A roof is one of the most important elements of your home, so it is crucial to select a good roofing contractor to protect what you value most – your family and your home. Estate Exteriorshighlights three important points to remember when selecting a quality roofing contractor:
Is your roofing contractor licensed and insured to work in your area? Is your roofing contractor trying to win the job by simply giving you the lowest price while cutting corners and leaving steps out? Is your roofing contractor a system-based roof installer?
Hire a reputable and insured roofing contractor
The reputation and long-term solvency of the roofing contractor is very important, especially if you consider that when you install a Limited Lifetime shingles on your roof, you may need to contact the roof contractor at a later time for roof repair work under warranty.
You should also ask to see a copy of the roofing contractor’s roofing license to operate in Illinois. It is important to ensure the roof contractor carry liability insurance, which in turn ensures you and your home are protected in the event something goes wrong.
With roofing contractors, “you get what you pay for”
There are many ways that “fly-by-night” roofing contractors can cut corners just so they can win your roofing contract. Some roof contractors may not carry the necessary coverage and licenses because this adds to their operating costs. Some may leave out important elements off the roof contract to keep prices down, which may explain why the roof cost estimate you receive from various roof contractors vary.
For example, in Illinois’s harsh climate, it is important to install ice shield membranes and felt paper or synthetic underlayment underneath the shingles to prevent water and ice to penetrate your home. If these ice and water protection membranes are not installed, water can leak into your attic causing wood to rot, mold spores to grow, and eventually contaminating you indoor air quality.
System-based roofing contractor leads to long-lasting roof
A good roof is not just a bunch of shingles nailed to the roof plywood. A roof is a system, much like other systems in your house (e.g. plumbing system, heating system) designed to perform at peak efficiency at all times.
At Estate Exteriors, we take a system-based approach to providing you a quality a long-lasting roof installation. This includes Ice and Water Protection Membranes at critical areas, as well as a synthetic underlayment on the roof sheeting. These are required in most roof applications to ensure warranty remains in effect. Some roof manufacturers will not honor their warranty if you leave out these items.