As a commercial property owner, property manager or construction coordinator, here are a few things to consider when selecting a roofing contractor for your commercial property:
First and foremost make sure they have the right experience.
A quality commercial roofing company should have experience with a wide variety of buildings and substrates. Large, small new and old. They should be able to provide you with a variety of options based on your specific needs.
A good commercial roofing company will have proper licenses, certificates and affiliations with major manufacturers of roofing materials.
They must provide proof that they are licensed to practice in your state and that all paperwork is up to date. This includes having insurance, worker’s compensation and liability coverage.
Ask for referrals.
Every company says that they are the best but the only real proof are those of other customers similar to yourself in size and scope of work. When checking references remember to ask about friendliness of staff, how well they communicated and if follow up work was needed before the job was done satisfactorily.
Ask for a list of their previous work similar in scope. Once you have the information, be sure you take time and check on the references. Inquire as to their response time and following up on questions and meeting deadlines. This will give you a pretty good idea as to the culture at the commercial roofing company.
You can also check with local organizations like the BBB.
Make sure they have enough people to handle the job.
Not all commercial roofing companies are created equal. Some may simply be too small or spread too thin to handle a large job OR YOUR JOB. You should find out how many trained staffers they have and whether they can manage your job effectively along with their current workload.
Remember that the lowest bidder is not always the greatest value.
Everybody wants to save money, it’s tempting to select a company with the lowest estimate. However, some companies use subpar materials or workmanship and cut corners in order to outbid competitors. This will probably end up costing you more money in the long run and surely will be on your mind during our rain and storm season.
Ask about the company’s safety record.
Safety is important for your employees and customers. The same should be true for any vendor you choose, especially a commercial roofing contractor. When your roofer makes safety a top priority, it’s a pretty good indication of their overall culture and work habits.
Ask lots of questions.
You might think that since you have no expertise in commercial roofing, you have no right to ask questions of those who do, but this isn’t the case.
You might not know about bitumen rolls or elastomeric roof coatings but, there are still enough questions you can ask to adequately assess their qualifications.
Ask how long the company has been in business. This will give you a good idea about their work because companies with shoddy work and poor reputations don’t typically last for very long. Ask if their jobs are inspected by anybody. Also, don’t be afraid to continually ask questions after your initial meeting. A good company to work with will be happy to quickly answer and and all follow-up questions.
Your commercial roofing company should be there when you need them.
The best time to select a quality commercial roofing company is before you desperately need one. When there is a problem with your roof it can be stressful for you or your tenants. By doing a little work before hand you can be sure that when time comes you have somebody whom you can trust to maintain, repair or replace your commercial roof.
You can trust the pros at MasterCraft Roofing.
