(UPDATED)
If you’re a property manager, building owner, facilities director or someone else who’s responsible for a commercial building, you know the relationships that you develop with your service providers can make all the difference when it comes to keeping your property in good shape.
Finding the right providers can be a challenge, however, including finding a good provider of roofing contractor services. If you don’t already have a roofing contractor you like, where do you start your search? Here are some suggestions:
First and foremost, you want to use a reputable contractor that specializes in commercial roofs. They should have:
A regular maintenance crew or handyman won’t have the kind of experience needed to spot potential problems before they happen, find the source of roof leaks that aren’t obvious, and complete repairs that meet the requirements of your manufacturer warranty. While it might appear to be less costly to go that route, in the long run, you could be making problems worse. Reputable roofers go through years of training and have worked on hundreds if not thousands of roofs.
Replacing flashing, for example, needs to be done with precision or water will enter your property and possibly damage what’s inside it. Improper flashing techniques are the cause of one of the most common types of roof leaks.
Safety is a big issue. Without the right training, the chance of injury is much higher. It can also increase your out-of-pocket costs and possibly your Workers Comp premiums as well.
Your roofing technicians need OSHA training, and they should also have Red Cross training for performing CPR and using a defibrillator.
Training on how to work on your specific type of roofing system is also important. The state of Georgia doesn’t offer vocational training for the roofing industry so each roofing company does its own training. How good is the training your roofing contractor provides? The more experienced the company, the more likely the training will be well done. That will be part of the reason the company is still in business.
Inexperienced and under-trained technicians can be confused about which tools and materials to use to do the job correctly, so they’ll guess or use whatever is handy. Professional roofing contractor services know what to use and will have what they need on the truck. And they’ll be able to diagnose and fix your problem because they’ve trained for it and done it dozens of other times before.
Obviously picking just any roofing contractor service off the Internet isn’t the best approach — unfortunately, most contractors aren’t in it for the long haul. To find a roofing contractor you can trust, start by asking your business colleagues for recommendations. They may not have the same type of roof as you but it’s the best place to start. Then look at the membership lists of professional organizations such as National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and Building Owners and Managers Association of Georgia (BOMA).
Once you get some names, find out the basics:
If you might need to replace your roof in the next few years (and even if you don’t), it’s best to develop a relationship with a full-service roofing contractor who will be able to handle anything that comes up with your roof. Plus, a full-service contractor who has been working on your roof for years will have much better insight into your roofing system and the different options you can look at when it’s time to re-roof.
Whatever you do, don’t use an uninsured or unlicensed contractors. It’s too great a risk. Also, don’t use contractors who don’t have a physical street address or won’t provide warranties for their work. And while subcontracting is sometimes unavoidable, you want a company with full-time crews that have been properly vetted and trained.
Finally, on each website look for testimonials (the attribution should include first and last names) and customer lists or examples of work completed along with photos. Roofing contractors who do good work will have this information easily accessible to the public.
Providers of roofing contractor services who are not willing to take the time to answer all of your questions are probably not your best choice. Reputable providers will value your business and be looking to develop a long-term relationship, which requires excellent service from the first interaction. So it’s best to do your homework and then trust your gut. If someone seems somewhat shady or like they’re trying to do a sales job on you, they probably are.
At Sentry Roof Services, our goal is to develop ongoing business relationships based on trust, skill, competency, and value and longevity. We have been providing repair, maintenance, re-roofing, and new construction services for more than 30 years and have had many of the same customers for decades. If you’re interested in an estimate, roof inspection or Sentry Roof Care annual maintenance program, feel free to give us a call. We’re always happy to talk with you and answer any questions.
When was the last time you had a roofing professional perform regular maintenance on your…
No one likes to think about it but if you own or manage a commercial…
Before you start to get hungry, this is NOT a picture of a layered dessert.…
By the time we saw the roof on this church in Norcross, it was definitely…
(UPDATED) If you were a drop of water, where would you go? That’s exactly how…
This striking photo was taken as Sentry Roof is re-roofing the Delta Midfield Support building…
View Comments
You are right Dave about not using general contractors for roofing jobs because most of them do not have in-house skills to execute this extremely crucial task and subcontract to other vendors, which actually could increase the cost of the project. Apart from the very relevant points you mentioned, I would suggest that a strong word of mouth reputation is very important.
Of course, one should choose the reputable roofing contractor instead of professional generalist. This is because roofing contractors are specialized in handling roofing tasks of their clients and manage their tasks with the team of well-trained technicians. This makes the deal perfect for your roofing jobs.