additionally, when the law comes after these contractors, you’ll probably get dragged into the fray.
Start with Occupational Safety and Health compliance. Click here to find a company’s OSHA citation history. Quite simply, workers who feel unsafe are resentful workers who take shortcuts so they finish as quickly as possible. These workers are usually B-team roofers as well. A-team roofers don’t tolerate unsafe conditions.
At the same time, bear in mind that almost anything can happen once. So, don’t judge too harshly. But even a single citation for a failed worker drug test is a major red flag. Multiple citations, even for unrelated items, are an issue as well.
Verify other areas also, such as insurance and DOT compliance. A workplace injury lawsuit or DOT action could put the contractor out of business, making your warranty useless.
At Four Peaks Roofing, we are completely transparent in all these areas. Our compliance certificates are available for the asking.
Roof Warranty Accessibility
Speaking of warranties, ensure that the contractor offers night and weekend warranty work. Roof damage usually doesn’t occur between 9 and 5 on weekdays. The full team need not spring into action on Thanksgiving Day at midnight. But a single person should at least be on call. That person can do a quick patch job, monitor the situation, and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
On a related note, when you carefully review warranty information, think like an insurance adjuster. If there’s any way to get out of warranty work, most contractors will take that out.
Once again, at Four Peaks Roofing, we’re completely transparent. We invite you to take a look at our on-call sheets that shows 24/7/365 availability. We also keep our documents simple and go easy on the Legalese.
Referrals
We started with legal compliance and warranty accessibility because many people don’t think to ask about these things. Almost everyone knows they should look at professional and customer referrals. But not everyone knows how to conduct this search without spending hours online.
When you check professional references, don’t ask general questions about professional reputation. Phoenix roofing contractors are a tight-knit bunch. We rarely throw each other under the bus. Instead, ask specific questions. Employee-related questions are a good example. For instance, ask a contractor, “Do you have any workers who used to work at XYZ company?” Follow up with a question like “Did they know what they were doing?”
As for customer reviews, don’t rely exclusively on online reviews. Reach out to former customers personally. When you hear negative feedback, and you should ask if XYZ did anything to make it right.
Positive feedback only, both professional and customer, is a red flag. No one satisfies everyone all the time. Once again, we’re transparent in this area. When you check our references, you’ll hear everything from “they were awesome” to “they were terrible.” We trust you to decide for yourself what to believe.
Workforce Composition
We started with worker issues, and we’ll end with worker issues. Many workers jump around. When business slows down at XYZ, workers sign on with ABC. Even more commonly, many roofers believe the grass is always greener on the other side. Therefore, many roofing contractors use roofing subcontractors. Sometimes, contractors use subcontractors as primary employees instead of supplementary workers.
The workers who come to your home should meet legal standards, like E-Verify standards. Once again, if regulators shut the contractor down, customers suffer. Additionally, the best roofers take a balanced approach. They work efficiently, yet they have pride in their work and take time to do things right.
Lack of transparency and equivocating answers (e.g. “I’ll check on that”) are big red flags. But it’s easy to hide employee issues. We tell prospective customers to drive by one of our worksites and observe the workers for themselves. You don’t have to be a roofing expert to tell the difference between day laborers and dedicated professionals.
Contact Our Phoenix Area Roofing Professionals
At Four Peaks Roofing, our top priorities are customer satisfaction and professional service. To start the process, go online now or call us today!
