A Startling Fact About Roof Replacement

With the overall cost of a new quality roof installation rising, you will want to do everything that you can to make sure you get your money's worth. Choosing the right Fort Worth or Weatherford roofing contractor can be a daunting task, but when you find a reputable and honest roofing contractor, it goes a long way in ensuring that you get a new, quality roof that will maintain its integrity and durability for years after your initial investment. Going with the lowest bidder is not always a wise decision, especially if you value quality workmanship and products that are both backed by warranties.

Sure, it may appear that many if not all roofing contractors are similar, but when you start asking your salesperson questions about the roof replacement process and begin asking for certain guarantees in writing, you may start to see the onion being peeled back a bit. That's why at Reese Roofing, we suggest that you trust your roof replacement to a locally owned, fully insured and certified roofing contractor. 

What are some things to look out for you may be asking! Well, for starters, ask your salesperson to provide proof of current and valid insurance coverage. Take it a step further and call the listed agent and verify that the roofing contractor is still in good standing. next, you should be asking your salesperson to show proof of manufacturer / product certification(s). Without a proper certification, your roof replacement will likely not be covered by the manufacturer in the event that your roof fails to perform as promised. Even if your contractor is certified, the roof's warranty may be immediately voided if the installers did not adhere to the manufacturer’s guidelines and requirements. So, ask your salesperson about what requirements must be met to ensure a full warranty is granted and how they ensure requirements are being met. Generally, his / her answer(s) should include things such as, certain roofing products must be used that are made by the manufacturer that the contractor is certified to install. usually, this means there are a minimum number of products made by the manufacturer that must be used during the installation process before your roof qualifies to receive the warranty coverage. Another warranty qualifier may be number of nails used per shingle. some manufacturers require a minimum of 4 or 5 nails, and some require 6 nails per shingle. Ask your salesperson what the manufacturer requires regarding number of nails per shingle. Ask your salesperson if they will be removing the old roof or installing the new roof over the old one. This is important for multiple reasons. first and most important in our opinion is, how would a contractor know the condition and structural integrity of your roofs decking if they don't take the old roof off? Just because you don't yet see signs of a leaky roof doesn't mean you don't have a leak. Another reason to ask is because many times, contractors may charge you for removal of the old roof, but they later decide to save time and money by roofing over the existing / old roof. Another important thing to understand is that, some municipalities, counties and states may require the removal and proper disposal of old roofing materials. So, make sure that this issue is firmly squared away before signing any work order.

Does having a lifetime warranty mean that I will never have to buy a new roof? The short answer is no. To expand a bit on the subject, please understand that we do not represent nor are we attempting to represent any roofing product manufacturer. We are simply stating an opinion based off of our experiences and training. To get back to your question, a roof warranty is real. Manufacturers honor their warranties everyday all over this great nation. Then there are the times that many customers feel that they have been let down and lied to by roofing companies and manufacturers alike. This happens because a roof warranty is a major selling point that contractors use to get customers to choose them as their roofing contractor. At Reese Roofing, we believe it should be a major selling point because having added protection on such a large investment is an absolute necessity. It's equally as important for a roofing contractor to explain the limits and intentions of a roof warranty as well. So here is our attempt at doing just that. Typically, manufacturer warranties do not provide for and do not advertise that they will replace your roof forever and ever for any reason. They do however advertise that they will replace your roof if their roofing system fails. What does failure mean? It means that if their roof system fails to provide adequate and proper protection and said failure was not caused by (heavy winds, hail, ice, etc..), they will replace your roofing system at no cost to you. Please note that not all manufacturers treat this process the same. Some manufacturers may only replace the failed product, and some may replace the entire roof (this is the most common coverage). But the warranty doesn't always cover the labor cost associated with the installation of the new roof and many times will not cover the tear off and proper disposal of the old roofing materials. So, make sure to ask your salesperson about this also. One last guarantee you need to get from your salesperson is that they will actually submit your roof for warranty coverage. Many fly-by-night roofers will sell you on a warranty and never actually submit your roof to the manufacturer for proper warranty coverage. It's not hard folks, a roofer literally could take 5-10 minutes and submit your roof to the manufacturer for coverage. Unfortunately, many contractors don't because they get busy, or just plain don't want to pay the $70 warranty fee. So, if your roofer doesn't send you a certificate of warranty or if you don't receive one from the manufacturer directly, the odds are that your roofer did not submit your job for coverage. If this happens, you need to be calling your roofer as soon as possible and also reach out to the manufacturer.

Should my roofer replace my roof ventilation? Absolutely your roofer should be replacing all vents. Especially if they are damaged. Generally speaking, vents will have to be removed anyways for the new roof installation, so why not replace them. At Reese Roofing, we suggest always asking for a ventilation upgrade. Many times, your roofer has enough room to do this at no additional cost to you. We always try to add ridge ventilation to our roof replacement jobs. Ridge vents seem to provide for better ventilation which not only keeps your attic cooler and can help reduce your overall utility costs, but it absolutely helps extend the life of your roof's shingles. A cooler attic space helps prevent shingle blistering which sometimes looks like hail damage. Blistering can sometimes lead to the same issues as hail damage also. You should know that insurance companies many times (maybe never) will cover shingle blistering because it really could be tracked back to poor installation and or product failure. 

These are just a few of the questions a customer could ask a potential roofing contractor. For more information or for a free, no obligation roof inspection filled with actual data to support getting a roof replacement or not, contact Reese Roofing today at 682-229-1216 or visit us at www.reeseroofs.com.