E.M. Snow, Inc.

What to ask when you call

Every roofer in this directory is a real company with a working number. What separates a good call from a wasted one is the questions you bring. Ask for the state registration and license number and the Home Improvement Contractor registration, plus a Construction Supervisor License with the Roof Covering specialty for structural work classification. Ask whether the crew doing the work is on staff or subcontracted. Ask who pulls the permit and who handles the city inspection.

Massachusetts licenses roofing contractors through the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation for the HIC registration, and the Board of Building Regulations and Standards for the Construction Supervisor License. Look up a license before you hire.

Then ask for the quote in writing with the roof area in squares, the material by product name, a price per sheet for any bad plywood, and the labor warranty in months. A company that gives you all of that on the first call has done this a lot.

Before you sign anything

Be careful with a large deposit up front. Money paid before any material reaches the property is the hardest to get back if the job stalls. If a bid comes in far under the others, find out what got left out of the scope rather than assuming you found a deal.

Our guide to reading a roofing estimate walks through the lines that belong on every quote.