Find commercial roofers on your own by simply going to Google and searching for commercial roofing companies near me. Commercial roofs are very different from residential roofs, so the answer is not as simple as just finding a company that does both. You want to find a company that specializes in commercial roofing, because if they have experience with the specific requirements of the job, it will be done right from start to finish. It is important you do sufficient research into what it is exactly that a commercial roof entails before hiring anyone though, or at least thoroughly read any information given to you by a representative of a prospective contractor.
Factors to consider when looking for commercial roofers
- Affordable
The job of a roofer is to cover your house and keep it safe. Knowing this, you should never hire anyone who does not live up to the promise of their price quote. If they give you a reasonable and affordable estimate and start raising the price as soon as they begin work on your roof, then there is either something wrong with your roof that was previously unknown to you (and which they are trying to charge for), or they plan on charging extra at the end (which is unacceptable).
- Insurance & Licenses
It goes without saying that whoever you hire should be insured and licensed; however it needs repeating because we hear about roofers who commit fraud by overcharging customers and skipping without providing any services. Again, make sure to ask for identification before moving forward with hiring anyone.
- Professional associations
There are many professional associations, companies and unions for roofers. These are groups of individuals who have the same job as you do, so it is best to pay attention to what they say about your prospective contractor. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a great place to check out reviews on any given company or individual’s suitability for hire.
- Get recommendations and references
This would be a good time to mention to talk with your family and friends, because chances are they have hired someone in the past few years who did a good job for them.
- Check out the company website
These days, you can find just about anything on the internet. It is harder to fake professionalism online, so it would be ideal if you could look up any prospective contractor’s website before or after speaking to them over the phone or at their office. Looking through a webpage can give you an idea of what kind of person they are and how long they have been in business for themselves (this is not always accurate though). Their website may also provide information regarding services offered which will allow you to make better comparisons between contractors, as well as help you prepare questions to ask over the phone/in person.
- Do a background check
The internet is great for this as well, but make sure to always use reliable sources which you can verify through other sources (for example Wikipedia is not good for checking facts). Also try using search engines like Google or Bing which allow you to limit search results based on specific criteria such as location or date of occurrence. This means if someone gets their photo stolen and used in a scam website, you can avoid that person being slandered.
- Don’t pay for anything until the job is finished and it’s up to your satisfaction
While this may seem obvious, we all know how we get swept up in momentary excitement and our better judgment goes out the window (or window of opportunity). If someone asks for money before they do any work on your property, immediately inform them you will not be paying until everything has been completed to your liking. If they try to tell you about how you need certain materials or equipment or something else which requires an immediate cash infusion, ask them if they would like to go grab coffee with you (coffee shops are great places for transactions like this due to their public location).
- Use online tools
There are many online platforms which provide real-time estimates for free (such as Quotize.co). Using these can not only gauge the value of your house before the contractor has even started working on it, but will also give you a reasonable expectation of what kind of return you should expect out of their services. For example, if you hire someone who advertises themselves as the best commercial roofers in town and they charge $2 per square foot, but someone else costs $1/square foot and claims to do just as good work – why would you pay more? It does not make sense.