Guide
What to ask before you sign anything
Ask all three contractors the same list. Comparing the answers is far more revealing than comparing the totals.
Get it looked at
Three questions, and up to three Paramount contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Paramount 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.
"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 underlayment, and how are the valleys done?"
This is the question that reveals whether you are comparing the same roof. Underlayment, ice-and-water placement, drip edge and valley treatment are where quotes quietly diverge.
"What happens if the decking is rotten?"
The right answer is a specific price per sheet, written into the contract before work starts. A vague answer here is how a fixed price stops being fixed on day two.
"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.
"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?"
Recent work shows tidiness. Older work shows competence. Ask for the older one.
In short
Six questions, three contractors, one afternoon. It is the cheapest insurance available on a job this size.
Related questions
Are the contractors licensed and insured?
Contractors have to give us their state licence number and proof of liability and workers compensation cover before they can receive requests. You should still ask to see current certificates yourself before work starts — a licence can lapse between checks.
What happens to my information?
It goes to a maximum of three roofing contractors working in Paramount, and to nobody else. We do not sell it as a mailing list and we do not post it anywhere public. Our privacy policy sets out exactly what is shared.
What time of year is best to re-roof in Paramount?
Here, the long dry run from May to October is the easy window. November through March is when the phone rings hardest, which means less flexibility on dates and less room on price.
What is it going to cost?
No cost. We email you once when a provider near you can take it on.