Having a decent roof over your head is one of the primary needs of every human being. That means the issue of choosing a contractor for roofing your home must be tackled seriously.

How to locate a roofer
The best way to locate a roofer is to ask neighbours and friends for a recommendation. Ideally, this will give you a minimum of,say, three from which to choose so that you can compare prices and experience. If your roofing requirement will involve a listed building, make sure that you roofer has demonstrable experience in this type of renovation.

Physical Address
Once you have made comparisons and checked references from previous satisfied clients, make sure that you have a proper address for the roofer. It's absolutely necessary for tracing him / her if there are any problems with your new roof. Moreover, a contractor with a fixed address is almost always going to be more reliable.

Insurance
The next thing you should enquire about from the contractor is whether he or she has Employers and Public Liability Insurance. If any worker is injured while working on your roof you may otherwise be liable for damages to the injured party since the accident has occurred within your premises. The roofer must therefore have an insurance policy ensuring that the onus for any compensation falls squarely him or her. Roofers without insurance policies can sometimes offer lower rates since insurance premiums tend to increase their overheads by as much as 20% and it is not always true that a roofer without a policy is a bad one. Many times a roofer avoids insurance policies because of high premiums or because he or she is new to the business and is yet to have a steady income. None of these imply that his workmanship would be of inferior quality, but it is for you to evaluate the risks involved in employing a roofing contractor without insurance cover.

Workmanship Warranty
Enquire from the contractor as to what workmanship warranty he or she is willing to offer. Don't accept any verbal assurances which sound too good to be true, since they almost certainly are. Any contractor who assures you that there will be absolutely no problems with your roof is probably lying. Most new rooves will require some minor attention after completion: loose mortar, flashings requiring re-sealing and so forth. These issues generally present themselves within the first two to three years. Ask for a written workmanship warranty for a period of five years. If there is a problem with your roof it should come to light within that time. This warranty should be incorporated in the final contract you draw up with the contractor. Once again, ALWAYS get it in writing.

References
The longer the contractor has been in business the more experienced he or she should be and the longer the list of (hopefully) satisfied customers. So it should be that much easier for you to get a genuine evaluation of his / her workmanship from previous clients. It is always worth asking for references from clients where issues have occurred as this will allow you to assess the contractor's responsiveness under these circumstances. It is relatively easy for a contractor to provide references from jobs that went well -- but far more revealing to discover how well he or she performed when problems occurred.

Some people are of the opinion that a new company will be more eager to create a foothold in the market and, in the quest to create goodwill, may work more diligently. While this may be true for some, a roofer with more experience may be a safer bet than an unproven business. There will always be someone else who will allow his or her roof to be the testbed for a rookie contractor. With something as important as a roof, don't let your sense of philanthrophy get the better of you!

Cleanup
Do not forget to ask whether the contractor takes responsibility for cleaning up your premises as the job progresses. This might sound rather trivial initially but will become a burning issue if you end up with a driveway covered in your old roof tiles. As with other clauses, ensure that this is also incorporated in the written contract and that the associated costs are clearly included in the quotation: disposal costs for commercial waste are quite high so don't be surprised if clearance is a significant element of the overall quote.

Conclusion
Award the contract to a roofer only after a careful consideration of all aspects of the work and evaluate the estimate in great detail. Don't leave any grey areas and never accept any purely verbal assurances. If you require planning permission for the roofing work, for instance in the case of listed properties, make sure that this is all in order before the work commences. Your contract with the roofer must in all cases include writter warranties as to workmanship.
UK Home / Services / Roofers
To Get Help About This Section, Click Here
free classified ads
Roofers - Post a FREE Ad Today!  
Looking for Roofers in your area? Classifieds Local Services - the home of FREE classified ads - is here to help!
At the moment, there aren’t any Classified Ads in our Roofers Classification. However, If you’re looking, others will be too. So, Post a FREE Ad yourself - and be the very first on the page! :o)
    
 
  
      
Classified Ad Results  
Information & Advice on Roofers
Category Ad Tags

"
Ad Tags are keywords Users have added to their Ad to quickly indicate what they’re advertising.
"
There aren’t any Tags associated with this Classification.
Post a FREE Ad
Log In / Register
Help!
About
Share
RSS
Related Classifications
Service (446)
Accountants Architects Artists Bathroom Fitters Blinds & Curtain Makers
Or Buy Online Now..
DeWalt DeWalt D25113K 2kg 26m
DeWalt D25113K 2kg 26mm SDS-Plus Combination Hammer Drill - 110v...
DeWalt DeWalt D25113K 2kg 26m
£114.97 - ToolBox
Black & Decker Black & Decker
The Black and Decker 12V Cordless Drill Driver CD12CA has variable sp...
Black & Decker Black & Decker
£24.93 - Tesco Electrical
Ryobi Ryobi EMS-1425L 10" Sli
Ryobi EMS-1425L 10" Sliding Mitre Saw with Laser Guide...
Ryobi Ryobi EMS-1425L 10" Sli
£87.97 - ToolBox
Classifieds.co.uk | Valueclick Europe Ltd - Privacy - Advertiser Terms - User Terms
You must comply with all laws when making any posting on Classifieds.co.uk.
Under no circumstances shall Classifieds.co.uk be held responsible for any items posted by users on this website.