What to Ask a Roofer Before You Sign Anything

Roofing estimates can start to sound the same after the second or third one. The way to tell them apart isn't the pitch, it's what happens when you ask a specific question and see whether you get a specific answer.

What's actually covered by the warranty

There are two different warranties on any roofing job and contractors don't always separate them clearly. A labor warranty covers the contractor's own installation work, the thing that fails if the job was done poorly regardless of the materials used. A material warranty is a separate document from the manufacturer, covering the shingle or panel itself, and its length varies by product line. Satterfield backs its own installation work with a 5 year labor warranty. Ask any roofer what their material covering carries too, and get it in writing rather than taking a verbal number.

Who actually inspects the decking

An estimate built from a look at the shingles, or worse, a drone photo from the ground, can miss what's actually happening underneath. Ask whether the number you're being quoted is based on someone physically checking the decking, or whether that only happens once the job is already underway and the price changes midway through. You want to know that answer before you sign, not after.

When payment is due

Some contractors ask for a deposit before a single shingle goes on the roof. Satterfield's terms are no money down, with payment due on completion of the work. That structure protects you: there's nothing to lose if a job doesn't get finished the way it was described, because nothing has changed hands until it is.

Who handles the insurance paperwork

If the job is storm related, coordinating with your insurance company is real work on top of the roofing itself: documenting damage the way an adjuster needs to see it, explaining what's storm caused versus ordinary wear, following up through the claim. Ask directly whether the roofer works with your insurance company on wind, hail and tree damage claims, or whether that's left entirely on you to manage.

Licensing and training

Ask whether the contractor is a state licensed roofing contractor for both residential and commercial work, and whether the crew doing the actual installation gets any ongoing training. Materials and methods change over time, and a crew that trains yearly is working from current standards rather than habits picked up a decade ago. Satterfield is a family owned and operated business, a division of Satterfield Construction LLC, and has been doing this work in the Social Circle area since 1992. That kind of longevity in one place is itself worth asking other contractors about: how long have they actually been working in your county, not just in the industry generally.

Ask how they handle surprises

Almost every roofing job turns up something unexpected once the old material comes off, a section of soft decking, a flashing detail that wasn't visible from the ground, a vent that needs replacing along with the roofing around it. The question isn't whether that happens, it usually does on some percentage of jobs. The question is whether the contractor tells you when it happens and shows you what they found, or just moves forward and explains it after the fact. A roofer who's comfortable stopping to show you a problem mid-job is generally more trustworthy than one who never mentions any.

• What does the labor warranty cover, and for how long
• What does the material warranty cover, separately from labor
• Who inspects the decking, and when
• Is any deposit required, or is payment due on completion
• Does the roofer work directly with insurance on storm claims
• Is there a discount for veterans or seniors

Discounts worth asking about

Satterfield offers 5% off any complete roof and 20% off any repair for veterans and seniors. It's worth asking any contractor directly whether something similar applies, since it isn't always advertised up front.

Getting on the schedule

Satterfield Roofing works appointment only, with a 24 hour turn around once that appointment is set, across Newton, Rockdale, Henry, DeKalb, Butts, Greene, Fulton, Morgan, Jasper, Gwinnett, Barrow, Clayton and Walton counties. Bryan has been in construction since 1984 and founded the company in 1992, family owned and operated the whole way through. Call 770-860-9388 or email bryan@satterfieldroofing.com to set a time.