Kansas roofing registration
Kansas law says no person shall engage in the business of or act in the capacity of a roofing contractor in the state without a valid registration certificate under the Kansas roofing registration act, which the attorney general administers.
Ask each roofer you meet: What is your Kansas roofing contractor registration certificate number, and is it current?
Where a roof price comes from
A roof's price comes from the house in front of the roofer, and from the materials and labor they quote for it. What a homeowner can do ahead of time is learn which parts of the job move that price, and ask about each one so that several quotes describe the same work.
The first visit: what gets measured
Roofing is often priced by the square, a set area of roof surface, and that count feeds into both the material order and the labor. Ask each roofer how they measured: by walking the roof, from aerial images or from plans, and how much extra material they added for cutting and waste. Then ask what features of your roof they priced in:
- how steep the slopes are, and whether the crew needs harnesses and roof jacks to work them;
- how many stories the eaves sit above the ground, and how materials will get up and debris come down;
- the number of valleys, hips, dormers and walls the roof meets, each of which adds cutting and flashing;
- how close the dumpster or trailer can park.
Layers and haul-away
Ask how many layers are on the house now and how the roofer checked. Ask whether removal and disposal sit in the base price, whether the price changes if the crew finds another layer, and how the crew would handle heavier material, such as an old wood roof underneath.
What turns up under the old roof
Sheathing that has gone soft can stay hidden until the shingles are off. A quote can deal with that by including a set amount of new decking, or by naming a price for each sheet replaced. Ask for that unit price in writing, ask to be shown the damaged boards before they are replaced, and ask for photos of them for your file.
The hidden layers
Between the deck and the shingles sit parts you will not see again once the job is done, and quotes can differ widely on them. Ask each roofer to name:
- the underlayment product, and where any self-adhering membrane will go;
- whether wall, chimney and valley flashing will be new or reused;
- the drip edge and the starter course along eaves and rakes;
- the pipe boots and vent covers;
- how attic ventilation will be handled, and whether intake and exhaust will change.
Choosing a covering
Asphalt shingles come in more than one grade and weight, and metal panels and other coverings are also on offer. The choice can change both the material price and the way the roof is installed. Ask each roofer to quote one product line so the quotes compare, then ask what switching to a second option would add or remove, and whether it changes the warranty.
Extras quoted on their own lines
Some work may be priced separately. Ask whether these are included, excluded or optional: gutters and downspouts, skylight replacement or reflashing, chimney cap or mortar work, new attic vents, fascia or soffit repair, and removing and reinstalling anything mounted on the roof.
The contract and payment terms
Read the contract for how much is due at signing, what has to be finished before each later payment, and what is held back until the final walk-through. Ask whether materials are bought in your name or the roofer's, and ask for lien waivers from the roofer and the main supplier when you make the last payment.
Surprises during the work
Ask how a change is handled once the old roof is open: who approves it, whether it is priced in writing before the work goes ahead, and which unit prices are already fixed in the contract. Ask how the crew will cover an open roof if work stops partway through a day.
Who will be on the roof
Ask whether the roofer's own employees will do the work or whether a subcontracted crew will, and who will be the point of contact on site while the roof is open. Ask how you can reach that person during the day, how many working days the roofer expects the job to take, and what happens to the schedule if a day is lost to weather.
Papers to collect at the end
At the finish, ask for the manufacturer's warranty registration, the roofer's written workmanship warranty with its length and exclusions, the final invoice marked paid, lien waivers, and photos of the finished roof. Keep them together with the contract and any inspection record.