Recommend a roofer

July 24, 2009 12:11 PM

I need a new roof. Can you recommend a roofer?

I'm in the market for a new roof before the rains get here. Can you recommend a roofer? So far, I have only gotten one quote that seemed extremely overpriced. I have a call into the roofer that did our old house, but we may be too far away now. So, do you have any recommendations or warnings for roofers in the area?

Location: NE of Salem, Oregon

posted by chrisroberts to home & garden (7 comments total)

Walk around your neighborhood, or the next one over. Identify recent-looking roofs. Knock on doors and ask the owners who they used, how long ago, and if they're happy.

Do that for a single afternoon and you'll have very good advice.
posted by rokusan at 12:14 PM on July 24

Whatever you do, check out roofing contractors you are considering with your local Better Business Bureau online:

http://alaskaoregonwesternwashington.bbb.org/Find-Business-Reviews/

(If we had done that, we would have noticed the FIRST roofer we hired got an "F Rating" from the BBB.)
posted by jca at 12:19 PM on July 24

Also, subscribe to Angie's List. A very good source of information - both on the number of available workers and the quality of their work.
posted by pdb at 12:47 PM on July 24

I would call the maintenance dept of Salem-Keizer Public Schools, at 503-399-3095, and ask for a recommendation.

Do it between 3:00 and 4:00 and you might get to talk to one of the trades people.

School districts hire a LOT of roofing out and they would know who locally is good.
posted by Danf at 1:31 PM on July 24

Cascade Roofing. We used them based off of Angie's List recommendations and their prices about 3 years ago. I have recommended them to two others who have used them in the two years since. All three of us had great experiences and found their pricing to be near the best.

They managed to tear off our entire roof down to the rafters, replace one bad rafter, install new plywood over the entire roof, and install 30 year shingles. All in one day (the day before the 4th of July). On a weeks notice. For close to half the price of the next competitor that wasn't incredibly shady.
posted by togdon at 1:34 PM on July 24

The BBB loves giving F ratings to anyone who doesn't want to pay their BBB membership fees. Such a last-century scam.

But references are always good in general, and you should definitely Google the hell out of whoever you choose. I endorse the neighborhood approach or Danf's clever approach, because I think for home-type work it's always a bonus to get someone very local, so that they know their work will be on display very close to where they already live-work. The carpenter will do a better job if he knows he's going to have to see you at the corner store every couple of weeks picking up eggs and milk.
posted by rokusan at 3:16 PM on July 24

"The BBB loves giving F ratings to anyone who doesn't want to pay their BBB membership fees. Such a last-century scam."

This is simply not true. The BBB ratings have nothing to do with membership in the organization. See http://www.bbb.org/business-reviews/ratings/ for more information.

With that said, I third the advice to check Angie's list and, more importantly, to take a walk around your neighborhood. Look for roofing jobs that look great--that really pay attention to detail. Then, ask the neighbors. I did this and not only found a great roofer locally, but also met a couple new neighbors!

Good luck!
posted by richardhay at 5:55 PM on July 24