Table of Contents
- Finding a Commercial Roofing Contractor
- What to Ask Your Commercial Roofer
- What to Expect From a Commercial Roofing Company
- Additional Tips for Finding the Right Commercial Roofing Company
- Commercial Roofing for Pennsylvania Businesses
In cities and towns where businesses proliferate, commercial roofing is in high demand. In Pennsylvania, for example, competing roofing companies offer varying quotes on the price of new roofs. Some of these companies serve local communities while others franchise throughout various regions. For the new roofing customer, the options can be somewhat confusing.
In order to choose the right roofing company, you need to examine the contractor’s reputation, base of operation and ties to your local community. Also, the company must be willing to offer a quote and make their terms, licensing and warranty policies clear and understandable when you first make contact. Finally, the company must have a track record for quality work with the types of roofing materials that would best suit the design and structure of your building.
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Finding a Commercial Roofing Contractor
As you go about finding a commercial roofer, consider the company’s base of operation and reputation among other businesses in your area.
1) Look Locally
To ensure that you find a quality commercial roofer, it is best to go for a local roofing company with an established reputation among other businesses in your community. When you choose a commercial roofing contractor from your area, your new roof will be installed by a crew that understands the roofing necessities of local businesses. Moreover, the roofing company will have a local reputation to uphold with each new installation, including yours. Some companies travel to areas after a storm and look for new business, but such companies are typically on the lookout for quick jobs. Knowing that many business owners will be in desperate straits in the aftermath of a natural disaster, out-of-state companies will exploit the scenario and skimp on vital steps during the roofing process, leaving you with a faulty new roof that could begin leaking anew in a matter of months. With a local, established commercial roofing company, you are far more likely to get quality roofing that will last its full life expectancy.
2) Check Reviews
The next step toward finding the best commercial roofing contractor in your area is to check the local online review sites. Which of the local roofers has the most five-star ratings and glowing reviews from fellow local businesses that have hired out the company’s services? When you do a search for roofing contractors in your area, you can quickly get an idea of which local roofers are the most reliable, professional and courteous. Moreover, reviews from other local businesses will help you determine which roofing company offers the best prices, warranties and working timeframes.
3) Check Credentials and License Information
When choosing a commercial roofer, it is crucial to check the credentials of each local contractor. After all, reviews can say a lot, but not everything about a contractor’s true credentials. For instance, a roofer might have a few high ratings posted five years ago from a couple of businesses that no longer exist, but what about long-standing accolades? Has the contractor installed a roof on any of the landmarks in your community, such as a school, shopping mall or government building? You should also check the licensing of a prospective local roofing contractor. If you cannot find this information on a roofing company’s website, choose a different contractor who makes this info clear for all to see.
4) Independent Roofing Contractor vs Roofing Franchise
The best commercial roofing company in your area is most likely to be one with longstanding ties to the businesses in your community. After all, a well-rated independent local contractor will have gained a reputation based on solid, consistent roofing work on schools and company buildings in your area. A franchise, on the other hand, can typically rely on its national reputation or name recognition to court business. Due to the lack of any measurable across-the-board standards, the local franchise could easily do roofing of subpar quality to its namesakes in other markets. The easiest way to distinguish a local contractor from a franchise is through the advertising and “about us” sections on their company websites. A local contractor will generally be family-owned and have a list of names that comprise the roofing team, as well as a local headquarters address and phone-number prefix. A franchise will use less personalized vocabulary under phrasing such as “national group of roofing contractors” and a 1-800 number on its contact page, which will typically lack any local address.
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What to Ask Your Commercial Roofer
Now that you have found a couple of options, how do you choose a good commercial roofing contractor? When you contact a local commercial roofing company, the first things you will want to learn are the probable price of a new roof and when you can expect to have the work finished. Also, ask if the company insures its own workers and whether the roof itself will be guaranteed.
1) Get a Quote
Before you choose one commercial roofing company over another, get a quote on the prospective contractor’s pricing figures. Compare that quote with other local contractors and use that information to determine the best deal on roofing for your area. Of the quotes that seem most reasonable, how do they compare to the highest-rated roofing work on other nearby businesses. Remember, if a quote seems too good to be true, it might be based on rare circumstances that generally won’t apply in most cases. Alternately, the figure might omit a number of tack-on charges that generally do apply on most roofing projects.
2) Are They Fully Licensed and Insured?
A credible commercial roofer will be fully licensed for the tasks at hand and insured against the risk factors that come with the territory. For example, if one of the crew members is injured on the job, the company should have an insurance policy that will cover that worker’s hospital expenses. Otherwise, you could be hit with a lawsuit in the event that a roofer slips, falls or incurs an injury while handling roofing materials. Licensing and insurance information should be available for all to see on a roofing company’s website.
3) Do They Guarantee Their Work?
The best commercial roofing company will not leave you stuck with poor roofing. In fact, any contractor worth its stripes in the industry will guarantee all of its roofing for a generous length of time. As long as the roof is not subject to abuse or misuse, a newly installed roof should be guaranteed for the life expectancy of the roofing material in question. To that end, any leaks that form within that time period should be repaired under the warranty of the roof itself.
4) Time Frame
One of the best things about local commercial roofing contractors is that they can generally schedule each new client within a reasonable timeframe. On the other hand, a company that spreads itself thin over a much larger geographic area is liable to put off each new client for longer periods of time. As you consider the reputation, pricing and warranty policy of a given roofer, also take your own timeframe into consideration. Do you need new roofing right away due to a leak or can the project wait a few weeks? After all, if the need is imminent, it will probably be worth your money to pay a bit extra to have the job done this week instead of next month.
What to Expect From a Commercial Roofing Company
The first things to expect from a prospective working contractor are free estimates on new roofing, as well as details on company safety policies and roofing maintenance from friendly, informative staff.
1) Free Estimate
When you first speak with a roofing contractor, the representative should offer a free estimate on the price for the work in question. As long as you provide the basic specs on the dimensions of your roof and your preferred choice of materials, an estimate should be easy for the representative to bring up right then and there. Granted, the quote that you receive will only be an estimate and not a finite final price when all the work is done, as factors might emerge during the course of the project that could easily add to the overall cost.
2) Open Communication and Willingness to Educate
The best local commercial roofing companies employ friendly sales representatives who are eager to talk with customers. To that end, the person with whom you speak should be clear and thorough about the details of the project in question. If you have any questions during the course of the conversation, the representative should be happy and willing to answer and assist with any and all of your concerns. For example, you might be curious as to whether the prospective roofer has dealt with on-site injuries in the past and, if so, which party was liable, the company or the client? If the answer does not leave you confident to proceed with the contractor, look elsewhere.
3) The Company Is Available for Maintenance and Repairs
A local roofing contractor should always be available for roof maintenance and repair work. If a problem arises with your roof during the time that you are still under warranty, the contractor should offer the necessary touch-up work. For example, if a leak appears within the first two years of your new roof, the contractor should be obliged to rectify the matter.
The best roofing companies do everything to ensure that their work is among the best in the business. To meet that goal and keep customer complaints down to zero, the roofer should always be ready and willing to help with all kinds of commercial roofing services.
4) Safety Trained Workers
When it comes to roofing work, safety is one of the most vital components of the trade. For starters, you would never want to have a worker injured or suffer a fall while on the job. At the same time, you would never want to be hit with a fine for a roofing accident in which you are not at fault.
A roofing company’s policies on worker safety are even more important for jobs conducted two or more stories above street level. To ensure that workers remain safe and that liability does not get misdirected, a credible roofing company must employ proper safety protocols and insure its workers accordingly.
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Additional Tips for Finding the Right Commercial Roofing Company
As you narrow down your list of roofing options, consider factors such as the materials in use and the options on hand from each prospective contractor.
1) Look at the Company’s Prior Roofing Work
Before you let yourself be taken in by a pricing quote or customer review, examine photos of a given contractor’s prior roofing work. Do you like the style range on offer or do you have different ideas in mind for your roof? Compare the work of several reputable contractors from your area to determine which company lines up the best prices with styles that are most suited to the height, structure and design of your building.
2) Consider a Roofing Upgrade
While you might simply wish to have your original roof replaced, your building might be better served by a different roofing material. Consider factors such as local weather patterns and the longevity of certain roofing materials. Of the choices available from the contractors in your area, are there roofing options that would keep your building better insulated and free of leaks for a longer span of time? Even if you need to invest more for this upgraded roofing, it could easily pay itself back by lasting years longer than the roof that currently sits on your business building.
3) Learn About Roofing Materials
If you haven’t done so already, learn about different types of roofing materials and the life-expectancy and durability of each option. Of the roofing materials that most appeal to your aesthetic sense, which options are best suited to the height and design of your building? Moreover, which types of roofing are most suited to the climate in your area? If durability and your personal aesthetics don’t line up, would the former be worth the sacrifice?
4) Agree to Terms That Keep You in Charge
Before a roofer gets to work on your roof, it is important to have a clear set of terms that cannot deviate from the original agreement. To that end, there should be a clear understanding before the work even commences about the projected end-date and final price of your soon-to-be-finished new roof.
5) Beware of Upfront Fees
A roofer that charges upfront is liable to stall and add more charges as a project advances. Do not allow yourself to fall for such terms. Roofers that are truly confident in their work will get right down to the project at hand and accept your payment once the installation is complete.
Commercial Roofing for Pennsylvania Businesses
As seasonal weather patterns grow more intense, buildings need quality roofing with the power to withstand years of exposure to the elements. In the Mid-Atlantic, David Maines & Associates, Inc., has installed only the highest-quality roofing on local area business buildings for nearly 30 years. We install all types of roofing specified by Firestone, Tremco, Carlise, Garland and other brands.
Throughout the area, our work is seen on the rooftops of companies, schools and government organizations. To learn more about how our roofing can transform your building, contact us today to talk to our team and schedule an estimate.
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