When you’re in the market for a new roof, roof repairs, or a roof replacement, you’ll want to consider your options for different roofing companies before you hire one. There’s the obvious steps like checking reviews and insurance policies, but you can take it a step further. If you’re on top of things, you can get a really good idea of which companies do great roofing work by observing them in action and checking their completed work.
The best scenario is when you notice a company vehicle at a job site. This way, you can pull over and see how many of the following items they check off.
How to Spot Great Roofing Work In Action
If you happen to see a roofing crew while they’re working, here’s how to tell if they do great roofing work.
They Use Safety Equipment & Procedures
A trustworthy company will follow safety procedures and construction laws. This protects the staff from injury, but also the property from damage, and the homeowners from liability. Look for safety harnesses and see if they’re tied in to prevent falls.
Also keep in mind that crews shouldn’t work in extreme weather conditions like plus or minus 40° C. Not only is this dangerous for the employees to work in, but many roofing products won’t seal properly in these conditions. If a crew pushes through extreme weather to get a job done, the result will likely be below average quality and could lead to problems later on.
They Represent Their Company With Gear & Decals
Companies that do great roofing work will be proud to represent their brand. They’ll want the public to know which roofs they’ve worked on, so they often wear company shirts, hoodies, and hats. They’ll also show up in a company truck complete with branded decals.
Having said this, it’s good practice for a roofing crew to wear company clothes because the homeowner can feel confident that the crew they hired is the same crew that showed up. You might be surprised at how many companies sub out work they’ve been hired for.
They Remove Old Shingles & Damaged Materials
Roofers should remove old shingles and damaged materials like plywood before laying down the new product. This may seem like an extra step, but it’s done to prevent additional work in the future. If you install a roof over rotten plywood it could lead to leaks and structural issues. If they lay a roof over existing shingles, they’ll miss any other issues under those existing shingles.
A great roofing crew will lay the proper underlayment on each roof and thoroughly inspect the area for anything that could lead to a future issue.
They Keep A Clean Work Site
If the roofing crew keeps a tight job site, you can feel more comfortable knowing the job they’re doing will be clean as well. Plus a clean sites is safer as it minimizes trips and falls.
There’s a few exceptions to this though. Sometimes it’s impossible to keep the site clean if there’s nowhere on the property to store materials. For example, a tight fence along the property can mean the crew will have to put old shingles on the ground and walk them to their trailer.
They Keep A Respectful Environment for the Neighbourhood
In addition to keeping their site clean, a great roofing crew should show up on time, start early, practice good time management, and respect any neighbours. Yes, having the radio on while they work is OK, but the volume doesn’t need to be on full blast (especially not at 8 a.m. on a Saturday).
They Take Pictures for Proper Documentation
At C&M Roofing, we take before and after pictures for every one of our clients. We understand that most of our clients can’t get onto their own roof, so we like to show them the work they’re paying for. If you see a roofer taking pictures as they work, they’re likely documenting their efforts for the homeowner’s benefit.
How to Spot Great Roofing Work After the Job is Finished
It’s hard to spot great roofing work after the work has been completed. Most roofs will simply look new and tidy, but there’s still some things you can look out for if you know which company installed the roof.
There’s No Obvious Issues
There should be no obvious issues (like missing shingles) on a new roof. It could indicate that the roof wasn’t installed properly which means more problems are likely to show up in the future. Roofs are meant to last 20 to 50 years or more—if you’re seeing issues in the first few years that’s not a good sign.
The Company Installed New Vents & Plumbing Stacks
A good thing to look out for is the other parts of the roof, other than the shingles. A lot of companies don’t change vents or plumbing stacks to save money when they redo a roof, they just reuse the existing ones.
But this isn’t good practice because it means the shingles will last longer than the parts they’re reusing, so they’ll need to come back and address those issues another time.
Vents and plumbing stacks are often made out of plastic that’s been there for twenty years. They should be replaced when the rest of the roof is replaced. If you see old vents, plumbing stacks, or metal surrounding chimneys on a newly redone, roof it’s often an indication that company didn’t do great roofing work.
There’s No Garbage Left at the Job Site
If you happen to see a brand new roof right after the crew left, the site should be clean with no garbage left lying around. If the roofing crew can’t clean up the ground after themselves, what kind of work did they do on the roof? There’s thousands of nails used during roofing work; if the homeowner only finds one or two, the crew did an excellent job. Having said that, you’ll only find that out by talking to the homeowner.
When you’re looking to hire a company to do work on your roof, there’s a few things you can do. Besides reading reviews and checking for insurance & certifications, you can observe the work they’re currently doing or have recently finished.
