Hiring a roofing contractor in Charleston is both a challenging and fulfilling task since it requires a significant investment, a lot of hard work, and meticulous planning.
After all, it’s an important investment that offers a lot of long-term benefits. However, it can be more challenging and stressful if it’s your first time tackling a project of this magnitude. More often than not, you don’t know what to expect before the job starts and how your roof should look after everything’s done.
At times, you might not even know what kind of questions you should ask your roofing contractor to help you understand the job.
Luckily, Peartree Homes, one of the most capable and courteous contractors in your area is here to help you by sharing some in-depth tips to reduce the stress that you might encounter during your roofing job to create a smooth and memorable experience.
Keep a Project Notebook
During a roofing project, there are a lot of details flying around that are important to the project’s success. You can keep track of details, such as important notes, project deadlines, area sketches, clippings, receipts, quotes and important paperwork, that helps you stay on top of your project.
Granted, it’s possible to keep them in separate places, but it’s much more convenient to keep track of everything related to your roofing project in one place. You don’t need to go through the trouble of scouring through different folders or envelopes to look for an important document anymore.
Create an Emergency Fund
While your roofing contractor will try to make the process as simple as possible, it can’t be helped if there are some unexpected changes that aren’t present in your initial roofing estimate. This happens because there are some types of roofing damage that can only be seen once your roof deck has been exposed during the construction.
A good rule of thumb is to allocate around 10% to 20% of the entire project cost as an emergency fund to cover issues like water damage, deck damage or slight mold growth. This helps put you at ease knowing that you have a dedicated budget to resolve these issues rather than stressing over reallocating your entire budget again.
Hire a Contractor You Trust
This goes for any project, whether it’s for roofing, siding or room additions. You need to hire a contractor that you can trust or worked with in the past since this takes a ton of weight off your shoulders during a roofing project. Working with familiar contractors makes life easier since you know how they function, the quality of their work and how to communicate with them which is a big plus in itself.
When vetting contractors for the first time, there are a few criteria they should meet before you can consider them as a viable choice, including a valid contractor license, general liability insurance, workers' compensation, years of service and certifications. If they manage to meet these criteria, then they can be a good choice for your next project, but never forget your gut feel as it also plays an important role as well.
Understand Your Insurance Policy
Do you have a replacement cost value or an actual cost value insurance policy? How much are your deductibles? What kind of roofing damage will your insurance policy cover? Knowing these subtle things like the details of your insurance policy can help you plan ahead in case of an emergency such as storm or hail damage.
Make an Item Inventory of Fragile Items
Go around your home, and look at the patio, the garden, porch and other exterior areas that are exposed to the elements. If you notice any items that can sustain damage during a storm, for instance, take note of them. In case they get damaged during a weather event, you can easily watch out for the damaged items once the situation settles so you can see their condition. Also, don’t forget to take into account the items inside your home in case mishaps such as leaks happen.
Have Regular Inspections
If you’re uncertain about your roof’s condition, you can always call on your trusted roofing contractor to have your roofing system inspected professionally. There are some kinds of damage that require the eyes of a skilled contractor to spot since there are some signs that a homeowner may not be able to notice. In some cases, damage like blisters can be mistaken for a simple blemish on your roof, but already indicates signs of problems within your shingles or your attic, which goes to show that it’s important to have issues spotted early.
Don’t Wait on Roofing Damage
If you notice a part of your roof is already damaged, don’t wait for the problem to worsen as this can lead to headaches and a heftier repair bill in the long run. Not only that, but this also eliminates the chance of your insurance provider covering your replacement or repair costs since you failed to take action to mitigate the damage early on in the process.
If possible, contact your trusted roofing contractor to address the issue once you notice it so that you don’t have to worry about a bigger problem with your roof if you leave it be.
Searching for a roofing contractor to entrust your home to?
Call on Peartree Homes. We specialize in residential home services and are ready to serve your needs! We have been creating our clients’ dream homes since 2012. Contact us at (843) 343-5808, or fill out our contact form.
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