Every town and city in Scotland has roofers and roofing companies offering different services and products, and nowhere has more than Glasgow.
The size of the city and its often-poor weather ensure that there is a constant stream of work for roofers, from small to large repairs and replacement new roofs, to chimney work, flat roofing and extensions.
In order to choose the correct roofing company (and in turn the correct roofing service or product) there are a few things people should bear in mind when ready to hire a roofing contractor.
When looking for a roofer, you should draw up a shortlist of contractors first. Try and get three or four local companies and make sure they are members of professional bodies and/or licensed. Roofers who have licenses and that are approved by their industry as well as the construction industry and health and safety bodies are a must. Roofers that don’t have the correct certification or who aren’t approved are not regulated and are often dangerous cowboys. You will end up paying more in the long run regardless of how cheap you can get your work done.
The most common professional bodies for roofers and specialist height workers are:
- The National Federation of Roofing Contractors
- Constructionline
- Association of Technical Lightning & Access Specialists (ATLAS)
- The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS)
You can find them in yellow pages or a simple search in Google for Glasgow Roofers. Also, if any of your neighbours have had work done or someone in the street looks like they have had a new roof or some new tiles replaced recently, why not knock their door and ask if their roofing contractor was any good? Talking to staff in places like B&Q or your local building trade supplier is a great source of information.
How to spot bad roofers
- Ask them are they approved or licensed. If so, by which organisations
- Do they have insurance? If not, walk away
- Do they charge for estimates or quotes? If so, avoid
- Ask them for some of their recent work. If they can’t or won’t supply, steer clear
- Do they offer a guarantee? How long? Does it cover materials and labour?
- How long have they been in business. Check companies’ house to see if they are genuine. If they don’t have a registered physical address, don’t hire them
- Be wary of very low estimates. Remember materials cost money and anything that seems too good to be true as it usually will be
- Never hire a roofer who has come into contact with you through door-to-door salespeople
- The cheapest price is often not the best choice – some roofers use very cheap materials and cheap labour
- Never hire a roofer who puts pressure on you to sign up.
It should, then, be straightforward to choose the correct roofer once you received your quotes from them.
If you would like any more information on roofing, would like to ask us any questions or receive a quote or estimate from a Glasgow roofers, please contact us.
