So you’re looking for a roofer near you in the Greenville, Anderson, or Spartanburg upstate areas of South Carolina. Not quite sure where to start? You’ve come to the very specific, right place.
Let’s assume you have a roofing issue, such as a leak, and know you need a roofer (though if you’re ever questioning it, plenty of roofing companies offer free inspections). How do you choose the right roofing contractor to entrust with your home?
Your best place to start is with your neighbors. It might seem old school, but word of mouth recommendations are an amazing source of information on contractors. If your neighbor had a positive experience with a roofing company or roofing contractor, then you likely will too.
The added benefit of going with a neighbor’s recommendation is using a roofer who has already done work in the neighborhood. It means s/he is familiar with important common information, such as building similarities, past storm dates that insurance would want to know, HOA regulations, and any common construction issues.
For example, say you live in a Greenville neighborhood where all the houses were built with a shingle that is no longer in production. When a roof claim goes through insurance, your insurance company has to either match your existing shingles or replace the whole roof for aesthetic reasons. Having a knowledgeable contractor can help your whole neighborhood avoid having weird mismatched shingle patches!
Should your neighbors not have anyone they recommend, it’s easy enough to turn to online groups and forums. For example, there are neighborhood specific Facebook groups or reddit threads for Simpsonville, Easley, Spartanburg, you name it, where you can ask for a recommendation. It could even be that your HOA or insurance agent has a preferred contractor they’ve worked with before.
When you find a roofing contractor near you, go ahead and ask that person for their referrals. Hearing from homeowners of projects they’ve worked on can elicit useful information. We recommend asking for 2 good ones and 1 problematic one. Why ask for a bad referral, you say?
A few reasons.
Firstly, if the roofing contractor says he doesn’t have a bad referral… he’s lying. Think about it. Have you ever had a situation at your job that didn’t go 100% perfectly? We all have. If your roofing contractor doesn’t own up to his, then he’s not someone who accepts responsibility and you don’t want to work with him.
Secondly, it will give you the chance to see how this contractor handles sticky situations and problems. In the home repair industry, it’s not uncommon for surprises to pop up. Like you start a job to replace a few shingles, but after tearing off the old ones realize a LOT of the decking is warped, rotting, and needs replacing. These situations occur. The mark of a great contractor is how he responds to them to make it right for the homeowner.
Choose a roofer that is good with communication! There are many steps in the roofing process, so you’ll save yourself many headaches by using a contractor that is proactive instead of reactive. Stress is saved with someone who knows the importance of keeping you up to date at every turn!
So if you find a roofing company that stays in touch, will show up to the job, and is communicative about the process, then they’re a keeper.
There are enough roofing companies near you in the Anderson-Greenville-Spartanburg area, where you don’t need to settle for one that doesn’t go above and beyond for you.
A good roofing contractor will help you file the insurance claim, be there while the inspection takes place, come out the day that work begins to check in with the crew, keep you updated about project scheduling, pick out a shingle color with you, and more. All these small details add up. At the end of the day, you want to feel like you barely had to lift a finger. Almost like a helicopter came and simply dropped a new roof on your house.
Getting a roof, siding, or gutter repair/ replacement can be a big deal. Especially if insurance is involved. Choose a roofer that makes the process easy.
You don’t buy a car without doing research, right? The same should be true for a new roof!
You’d think all roofing companies would offer the same product at relatively the same price, but nope. Unfortunately, this is another area where some less reputable companies might get a little shady. Sometimes cut corners if you don’t pay top dollar with them.
The important part is to read the fine print. Call around to make sure the price tag on the products the company will use makes sense. You can always ask for a second opinion. While you might not know if a synthetic underlayment is important (hint: it is), a skilled roofer is and will tell you not to go with the contractor hocking the tar paper felt which won’t last.
Also, some upstate, S.C. roofing companies offer complimentary upgrades on materials whenever they do a project. It’s important to find those companies, because a free 15 architectural shingle is a lot sturdier and aesthetically pleasing than a builder’s grade outdated 3-tab shingle. Simply, when the human element gets involved, people get greedy and skim off the top. Some companies are holding true though by offering you the best possible quality!
The wait times to kick off a roofing project can be ridiculous. Don’t go with someone who schedules you 4-6 months in advance. What if a leak forms during that time? What happens then? With that much lead time, it also increases the chance that your roofer will forget about the “date” they scheduled your roof installation for as well.
Again, there are enough roofing companies in the upstate where you can call around and find one that has enough crews to support scheduling your home repair some time within the next few weeks. Afterall, you’re not waiting on your bi-annual dentist checkup. Don’t delay an important repair by half a year. Let scheduling wait time be an important factor in your decision.
If you’re curious about anything mentioned in this article, please contact us so we can answer your questions!
Olympus Home can help you with your next repairs or home project. Call us today at 1-800-214-0024 for a free quote.
Curious about our process or what residential roofing looks like? Check out our other articles, such as how the insurance claim process for roof repairs work!
