When you need roofing in Canton, Michigan, you don’t have the leisure for trial and error. Roofs here in Michigan go through a lot. The storm season is quickly followed by feet of snow and icy winds. Your roof needs to withstand everything the local elements can throw at it, which means excellent, professional roofing every time. Whether you are a first-time homeowner or new to the Canton area (Welcome!), it’s important to find the best roofing contractors near your home to ensure that roofing is expert, reliable, and nearby in case you need emergency repairs in the middle of bad weather.
So how do you find the best roofing contractor in Canton, MI? Like anywhere else, the best roofers here can be found by gauging each local roofing team’s reputation, qualifications, expertise, and how well they meet the specific needs of your home and family. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, the process isn’t hard once you know what to do. Let’s dive into the complete process of narrowing down local roofers until you find the best Canton, MI roofers for your home and needs.
Research Local Roofing Contractors
The first step is to build a list of the roofing contractors who you might hire. This usually starts with an online search through Google or your favorite search engine. When you don’t know where to start, each of the listed roofers might be the best for your home and it’s important to find out which ones are among your best options; and to cross off those that are not. But first, you start with the list.
Build a List from Google Searching
Do a search on Google Maps to find roofers who provide services to Canton, MI. Your best options will likely be those pin-points that are closest to your home, but the closest roofers are not always the best qualified. Build a list of up to ten roofing teams that offer roofing to your neighborhood based on distance, rating, and a quick glance at their website to ensure they offer the services you need. Not all roofers offer the same list of services.
Check Roofing and Home Service Directories
You can also find local roofing contractors listed on service directories. There are plenty of online directories today, some local, some with region-based searching. Look for specifically local listings and in trusted home services directories, like Angie’s List. Here, you will get some clues as to which roofers are truly local and their general reputations.
Cross Distant or Disqualified Roofers Off Your List
The next step is to cross the least-ideal roofers off your list. Not every team listed as a local roofer actually is local, or even roofers. There are several types of roofers in Michigan and, because roofing is needed regularly by Canton homeowners, there are also plenty of storm-chasing scam artists with discount shingles in their truck bed.
Fortunately, a few quick checks will make it easy to sort between those local roofers you should consider and those who are definitely not the best roofing choice for your Canton home.
Confirming Your Roofers are Near Canton, MI
First, check the HQ location of each roofing contractor on your list. Then double-check to make sure it’s a real contracting office. Real roofing companies sometimes claim a larger support area than they can realistically support, with ‘placeholder’ offices to claim that map pin “near you”. Unlicensed discount roofers may also claim a placeholder office, but really operate out of their truck instead.
Cross off every team that doesn’t really have a headquarters in or near your home. They are either not qualified or not close enough to become your go-to roofers.
Check Qualifications: Licenses, Bonds, and Insurance
For those that remain on the list, Dive into the website to identify their qualifications. Roofing contractors in Michigan need to be licensed, and the best roofers for your Canton, MI home will also be well-insured and bonded to ensure that your home and their team achieve maximum safety before, during, and after your roofing service.
Legitimate roofers will mention and often display their qualifications on the website to ensure that local homeowners know they are prepared to offer professional, legal, and insured roofing services. Naturally, cross-off roofers who do not mention and/or display these qualifications.
Call or Email to Confirm Roofers are Responsive and Available
Finally, make sure each roofing office on your list is open and responsive. Some online listings are out of date, while some contractor teams are not responsive to customer inquiries. Call them on the phone, send an email, or use their online contact form. Get in touch to confirm that the finalist roofers you are considering are ready to talk to you, build your roofing plan, and complete your roofing needs on your timeline.
Identify the Best Roofing Teams in Canton, MI
Now, your list should include only the best roofing contractors in Canton, MI, but how do you know which one is THE best for your home and needs? Those remaining are local, licensed, insured, bonded, and responsive. They likely have an informative website with listed services and you’ve confirmed that they are nearby enough to provide emergency roofing should you need it during a bad weather season.
It’s time now to start examining roofers based on their reputation, body of work, and expertise with your specific type of home and roof.
Ask Friends and Neighbors for Their Favorite Roofer
The best place to start, when choosing a local roofer, is to ask your friends and neighbors. Other homeowners in the area no doubt have a go-to roofer that they enjoy and trust with the usual Michigan roof repairs, inspections, and gutter care. If you have relatives nearby, ask them who they trust as the best roofing contractor in Canton, MI, and if they have any advice on who to call and what to ask for.
If you know (or are getting to know) your neighbors, ask them who does their roofing. Others in your neighborhood with similar homes will have similar roofing needs, so this is a great way to determine which roofers are experienced with exactly the type of roof on your home.
You can also ask coworkers, as friendly and casual talk over the water cooler. Other Canton professionals will know which roofers they have worked with before and may have some useful advice on how satisfied they were with the work.
Online Ratings and Reviews
Other than advice from Canton locals you know, you can also check online. Google, Angie’s List, and contractor directories are all good places to find online testimonials of the quality of each local roofer in Canton, MI. The longer the history of glowing reviews, the better.
Of course, roofing isn’t always a rated service, so reviews will almost guaranteeably be intermediate and fewer than, say, restaurants. But sometimes, an online reviewer will go all-out with a detailed description of their experience, sometimes with pictures, that will give you excellent insight on which roofing contractor to choose.
Gallery of Good Work on Their Website
Roofers are not web developers, so our websites tend to be on the utilitarian side. But a well-built website with services pages and a gallery of past work is a good sign. If available, flip through the images and details of past work that each roofing team has done. This can give you an insight into the types of homes they work on, their standards of work, and how each home looks when the roofing is complete.
History of Working with Homes Like Yours
Finally, make sure the roofing contractor for your Canton, MI home has a history of working with homes like yours. Having worked in your neighborhood is a good sign, because most neighborhoods share a builder and style. You may also spot homes with a similar style and roof design in their gallery or in the photos of online reviews. You might have a friend with a roof like yours who recommends one of Canton’s roofing teams to confirm they have experience with your type of home.
Choosing the Best Roofing Contractor for You
By now, your list should be narrowed down to just a few options. The final test is which of the best roofing contractors in Canton, MI works best with you. It’s important to be able to communicate with your contractors.
You need a team that listens to you carefully and understand your needs; a team that respects your plans, who honors your budget, and is able to coordinate with your schedule. Likewise, it’s important that you can understand your roofers when they explain important facts about your roof along with the likely pricing and your options. The best roofing contractors for your needs will be roofers who are not just experts, but work well with you as the homeowner.
They Understand Your Needs and Answer Your Questions
The first sign of the best Canton MI roofing contractor for you is a team or lead contractor who understands what your needs are. A good contractor is someone who knows that the client’s satisfaction (and a safe roof) is the top priority, and will go out of their way to make sure your needs regarding work, budget, and understanding what to expect are met.
If you have questions, ask them. The best roofing contractor to work with you will not only have answers and readily give them, but will explain in a way you understand, or make themselves understood so that you are completely comfortable with the work, timing, and prices you are contracting for.
They Give You Good Advice and Options
Great roofers don’t just give answers, they offer advice and options. After inspecting your roof, your roofers will have some information to share and some advice on how any detected issues should be handled. For example, they might tell you that they’ll need to replace a few shingles, but you also have a crumbling chimney that will need some work. Or they might give you a few price-based options on how to handle more extensive roof repairs. Your roofers can give you a fairly close estimate of when to schedule your next roof replacement and even point out potential trouble spots that are likely to take more damage in the next few storms.
If you ask for options, the best roofers will give you an honest opinion on what your options are and which are the best based on the state of your roof.
The Estimates are Detailed and Easy to Understand (or Explain)
Estimates are also an important part of working with your roofer. The best roofers in Canton, MI give clear and detailed estimates that outline specific costs for items like purchasing shingles and work-hours of labor. You should be able to easily understand the estimate or, if it’s not immediately clear, your roofing contractor should be able to explain it so that you quickly grasp the estimate format along with exactly what you’ll be paying for as part of your roofing service.
They Let You Know Exactly What to Expect
When you start building a plan, the right roofers will tell you exactly what to expect. They’ll let you know when to be ready, how to prepare your house (if necessary), what sounds to expect, and where the roof discard pile will be placed. For extensive roof work, they may ask you to take art and framped photos down off the walls or to move your car out of the driveway to ensure that none of your things get damaged when the house shakes or roof nails roll off the edge. For minor work, they may tell you that it’s safe to kick back and enjoy your home for the few hours that repair work is ongoing.
They Will Clean Up When the Roofing is Done
Finally truly great local roofers don’t just do the job and go, they clean up afterward. Roofing is a messy job, with many nails, packaging, and removed shingle debris – and it doesn’t always stay on the roof during the work. In fact most of the time, roofers set up a pile or even a brought-in dumpster in the driveway to make sure most of the debris is easily cleared away. For those roofing nails and shingle fragments lost in the lawn around the edge of your house, ask if your chosen roofers perform cleanup. The right service will make sure your patio, lawn, and driveway are completely debris-free when the work is done so it’s safe to let children, pets, and cars back into the area.
How do you find the best roofing contractor in Canton, MI? While every team may claim to be the best, it’s practically a rule of marketing, the true best roofing contractors to work on your home will be those that have a nearby HQ, meet industry qualifications, offer the services you need, and works smoothly with you every step of the way.