Choosing the Right Commercial Roofing Contractor for Your Business

When it comes to your business, you want to choose the right commercial roofing contractor for your re-roof or repair project. Your building and its contents are important assets. Your property’s roof system also provides safety for your employees and keeps your business operational. Therefore, it’s important to choose a reputable contractor for your commercial roofing services that’s going to get your project completed in a timely manner, with no headaches, and at the optimal price. Read on to learn what characteristics to look for in an exceptional commercial roofing company!

What Characteristics Should I Look for in a Commercial Roofing Contractor?

There are a number of characteristics to look for in an exceptional commercial roofing contractor. We have listed 3 of the most important.

• Experience and good local reputation
• Licensed and insured
• Efficient bidding process

Experience and Good Local Reputation

Roofing services are typically viewed as “commodities” by property owners. Namely, many have this thought process: “There are 50 commercial roofing companies in my area so I can just choose the cheapest because they all do the same thing.” It’s important to understand that not all commercial roofers are created equal.

Key considerations include factors like experience and time in business. For example, is the company you’re looking to hire 3 years old or 40 years old? Other questions to ask yourself include the following.

• Are they from another part of the state or country or are they headquartered locally?
• What’s their online and word-of-mouth presence like? Are they active online and in the community?
• Do they have an upstanding reputation among other business owners and general contractors in the community?
• What projects have they done and do they have them listed on their website?

Finding a local commercial roofing contractor that checks these boxes is important–even if it means paying a higher rate for the work. Again, like most purchases in life, we get what we pay for.

Licensed and Insured

Once you’ve checked the experience and time in business boxes off the list during your search, the next factors to consider are licensing and insurance. The state of Florida requires roofers to be licensed. Most contractors will display their license numbers on their fleet vehicles and/or their website. You can also look up their state licensing info on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) website. Ensuring they’re licensed is a crucial way to protect your business and verify the contractor’s legitimacy.

Besides being licensed, you also want your commercial roofing contractor to be appropriately insured. In other words, even if a contractor is insured, you want to make sure they’re not underinsured. A good rule of thumb would be to see coverage limits in their policy in the 7-figure range ($1-2 million).

Efficient Bidding Process

Lastly, experienced commercial roofing contractors are going to have an effective and efficient bidding process. Since experienced contractors bid on commercial projects regularly, they make their proposals clear, succinct, and within a competitive price range. They tend to not overbid or underbid. If the contractor checks most of the other boxes like experience, licensing, and insurance, you want to consider contractors that bid in the middle to lower high range.

Again, an overly-low bidder can be a red flag. However, it’s important to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples with proposals when there’s a significant difference in price. In other words, compare the line items between competing proposals to see what you would actually be paying for. Maybe one is substantially lower in price but also comes with a lot fewer line items and more ambiguity. You never want to shop on price alone.

Big D Is a Premier Commercial Roofing Contractor in Ocala, FL

Working with a reputable, experienced, local commercial roofing company like Big D gives you the knowledge and expertise you need to make the best decisions for your business.

We provide exceptional customer service and follow industry best practices. We use high-quality roofing materials to provide our customers with beautiful roofs that last.

If your commercial property is located in Ocala, FL, The Villages, FL, Gainesville, FL, or the surrounding area, contact us today to get started on your roof installation or repair!