The very first question you will want to ask, "what is the price of my roof?"
Don’t. Rest assured you will be told the price of the project once the inspection is completed. When a contractor arrives at your door, they shouldn't have any idea what your roof should cost. In our opinion, if the contractor does give you a price right away then they don’t know what they're doing. They only want your money and it’s best if you walk away from working with them.
1. What is your warranty?
There is nothing more frustrating than having an issue and you don't know if it's covered or not. Is the warranty transferable? How long is it? Do I need a warranty that long? Sometimes the roofer can lower the price for you if you don't want a warranty for the length it comes with.
At Garvin Exteriors we carry a 40 year transferable material warranty and a 10 year labor warranty.
2. Are you getting in the attic?
If you have a contractor providing you with an estimate and they are not getting in your attic, throw the estimate away. At Garvin Exteriors we feel that this step is the more important to giving an accurate estimate. Is there rotted wood? How much wood needs to be replaced. Where are the freon lines? etc. The best companies get in the attic.
3. How does your product compare to other companies?
It's important to know that every roofing company has access to all the same materials. Why they choose their product over other products is important to know when deciding on who to choose to be your roofer. What product makes sense for your needs and home.
At Garvin Exteriors we choose IKO Dynasty Performance Shingles as our top roofing system. Learn More.
4. How long does the project take?
Most roofing installations should only take 1-2 days. The days should also be consecutive. If the crew starts on a Friday they should finish by Saturday at the very latest. Some companies will take 3-5 days for a roof installation. This is too long to have your house exposed to the Houston weather. We recommend not moving forward with a company that takes this long.
The weather is something that contractors have to battle on a regular basis. If a storm is approaching the contractor should contact you and explain whether or not they can perform the installation in a timely manner or have to reschedule.
5. Do you tarp the job site?
Believe it or not only 50% of roofers tarp a job site. This fact is depressing to hear and witnessed in the industry every day. Tarps are critical in collecting all the debris that falls off your roof. Not having tarps can lead to thousands of nails all over your lawn. Do not sacrifice the cost of the project on the crew being lazy and not laying down tarps.
6. How does payment work?
This is a great question to ask your roofing contractor. Many contractors will require money down. Typically it will either be 40-50% of the job. Contractors do this to order your materials for the job. However, this leaves all the risk on the homeowner if the contractor decides to take your money and run. Garvin Exteriors is not saying that all contractors are bad but this is something to be very aware of.
At Garvin Exteriors we have a no money down policy. The homeowner will not pay a penny until the job is completed. It’s the only way to offer a homeowner zero risk on working with us giving that homeowner total piece of mind. Once the project is completed, a check or credit card is typically the best form of payment.
7. Do you have insurance?
Too often in our industry installers are injured on job sites and don't have insurance or proper insurance coverage. In the State of Texas it is not required for a contractor to carry insurance of any kind. If a contractor was to get injured on your property, then you would be liable for all medical damages. If a contractor was to slip and fall in your neighbors property, you would still be liable because you hired the contractor.
Please make certain the contractor you hire not only carries insurance but carries at least a million dollar policy.
At Garvin Exteriors we carry a two million dollar general liability policy and ALL of our crews are also insured one million or more.
8. How long will my new roof last?
We get this question quite a lot from homeowners. The unfortunate answer is we don't really know but there are way to protect your home for more years than you may think. So many factors go into roofing materials and the technology today to make the roof last the longest. What area you live in is the biggest contributing factor in making a roof last the longest. In Houston the most common shingle is a, GAF shingle. What we at Garvin Exteriors have found is that a GAF shingle will last between 10-15 years before you should start thinking about a new roof. Many shingle manufactures have built in warranties that cover normal ware and tear for fifty years! But will not cover the elements of weather. Fifty years won't matter is a category 3 hurricane hits your home blowing 120 mph winds.
In Houston we average 50 inches of rain per year combined with 2 to 3 major wind storm events. This type of weather will damage your shingle unless your contractor provided you with a shingle system that is build specifically for the weather we in Houston experience.
A roof is more than just shingles and an underlayment. There are several materials that need to be installed underneath a shingle in order to protect from the Houston weather.
• Drip Edge
• Water Proof Membrane
• Synthetic Underlayment
• Starter Shingle
These are just a few of the materials that are necessary to ensuring the proper lifespan of a roof and getting the best value. Each of those materials have different types and quality to them. To learn more about what materials Garvin Exteriors uses click here.
9. Will you install new flashing or re-use what is there?
Many contractors like to use what is already there. They do this to save you money on the project. The contractor has your best interests in mind but if they were installing a roof on their mothers home, they would install new protection around those areas. It is best practice to always replace all material on the roof. Original flashing and pipes will have weather related ware, sealant issues and possible damage from animals. We recommend having all flashing and piping replaced as new.
10. Will my new roof be ventilated?
This is the most basic and common installation practice for most roofing contractors. Back in the 1980's and 90's ventilation was not as important because energy bills were not as high like they are today. Today average energy bills are $300-600 per month. Most of that cost is coming from your attic. An attic can reach 180 degrees in the Houston summer. Many roofers today install a ridge ventilation system. This will provide the peak of your roof to exhaust all the hot air from the attic. All new roof installations today require this to have a proper warranty. If the contractor isn't doing this, your warranty is useless and it's best to choose a different company.