Hiring a Commercial Roofing Contractor: 8 Questions to Ask

How do I pick the right commercial roofing contractor?

Ask questions that are hard to fake. Licensing, insurance certificates in your name, manufacturer training, local references you can actually call, and a written scope that says what happens if they open the roof and find wet insulation. Most bad outcomes trace back to one of those never being asked about.

The symptom: three bids, three different scopes

You asked three contractors for a price on the same roof and got three unrelated proposals. One is a tear-off. One is a coating. One is vague. The prices are far apart and there is no way to compare them, so the decision defaults to the lowest number.

The problem: the low bid usually left something out

When bids differ that much, it is almost never because one contractor is more efficient. It is because they scoped different work. The cheap bid often excludes moisture survey, deck repair, or proper seam detailing, and those come back as change orders once the crew is on site.

The other risk is insurance. If a contractor is not carrying current general liability and workers' compensation, and a worker is hurt on your roof, that exposure can land on your building.

The solution: eight questions, asked of everyone

1. Are you licensed for commercial work in this state, and can I see it?
2. Will you send certificates of insurance directly from your carrier, naming my building? Not a copy from the contractor. From the insurer.
3. What manufacturer training does the crew hold? Conklin systems, for example, are installed by trained applicators, and the manufacturer warranty depends on that.
4. Who is actually on my roof? Employees or subcontracted labor, and who supervises them daily.
5. How do you check for wet insulation before you quote? If the answer is "we don't," stop there.
6. What warranty do I get, from whom, and what voids it? A contractor warranty and a manufacturer warranty are different documents.
7. Can I see three commercial jobs like mine, finished more than two years ago? Recent work looks good on everyone. Older work tells the truth.
8. What happens to my operations during the job? Access, noise, odor, hours, and staging.

Two things that should end the conversation

Pressure to sign today, and a large deposit up front. Neither is normal on commercial work. Storm-chasing crews use both, and they are gone before the warranty matters.

Why we route you locally

White Roofing Systems does not fly a crew in. We connect building owners with Conklin-trained contractors who live and work in the area, because a contractor with a local reputation to protect answers the phone in year three. You can see who covers your area in the contractor directory or through find a Conklin contractor.

Talk to a Conklin-trained contractor near you

No article can tell you what your roof needs. Get the scope right before you compare prices, or you are comparing nothing. A contractor has to walk it, check the seams and penetrations, and look at the deck before anyone gives you a real answer.

White Roofing Systems coordinates Conklin-trained commercial roofing crews across the country. Call (309) 303-3128 or request a free roof inspection and we will route you to the contractor who covers your city. You can also browse the contractor directory by city and state or look through real before-and-after projects.