Top Local Roofing Contractors in Oak Ridge, TN

Tips on Roof Contracting in Oak Ridge, TN

If you haven't hired a Oak Ridge roofing company before, take a moment to review a few helpful hints on the roof contracting process and selecting a quality roofing contractor.

Do roofing contractors in Oak Ridge, TN charge for estimates?

Most Oak Ridge roofers will provide a free written estimate on your roof. A few roofers charge a small service call fee for roof repair estimates (while roof replacement estimates remain free). The small fee for roof repair estimates charged by some roofers can often be applied to the cost of the repair if you hire that particular roofer to complete the repair.

Four easy steps to selecting a quality roofer in Oak Ridge

1. Call Oak Ridge roofers and request a free roofing estimate.
2. Interview the roofing company representative. If they don't provide it up front, ask for evidence of license and insurance certificates. Also, do they guarantee their workmanship? Is the estimate and the guarantee in writing? If you're getting a complete roof replacement, ask the contractor if they will provide a couple recent homeowner or business owner references from other Oak Ridge re-roofing projects. If you want a more specialized roofing material like metal, does the roofer have experience as a metal roofing contractor, or is their experience solely in shingles?
3. Call or email the roofer's references to determine how satisfied they were with the quality of the roof contractor's work.
4. Select the Oak Ridge roofing contractor that you trust and offers you the best overall value. Value includes quality and price. Don't automatically choose the roofer with the lowest price. There are a lot of "fly-by-night" roofing contractors out there that may provide a low bid and then proceed to provide you poor service and a poorly done roof. Select the contractor that is trustworthy, offers professional credentials, and a fair price.

What are the keys to a longer lasting roof?

• Hire a licensed, insured, and skilled Oak Ridge roof contractor that will install your new roof with the proper techniques.
• Roofing materials like shingles are available in different grades of quality. Higher grade roofing materials (such as architectural shingles with a double layer of coverage vs 3-tab shingles with a single layer of coverage) have longer warranties and will be more durable.
• Roofing contractors inspecting your roof should look closely at attic ventilation, which is extremely important for a longer lasting roof.

Will Oak Ridge roofers install a new roof over an existing roof?

Some will install over an existing roof, but the best method for re-roofing is complete tear-off and removal of the old roof. Removing the old roof allows for inspection of the roof deck, which is important to help determine if there are any existing roofing materials that are in poor condition.

What happens to the roof shingles and other debris from the old roof?

Typically, a roll off dumpster will be placed on the property during the re-roofing project. Good roofing contractors will leave the property cleaned up at the conclusion to each work day. Shingles and other debris from the old roof are thrown into the dumpster. In many areas, shingles and other roofing materials are now recycled to be used again on other roofs. If roof shingle recycling is not available in your area, then the debris from the roof will be disposed of properly in a landfill.

How do I avoid hiring an unprofessional and unqualified Oak Ridge roofer?

Hometown Roofing Contractors has tried to simplify the process of finding the best local roofers. Any Oak Ridge roofers that appears on this page has been "Hometown Verified." That means that we've checked and report out details on these roofing contractors for:

• Warranty or gurantee on their workmanship
• Appropriate state license (if required by your state)
• Liability insurance
• Any third party certifications or endorsements

The screening process by Hometown Roofing Contractors is meant to be the beginning... not the end... of due diligence on your part. Status of license and insurance could have changed since the time of the screening. So, you should still ask to see evidence of the roofers' license and insurance certificates at the time of your estimate.

While license and insurance are a good start, they do not guarantee you'll be hiring a roofing contractor that will do quality work. The best indicator of quality workmanship is local references that are satisfied with the roofers work.

While Hometown checks for a valid roofing contractors license at the state level, we do not specifically check the roofing contractor licensing requirements of local and county municipalities, so it may be worthwhile to check if Oak Ridge roofing contractors are required to be licensed by the city or Anderson County. Roofers that are required to be licensed by the state or local governments should be able to produce a certificate of their license at the time of the estimate.

What warranties are provided by roofing contractors in Oak Ridge?

Warranties on shingles and other roofing materials are actually provided by the manufacturer of the shingles, tile roofing, or metal roofing material. Manufacturers usually offer different warranties depending on the grade of material you select. Less expensive shingles, tile, or metal roofing, usually carry a shorter warranty, as you might expect. The duration of these warranties may be anywhere from 5 years up to a "lifetime".

An additional warranty may be offered directly from the Oak Ridge roof contractor. A "Workmanship Warranty" or "Workmanship Guarantee" is a warranty from a Oak Ridge roofing contractor that essentially guarantees that the roof installation was done properly. Depending on the language in the warranty, any roof leaks or other problems related to improper installation may be covered by the roofing company. These warranties, if offered, are typically anywhere from one to ten years.