Choosing Between Roofing Contractors in El Paso: Papers, Questions and Red Flags

Show notes

Texas has no state roofing license, so choosing a roofer in El Paso comes down to paper: insurance, a written estimate, the permit and the warranty. Two hosts cover the questions to ask, the red flags, and one Lower Valley homeowner's comparison of three quotes, with a look at Lifetime Roofing of El Paso.

Read the full article:
https://elpasoroofingcompany.com/guides/roofing-contractors-el-paso-how-to-choose/

Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_gg_fx2-F0

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Lifetime Roofing of El Paso
Based at 8900 Gateway Blvd E, El Paso, TX 79907
Phone: (915) 353-3934
Map: View on Google Maps
Website: elpasoroofingcompany.com

Full transcript

Dakota: Welcome to the Hometown Trades Journal. I'm Dakota, and Roger's with me.

Roger: Good to be here, Dakota. Today it's choosing between roofing contractors in El Paso. Picture a windy week in the Lower Valley, shingles on the driveway, and a homeowner who has to pick a name.

Dakota: Where does a person even start?

Roger: With paper. Texas has no state roofing license, so there's no credential to look up. The protection is a written estimate, a contract with the work spelled out, and proof of insurance. The local company in focus is Lifetime Roofing of El Paso.

Dakota: So which papers come first, and why?

Roger: Insurance. The company in focus carries one million dollars in general liability and two million in workers' compensation, and any roofer can be asked to show both. Then the contract, which the National Roofing Contractors Association says should describe the work, with dates and payment terms. A page saying new roof doesn't.

Dakota: And the permit? Does a roof here need one?

Roger: Inside the City of El Paso, yes. Once twenty-five percent or more of the roof covering is replaced, a permit is required, so every full replacement needs one. Unincorporated El Paso County issues none, and Horizon City and Socorro run their own offices. So ask which office covers your address, and who pulls the permit.

Dakota: What about the warranty? Doesn't the shingle maker cover that?

Roger: The I-K-O shingle warranty covers a manufacturing defect, and I-K-O says the roofer isn't its representative. A leak from poor installation falls to the installer's workmanship warranty. This crew gives a transferable one on every installation. Dakota, what goes on the list of questions?

Dakota: The same ones for every roofer. Who's on my roof? This crew uses its own people, not subcontractors. How soon is the estimate? Within forty-eight hours of the free inspection. Their phone desk picks up around the clock, in English or Spanish. And the test: is each answer said plainly, then written into the estimate?

Roger: What should end the conversation with a roofer?

Dakota: A one-line estimate: new roof, one number, no brand. No permit needed on a full replacement inside the City. A warranty talk that stops at the shingle brand. A promise that insurance will pay. The Texas Department of Insurance says storm damage can be a claim, but age alone isn't. The company in focus doesn't negotiate with insurers; it documents the damage and writes the estimate.

Roger: Walk me through a homeowner doing this comparison.

Dakota: Marisol, in El Paso's Lower Valley. After a windy week she found a few shingles on the driveway and called three roofers. Two quotes came back as one line, new roof, with one number and no brand.

Roger: What did the third one look like?

Dakota: That was Lifetime Roofing of El Paso. The inspection came first, then a written estimate within forty-eight hours. It named the shingle line, the underlayment, the flashing, who would pull the City permit, and how the warranty was handled.

Roger: What did Marisol do with all three?

Dakota: She sent the same scope to the other two and asked them to name the same items. Only then could she compare. She kept all three estimates on the kitchen table and hired the one that spelled out the permit and the paper she would hold at the end.

Roger: What's the takeaway before a homeowner picks up the phone?

Dakota: Pick the roofer whose papers answer the most of these questions before any work starts. Keep every estimate, whether or not you hire the company. The crew at Lifetime Roofing of El Paso is at El Paso Roofing Company dot com, or on the phone at nine one five, three five three, three nine three four. That's roofing across El Paso, from the Lower Valley to Horizon City. That's the Hometown Trades Journal. New episodes every week. Thanks for listening.