Mobile roofing contractor hiring guide

According to US News and NAHB an average shingle roof will last anywhere between 15 and 25 years, although it can be shorter or longer depending on the location of the home and weather conditions. As an example in Mobile, Alabama with lots of heat during the summer months and strong winds with rain during the hurricane season, roofs tend to last 15 years or less. A roof less than 15 years of age which has issues can probably be repaired rather than replaced. On the other hand, a roof past the age of 15 should probably be removed and a new one installed in it's place.

Whether you need repairs or an installation, you need a roofer to do the work, unless you're extremely handy yourself. That professional (or professionals) can properly repair the leaks or install new materials to make sure that you have a high caliber, sturdy roof.

Before you hire any roofers, it's always smart to check with your family, friends, and colleagues for recommendations. If you use someone that someone you trust used and liked, then you have the comfort of that knowledge from the start. In larger cities like Mobile, AL online reviews can be very helpful, but word-of-mouth matters a lot when it comes to hiring dependable and reputable residential roofing companies in Mobile AL and many other home improvement contractors.

You might even want to check with your homeowner's association (if you have one) or home insurance provider to see if they have a list of reputable and reliable contractors they recommend and have a history with. In fact, your home insurance provider might even mandate you use one of their white-list contractors to maintain your coverage, but that rarely happens.

If you've had neighbors that recently had roofing work done, talk to them about who they used and if they were happy with them in terms of quality, service, communication, and cost. For that matter, you might want to talk to immediate neighbors surrounding your home or adjacent to your property before scheduling roofing work. If any of them work the night shift or sleep late, your roofing work might interrupt the sleep cycle, so giving them a heads up could be really appreciated.

Regardless of whether you do that or skip that step, be sure you get a number of quotes before deciding which roofers to hire. Those quotes need to be highly detailed, including the projected costs and completion times, as well as all work to be done. Make sure that clean-up is also included in any prices quoted to you. You might be able to save a bit of money by offering to handle cleaning up things on your own.

Ask them all how long they've been doing business. Having someone with years of experience is typically better. Just be sure they have an actual physical address. You don't want to be scammed by someone working from a truck without a permanent address or valid business license. Also, ask for references, and be sure that you check them out. Your roofing professional or team needs to be properly insured. You definitely want to make sure that anyone who might get injured on your property would be covered under their insurance so that you don't get held liable for medical costs and other compensation expenses. The same goes for damage to your home.

Try to find someone that provides a warranty on their work as well as some suggestions on maintenance tasks you can do on your own to save money. You don't want to use roofers that just assume they'll be coming back to you.

Jerry lives in Indiana and loves writing about all things home improvement. Currently working in the landscaping industry.