As a homeowner, you are responsible for the maintenance of your roofing materials such as metal roofing, asphalt roofing, etc. Knowing who exactly is responsible for fixing it when something goes wrong can be confusing. If you’re hiring a roofing contractor to do work on your home, ask them if they use subcontractors.
What are subcontractors?
Subcontractors are other companies hired by general contractors to help complete jobs or specific tasks required by the project or client. General contractors’ job is to oversee their team and make sure everyone is meeting expectations and deadlines within budget guidelines set forth in the contract. This requires communication with all employees involved in the project, not just those directly under his supervision at the time. It also means that he must ensure that each subcontracted company follows local building codes and laws as well as the specifications included in the contract.
What should you do?
(i) Talk to your roofing contractor about what you should know before hiring a roofer
(ii) Ensure that you are both on the same page about who is responsible for what tasks during the project, as well as which employees will be coming into your home or business.
(iii) Make sure that all costs for projects performed by subcontractors are covered within the original price given by your contractor up front.
(iv) Make sure there are no delays due to miscommunication between subcontracted companies.
What are good questions to ask a roofer? Once you’ve chosen a roofer, ask him these questions before signing any contracts:
- Who is actually going on my property? Make sure both you and your worker know who they will be and how many people.
- Will subcontractors be used? If they are, ask the person you’re working with which companies and how this is done so that there is no confusion about who owes what and when someone else is working on your property.
- Are subcontractors local? Make sure all subcontracted employees are from your area to avoid delays due to travel time or lack of knowledge regarding local laws.
- Is there a budget for subcontracted work? Ask if the price he has given you includes all labor and material costs as well as those purchased by subcontractors.
You won’t have any issues or surprises after signing a contract that answers these questions upfront.
