When you need a repair done on your roof, you don’t just want to call the first roofing contractor that you find and have them come fix it, only to give you a bill at the end that might be a lot more than you expected. Even if your roof repairs are urgent, you still want to get some estimates. Asking for an estimate from a roofing contractor can provide you with a lot of things, and one of those things might be more questions, depending on how the person addresses their estimate. Some roofers can be very vague and their estimates can be rather far off from what the job will actually end up costing, so you have to make sure that you ask the right questions and be clear about what kind of estimate you need.
You also need to make sure that the estimate spells out what will be done. You don’t just want an estimate that says ‘repair roof’ and gives a price. Does that include the materials? What about clean up? If there are other problems, how will that be handled? All of these things are important considerations, but most people don’t think about them when they get an estimate for roof repair because they have an idea of what should be included and they don’t take the time to make sure that it actually is.
Everything should be in writing, including what happens if there is a discrepancy between what the estimate was for and what all the job will entail. In other words, if there is a need to replace shingles that were going to be repaired, or if some of the decking is damaged and that is only discovered when the shingles are removed, how that will be addressed should be in the estimate. You don’t want the price to suddenly go up by hundreds of dollars because more work had to be done and the contractor wasn’t obligated to tell you before he did it.
To avoid those kinds of things make sure that the estimate addresses these kinds of issues. Also make sure that it’s clear about who pays for the materials, what work is to be done, who does the cleanup, how and when payment is due, whether there is a warranty on the work, and any other issues that surround the work to be done. You want to get the work done right the first time and for the best price, but the least expensive estimate isn’t always the best one. Taking the time to look at several estimates and what those companies have to offer is by far your best choice.