Roofing Companies Near Me
While it might not be an area of your house you think about a lot, your home’s roof is an important component to keep the elements out and the warmth in, and one that we might be guilty of taking for granted.
Proper maintenance and repair work to your roof is essential to protect your property from weather-related damage throughout your ownership, as a small problem such as a loose tile or flashing may seem minor at the time but could snowball into a much bigger, more expensive job further down the line if not properly seen to.
Finding a reliable roofing company that offers both quality service and materials is a crucial step in ensuring the longevity and durability of your home’s roof - and it’s not an area where cutting corners with a cheap, inexperienced contractor is recommended.
In this guide, we’ll be helping you to find the best roofing companies in your area and showing how you can streamline your hiring process when it comes to giving your roof some TLC.
Let’s get going.
Table of Contents
Understanding Your Roofing Needs
An important step is first to understand your roofing needs. While this may sound obvious, the issue or required repair might not be immediately clear, and may require an inspection to determine the exact issue.
Where possible, it’s best for you to assess your roofing requirements accurately - this step will help the roofing expert to quote for your job reliably. It will also give you a greater understanding of the situation so that you’re less likely to be taken in by wild claims that your roof’s condition is worse than it is (the sign of a rogue trader).
No matter the extent of the issue - whether it’s a full roof replacement or simply addressing specific issues such as localised leaks or damaged shingles - it’s essential that you and your roofing specialist understand the scope of the project to ensure both timely attention to the problem and an accurate quotation.
Here’s a list of typical jobs a local roofer may offer:
- Roof installation, suitable for those needing a complete re-roofing due to age, remodelling or significant damage
- Roof repair, suitable for various scenarios from correcting leaks and cracks to replacing missing or loose tiles and flashing
- Roof maintenance and inspections, suitable to keep an eye on any issues that may come up over time to work on them before they become emergencies
- Material-specific repairs, suitable for homeowners with a specific roof type (flat, shingle, metal, etc)
Contractors are unlikely to visit and give you a free consultation or roof inspection without the guarantee of undertaking remedial work with them. If you require this service because you’re not completely sure about what your roofing needs are, it’s best only to take this step once you’ve settled on the specialist you want to use so that you can continue the relationship and keep the project as streamlined as possible.
If you’re unsure about how to find a suitable roofing contractor, read ahead for our next section and become familiarised with MyJobQuote’s online directory.
Utilising Online Directories
Gone are the days of searching for a suitable roofing expert by contacting them one by one, trying to locate roofing companies near me, and opening up several lines of communication and creating a chaotic inbox of responses. Instead, you can use MyJobQuote’s online directory to locate reputable nearby roofing companies.
By using this tool, you can compare and contrast roofing specialists in one fell swoop, considering their qualifications against their customer reviews and testimonials, alongside their quoted price.
You can simplify your search even more by filtering the companies based on your specific needs, including everything from the contractor’s location to their ratings and reviews from previous customers, helping you to gain a well-rounded picture of their service.
Verifying Qualifications
When choosing a contractor to work on your property’s roof, aside from defining the exact trouble you’re having with your structure, the second most important aspect is simply picking the best, most suitable contractor.
Working on roofs concerns many safety aspects, with working at height being the main contender. To ensure both you and your contractor’s safety, you will want to ensure that they have adequate experience in working at height, as well as the correct safety equipment and risk assessments in place to prove their commitment to safety standards.
There are several qualifications a roofing specialist can have under their belt, ranging from NVQs and SQVs, as well as apprenticeships. Commonly, less-qualified traders will offer lower prices, but these will usually come at the expense of the quality of their work.
A good test of character and standard of work is to search for your roofing contractor on NFRC (The National Federation of Roofing Contractors). Being part of this trade association shows dedication to the trade and can be a useful factor when making your decision.
It’s a good idea to choose a contractor with proven experience in the roofing industry to ensure a smooth project from start to finish.
Effective Communication
While you’re in the process of selecting your roofing contractor, you must maintain effective communication throughout the selection process. It’s a clear red flag if you’re receiving one-word responses from a contractor before you’ve even engaged in work with them or if you are left waiting weeks for a response to a simple question, as these habits are usually indicators of the roofer’s attitude during the work itself.
Be sure to ask as many questions as you feel you need to to get a full understanding of your project. If a contractor is unwilling to respond to you at the stage of vying for your business, it’s best to steer clear of them - if they aren’t trying to impress you at this stage, once they have your money, they will be even less inclined.
You may think that the communication process is over as soon as the quote is agreed on, but you must keep this verbal line open throughout the project itself. This ensures that any issues that arise during the job are taken care of efficiently, allowing timelines to be adjusted where necessary.
Use MyJobQuote's Quote Form
Finding a suitable roofing specialist couldn’t be easier. Simply use MyJobQuote’s quote form to get started on finding roofing services by following these steps:
- Select the type of job you need to do from the menu - in this case, you need to select roofing
- Choose the best-fit option for the type of work you need - be that a roof repair, work on your guttering, or roof cleaning etc.
- Identify your roof type - pitched, flat, or other
- Describe the height of your roof - single, two three or more storeys
- Select your roof’s material from the list of available options - tiled, slate, fibreglass etc
- Tick as many options to narrow down the exact work you need to carry out
- Enter a detailed description into the text box to give your traders a good understanding of the issue you have with your roof
- Add in photos if you have them to describe the problem better - this is especially useful if you aren’t sure what the problem is
- Enter your job’s location postcode
- Allocate your project’s budget from the options
- Determine your timescale - ASAP, within 2 days, flexible etc
- Enter your email address to receive your quotes directly to your inbox
You will then receive personalised quotes from local roofing specialists, enabling you to compare their quotes alongside their experience and customer testimonials.
Seeking Recommendations
Family, friends and neighbours can be fountains of knowledge when hiring local roofing companies, saving you from hours of searching ‘roofer near me’ on search engines. If they have experience using a local roofer, they likely have already done a lot of the heavy lifting for you by sifting through potential service providers - knowledge which they can pass on to you.
If you have a particular roofing type - such as a flat roof or one of metal or composite material - and you have an acquaintance with the same attributes, be sure to ask them for roofing specialists as they will have experience in your exact field.
Asking for photos, videos, or even an on-site tour of a particular trader’s work can be invaluable if your acquaintances suggest a certain trader. This way, you can see their work in person - which isn’t normally possible with a generic search.
However, it’s important that you still do your homework when searching for a local roofing company. Your standards may be different to your friend’s, and their idea of good may be far from yours - so while they can certainly help to point you in the right direction, it’s not to be used in replacement of your research.
Understanding Service Terms and Agreements
When settling with your chosen roofing company, it’s encouraged that you spend extra time understanding the service terms and agreements before anyone steps foot on your property to ensure that all clauses are understood and agreed upon.
No matter the speed at which you want your work done, it’s essential that you get your quotes in written format. This way, there can be no discrepancies on what was and was not agreed - and do not accept verbal agreements or anything over the phone with no paper trail, as this can lead to potential issues and miscommunication during the project.
If a contractor offers you an estimate instead of a quotation, push back until a firm quotation is in place. Estimates are just that - estimates - and can change and lead to extra costs as the project progresses, which is a recipe for problems.
Be sure to check your quotation for a clear outline of the work proposal, including the scope of the work, the pricing and payment terms, and any guarantees or warranties offered alongside the work. It’s important to see if the figure includes VAT (roofing businesses earning over £85,000 per year will have to charge VAT), and this is charged at 20%, which can boost your price significantly if it isn’t initially outlined or budgeted for.
Do not pay the full project fee up-front. It’s common to be charged a deposit and a percentage of the project fee but not the entire thing, as this can make it far too easy for the contractor to drop your project and run with the money without completing any work.
Lastly, while an inexperienced trader may offer you lower rates and fewer guarantees, this isn’t your best choice as your roof is an integral part of your home’s structure, so you shouldn’t cut corners - no matter how enticing the price is.
Being diligent when enlisting roofing experts can save you time and money further down the line. Instead of simply opting for the cheapest deal on the market, by taking a little extra time researching and comparing quotes, you can find the best roofing companies to suit your requirements, giving you greater peace of mind when the time comes to book a project.
Utilising MyJobQuote’s online directories can help to streamline your quotation process, giving you multiple quotes in one place while removing the need to approach traders with individual requests single-handedly. This makes the research process easier and helps you to find a reliable roofing contractor efficiently and effectively.
Last updated by MyJobQuote on 9th July 2024.