Have you already interviewed the most promising roofers in your community? Have they provided you with estimates? The process of quote comparison is pivotal in choosing the best professionals to handle your roofing project.
A handful of factors are worth considering when comparing project prices, such as warranties, materials, and incidentals. There are hundreds of residential roofing contractors offering free estimates to homeowners.
After receiving a couple of quotes, these are the main factors to check when comparing them.
Warranty
The first factor to have in mind when comparing roofing estimates is the warranty provided by manufacturers. Professional contractors should offer a warranty on the materials and the process of installation. The warranty period of OKc roofing materials ranges between twenty and fifty years depending on the shingles and the manufacturer.
In the event of slate roof installation, contractors are expected to offer a much longer warranty of as many as seventy-five years. Some professionals even offer a hundred-year warranty on slate because of the extremely low risk of damage. These guarantees are supposed to cover the costs of the entire roof replacement in case the slate gets stained.
Metal roofs, on the other hand, come with a shorter warranty period between fifteen and twenty-five years. As far as asphalt shingles are concerned, contractors should offer guarantees of at least twenty-five to thirty years. Make sure you get familiar with the average warranty period of the roof you plan to have installed. Pay no attention to contractors offering no guarantee on their installation or a surprisingly short material guarantee. An expert and experienced contractor can also offer you impact resistant roof, however you must do proper research in finding the right contractor.
Materials
An even more important factor to take into account when comparing estimates is the cost of materials. Each quote should have a special section that includes the types of roofing materials used in the project. Apart from shingles, contractors are expected to include the cost of supplementary supplies, essential for the underlayment. Visit this site to learn more about the process of building a roof.
The underlayment is of absolute importance for the condition of the entire structure, as it provides protection against harsh weather like snowstorms, heavy rain, or wind. It has to be waterproof in order to prevent damage done by weather elements.
Pay special attention to the section where supplementary materials are listed, such as extra plywood, sealants, etc. Unless such costs are calculated in the estimate, ask for an explanation for their absence in the quote. Certain contractors decide not to include extra plywood boards in the estimate in case the ones installed on the existing roofs of clients are in a good condition. Such boards are included in the overall cost only when the ones you have are rotten or badly damaged.
In addition, keep in mind the cost of the estimate depends on the quality of the materials. Contractors using top-notch shingles, sealants, and insulation will offer higher quotes than roofers working with low-cost supplies. Don’t blame the contractors for overcharging you until you inspect the quality of the supplies.
The quality of insulation and sealants is important to consider because of the effect these materials have on the energy efficiency of homes. Thin insulation will lead to high energy bills, as heat and cool air will find their way out of the house through the attic. Conversely, thick insulation makes homes energy-efficient and keeps energy bills low. See this link, https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-insulate-an-attic-5076530, to gain insight into attic insulation.
Incidentals
Another pivotal aspect to keep in mind when comparing roofing estimates is incidentals. These fees refer to the process of cleaning and waste disposal once the project is completed. Roofers handle this process at an extra cost, which should be included in the quote. Nevertheless, many contractors fail to include incidentals in the overall project price, thus surprising homeowners by asking for more money in the end.
Always ask for the cost of incidentals and check if this term is mentioned in the offer. Unless you want to clean up the mess by yourself, ask the roofer to include this service in the project cost.
Final thoughts
Your roof deserves to look nice and last for ages.
Choose the best quote after considering the above-mentioned factors!
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
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These are good tips. I’m at a complex, and they have done horrible about the flat-roof issues. One of the buildings is overdue for a roof, and I’ve been looking around online, and thinking about what is good to check on. I think the roofers who did the other two buildings never fixed issues under the old roof, and did not require the non-functional chimney to be repaired, and it has been leaking for 10 years and hasn’t been remedied, and is now out of warranty. I’d check for lawsuits, your state licensing dept for complaints and Better Business Bureau, also. If the roofing company takes shortcuts and doesn’t fix the other issues or requires them to be repaired, you are going to have endless problems.
Several people in our community had to replace their roofs due to hail last year, so this is helpful to know.