Guide
The questions that separate the quotes
You do not need to know roofing to ask good questions. You need to know which questions have answers that can be checked.
Get it looked at
Three questions, and up to three Bellflower contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Bellflower is taking requests through this service yet. We are lining them up, and yours is kept until one can.
- Nobody gets your details yet. Your request stays with us and is not passed to any company.
- One email when someone can help. When a provider covering your area can take it on, we email you once and ask whether you want that company, by name, to contact you.
- Deleted after 90 days. If nobody can take it on, or you do not say yes, your contact details are deleted 90 days after your request.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
Nobody will call you about this request unless you say yes to a company by name.
"What underlayment, and how are the valleys done?"
A contractor who enjoys this question is usually the one whose roof lasts. A contractor who deflects it to brand names is quoting a different job.
"What does your workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?"
Material warranties come from the manufacturer and are conditional on correct installation. The workmanship warranty is the contractor's own promise, and it is worth exactly as much as the company behind it.
"Who is actually doing the work?"
Employees, or subcontractors? Both are fine, but subcontracted crews change who carries the workers compensation cover and who stands behind the workmanship warranty.
"What is your licence number, and who holds it?"
Then look it up. You are checking that the licence is current and that the name on it matches the name on the contract you are being asked to sign.
"Can I see a job you finished five years ago?"
Anybody can show you a roof completed last month. A roof that has been through five winters shows how the edges, valleys and penetrations were actually detailed.
"What happens if the decking is rotten?"
You want a rate, not a reassurance. Some rot is likely on any older roof and the rate is the only thing that keeps that predictable.
In short
Write the answers down. Two weeks later, when the quotes have blurred together, the notes are what you will actually decide on.
Related questions
What time of year is best to re-roof in Bellflower?
Practically, the long dry run from May to October. Crews are busiest right after the weather turns — November through March — so booking outside that stretch usually buys you a better date and a keener number.
Do I have to hire anyone?
Not at all. Plenty of people use this to find out what a job costs and then do nothing for a year. That is a perfectly reasonable outcome.
What should I do to prepare?
Move the cars out, take pictures off the top-floor walls, cover anything stored in the attic, and put pets somewhere else for the loud days. Expect nails in the driveway however careful the crew is — ask whether they run a magnet at the end.
Find out what it costs
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.