Questions to Ask Your Roofer
Evaluate your roofing contractor carefully. Use this checklist:
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Questions to Ask Your Roofer |
Summit Roofing |
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Does the contractor employ capable applicators to install the shingles? |
Our roofers are apprentices until they pass three industry certification examinations |
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Does the contractor provide an estimate or a full and complete proposal? |
We provide full and complete written proposals. |
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Was the contractor or salesman willing to spend time talking with you? |
We spend whatever time it takes to fully understand your needs, and to make sure you know what we are proposing to do. |
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Did the contractor or salesperson show pride and enthusiasm in discussing other jobs? |
We will. |
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Did the contractor or salesperson demonstrate specific knowledge about other work. Shows the amount of involvement in the actual work. |
Our installation management team conducts customer interviews. We do not have salespeople. They are proud of the work they do, and show it. |
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What is the full name of the company? Is it a corporation or single proprietorship? Who owns the company? |
Summit Roofing, Inc. Virginia Corporation, owned by Sam Fullerton, Jr. |
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What is the street address of the company? |
9835 Godwin Drive, Manassas, VA, 20110 |
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How long has the company been in business? |
Operating since 1979 |
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Is the contractor’s office nearby? (quicker service if the company is based near your home.) |
Summit Roofing is conveniently located in Northern Virginia to quickly and efficiently take care of your roofing, siding, gutter and replacement window needs. |
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Does the company carry liability insurance? |
Yes. |
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Does the company carry workers compensation insurance to protect you in the event of a roofing accident? (Ask to see the certificates of insurance) |
Yes. General Liability Underwritten by Commonwealth Contractors |
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Workers Accidents. Be aware that if a worker is injured on your property, you, the homeowner might be held liable for all costs unless the employee is covered by workers compensation insurance. Hospital bills for serious accidents can be extraordinarily expensive. Homeowner’s insurance policies normally exclude such injuries. Be aware that Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently imposed fall prevention standards on roofing contractors that mandate the use of safety devices, adding considerable cost to job overhead. These expenses could be the cause of wide variations in prices between contractors who follow the standards versus those who ignore them. The homeowner is not responsible for enforcement of OSHA standards, but you benefit from them insofar as job safety awareness is higher when OSHA standards are followed. Worker accidents are much less likely. Uninsured Contractors Roofer who do not carry insurance will most likely be cheaper to hire as they do not have insurance premiums to pay. Workers compensation premiums can increase wage costs from about 20% to as much as 100%, depending on the state. There are a variety of reasons why full insurance may not be carried by a contractor, such as,
It is up to you to determine if it is worth the risk to hire a contractor who does not carry insurance. |
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Is the company a licensed contractor? (Licensed by your state, county or city) |
Yes. We are a Class A state-licensed contractor. We are licensed to do business throughout Northern Virginia. |
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Not all states require contractors to be licensed. Virginia does require licensing. If your state does license contractors, then he might have had to pass a written examination in his specialty. A number of cities also require professional licensing. Check with your local licensing authority for details. A contractor may also answer this question by telling you he has a business license. However, a business license is a tax requirement only and is not directly relevant to the contractor’s competence. |
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How long has the company been in business? (Less than five years may indicate an unstable business) |
More than 20 years. Summit Roofing has been in business since 1979. |
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Will the company provide referrals or references from previous jobs? (Ask for 10 job-site locations in your area that you can visit.) |
We will provide 10 referrals. We ask that we be able to call them first to make sure they do not mind your call. |
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Does your contractor have photos of completed work? |
We provide an extensive list of houses we have worked on which includes the shingle type and color. We also provide the address of the house so you may drive by and look at it. |
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Does the company provide a written workmanship warranty? |
We provide a ten-year warranty. |
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The roofer will warrant his workmanship. The manufacturer, on the other hand, warranties the roofing material against defects in manufacturing. Thus, two warranties will cover the shingle system. Understand them both. Ask for a copy of the manufacturer's warranty pertaining to the specific shingle products you are considering. Usually, most problems of either workmanship or material show up very quickly. Therefore, the near-term warranty given by the contractor or manufacturer is more important than the warranty coverage during the later years of the warranty. Even in problems of workmanship arise after the warranty has lapsed, a reliable contractor will usually stand behind the work. |
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What is the company's record for solving customer complaints? |
We have an outstanding record for resolving any complaints. Most are resolved within 24 hours. |
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Did the contractor ever lose a job related-court case? |
We have never been to court except to collect money promised but not paid. |
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Has the contractor's license has ever been suspended? |
Our license has never been suspended. |
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Does the contractor offer a range of quality in the product? (Typically—good, better and best.) |
We offer a complete range of quality levels. |
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Does the contractor provide product literature and samples? |
We provide informational brochures, product literature, and samples of the product. |
Proposals and Estimates
What is an estimate? An estimate offers a single price, a generically described product, a color, and no options. This is traditional and legitimate agreement, but it doesn’t fully communicate what is to be done and how. An estimate is open to dispute if you are not satisfied with the work.
What is a proposal? A proposal is a tentative agreement for a project. It offers a choice of products by brand name, prices, services, and designs. It also includes many other provisions such as change order conditions and financing options.
Summit Roofing always delivers a full and complete proposal to our customers. Contact us today.