Guide
What to ask before you sign anything
You do not need to know roofing to ask good questions. You need to know which questions have answers that can be checked.
Get it looked at
Three questions, and up to three Walnut contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Walnut is taking requests through this service yet. We are lining them up, and yours is kept until one can.
- Nobody gets your details yet. Your request stays with us and is not passed to any company.
- One email when someone can help. When a provider covering your area can take it on, we email you once and ask whether you want that company, by name, to contact you.
- Deleted after 90 days. If nobody can take it on, or you do not say yes, your contact details are deleted 90 days after your request.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
Nobody will call you about this request unless you say yes to a company by name.
"What happens if the decking is rotten?"
You want a rate, not a reassurance. Some rot is likely on any older roof and the rate is the only thing that keeps that predictable.
"Who is actually doing the work?"
Employees, or subcontractors? Both are fine, but subcontracted crews change who carries the workers compensation cover and who stands behind the workmanship warranty.
"What underlayment, and how are the valleys done?"
A contractor who enjoys this question is usually the one whose roof lasts. A contractor who deflects it to brand names is quoting a different job.
"Can I see a job you finished five years ago?"
Recent work shows tidiness. Older work shows competence. Ask for the older one.
"What is your licence number, and who holds it?"
The follow-up matters more than the answer: does the entity on the licence match the entity on the paperwork, and is it active today?
"What does your workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?"
Material warranties come from the manufacturer and are conditional on correct installation. The workmanship warranty is the contractor's own promise, and it is worth exactly as much as the company behind it.
In short
Write the answers down. Two weeks later, when the quotes have blurred together, the notes are what you will actually decide on.
Related questions
Do I have to hire anyone?
Not at all. Plenty of people use this to find out what a job costs and then do nothing for a year. That is a perfectly reasonable outcome.
I have solar panels. What happens to them?
They come off and go back on, and that is a separate cost, often handled by the solar installer rather than the roofer. If the roof is near the end of its life, do the roof first — removing and refitting panels twice is money wasted.
Is this really free?
Yes. You pay nothing, now or later. Roofing contractors pay us for the introduction, which is why the service costs you nothing and why we are upfront that it is how we make money.
Ready for a real number?
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.