How to Hire a Professional Roofer in Your Area

Replacing your roof is a difficult, comprehensive job. You may be inspired to take a do-it-yourself approach to the task, but it can be dangerous to yourself and potentially hazardous to your home. The last thing you want is to damage your roof even further during a renovation or repair! Hiring a professional roofer is an effective means of taking full advantage of a company's knowledge and experience to attain the results you want. But actually hiring a roofer may be confusing or daunting for some. Here are a few key tips for hiring a professional roofer in your area.

Get a referral from past customers

Are you looking to hire a top-rated professional roofer, but uncertain how to get started? Why not begin with getting a referral from a past customer? Some roofing companies participate in a referral program with their clients that can pass savings and high-quality work onto new customers. Previous customers such as a business or individual will likely get a few referrals from the roofing company that they can pass on to other people. This can help you gauge the quality of the roofer and decide if you want to interview them for your project. Another way to assess a potential roofer is to check out their past work. A roofers website will likely have a portfolio of previous work and there may be some places locally you could go take a look at to gauge whether you want to hire their services. 

Learn as much detail about the vendor as possible

Training, experience, license, and insurance are all key factors to look for in a roofer. It is dangerous to hire an unlicensed roofer. Doing business with an unlicensed referral can cause insurance issues and liability problems after working with them. Sometimes scammers will go door-to-door to try to sell you unlicensed roofing services,  it's best to avoid these services as they are likely unlicensed every state has different licensing requirements, so ensure your roofer has the proper up-to-date/maintained license for their business. Also, ensure they have insurance – especially liability insurance – before hiring. As you go through the selection process, ask them about their training procedures and experience to determine whether they're a good fit for the job. Often, all of these factors work in conjunction with each other to demonstrate a roofing company's professionalism and trustworthiness. 

Search reviews and potential vendors online

So, why are reviews important? Regardless of the quantity of positive or negative reviews, detailed entries provide insight into a roofer’s business practices. Are customers typically satisfied with the work? Does the roofer provide a warranty? Were they easy to work with? Friendly? What sort of costs were associated with the project? Were there any major incidents or concerns throughout the project? Reviews can answer these and more questions, so be sure to read as many as possible and avoid any roofers with particularly negative feedback. Put together a list of possible roofers for your project by searching online for “the ten best roofers near me” and reaching out/interviewing a few of them before making a hiring decision. Learning as much as possible about the people you’re trusting to work on one of your home’s most essential elements is crucial to successfully complete your roof renovation.

Find out how long the installation will take

Roof upgrades or brand new installations can vary on the length of time it’ll take to complete the job. A small roof or simple repairs might take a day. Most jobs, however, require around two or three days to finish. More complex roofs will require more time. When you’re preparing to hire a roofer, have them come out to your home to perform an estimate. A roofing estimate will cover—among other things like materials cost and payment methods—an estimated timetable for the job’s completion. If you like the estimate, have the roofer submit a proposal to fully lock-in a time frame and cost. If you're satisfied with their proposal and believe they're a good fit, then it may be time to sign a roofing contract with them so you can get your project off the ground as soon as possible.

Ask about the company's safety procedures

Protecting themselves and their workers is an essential function of any quality roofing company. Ask to review the company's safety policies/procedures and find out if their OSHA standards are up-to-date. If they're not, you should seek a different company. OSHA compliance is essential for roofing companies. Are they using a guardrail and fall protection system as required by OSHA standards? If not, they can put themselves, the property, and those around them in danger. Ladders, scaffolding, and lifts should also be of good quality with up-to-date inspections. Inquire about what sort of safety procedures they have in place to protect your property damage or injuries. Ensuring that all the safety standards are in place sets everyone up with a positive and safe experience for the duration of the project.

3 Environmentally Friendly Ways to Dispose of Garbage

No matter how conscious you are with what you purchase, you will inevitably have garbage at the end that needs to be disposed of. When getting rid of waste, there are eco-friendly practices you can adopt that will help support a healthier world to live in and reduce your carbon footprint. Small but simple measures can make the world of difference, so here are some environmentally friendly ways to dispose of garbage. 

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Recycle

The most common and eco-friendly way to get rid of garbage is by recycling. There are tons of benefits you can gain from recycling waste, such as conserving natural resources, saving energy, and reducing how much waste is incinerated or sent to landfills. Before you start recycling, you must purchase the correct containers and put different types of waste into them.

Whether it’s glass, paper, plastic, or metal, the last thing you want is to mix garbage up as this could cause problems. Also, while 75% of waste can be recycled, many homeowners don’t have any clue what types of materials can be recycled. If you’re completing a home improvement project and are using a roll off dumpster, knowing the dos and do nots will mean you know what items can go into it.

Composting

For those who love to cook, you will inevitably have some food waste at the end. Instead of all your excess food going in the trash can, why not consider composting it? Composting transforms your food waste into fuel that can be used for the plants in your backyard. Even if you don’t have tons of outdoor space or live in an apartment block, you can donate your compost to a local garden.

If you’re worried about composting being expensive, think again. All you will need is a compost bin to get started which can house all kinds of foods, including fruit waste, vegetable peelings, and grass cuttings. All of these are quick to break down and will provide soil rich in vital nitrogen and moisture. Composting adds nutrients to your soil, reduces landfill waste, recycles kitchen waste, and is fantastic for the environment. 

Reusing

When you go grocery shopping, how many times do you bring along a reusable bag? If the answer is not many, now is the time to get into the habit of reusing. Plastic consumption is at an all-time high, and if you’re the type of shopper who purchases plastic bag after plastic bag, you may not be aware of the damage this can have for the environment. Plastic takes roughly 450 years to decompose, so instead of sending it all to a landfill, purchasing a cloth bag and using it frequently is a great idea. Reusing bags will also save you a great deal of money in the long run.

If you’re a homeowner who is looking at ways to be more environmentally friendly, using any of the practices above to discard your garbage can make a real difference to the world. It’s easy to be more eco-friendly, so whether you recycle, compost your waste, or reuse different items, getting into the green habits is key for helping future generations and saving the planet.