There are a few hundred roofing outfits working Hillsborough County, and after a storm there are more. Most of the difference between a good decision and an expensive one comes down to seven things you can check before you sign anything, and five of them take a minute each. This is written by Wayne Gonzalez Roofing Contractor, Inc., a Florida Certified Roofing Contractor, licence CCC1325942, at 5625 Patterson Rd in Riverview. We have put our own answers next to each check.
Florida issues two kinds. A certified licence is good anywhere in the state. A registered licence is good only in the county that issued it. Ask for the number, then type it into the licence search at myfloridalicense.com. It takes about thirty seconds and it tells you the status, the expiry and the real name behind the company.
A contractor who will not give you the number over the phone has told you something.
Ours: CCC1325942, Certified Roofing Contractor, active, held since February 2004, registered with Hillsborough and Pasco county contractor licensing.
Plenty of companies sell the job and hand it to a subcontracted crew they have never met. That is not automatically bad work, but it means the person who sold you the warranty and the person who installed the roof are different businesses, and when something goes wrong they can point at each other.
Ours: we have never subcontracted. Three generations of the same crews, all on our payroll.
If somebody is hurt on your property and the contractor does not carry workers compensation, that can become your problem. Ask for both, and ask for the certificate rather than a yes.
Ours: every employee is covered by workers compensation and general liability.
A roofing warranty is only as good as the company still existing to honour it, and this trade turns over hard after every storm season. Length of trading under one name in one county is the cheapest proxy there is.
Ours: over 30 years, family owned, currently run by Wayne Gonzalez and Steven Gonzalez. BBB accredited since 2008. More on the family is on our about page.
Shingle manufacturers put installers through a programme before they let them sell the longer warranties, and they remove people from it. It is one of the few credentials in this trade that somebody else audits.
Not a price on a card. A written scope that names the material, says what happens to the decking if rot is found underneath, states who pulls the permit, and says what is left behind. Most disputes we hear about are not about price. They are about something everybody assumed was included.
Ours: written estimate with the scope on it, free, and no follow up call unless you ask for one.
After a named storm, out of state crews work the neighbourhoods. Some are fine. The pattern to watch for is pressure to sign today, an offer to handle your insurance claim for you, and a request for money before any work starts. A local contractor will still be here in April, which is when you find out whether the roof was done properly.
We work Tampa, Riverview, Brandon, Valrico, Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Sun City Center, Wimauma, Lakeland and Bartow, and also Mulberry, Zephyrhills, Plant City, Thonotosassa, Wesley Chapel, Land o’ Lakes, Lutz, Carrollwood and Clearwater. You can read what our customers have said on our testimonials page, or see how we work as a Tampa roofing company.
Call (813) 653-2279, Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm. The estimate is free, and if the roof has years left in it we will tell you that instead.
Search the licence number at myfloridalicense.com. A certified licence, prefix CCC, is valid statewide. A registered licence is valid only in the county that issued it.
A deposit against materials is normal. Payment in full before work begins is not.
The contractor should. If you are being asked to pull your own permit for roofing work, ask why.
Over 30 years, family owned, in Riverview. BBB accredited since 2008.
Florida licence CCC1325942, Certified Roofing Contractor, active, registered in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Every employee is covered by workers compensation and general liability. Owens Corning Preferred Contractor.