Here in Texas, we’re no strangers to big weather. Thunderstorms, hail storms, tornadoes…we get hit with a lot. And our poor roofs take the brunt of it!
Last April, a hail storm tore through Lewisville and beat us up good. We had to have our roof & gutters replaced. (I won’t even get into what happened to our cars!) Thankfully our insurance covered most of it but I was still responsible for paying a deductible AND finding a reliable company to do the job. I learned a lot through that process so I thought I’d share a few things that might help others who are going through the same thing now or after the next storm hits!
1. Start your search at the BBB. There are lots of business reviews and you can easily see what a given company’s “rating” is. Ideally, you’ll identify a company that has an “A+” rating. Even if not, though, they should be reasonably trustworthy if they’re a member. You’ll be able to see any customer complaint history, too. Read, read, read and then read some more!
2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Get references. You’ll want to hear about other folks’ experiences, see the work that was done, etc. Confirm that they’re licensed and insured. Ask questions about customer service, timeliness, and anything else that comes to mind.
3. Get multiple bids. I’d recommend getting 5, but that’ll take time & effort. The thing is, we saw some people bid us really low, but after some investigation there were hidden costs that made the overall cost skyrocket…I’m guessing this tactic is employed to prevent sticker-shock.
4. Get a formal proposal or quote in writing. It’s important to forward-think and consider things like post-job-cleanup and completion dates and whatnot. Getting verbal agreements never flies…trust me!
5. Don’t pay upfront! Our next-door neighbor got a “really good deal” because they paid up front and guess what? Their roof never got done! The outfit they used was a “storm chaser” and canvassed our neighborhood door-to-door. Their “company truck” was a personal vehicle and other red-flags were simply ignored. Suckers!
We ended up going with an A+ rated roofing company in Plano called Daltex Contractors. They turned out to be awesome from start to finish. They weren’t the cheapest or the most expensive. I’m sure there are loads of reputable companies out there so just do yourself a favor and be selective!