Do you need to hire a roofing contractor in the Grandbury, Texas area? Read on to learn how to choose the best one.
The last half decade has been huge for home ownership, with over 25 million existing homes being purchased over that time period. For many, that number comes as no surprise. Unemployment is down, consumer confidence is up, and owning your own house brings with it a number of outstanding benefits. Alongside the benefits of homeownership though come responsibilities, many of which revolve around maintenance. One of the most important elements of your home you'll need to maintain: your roof. A quality roof means protecting your home's integrity and, more importantly, the people inside of it. If you think you're due for a roof replacement or repairs in the Granbury, Texas area (or anywhere else), you may be looking to hire a quality roofing contractor. To help you with your search, our team shares with you a few tips on how to find the best contractor below. 1. Talk to Friends and Family If you have an extensive network of friends and family members who live in your community, starting your roofing contractor search by asking their advice is always a good idea. Don't know any friends or family members that have done business with a roofing contractor lately? Consider driving around your neighborhood and seeing if any locals have recently gotten their roof replaced. If you feel comfortable doing so, knock on their door and ask if they'd recommend who they hired for the job. 2. Seek Online Referrals Another great place to get insight on local roofing contractors is the internet. Websites like Yelp and Google allow consumers to give feedback on local businesses. Therefore, a quick roofing contractor search on either platform should turn up a handful of results. If you find a roofing contractor that seems like a good fit for you but doesn't have a lot of reviews on the platform you're looking at, go to their website. Many times a contractor will have customer testimonials you can read. 3. Ask About Licensing and Insurance You should be able to come up with a short list of potential roofing contractors after talking to people you know and searching online. Now it's time to start filtering through your findings. The first (and perhaps the most important) factor you'll need to assess with your potential contractor is whether or not they're licensed and insured. In most states, contractors are required by law to carry a license in order to practice. If your state is one that requires licensure, don't cut corners by hiring somebody your state has not deemed worthy to practice roofing. On the subject of insurance, any time you're hiring a roofer who doesn't have it, you're running a massive risk. If an uninsured roofer's employees get hurt while working on your home, you could be liable for medical expenses. Furthermore, if a roofer damages your property during your project and isn't insured, they may not have the money to reimburse you for repairs. 4. Find the Best Value (Not Price) Price is always an important factor when hiring labor. It's important to understand though that it should never be the only factor. There are plenty of fly-by-night roofing contractors that will put in a low bid and do poor work that will require fixes shortly thereafter. You don't want to hire that kind of contractor. Find the contractor that's offering the best price and also instills the most confidence in the quality of job they'll get done for you. Remember, you're paying for a roof replacement or repair that's going to last you, not one that's going to require you to hire more people almost immediately to fix spotty work. 5. Don't Do Business with Storm Chasers After heavy storms, you'll see a lot of roofers flooding the streets of communities offering their services. These people are called "storm chasers". Storm chasers are usually from out of town and will be impossible to get a hold after your job is done. To make sure the roofer you do business with can get held accountable for the quality of their work, only do business with a roofer who has a local address and phone number. 6. Find a Contractor Who Will Put Things in Writing Be wary of a roofing contractor who tries to do everything on handshake deals. These deals will almost certainly change over the course of a job. When you're getting your roof replacement or repair, get an estimate for the job in writing and make sure the estimate is signed by both you and your contractor. With a written and signed agreement in place, both parties will get protected from changing expectations. 7. Assess Early Communication If your prospective roofer is being standoffish during your courting phase, things are only going to get worse after they've secured your business. Make sure your roofer is responsive to your questions and seems genuinely happy to keep you informed. If you're feeling neglected early on, continue your contractor search. 8. Go with Your Gut After running your prospective contractors through the above filters, you may find that you have a couple of choices you could go with. At that point, the best thing to do is listen to your gut. Who made you feel the most comfortable? Who do you trust the most to be working on your property? Whichever contractor seems to edge out the other when it comes to your gut assessment is worth doing business with. Wrapping up How to Choose the Best Roofing ContractorWhether you're based in Granbury, Texas or anywhere else, our tips above will help you sort through your roofing contractor options and land on the perfect one. If you are based in the Granbury area and need help with your roof, look no further than our team at Granbury Roofers. Our team leverages our 65 years of roofing experience to help customers improve their property value, protect its integrity, and keep their families safe every day. Let us provide you with the same value. Get your roof replacement or repair quote today! If everyone in your neighborhood has new roofs, don't you think it might be time for you to replace yours, too? Here are some warning signs that it's time.
Is your roof in need of replacing? Depending on where you live and the type of roof, you could be overdue for a replacement. New roofs aren't cheap investments, so you want to make sure you really need one. It can be hard to tell the state of your roof if you don't know the signs to look for. If you don't replace it in time, you could face a lot more damage to your house. The property value will start to decline as will the curb appeal. So, how can you tell you need a new roof? Keep reading for six clear signs that it's time to get rid of the old, and in with the new. 1. The Shingles Look Rough A healthy roof has flat-laying shingles in cohesive coloring. Go outside and take a look at the shingles on your roof. Are all the pieces laying flat? Some of the most common signs you need a roof replacement are in the state of the shingles. Over time, the edges of the shingles will begin to curl up and back. Some may fall off or disconnect. When old shingles are damp, pieces called granules tend to break off. These granules look like dark sand and land in your gutters. You may notice them in your yard and around the house as well. If you have a ladder, inspect the shingles up close. Notice if they're stained or show signs water damage. Shingles are your first line of defense against the elements; making sure they're in good shape is key. Every house will need a roof replacement at some point. Shingles are the first way of knowing your time has come. 2. Water Leaks in Attic Your roof's job is to protect your house from rain, snow, and all types of weather. If it's not doing its job, it needs replacing. Check your attic for signs of leaking. This is common for roofs that are missing shingles or have loose shingles. The precipitation slides under the loose pieces and infiltrates your home. You may notice water damage in the beams or walls of your attic. Left unresolved, water damage can cause serious issues in your house's structure. Water damage in the attic can travel to lower levels of the home. 3. Increasing Energy Bills Have you noticed your energy bills increasing each month? That can be normal in some locations when it gets colder or warmer. But, an abnormal increase could be a sign of roofing problems. Another responsibility of your roof is to insulate the house. Heat rises, but if your roof is well insulated, it doesn't let the heat escape. If you have an older roof in need of replacement, it could be leaking out warm air. This means you're using more energy to heat your home because some of the heat is getting lost. Assess your current and previous energy bills. If you notice an abnormal increase, it could be time to check out your roof's quality. 4. The Age of the Roof It's only a matter of time before every roof needs replacing. Even if you don't notice physical signs, you can assume roofing issues will come up after a certain number of years. It depends on the type of roof you have and the type of build. For example, houses built in a brand-new subdivision had a speedy construction. It's not uncommon for these houses to have roof issues because the developers were working too fast. If you live in a new build, it's smart to check your roof's quality often. The materials used in your roof have different lifespans. Asphalt shingles last around 15-30 years. Rubber roofs can last 30-50 years. Metal roofs can last 30-50 years. Composition shingles are a common roofing material. They only last 12-20 years. It's important you know when the roof was last replaced so you can estimate when it needs to get done again. 5. Sagging Roof Deck The roof deck is the foundation of the entire roofing structure. If it's not built correctly, the shingles won't lay flat on top of it. A huge sign you need a new roof is if there's sagging in the roof deck. Sagging can occur when water leaks through the shingles and damages the beams. You'll notice a slight crater in your roof from the outside. Inside your attic, you may also notice what looks like the roof caving in. If you go up onto your roof, you may notice it feels spongy to walk on. This is due to moisture softening the deck. It's a major sign that your roof needs replacing. 6. Mold and Rot Mold and rot are serious health concerns for your family. If they grow on or in your roof, they can spread into your home. Inhaling the air spores from the mold can make you ill. You can tell that mold is growing on your roof by inspecting closely. The shingles may be rotting or deteriorating. The algae-like mold can grow under, in, and on top of the shingles. It's also important to inspect your attic. If you find mold inside the attic, it means it's already starting to spread. You may also smell the mold before you see it. When the mold isn't removed, the rotting process starts. Once rotting starts to happen, it's too late to remove the mold. You need an entire replacement of the roof and rotting structures. Interested in Learning More About New Roofs?Part of being a homeowner is maintaining the structure of your house, including the roof. If the roof gets damaged, you're in for a whole slew of other problems. Plus, replacing the roof increases your property value and curb appeal. Read the eight tips above to know if your roof is ready for replacing. If you're ready to learn more about new roofs and find out if you need one, check out our Residential Roof Replacement Page. Roof Replacement: DIY or Hire the Professionals?
Are you in need of a roof replacement? Are you considering tackling the project yourself? Before you do, check out how we compare DIYing to the professionals. In 2017, residential consumers in Texas paid a monthly average of $122.47 for their electric bills. This sums up to a whopping $1,469.64 for electricity use alone -- in only a single year! That's a hefty chunk of your hard-earned money -- dough you could've used for more important stuff. Worse, you could've actually paid more, because of your faulty roof! That's right. A damaged roof can send your utility expenses through the roof -- literally. If the damage is beyond repair, your next best bet is a roof replacement. Now, the question is, can replacing a roof be a DIY project? Or is it one you should delegate to the pros? That's exactly what we'll cover in this post. So, be sure to keep reading to find out whether you can handle replacing your roof on your own. First Things First: Do You Really Need to Replace Your Roof? To repair or replace your roof, that's the first question you need to ask. In other words, don't take out your existing roof unless you've made sure it does indeed need replacement. You wouldn't want to spend $5,000 - $10,000 (or more) on a new roof if you could have easily repaired the old one. A roof inspection is something you can do yourself so long as you have a stable ladder and other safety equipment. But why risk it if you can get free roof inspection from professional roofers? This is a much better, safer option. Plus, they can tell you right away if your roof only needs repairs. So, when do repairs make more sense? If you only have a few loose or missing shingles, you may be fine with just repairs. The same goes true if there's only a minor leak a strong seal can fix. You can do these repairs yourself or of course, have professionals do a much faster and solid job for you. But, if your roof suffered from an impact from a tree branch or trunk, you may already need a replacement. These objects are quite heavy and they could've compromised the roof's internal structure. Also, if your roof already has several leaks, replacement may be a more practical solution. This is especially true if the leaks are too big and already seeping into the ceiling. Old age (typically between 15 and 30 years) is also a factor for replacement. Now that you know when and how often you should replace a roof, let's look at the hows of replacing it. The Many Steps Involved in Replacing a Roof The first step on how to replace a roof is choosing the material for your replacement. Do you want to stick to the same asphalt shingles or do you want to go slated, tiled, or metal? Remember, you now have many options when it comes to new roofs, so decide first what you want your new roof to be. The Roof Tear-Off Basics Let's say your current system is a shingled roof and you want the same for your replacement. You then have to decide whether to tear off everything or put in a second layer of shingles. The latter may save you time and money. But know that starting with a clean slate will give you a longer-lasting new roof. If you opt for a complete strip-off, you'd need special types of tools, starting with a tear-off shovel. A huge trash container (for the debris) and a push broom to clean the roof are also must-haves. Other supplies you need include specialized ice and a water barrier as well as felt paper. The Basic Tools and Materials You Need for a DIY Roof Installation Aside from the things you need for the roof strip-off, you also need access to several more. An extension ladder, pry bar, hammer, cat's paw, and let's not forget the new shingles and adhesive. For your safety, don't forget to pick up a harness and leather gloves. These are only the roofing basics of setting your home up with a new roof. But as you can already imagine, shopping for these supplies will take up a lot of your time and cash. The Safest, Fastest, and Most Efficient Way to Get Your New Roof The above are only some of the things to consider when replacing a roof. But the fact that there's plenty of them should already make you want to hire pro roofers. Granted, you may save some cash from a DIY replacement job since you don't have labor costs to think of. But you're still at risk of actually spending more since you need specialized tools. Then, there's the longer length of time it'll take you to finish the job. Speaking of time, you also need to consider weather conditions. All your hard work may go to waste if you don't finish before bad weather comes in. The most important thing you need to consider, though, is your own safety. 800,000 people need hospitalization every year because of a fall injury. In many cases, these falls have led to head injuries or hip fractures. This should already tell you how dangerous they are if it happens from a roof. Hire Professional Roofers for a Roof Replacement Job Well Done With so much work involved in a roof replacement, it's easy to see why hiring pro roofers is often the better choice. Not having to worry about your safety should be a good enough reason! But there's also the benefit of having the entire project finished in much less time than you'd need for a DIY job. The bottom line is, reputable roofers are experts in what they do. This means you can expect a flawless replacement complete with a warranty. Want to talk about your roof that needs replacement? If so, please feel free to ring us up. We'll be glad to take your call and answer any roofing-related questions you have! |