Last time we met we touched upon a few questions to pose to any prospective roofing  or home improvement contractor—or window contractors, for that matter–before allowing them to work on your home.  Your home is a member of your family, and we realize you would want to screen any potential people with whom you would entrust completing a project.  So, once again, we will cover a few important questions (and the respective answers for which you are seeking) that will hopefully make improving your home as pleasant as possible.

Do you have a physical address?

This might sound like a ridiculous question; however, one in which you’re going to want a yes in response.  For example, if you were to choose RIHI to work on your home you could come down to talk with us over a cup of coffee in our modern showroom at any time. Someone working out of his pickup truck, on the other hand, could probably only offer you a quick discussion in his driveway.  An actual address and/or showroom also speaks to the notion that the company is well established and will still be there if you should have questions in the future.

Will you provide clean up and removal of debris?

Clean-up is one of those issues some roofing contractors will attempt to skirt. RIHI will include the removal of shingles and other debris in our contract, but not every contractor will be as accommodating. The last thing you need is to be left with a yard littered with scattered shingles and other assorted flotsam left behind by a contractor. Don’t let anyone tell you that cleaning up after the fact is “your problem.”

Once again, it’s your home and you have every right to make sure you hire someone conscientious enough to provide you with the service you deserve.  We know, since we’ve been offering conscientious service for six decades.

Are you licensed?

This question is one that will often go unasked simply because it’s usually assumed that someone calling him or herself a contractor will carry a license.  You also need to realize that just because someone is licensed in one state does not necessarily mean this someone will be licensed in other states. For example, we carry three different license numbers for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Always check with your government offices to verify a contractor’s license credentials before giving him or her the go-ahead to work on your home.

Do you offer a written contract?

Again, this question might seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many “contractors” will expect you to honor a handshake deal.  The problem with these handshake contracts is that they’re somewhat difficult to review if a question should arise during or after the project has been initiated.  You’re also exposing yourself to hassles and headaches should you encounter an issue if your improvement project begins to fail at some point. Always require a detailed written account of what will be done to your home, as well as any warranties and/or guarantees offered.

How long have this home improvement contractor been in business?

This one may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many homeowners let this one slide.  You don’t want some fly-by-night yahoo swinging from your gutters, attempting to install a roof.  People are usually disappointed when they try to reach these hit-and-run contractors a few years later for service, only to discover their contractor’s phone number now belongs to a Chinese take-out restaurant. On the other hand, we here at RIHI will show up to your front door with over 60 years of experience.

Do you give prices over the phone?

The answer you’re looking for here is no.  Any contractor worth his salt realizes you cannot give even a vague ballpark price over the phone without surveying the home. Pricing work over the phone only insults the homeowner, which is why we will work with you to schedule a convenient time for us to meet with you to cover all your questions during a free no-obligation in-home estimate. The only way to properly assess what needs to be done, and how it should be done, is to see it for yourself.

We’ll explore a few more questions next week after we take a look at where you can meet the RIHI remote team this weekend.