Roofing work is hard to judge because you cannot see the result. It is ten metres up, the most important work is under the tiles, and whether it has been done well becomes clear in eight years' time. That makes the choice of who does it more important than for almost any other job on your house.
Below are the questions whose answers, in my experience, predict the most.
The four questions that tell you most
Who carries out the work? Their own people or hired in? Some of the providers you come across online carry out nothing themselves and sell your job on. Every link in the chain wants to earn something, and the craftsman who ends up on your roof has the least room left.
Are you insured for working at height? If something goes wrong on your roof, to your house or with a worker, you want there to be cover. A company that is uncomfortable about this has answered the question already.
Is the quote broken down item by item? So you can see what work is included and what is missing. A single total without a description is impossible for you to assess. See
what a good roofing quote contains.
What happens if the roof boarding turns out worse? This is the question whose answer tells you most. A good answer names the risk areas and gives a unit price. A vague answer is an announcement of extra work. See
preventing extra work.
“Ask who is coming. If the answer is not immediately clear, you know enough.”
Fouad, owner of Astrodak Service
What you can check in five minutes
Trade register. Does the company exist, at what address, and since when? A company that will still be around tomorrow has an address and a registration you can check.
Reviews that go beyond a score. Read what people write, not just the average. Descriptions of how someone dealt with a problem say more than five stars.
Work in the area. Ask for two addresses where they have worked. A company that works locally will have those to hand.
Certification. VCA for safe working, and any trade quality marks. No guarantee of quality, but a sign that there is structure.
Own team
one point of contact
and a fixed price
Sold on
several links in the chain
and less margin
Not sure about the right approach?
I would rather come and look at your roof with my colleagues first than come up with a solution from a distance. During the free inspection you hear what is really needed, even if that is less than you thought.
What you should not rely on too much
The price alone. The lowest price is usually not the sharpest price but a shorter list, and the highest is no guarantee of quality. See
what a strikingly low price means.
Nor a nice website or an extensive brochure. That says something about the marketing and nothing about the lead work. What it is really about: who comes, what exactly is done and what happens if it turns out differently.
What you can rely on
The conversation. A roofer who explains how your roof is put together, who tells you what is not needed, and who names the risks before you ask, is giving you the best information there is to get.
With us, that is the reason the inspection is free and that I come by with my colleagues. Not as a service, but because otherwise I cannot give a fixed price, and because otherwise you cannot judge whether what I propose is right. See
how I work and
our projects.
Why working locally matters
A company that works in a limited area has two things that are less present further away: a reputation that counts and short travel times. If I do bad work in Vught or Boxtel, the next street knows about it, and that is an incentive no contract can replace.
In practical terms it also helps with aftercare. A guarantee claim or a question after completion is a small effort for someone who drives ten minutes, and a consideration for someone who is an hour away. That is why we deliberately keep our service area limited.
Frequently asked questions about choosing a roofer
