Each year, the roofs over our heads are put through the wringer. They protect us from harsh elements, such as harmful UV rays, extreme heat, high winds, rain, snow, hail, and more. They keep us safe and comfortable in our homes.
Though it may seem financially prudent to save money by doing the work yourself, there are a lot of reasons to reconsider DIY roof repair. You could injure yourself, make the problem worse, or waste money on a project that will need to be redone in the near future.
Naturally, you’re going to need a reputable roofing company to assess the damage and make repairs.
The question is, how do you find the right roofing company?
How to Choose a Grand Rapids Roofing Company
The internet has made it much easier for consumers to find the right services and products for their needs and their budgets. In fact, nearly 88 percent of consumers research products or services before making their purchase. It’s why you’re reading this article right now.
Rather than just tell you why we’re the best roofing repair company in the Grand Rapids area, we’re going to provide you with some insight to help you make the decision yourself. Keep reading for our top tips on finding a roofing company you can trust with your home, your interests, and your budget.
Ask Around
First, start your search by asking the people closest to you. Obviously, your best sources of intel will be from people who live in the area and have access to the same Grand Rapids roofing companies. This includes your friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers.
Odds are, you’ve seen neighbors having their roofs repaired over the last few years. Start by asking them what company they used and what their overall experience was from the standpoint of the customer.
Use Social Media to Get Recommendations
If you don’t find those who you interact within your day to day life helpful, you can fall back on using social media. Ask your online friends and followers (from your area) who they recommend.
You can also log onto community buy/sell/trade pages on Facebook to extend your reach to a larger part of your community. These pages are used by thousands, if not tens of thousands of residents to buy, sell, trade, and share information. People commonly use these pages to find recommendations for local companies.
Look at Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Next, it’s time to start looking into online customer reviews and testimonials. Some companies make this incredibly easy for you and post their reviews on the website and/or social media pages.
If not, try using a search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing) to search for “Grand Rapids, Michigan roofing reviews.” You should find plenty of review sites covering the various local companies in your area. Feel free to be more specific with your search by typing in the company’s name plus “reviews” into the search engine.
Check Credentials
While you’re doing some of the grunt work and researching individual Grand Rapids roof repair companies, make sure you pay attention to their credentials. When hiring any contracting company to perform work on your home, there are certain levels of protection that need to be in place.
For example, they need liability insurance to cover any unintentional damages to your home. They should also carry worker’s compensation insurance to protect their workers in case they are harmed while performing their duties. Otherwise, you as the homeowner may be targeted for financial restitution.
This also includes checking up on their business license to ensure a standard of work quality and safety, as well as an adherence to city coding laws. You may also be able to find out what materials the roofing company uses to get a better understanding of the level of quality you can expect from their services.
Find out About Customer Service
One of the most important aspects of finding the right Grand Rapids roofing company is learning about their customer service practices. How well do they work with homeowners to resolve issues?
During a construction project, nothing is ever guaranteed. The roofing company may find more intensive damages while conducting their repairs. They may also be delayed due to weather, insufficient financing from the homeowner, and more.
Before deciding on a roofing company, you need to understand their communication skills, talk to them about their policies, and ask them important questions.
Get Quotes or Estimates From Competing Companies
Next, remember that most credible contracting companies, including Grand Rapids roofing companies, will offer free estimates or quotes to potential customers. This is a great way to determine which company you want to work with. If they’re not willing to give you a free quote, they don’t want your business badly enough.
However, once you receive several quotes, don’t make your choice on price alone. Sometimes, the cheapest option isn’t necessarily the best option. Pay attention to other factors such as customer service, warranties, availability, materials used, and more.
Ask About Warranties
Speaking of warranties, what guarantees or protection do the top Grand Rapids roofing companies offer? While you can’t expect any roofing company to replace or repair your roof for free regardless of circumstance, they should guarantee their workmanship.
Most roofing companies offer a variety of material and workmanship warranties that can cover materials for 20 to 50 years. These warranties are practical and apply primarily to defects in materials or poor workmanship resulting in roof damages, leaks, etc.
Do You Need Roof Repairs?
Finding the right Grand Rapid roofing company for your roofing needs doesn’t have to be super complicated. In our opinion, you’ve already found it since you’re reading our article. However, there’s nothing wrong with doing your own research.
If you know we’re who you want to work with or are simply interested in a free inspection to get started, contact us today to see what we can do for you.
