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Twelve Questions to Ask a Commercial Roofing Contractor

Print it, or keep it open on your phone. Ask all of them the same twelve when vetting a roofing contractor. The value is not in any single answer, it is in comparing three sets of answers to identical questions.

The twelve

Twelve, Grouped by What They Reveal

About the roof
01

About the roof: what did you find, how did you find it, and can I see it?

Ask what they physically did. Walked the whole roof or the area above the leak. Scanned for moisture or not. Photographed it or not. This is the difference between a survey and a look.

About the roof
02

About the roof: how much of the insulation is wet, and what does your bid do about it?

The most expensive thing that can be left out of a quote. If they cannot tell you how much is wet, they did not measure it.

About the system and the warranty
03

About the system: what mil thickness is specified, and what are you applying?

Coverage is written against thickness. This is where most price gaps live and it is invisible after the job.

About the system and the warranty
04

About the warranty: is it prorated, and what does it pay in year fifteen?

Get the number, not the reassurance. The arithmetic is here.

About the system and the warranty
05

About the warranty: will the manufacturer warranty be registered, and will you send me the registration?

Registration is a real step somebody has to perform after the work. Ask to receive the document.

About the company
06

About the company: are you certified in the system you are installing?

Ask for it in writing and ask which specific systems it covers.

About the company
07

About the company: who physically does the work, your crews or subcontractors?

It matters most at the point the warranty is claimed rather than on the day.

About honesty
09

About honesty: when did you last tell someone their roof did not need what they asked for?

A real assessment process produces recent examples. A sales process does not.

About honesty
10

About honesty: is there a case where you would recommend replacing this rather than coating it?

Any competent contractor has a clear answer. Watch for whether the line exists at all.

About the job
11

About the job: what disrupts my building, and on which days?

Tear-off and restoration differ enormously here, and the answer should be specific to your building and your tenants.

About the job
12

About the paperwork: what will I have when this is finished?

Photographs, scope, invoice, warranty document and registration. Ask now, because it is much harder to assemble later.

The one that sorts contractors fastest

“Who services this roof in year three?”

The one that sorts contractors fastest. Listen for whether the answer is a person and a process or a change of subject.

How to Get Value From Veting a Contractort

01

Ask all bidders the same twelve

In the same order. The comparison is the product, not any individual answer.

02

Write the answers down during the meeting

Memory blends three conversations into one within a week. A page per contractor solves it.

03

Notice which questions get deflected

A deflection is data. The questions that get answered with a change of subject are usually the ones that matter.

04

Decide on the scopes, then the price

In that order. The criteria behind these questions are set out separately.

Straight answers

About the List

A good one will be pleased, because most of these questions are the ones that make a thorough bid look expensive for no visible reason. Being asked is how vetting a roofing contractor lets a properly scoped quote explain itself.

Who services this roof in year three. It cannot be answered with a brochure, it exposes whether anyone has thought past the invoice, and it is the question behind every complaint we hear about previous commercial roofing contractors.

The thickness, whether the warranty is prorated, and year three. Those three between them cover materials, coverage and accountability.

Yes, and ask for a roof of similar type and age rather than the best job they ever did. Then ask the reference one question: what happened when something went wrong.

A written scope with thickness and moisture treatment stated, the warranty document with the prorated question answered, and confirmation of certification. If any of those three is missing, it is not yet a decision you can defend.

Still not sure which of these matter most for your building? Call 814-720-1081 and ask.

The Next Step

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