It's one of the most searched roofing questions out there, and I get why. A roof is one of the biggest checks you'll write for your house, and most people can't get up there to see for themselves. Most roofers I know are honest. These are the five things I look at when someone asks me if a quote, or a roofer, is shooting straight with them.
This fall a homeowner in Etiwanda was about to sign with another roofing company. In his words, "we encountered some unexpected issues with discounts they had advertised but were unwilling to honor." From what he told me, when he pushed back, the price went up instead of down. He called us instead. You can read his whole review on Google.
An advertised special is a promise. If a company won't put it on the contract, it was never the price. Before anybody comes out, ask them to confirm the special in writing, and make sure it shows up on the paper you sign. If the number changes the minute you push back, that tells you how the rest of the job is going to go.
When a homeowner hands me another company's quote, I skip the total and go straight to the small print. That is where the surprises live. On one quote I looked at, there was a $250 "convenience fee" for pulling the permit, buried where most people would never read it.
A permit fee is a real cost, and somebody has to pay it. That's fine. Hiding it is not. On our contracts the permit is its own line: either it's included in the price, or you reimburse the actual fee at cost and get the receipt. Whatever a roofer charges you for, you should be able to find it without a magnifying glass.
One question tells you a lot. The answer should be two things: general liability and workers' comp.
If a roofer dodges the question, changes the subject or tells you not to worry about it, I'd assume they don't have it. Our contracts list both of our carriers, and you can check us the same way you check anybody: our license and insurance page.
After a big storm, the storm chasers come out. They knock, they push for an appointment that same day, and they lean on fear: the roof is about to go, the price goes up tomorrow, you have to sign today. Avoid them. In my experience that pressure costs homeowners real money. I've seen their bids come in around $1,200 a square (a square is 100 square feet of roof), and I've seen fear add 30 to 50 percent to what a roof should cost.
To be fair, we knock on doors too. When we're working on a roof in your neighborhood, we'll tell you which street we're on and invite you to go see the work. If you want an estimate, here's our card. That's it. No deadline, no scare.
California law is on your side here. Unless you signed at the contractor's place of business, you get three days to cancel a home improvement contract, and five if you are 65 or older. And the down payment can't be more than $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less. A roofer who wants a big check today is asking you to skip both.
A lot of roofers write scopes that say almost nothing. "Remove and replace roof, new underlayment, clean up." That doesn't tell you what you're buying. It leaves them room to build the roof around what they charged you, instead of charging you for the roof your house needs.
An itemized scope names things. How many layers come off. What happens with bad wood, and how much is included. The underlayment by manufacturer and product. The flashings, the drip edge, the vents. Who pulls the permit. The warranty, in writing. The Etiwanda homeowner noticed the difference. He wrote that I "provided a clear, itemized list of everything the job would include. There were no surprises, no games, and no last-minute excuses."
If two bids don't list the same things, you aren't comparing two prices. You're comparing two different roofs. More in How to Compare Roofing Bids.
If you have a quote on the table and something feels off, send it over. I'll read the small print and tell you what I see, what's in it and what's missing. Same answer I'd give a family member, even if you don't hire GAX.
An honest roofer doesn't mind being checked.
Sources: CSLB, Check a License; CSLB, What Is a Home Improvement Contract; the review quoted is Mista B., Google.
Free in-home estimate with a written, itemized scope. We do asphalt shingle roofs, tile replacement with new tile, tile lift and relay, and flat roofs across the Inland Empire.
(909) 819-8394