Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Roofing Contractor (Podcast)

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Roofing Contractor (Podcast)

In this episode, John Maher speaks with Brett Rogenski, general manager of Master Roofers, about the important questions homeowners should ask before hiring a roofing contractor. Brett highlights common mistakes, such as not verifying insurance, certifications, and warranties, and explains how these factors are crucial in selecting a trustworthy contractor. He also discusses the importance of working with specialized roofing professionals rather than general contractors. Master Roofers, with over 80 years of experience, emphasizes transparency, high-quality materials, and certified workmanship to deliver lasting results for homeowners.

John Maher: Hi, I am John Maher and I'm here today with Brett Rogenski, general manager of Master Roofers, the most trusted roofing company in New Hampshire for over 80 years. Today we're talking about questions to ask before you choose a roofing contractor. Welcome, Brett.

Brett Rogenski: Thanks, John. I appreciate you having me today.

What are Common Mistakes Made when Choosing a Roofing Contractor?

Maher: Yeah, sure. So Brett, what are some of the most common mistakes that homeowners make when they're choosing a roofing contractor?

Rogenski: You know what? That's a great question. The home improvement contractor industry is one that doesn't honestly have a great reputation. And that is because there are certain... I shouldn't say the homeowner doesn't make mistakes, it's just that maybe they don't know to ask all the right questions. So, I would tell you some of the biggest things are that people have challenges with our comparing warranties, manufacturer certifications, financing.

In the case of roofing, roof inspections and that sort of thing. So some of the most common mistakes are, just assuming that everyone that says they're a roofer is a roofer. For an example, Master Roofers, this is all we do. We do roofing, we do skylights. That's it. We won't build you a deck, we won't replace your windows, we're not going to reside your home for you, we are roofers.

I think if you look at a lot of other people out there, a lot of other folks, they are what you would refer to as just general contractors, and they're putting down flooring today and they may be residing a house tomorrow, and they needed another job because they had an open spot and they're building a deck the week after that. And then they're telling you that they're qualified to put your roof on your house after that. And I would tell you that it's very hard to be a jack of all trades and a master of them at the same time. So again, at Master Roofers, we do one thing and we want to do it the very best that anyone could ever hope for and that's roofing. Residential, commercial, and skylights of course.

Do You Specialize in Roofing?

Maher: Right? So asking your contractor, "Hey, do you specialize in roofing?" Is that all you do or do you do 10 other things also? That's a good question to ask.

Rogenski: Yeah, that is one of the very best questions to ask. And I would also ask anyone who's seeking a roofing contractor for... We gladly provide certificates of insurance and prove that we're in good standing there. I would tell you with any contractor, you should be asking about their insurance and asking for proof of it. Don't just let someone tell you that, "Oh yeah, I'm fully insured." I hope they are. There's a lot of folks that aren't. This is your home. If that person does not have proper insurance and someone that he hired for the day is up on your roof and falls off, unfortunately if that contractor doesn't have proper insurance, that now becomes your problem as the homeowner.

How Do You Know if a Roofing Contractor is Insured?

Maher: Right. So how do you figure that out? Are you looking for something in particular with the insurance? You just looking to get proof, like you said, that they are insured. Does it have to be from a particular insurance company or anything like that?

Rogenski: No, you just want to get what's called, you just want to get a valid up-to-date, properly dated certificate of insurance. And if you say, "Hey, provide me with your COI, certificate of insurance", any reputable company within 24 hours, probably sooner, we'll be able to email that over to you and it'll show that they have proper liability insurance, workers' comp insurance, all that stuff, and their limitations and that sort of thing. If they can't produce that, there's probably a reason.

So, it just proves that they're doing that because you shouldn't have to pay someone and then take on the liability of what if someone gets injured on this or if they do damage to your home. So you hire a non-licensed contractor or someone that doesn't have proper insurance and they get halfway through a job and now they've screwed up your home and they go away, Your insurance company isn't really interested in fixing that, because this isn't an act of God or something.

This is, you hired an uncertified contractor. Wow, it looks like you got a problem, John. That's what it is. So you don't want to put yourself in that. I would also tell you that manufacturer certifications are key. Manufacturers want to maintain their good name as well. So you should have someone present you with a valid, they all produce certificates that show a company is certified and to what level. And those are dated certificates good from date X to date Y.

So, you would want to say, "Hey, you know what? Can you show me your manufacturer certification?" In the case of Master Roofers, we have several certifications. The one that we are most, I guess I would say most proud of is our GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractor certification, because those are only awarded to less than 2% of roofing contractors in North America. And that's GAF saying that we've received sufficient training to qualify, and by the way, that's their top level.

We've received sufficient training and we've also demonstrated to them that we follow their assembly systems, that we're a quality company. It's not just about do you put on a good roof? It's about customer satisfaction and other things. So we put the roof on the way they want it to, they've come and inspected it. We've trained our people and we continue to train them. And that's a separator. What I would tell you is that, any company worth at salt should be able to provide you with that manufacturer certification, showing that's current. Showing that, "Hey, they are in great standing with that manufacturer."

Do Roofing Contractors Have to be Licensed?

Maher: So right. You mentioned licensing as well. Do you just need to be a licensed contractor or is there a specific roofing license that you can get or anything like that?

Rogenski: That's a little different in different spaces. So, we serve New Hampshire, Southern Maine, and then we serve the North Shore of Massachusetts. A little different requirement in each space, to be honest with you. In New Hampshire, there's really not a requirement as a contractor or roofer unless you get into larger commercial items. But for a standard homeowner, and that's part of the challenge with the industry is that, "Hey, you own a truck and a hammer, you can be a roofer." Suddenly I'm a roofer. And that sort of thing. So in New Hampshire, there aren't many restrictions or barriers to entry to letting someone calling themselves a roofer and that sort of thing. So hence why you want to rely on those manufacturer certifications and stuff like that.

In Massachusetts, absolutely there's some limitations around, you should always be working with a licensed home improvement contractor. And they should also have... They typically have someone on their staff that is a licensed contractor as well. So there's different levels in Massachusetts for that, but the business itself should be a home improvement contractor, licensed with the state, and then to be doing roofing. There's a couple different licensure levels that someone in the company must have as well. Maine is a little more like New Hampshire, that it's not as heavily regulated. But again, you want to be working with someone that you know is a solid business entity, a licensed contractor in that state.

Is it Worth Checking to See if a Contractor is Licensed?

Maher: Is it worth, if you were to say in New Hampshire, is it worth checking with your contractor to see if they are licensed, say in Massachusetts, knowing that the barrier to entry is a little higher there, and if they're licensed in Massachusetts, then that probably means that they've hit that level?

Rogenski: I would tell you, you, it doesn't hurt. There are going to be some people who don't serve that area, doesn't mean that they're not a good contractor, doesn't mean they are a good contractor. But certainly I would tell you someone that meets the requirements of Massachusetts, that's probably a green flag that they're at least a little more solid business entity. Then again, in New Hampshire, we don't have very many barriers to entry at all. Someone sticks a magnetic sign on the side of their truck and says they're a roofer. I guess they're a roofer.

Do All Contractors Offer the Same Warranties?

Maher: Right. What about warranties and guarantees? If you're choosing between one contractor and another, should you be looking at those warranties and guarantees and how do you tell the difference between them?

Rogenski: A million percent. That is probably one of the biggest separators out there. So again, the people who are going to be able to offer you good solid warranties are going to have to be manufacturer certified. So that's part of the reason that you want that, see a copy of that certification. Anyone can walk into your home and tell you they're going to do a great roof and that they're going to give you a 30-year warranty. Do they even have the authority to do that? Are they certified by the manufacturer to be able to even do that?

So at Master Roofers, we provide a 10-year workmanship warranty on all of our products. Okay. So that's just our standard, having been here since 1942. So 82 years in business, anyone who does work with us is going to get that 10-year warranty coming straight out of the gate. And then we can provide... Again, I'll focus on GAF, although we work with all manufacturers. With GAF because of our status as a master elite contractor, we can offer warranties on certain systems of up to 50 years, and we provide that to you in writing. You get a copy of the warranty once our work is completed, and that warranty is registered with GAF. So don't just take someone's word for it, make them show you that they are eligible to provide you that warranty. And once the work is done, make sure you get a copy of that warranty.

Unfortunately, we've met some folks who, someone promised them a 30-year warranty and now they're not answering the phone. And then they reach out to the manufacturer and the manufacturer doesn't know anything about it. And so suddenly now the contractor is gone. There was never an actual warranty. Registered customer has no real recourse at that point. Because the manufacturer had it been registered, would be happy to stand behind it. But it turns out the contractor, they just headed down to Home Depot, threw some shingles on the truck, put them on, and now they're gone, and that was it. So you want to avoid that, obviously.

What are Some Red Flags when Choosing a Roofing Contractor?

Maher: Right. What are some of the red flags that homeowners should look for when they're getting quotes from multiple roofing companies and they're trying to compare one to the other?

Rogenski: Yeah, there's a lot of things. So I like to talk a little bit about the home improvement industry from that. It's an interesting industry. So there are very few companies like Master Roofers who've been in business for decades and decades. So again, we've got 82 years of experience. We're not worried about being here next year or the year after that. We're worried about the next 82 years. We're sitting around going, "So what's our centennial celebration going to look like?"

And home improvement contractors are ranked in the top five of consumer complaints by the Better Business Bureau, unfortunately. There's a lot of little companies out there. Something I would share with you is that there's a 96% failure rate of all home improvement contractors within the first five years of business. So a 100 companies open up in New Hampshire this year as home improvement contractors five years from now, 96 of them are defunct and gone. And only four of them are still in existence. And then you've got the question of, are they thriving or are they surviving?

So, I guess what I would tell you is, things that I would look at to have the best experience are manufacturer's certifications. Length of service. One of the biggest things that is a separator for companies is, how long have they been in business? Who are they affiliated with? And can they prove all of that? So again, a company that's been doing business for decades is going to be more financially stable. They're going to be there to serve you tomorrow, all those things, as opposed to a guy who just bought a white van and got in business last week. So, those are some things. So, the ability to offer warranties, the ability to prove proper insurance, the ability to prove proper certifications with the manufacturers. And again, that ability to be there tomorrow.

Is Quality More Important than Price for Roofing Contractors?

Maher: And do you think looking at all of those things is much more important than just looking at the dollar amounts of the quotes? And sometimes people say, "Oh, just pick the middle one. It's not the cheapest one, it's not the most expensive one. Go with the middle quote."

Rogenski: Absolutely. It's funny you mentioned that because I think that's become the default of the world and it's become a little bit outmoded that, "Okay, I'm going to get three quotes." So most of us are not professional quote getters. That's not our day job. We haven't been spending decades honing our skills on getting quotes. And a lot of times we're reacting to something. So all of a sudden now we're having a leak in our roof or some other problem. It's not like we've been planning this for months and years. So we're reacting to a situation. The old default used to be go get three quotes, throw out the bottom one because they must be too cheap for a reason. Throw out the top one because I don't know, someone thinks you're trying to gouge them and just go with the middle one. I would tell you to look at it a little different way. Set price aside and look at qualifications first.

Again, you may get... I would look at it more as value. I guess that's how I would say it is, "What am I getting for that investment? I'm getting a guy in a van that's been in business for six months and he has no certifications. He can't show me his insurance and that sort of stuff, but he's cheap." I would look at the value of what you're getting in a proposal and look at price last. Look at, are these people qualified, first of all, and then use that as a detractor and go, "You know what? I'm not comfortable working with someone who's only been in business for three years."

I'm not comfortable working with someone who doesn't have that certification from the manufacturer. I'm not comfortable working with someone who can't provide me proper insurance, and the ability to give me warranties", exclude those people first. Now you're into the more, at least professional class, and then you can compare, "Okay, now what's the difference between Master Roofers and Joe's Roofing and Tacos?"

"Okay, these guys are master elite certified. They've been in business 82 years", and you can compare and go, "Well, what's that actually worth to me?" And a lot of times that's... You go, "Well, someone might be X percentage higher, but I really feel like I'm getting a lot more mileage out of that." So better value proposition.

Maher: All right, well that's really great advice, Brett. Thanks again for speaking with me today.

Rogenski: Thank you very much for having me.

Information About Master Roofers

Maher: And for more information, you can visit the website at masterroofers.com or call 603-623-4973.