How to Choose a Roofer | Homestead Roofing Colorado Springs

What to Do Before Hiring a Roofer

Before you even begin the selection process, you want to make sure you avoid making some of the most common mistakes that most people make. Here are some major steps to take before even thinking about hiring a roofer.

Talk With Your Insurance Company

This is important for one very big reason: before you hire a roofer, you need to make sure that you have the right kind of insurance coverage, and the right amount.

There are basically two kinds of roofing coverage that insurance companies offer homeowners:

Replacement cost value (RCV)
Actual cash value (ACV)

What's the difference between the two? Simply put, RCV coverage means that your insurance company will pay the full cost of your roof replacement, minus your deductible. In contrast, ACV coverage means that your insurance company will only pay what your property is worth at the time of loss.

In other words, if you have a 10-year-old roof that gets damaged by a hailstorm, then your insurance company will pay the full cost of your roof replacement, minus your deductible, minus 10 years' worth of depreciation. Obviously, that could mean a much bigger out-of-pocket expense for you.

Get a Roof Inspection

It goes without saying that you need a roof inspection to get some idea of what your roof replacement costs may include. It's important to get one before hiring a roofer. However, you should be careful not to sign anything before allowing a contractor to climb on your roof.

The reason why you need to be cautious is that some unscrupulous roofers may offer to inspect your roof, and then try to trick you into signing a document before they go up. That document may be something that the roofer wants you to believe is a contract that legally binds you to the roofing company in the event that damage is found on your roof, and you want to file an insurance claim. Simply put, they want you to believe that you're obligated to that roofing company.

While it's important to get a roof inspection, never quickly commit to anything or anyone. A reputable roofer won't pressure you into signing anything either before or after he inspects your roof.

One important thing to know is, if you can, you should try to be home during the inspection to avoid common roofing scams and to keep your eye on the inspection process.

Get Estimates—The Right Way

A lot of homeowners feel that once they get three separate estimates for their roof, they're golden. While it's not a bad thing to get multiple estimates, you need to look beneath the surface when considering what different roofing companies are actually offering.

For example, let's say that your insurance adjuster gives you an initial estimate of $10,000. Roofer A may tell you: "I'll do the job for whatever the insurance company gave as an estimate." That should be a major red flag: the insurance estimate may be incomplete, and if you go with Roofer A you could end up with a piecemeal, low-quality replacement roof.

Roofer B may say: "I'll do it for $2,000 less than the insurance estimate." While that may sound like a tempting offer, common sense will tell you that an estimate that low can only result in inferior products and poor workmanship.

Finally, Roofer C may give an estimate of $14,000. Your initial reaction may be: "I'm not going to pay $4,000 out of pocket!" However, a reputable roofer will provide a scope of work detailing everything that that estimate covers. They can also help you look over your insurance estimate and then discuss with your insurance company the items that your insurance company may have missed or omitted on their initial scope of work that may be contributing to your insurance company's estimate being too low. Additionally, most insurance policies are written to cover the homeowner for "costs incurred" meaning that often all that is required is for you to send a contract you have signed with a roofer, thereby proving that you have "incurred the costs" and request that your insurance adjust the claim accordingly. There are also other, infrequent options like requesting appraisal that can be invoked if your insurer is being truly stubborn.

Remember to Ask the Important Questions

When deciding on a roofer to work on your home, there’s a lot of information you need to know in order to make an informed decision. Ask these types of questions to learn more about their business, their history, and more.

What to Look For in a Roofing Company in Colorado Springs

Now that we've talked about the "pre-selection process," we need to answer the question: What should you be looking for when actually choosing a roofer? Here are 3 tips that can help:

Hire a Local Roofer

Hiring an out-of-state roofing contractor may be tempting, especially if he's offering low prices that are "too good to be true." However, you could wind up with significant problems by employing an out-of-town company.

For instance, if there's an issue with your replacement roof after the job's complete, will the out-of-state contractor be willing to return to fix the problem? Choosing a local roofer makes the entire process safer, friendlier, and more convenient.

Be on the Lookout for Roofing Scams.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers out there that want to take you for a ride, and walk away with your hard-earned money. Keep your eyes open for common roofing scams, such as:

Roofers that ask for payment upfront are, more often than not, scammers, and will "take the money and run."
Roofers that vandalize roofs to drum up business. It's been known to happen!
Roofers that offer to pay your insurance deductible. This one is easy to spot: according to Colorado law, it is 100% the homeowner's responsibility to pay their insurance deductible. No reputable roofer will offer to do this for you, as it is against the law.

Don't Hire an Uninsured Roofer

Even roofers that say they are "fully insured" may not actually be fully insured. For instance, every reputable roofing company carries at least two types of insurance:

General liability insurance in case your property suffers damage in the course of their work
Worker's compensation insurance in case one of their employees gets injured on the job, or on your property

Make sure that you see a copy of the roofer's insurance certificate with your own eyes, and then verify its authenticity. A good roofing contractor shouldn't have any issue in producing these credentials for you.

How Much Will a Roof Replacement Cost?

As with many things in life, the answer is: It depends. The truth is, there are several factors that play into the ultimate cost of getting a roof replacement.

First and foremost, you need to know that your insurance company will be involved in the re-roofing process. If everything is lined up on that end, then you'll only have to worry about three things:

Your deductible
Roofing upgrades (if desired)
Homeowner maintenance issues discovered during the inspection/roofing process (that aren't covered by your insurance company)

Moreover, there are several factors that will affect the specific costs of your roof replacement, for good or bad. These include:

Your home's elevation: In certain counties, houses over a certain elevation are required to have an ice and water shield installed on their eaves.
Your roof's pitch: The steeper your roof, the more expense there will be for labor.
Your roof's complexity: If your roof has a lot of facets, angles, ridges and "hips," then your roofer will need specialized shingles that cost more than their normal counterparts.
Roof deck damage: If your roof's surface is lying on top of old or damaged decking, then there will be an additional cost for your roofer to replace that decking with new OSB boards or plywood.
Roof access: If your roof is in a hard-to-access location, your roofer will likely charge extra. For example, labor costs will be higher if your roofers have to hand-load shingle packs and carry them up to your roof.

With these and other factors in mind, you could be looking at a total roof replacement cost anywhere between $8,000 to $12,000+.

Choose a Reputable Local Roofer for Your Next Project

If you live in Colorado Springs or the surrounding areas, and are in need of a roofing professional's services, then look no further than Homestead Roofing. We are an insured, licensed, and experienced roofing company with deep roots in the Colorado Springs community.

We can guide you through the entire roofing process, and provide you with confidence and peace of mind every step of the way. Reach out to us today to learn more.

GUIDE TO CHOOSING A ROOFER IN COLORADO SPRINGS