Methodology for roofing contractor reviews

You might need a new roof once or twice during your home’s life. It’s a rare and major purchase, often complicated by unfamiliarity with roofing terminology, roofing materials, financing options and the roofing industry.

We research, review and rate roofing companies to help you make informed decisions about buying a new roof or hiring a roofing contractor to make repairs.

Research

Our research focuses on important information you need to know about hiring a roofing contractor to install a new roof or make a roof repair. We delve into licensing requirements and regulations, interview roofing experts and examine each company’s website.

To gauge customer sentiment, we conducted a proprietary survey of homeowners and read hundreds of customer reviews on third-party consumer sites such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Our goal is to surface and summarize the key information you need to choose the right roofing contractor for your home.

Review and rate

Based on our extensive roofing industry research, we developed detailed review standards that we use to score each roofing company. This score is then translated into the star rating we include in our reviews and recommendations.

Because we focus on the homeowner’s experience, we review roofing companies that devote most of their resources to residential roofing. Our goal is to help homeowners learn as much as possible about roofing and roofing companies when they need a new roof or a roof repair job.

Our roofing company review standards are divided into four categories that focus on the following key areas:

•  Services offered
•  Reputation
•  Customer service
•  Additional offerings

Services offered (42 points)

We start with the basics: Does the company install, repair or restore roofs? We determine whether the company performs the basic functions related to installing a new roof, such as performing an inspection, installing insulation and weatherproofing.

We then determine whether the company goes beyond the basics, offering premium services such as architectural design, photovoltaic options, post-installation maintenance, commercial jobs and additional home improvement services.

Finally, we assign points for every type of roofing material the company offers. This is a big differentiator among the companies we’ve reviewed because many specialize in one or two popular commercial roofing materials.

Reputation (21 points)

According to our March 2024 survey of homeowners who had hired a roofer within the past five years, the company’s reputation was the top factor they considered. It even beat out price and recommendation from a trusted source.

Our research into consumer sentiment begins with an examination of BBB ratings. In addition, we read hundreds of favorable and unfavorable customer reviews to discern any themes.

We also consider how long the companies have been in business — roofing experts we spoke to said this is an important factor in helping determine competence and trustworthiness. Most states require licensing and insurance for roofing companies, so we factor that in as well.

Finally, we check each company’s professional certifications, which are stamps of approval issued by manufacturers and roofing associations.

Customer service (22 points)

To determine how well the companies meet their customer service responsibilities, we examine their communication methods, such as email, online chat, phone and contact forms. We also check to see whether the companies offer online forms to schedule an inspection, or whether they require a phone call or direct email with the company.

Because roofing is such a rare purchase, we recognize the importance of educating homeowners on the topic. With that in mind, we analyze each company’s website to determine the depth of their general information, FAQ and other information intended to help you make an informed decision.

Finally, we check for the companies’ workmanship warranties and assign points based on the number of years. These are not manufacturer’s warranties, but warranties that protect you against installation errors the roofing contractor’s team makes.

Additional offerings (15 points)

We analyze whether the company offers free inspections, either on site or by aerial imaging (drones). We assign points for each of these subcategories.

We also look into how the roofing company assists homeowners with the financial matters related to purchasing a new roof. We assign points for offering financing, an online payments system and an in-house insurance specialist to help you navigate any homeowner insurance claims.