What to Look For When Hiring A Roofer

What to Look For When Hiring A Roofer

Every year, homeowners in the Capital Region write big checks to roofing contractors — and some of them regret it. Not because roofing is complicated. Because they didn't know what to look for before signing on the dotted line. After years of doing this work the right way, here's what I wish every homeowner knew before making that call.

01. Check Their Insurance, BBB Rating & References — Before Anything Else

The most common story I hear from homeowners who got burned? The job barely got started — or was done so poorly they're still dealing with the consequences. Almost every single one of them says the same thing: I wish I had checked their insurance, their Better Business Bureau listing, and called their references first.

These aren't formalities. They're your first line of defense. An uninsured contractor on your roof is your liability. A contractor with no BBB profile or a string of unresolved complaints is a warning. References are the closest thing to a guarantee — call them, and actually ask hard questions.

"The job barely got started." That's the most common way a bad hire shows up — not after the work is done, but before it even begins.

02. Has the Owner Ever Actually Installed a Roof?

This is the question homeowners never think to ask — and it's one of the most important ones. There's a big difference between a roofing company owner who has physically installed roofing and one who is purely a businessman who figured out how to sell roofing jobs.

When the owner has been on a roof with a nail gun in his hand, he understands what it takes to do the job right. He knows where corners get cut. He knows what proper installation looks like and what shoddy work looks like. That experience shapes the entire culture of the company — how crews are trained, how jobs are supervised, and how problems get solved.

Ask them directly: "Have you personally installed roofing?" The answer will tell you more than any sales pitch.

03. Read the Contract — Especially the Warranty Language

When you're comparing quotes from three roofers, vague contracts make it nearly impossible to compare apples to apples. If the scope of work isn't spelled out in detail — the materials, the process, the cleanup — you don't actually know what you're buying.

A detailed contract protects you. A vague one protects the contractor.

04. In the Northeast, the Attic Is Part of the Roof

Here's a case study I see play out every winter in our region. A homeowner gets a brand new roof installed. A few months later, they're dealing with massive ice dams and water damage inside the house. They blame the roofer — but the real problem was under the roof the whole time.

When we do a roof inspection, we check the attic space. If it's underinsulated or poorly ventilated, warm air from inside the home escapes into the attic, heats the roof deck, melts snow, and that water refreezes at the cold eaves — creating ice jams that force water under the shingles.

We flag this before the job starts. Upgrading insulation and ventilation costs money upfront — but it costs far less than the water damage that follows if you don't address it. A roofer who doesn't check your attic isn't giving you a complete picture.

A new roof on a poorly ventilated attic is a ticking clock. The best roofers check what you can't see.

05. How a Roofer Manages Their Crew Matters More Than You Think

Most roofing companies use subcontractors. That's not inherently a problem — it's how the industry works. What matters is how they vet and manage those crews.

At Next Generation Roofing, every subcontractor we work with carries the same $2 million liability and workers' comp policy we carry — with a $1 million per-occurrence minimum. Most in our market carry far less. We also assign a dedicated supervisor to each active job site for the entire day. That supervisor isn't splitting time across three jobs — they're there, watching the work, and communicating directly with you as the homeowner.

We do job-site training in both English and Spanish so nothing gets lost in translation. And we pay our subs exceptionally well — which means the same crews work with us year after year. That consistency shows up in the quality of the work.

06. The Lowest Bid Is Usually a Warning Sign

When one quote comes in significantly lower than the others, that gap has to come from somewhere. Either the contractor is underpaying their crews — which leads to corners being cut on your roof — or they're using inferior materials, or they've simply miscalculated what the job actually costs.



We've seen it play out time and again: contractors who consistently underbid their work can't sustain their business. They disappear midproject, or they're gone by the time you need that warranty honored.

07. "Licensed & Insured" Is the Floor, Not the Standard

Every roofer advertises that they're fully licensed and insured. It doesn't differentiate anyone at this point — it's the bare minimum. What actually separates accountable contractors from the rest is what happens when something goes wrong after the job is done.



Our process: when a customer calls with a concern, it goes directly to our production manager. Within 48 hours, a designated team and supervisor are back on that job to make it right. That's not a promise — it's a documented process. Ask any contractor you're considering: what exactly happens when I call with a problem six months from now? If the answer is vague, that tells you everything.

08. The Shingles Are Often the Same — Execution Is Everything

Homeowners frequently get caught up comparing shingles across quotes, only to find out most roofers are offering the same Owens Corning products with the same manufacturer warranty. So why do prices differ?

Because the shingle is only part of the equation. What separates us is the system around the installation. We use the Catch-All Protection System — a perimeter netting that protects your landscaping, driveway, and foundation from debris during the tear-off. We also use the Equipter RB4000, a self-propelled elevated dumpster that raises to the roof edge and catches thousands of pounds of material that would otherwise fall and damage your property.



These tools cost more to operate. They also show up in the finished result and the experience you have during the job.

09. Ask Yourself: Do You Want a Contractor or a Community Partner?

Before you start calling roofers, ask yourself one honest question: do you want a company that is stacking checks, or a company that is genuinely invested in your community?



That's not a rhetorical question. It has a real answer and a real impact. Companies rooted in their communities show up differently — in how they treat their customers, how they stand behind their work, and how they operate when no one is watching.

10. How a Company Treats Its Employees Is How They'll Treat You

This is the thing I'll say that most roofers in this region won't — because most of them can't back it up.

At Next Generation Roofing, we offer our team a 6% 401(k) match. We cover 40% of their healthcare premiums. We give more than 10 paid holidays. One week of paid vacation after year one, two weeks after three years, three weeks after five. These aren't perks — they're a statement about how we value the people who build our reputation every single day.

When an employee knows they're taken care of, they show up differently. They take pride in the work. They treat your home the way they'd want their own home treated. The quality of the workforce is a direct reflection of how that workforce is treated. When you hire Next Generation Roofing, you're not just getting a new roof — you're getting the work of people who actually want to be there.

"We aren't just roofers. We are building the lives of others." — That's the standard we hold ourselves to, every job, every crew, every day.

Ready to Do This the Right Way?

Next Generation Roofing serves the Capital Region with the people, process, and standards your home deserves.