Specify exactly what roof areas are to be covered and other details, such as whether old shingles are to be removed, whether flashings are to be replaced, who is responsible for cleaning up and hauling away debris, and exactly what types and weights of materials are to be used. Also get a warranty on the roofer’s work, ideally for five years or more have the roofer write into your contract: “In addition to all other warranties, if roof leaks within five years, except as a result of accidental damage, contractor will bear the cost of labor and materials to eliminate all leaks.” Get a copy of the warranty from the manufacturer of whatever roofing materials are used.Before deciding on any contractor, ask for proof that it is licensed and carries liability and workers’ compensation insurance.Then go back to them with the final description of what you want and invite them to bid on the work. Use estimators as your consultants, getting feedback from them to determine what needs to be done. If you can’t be present during the estimate, email your specifications in advance.All contractors pay roughly the same amount for materials, but hourly labor rates and productivity may vary substantially. And get more bids when labor - not materials - constitutes a large part of the cost. If there are large differences between the first two or three bids, you should seek more. There is no hard-and-fast rule on how many bids to get, but, in general, the larger the job the more bids you should get. For the next month, Checkbook is offering free access to its ratings of area roofers to The Washington Post readers via this link: /washingtonpost/roofers. To identify top outfits, use Checkbook’s ratings of local roofing contractors.
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