5 Tips for Choosing a Top-Rated Roofing Company in Harrisburg, PA
Choosing a roofing contractor in Harrisburg, PA is not an easy decision. There are many roofing contractors and factors to consider. In this article, we’re going to give out some helpful tips to keep in mind when undertaking a commercial roofing project.
Tip #1: Get Multiple Quotes
To ensure that you find the right roofing contractor for the job, it’s usually important to meet with multiple contractors and receive multiple quotes. When consumers are looking to get any job done, they’re looking for value; but oftentimes people confuse value strictly with price.
One of the reasons it’s a good idea to get multiple quotes is to get multiple ‘eyes’ and points of reference on the same project. This way, you can more accurately gauge the ‘value’ and professionalism the contractor is bringing to the table beyond just the price.
For example, is the contractor providing you with a multi-page report/estimate on the size and scope of the project? Are they following up with a detailed overview by way of phone conversation or Zoom call as to how exactly the entire process will work from start to finish? Some roofing companies might provide you with a one page, very basic estimate, while other contractors will (and in our opinion should) provide you with a larger, multipage detailed report, including pictures, processes and numbers – all laid out.
Remember, value is getting the most for your dollar. Price is spending the least or most amount. It should be your job to get multiple estimates, and find the best overall value between the two. The following four tips should also help you gauge the relative value your roofing contractor is bringing to the table.
Also, you can read our previous article for more information about comparing roofing contractors.
Detailed estimates, including multipage reports and specific aerial photo's showing precise project scopes are highly recommended prerequisites for any commercial roofing job
Tip #2 Find an Established Business with Positive Reviews
It’s fair to say that any contractor you are looking to do business with should have enough online presence and history in which reviews can be found. This can oftentimes be a double-edged sword. There are certain contracting companies that are really ‘proficient’ at getting the best reviews and minimizing the worst ones. But generally speaking, you should always review customer feedback to get a basic understanding of their work and customer experience. When reading reviews try to be realistic about what you’re reading.
A professional roofing company with a solid reputation will almost always have a good online presence with verified reviews.
Generally, a company is never really as good as their most positive review and never as bad as their most negative review. Take a holistic approach and don’t let one nasty review scare you away. Any company that has a cumulative rating of 4 or more on their Google business profile should be a company worth considering. If you read reviews the right way, they are a fantastic window into the company that you could potentially be dealing with.
As an additional point when assessing online reviews (and this falls inline with tip #1), use the reviews as a way to understand the experience the customer had.
- Were the contractors knowledgeable?
- Were they on time?
- Was the project completed on target?
- Was the experience as seamless and pleasant as possible?
It’s the experience and quality of the project that provides the most lasting value to customers over a long period of time.
As far as an established business goes, you want a general understanding that they are established, have a relatively long track record of being in business, and that the company will stay established for a long time down the road. It’s important to find a company that will stand behind their work and any warranty contracts for a long period of time into the future. Reputable companies are often involved in their community and take pride in their name, their work, and the people they live and work around.
Tip #3 Make sure They’re Insured and Licensed
Twenty or so years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for small contracting businesses to be unlicensed and uninsured. Today however, that’s not really the case. Most states (including Pennsylvania), have put in place licensing requirements such as HIC (Home Improvement Contractor) licenses. You can go on your states’ attorney general website and verify that the contractor you’re looking to do business with is appropriately licensed. Basically, you should expect the roofing company to be licensed; and it’s a huge red flag if they are not.
That being said, keep in mind that having the appropriate state license is not overly difficult; it’s only $50 and after answering a few questions, relatively easy to receive. These days, every roofing company can and does get licensed. The biggest upside to a contractor having a state license is that it means, necessarily, that the company is insured. Insurance is a prerequisite for attaining your Pennsylvania state HIC license.
Insurance is probably the most important consideration because you’re technically liable for any project you’re doing on your home or business. You want to be sure that any negative liability event that happens during the course of your project can be transferred to the contractor. Make sure your contractor is insured with general liability to at least $1 million, which is now becoming standard practice with commercial roofing contractors.
Additionally, there’s always going to be two levels of insurance; the general liability insurance and the workers compensation insurance. It’s important that both of these insurance protections are up to date.
Tip #4 Get Everything in Writing
At J Smucker Contracting, we are firm believers in getting everything in writing – even the small details. Whoever you choose for your roofing project, make sure that nearly all communication but especially the important information is accounted for. We would even recommend that any communication you do leading up to and during the project be done through email. Having an electronic paper trail of confirmed communication is extremely important and can save you a lot of legal headaches should anything go wrong with your roofing project.
That being said, there are a few main components that should be written out as part of any roofing project estimate:
- What specific parts of the roof are being worked on. Not every project addresses the roof in its entirety. Some projects only address specific sections of a roof. It needs to be extremely specified in writing where the work on the roof will take place.
- It’s highly recommended to have photos and roof diagrams included in every estimate. If you’re not receiving photos and diagrams, you’re leaving room for ‘gray area’. The diagram should be very clear on the exact location where the roof work will take place. Even if the project is the entire roof, this should still be explained with photos and diagrams.
- An exact price and date deadline of the project. It needs to be crystal clear for both parties how much the project will cost, the projected time the job will be completed, and the time in the future at which the roofing estimate is voided.
- An exact list of the work that will be done for that price. Obviously, this won’t list out the amount of nails or screws used but it should be as detailed as possible.
- You should also have in writing what will happen in the case of unknown events. When it comes to roofing specifically, once you start tearing things off, you often can’t foresee certain issues that have been hiding under that roof for so many years. That being said, a competent contractor should be doing their best to ‘see’ into the roof by way of core tests or thermal imaging to get the best understanding of the roof holistically.
For example, if the contractor unexpectedly finds rot in a certain section of the roof, you should have in writing beforehand the price per square foot to replace the rotted section.
Ultimately, at the very minimum, your contract should outline what the procedure will be for change orders should unforeseen circumstances place your roofing job outside of the initial scope of the project. Any activity that deviates from the initial project scope should be signed off by you and your contractor.
- Payment terms. You should have in writing exact, precise payment terms of how payments will be scheduled into the future. This includes the initial down payment, all future payments, and the date by which they are agreed upon to be paid until the project is completed.
- The warranty itself is the last piece of the project that absolutely needs to be in writing. The warranty should detail every aspect of the project that is covered, what is not covered and who to contact should an issue arise. There are usually two parts to a roofing warranty; the manufacturer’s material warranty and the labor warranty from the roofing contractor that is providing the installation work. Review both of these warranties beforehand.
Tip #5 Is it important that your roofing contractor is certified and licensed by the material manufacturers?
Many of the industry-leading roofing materials manufacturer’s require the roofing contractors that install the materials to be approved. An approved installer usually has to go through installation training courses and tests, which can help minimize warranty issues down the road. Very often, the warranty offered on the roofing material is only valid if it’s in conjunction with your contractor being a registered installer with the material manufacturer. This warranty aspect is probably the only important issue to consider if the manufacturer requires it. Otherwise, it really shouldn’t be an issue.
As an side note, not all roofing materials are created equally! To learn more about this subject, you can read our previous article the 4 best flat roof materials.
Some roofing materials manufacturer's warranties require certified contractors for installation
If you follow the aforementioned tips, along with some good old common sense, you should have a successful and pleasant experience with your roofing contractor. J Smucker Contracting provides commercial roofing to central Pennsylvania and most of the tri-state area. If you have any additional questions or would like a free estimate for your next commercial roofing job, feel free to contact us at any time. We’d love to hear from you!