Frequently Asked Questions

It is important to ask how much roofing experience the person has who will be completing the roof work, as company owners are usually not the ones completing the roof.  Ask the roofing company to explain to you the services that will be completed and why you need them. If something doesn’t make sense to you, it might be because you don’t need it.  

A roofing estimate should include all material and labour costs. Material includes: shingles; ice and water shield; underlayment; vents; wall metal, flashing and valley(s) (if needed); and, plumbing flange(s). You should receive information on the warranty for the shingles that would be installed, as well as the workmanship. NOTE: if a company is not providing at least a 10-15 year workmanship warranty you should be asking them about it.  

Material and labour are what make up the costs of replacing your roof. Material includes: shingles; ice and water shield; underlayment; vents; wall metal, flashing and valley(s) (if needed); and, plumbing flange(s).  Skylights are not as common, but they can be quite pricey when needing to be replaced. It is worth noting that material prices do increase every year and often twice within a year, which can influence the price of your roof from one year to the next.

A shingle and workmanship warranty are very important when having your roof done. If a company is not providing both of these warranties to you, you should not be using them. For shingle warranties, the roofing company creates the record and then it is the responsibility of the homeowner to register it (not all companies require registration for the warranty to be valid). NOTE: An important thing to look for is whether one or both of the warranties are transferable. If you are looking to sell your home at some point after having your roof redone it is recommended to go with a shingle and roofing company that offer warranties that can be transferred to the new home owners.

Our recommendation is to look for a company where the owner has substantive roofing experience. If the owner of the company does not have experience working on the roof themselves, it is unlikely that they would know what to look for when hiring a roofing crew and inspecting completed jobs. All company owners should be inspecting completed roofs, this is something you can ask about in advance. NOTE: it is best to work with roofing companies that have small crews, as it is harder to ensure quality control with bigger crews and higher staff turnover.

There is no doubt that replacing a roof can be quite costly. Generally, it is recommended that you get 2-3 estimates before hiring a company. That being said, in the roofing industry you often aren’t comparing apples to apples when looking at estimates. Things that can greatly influence the price are the quality of material used, as well as the level of workmanship. In our experience, we do a lot of repairs for roofs that were initially priced lower, due to poor workmanship, improper installation, and poor quality material. Your roof is a long-term investment, the best/fair price might not be the least expensive estimate you receive.