Checking out contractors

I have found a roofer to redo the roof deck on my brownstone extension. My question is how do you go about checking out their credentials? I read about so many jobs gone bad and crooked contractors that I am very nervous to had over a huge deposit to a stranger. Advice happily looked appreciated.

somuchwork

in General Discussion 3 years and 8 months ago

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ejcarroll | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Recently had brownstone roof done by Premier Roofing, Atlantic Ave, (718) 638-3711. Have been around for more than 50 years.

somuchwork | 3 years and 8 months ago

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I have only contacted roofers so far. One roofer said they were also a contractor who could fix the interior damage.

I have another roofer coming today that I have great hope for as his father was my roofer for years before he passed. Fingers crossed

andriywww1990 | 3 years and 8 months ago

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so if you tried to hire someone who is not a roofer to do this, he or she might hire laborers who say they are roofers but really have not done much roofing and it might not get done right. roofing is a specialty. the other issue is, insurance. i am a contractor who carries insurance but my insurance precludes me from doing roofing and not only will they drop me if i get caught, but they will not cover a claim. and the big one on the roof is worker’s comp insurance.

i have hired a lot of roofers directly myself or as part of a larger team for complete reroofing and repairs. i have watched a lot of this work being done and i maintain my own roof and repair it myself and put the roof on the shed i built out back. BUT i would not reroof my own house without having someone who does this day in and day out help me.

i am not sure what to say. at this point, i am wondering if something about your location, parking, or some situation unrelated to you, has the roofers shying away from the job.

somuchwork | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Still no luck getting a contractor or roofer to actually give me a quote to redo the roof. They come, they disappear for weeks and then tell you that a quote is coming, then crickets…

Is it actually possible to hire someone to hire contractors and supervise all needed repairs?
I am so tired of the run around, my tenants are really upset.

somuchwork | 3 years and 8 months ago

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I have reached out and left messages for Carlos, hopefully he can assist
Thanks

stevecym | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Also, a customer who is wading into unknown waters would be best to – with the job at hand or the potential contractors – get three quotes with something like this. When I worked for pros and for a condo board I HAD to get three quotes. The good thing about talking to three contractors is you learn things from one which you can then pose to the next one who visits to see how they address the concern.

stevecym | 3 years and 8 months ago

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No more than 50% for anything.

cate | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Yes, get referrals from friends and neighbors you know in real life and trust who have had the same work done. Do not hand over a large deposit. (I’m trying to remember — I think we did give a deposit when we had our roof done and certainly we paid about half when ordering a skylight) but the roofers we have used have been in business here in Brooklyn for many, many years. You should also have their office address and license number. (and verify that it is current).

lkrshacmzcy | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Are you having trouble reaching Carlos? I can call him if you need too; he is literally at two of our jobs as I type this.

lkrshacmzcy | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Are you having trouble reaching Carlos? I can call him if you need too; he is literally at two of our jobs as I type this.

stevecym | 3 years and 8 months ago

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And something else. This is not a comment about you and your selection process, but about the city and this useless HIC license. If something goes wrong on a job and a contractor has no insurance and no assets, all the licences in the world will not matter and if a third party gets injured on your premises you will become embroiled in something that you dont want to be in. This is the joke about NYC’s HIC license – all surrounding jurisdictions require HIC’s to carry liability insurance, but not nyc. The license is a joke. The city, who worries so much about doing the right thing in some cases, fails to protect homeowners in others. If you are a homeowner in nyc, you are on your own.

stevecym | 3 years and 8 months ago

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If you really liked him and if he has a track record someplace, call him and find out if the license was the issue and if he has insurance and the right kinds of insurance and if he does tell him the lack of a license may not be a show stopper but you will need some good references. I was not joking when I said roofer’s insurance cost 100k a year; if someone spends that kind of money on insurance they are serious about what they are doing.

Keep in mind the reason for the licensing; they want to know who we are, where we live, that we can write a contract, that the money is not ours until the job is done, and that there is a completion bond in case we skip town. Keep in mind that there are people who will take a deposit and disappear and there are people who would never dream of taking something which does not belong to them. The world is filled with dishonest contractors who need regulation and honest ones who were raised with such integrity that the licens e does not add anything value to their character or to the job. For some contractors the license is only a marketing tool.

somuchwork | 3 years and 8 months ago

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Thank you Steve for taking the time to answer.
Your information is very informative and gives me lots of stuff to use going forward. I still haven’t heard back from the roofer, very disappointed as he had seemingly had ticked all the boxes.

stevecym | 3 years and 8 months ago

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People who do a lot of commercial work may not have a license. It’s not necessary. The city assumes that professional property managers are savvy enough to protect their companies’ assets – and their jobs. So if you find someone through someone who does commercial work and you want to use them, that might be ok. Maybe that is what happen with this other guy and if you liked him, maybe you should inquire.

So what do professionals rely on when vetting contractors? The insurance (along with reputation but insurance is a show stopper; the first question I ask is how much insurance do they carry). maybe the other guy really is what he says he is, does commercial, and carries 5 or 10 million of commercial contractors insurance plus all sorts of other insurance that costs him 100k a year and has had that insurance for 10, 15, 20 years but has no hic. In truth, that insurance for a decade or more would be enough for me. The insurance is the big one and may impose more regulation on him than our inept city ever could.

It takes experience to choose contractors withou t knowing the trade yourself. I often learn a little about some challenge on a job and when interviewing them I either suggest something that is wrong to do or ask how they would handle something. If they are experienced they should be able to address each scenario not only telling me I am right or wrong but why – and if they have been doing this a long time they should be able to answer questions without offending you- if they want the job. If they get quiet, i take that to mean they have no idea what I am talking about and have not been doing their trade very long. Also, a real pro will treat you with respect when you ask these kinds of questions. If they get dismissive or dont want to answer them or dont want to give you the time, show them to the door. They may treat your questions that way for the wrong reason and they may not like you asking them for the wrong reasons. An experienced pro who has been around will treat me and you and some guy in a suit the same.

You did say you did a Google search of the company and it returned nil. I find that problematic. If he is incorporated, you should be able to look up the date of incorporation on the secretary of state webpage. People working under their own or assumed names will leave less of a footprint because it is the incorporation record that triggers all sorts of data mining – with places like d&b and something called manta. A sole proprietor – and I do not know who in their right mind would operate a roofing business as a sole proprietor – will not appear on line.

somuchwork | 3 years and 8 months ago

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I will reach out to Chris’s recommendation.

somuchwork | 3 years and 8 months ago

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All of this is great advice, thank you. I thought I had found a roofer who specializes in installing a very specific type of roofing material, he was recommended by the material manufacturer, came out promptly and produced a quote within three days. All good signs but the quote doesn’t have a license number on it and I can’t find anything from a google search of either the company name on the quote or the name of the roofer. I have requested a license number and a insurance certificate, but now crickets… so perhaps back to the drawing board.

On an aside not, how much should be, if any, would be proper to give as a deposit on a roofer job?

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 3 years and 8 months ago

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In addition to everything Steve suggests speak with your neighbors to see who they’ve used and been satisfied with.

andriywww1990 | 3 years and 8 months ago

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i just reread your post and see you already have someone in mind. ok, assuming you had not, one of the first things i would have done was called chris’s recommendation above simply because chris is not going to hurt his reputation on here by passing the names of bad actors around. but since you have someone and since you very possibly did not ask for those things i list above at the start (which is what should have been done), i would let the contractor know that you “think” they are the person but you will need an insurance certificate before you can go any further and then check that by calling the company. also, this is usually the point in the game that people ask for references and make sure those references are for roofs and it would be better that they are in your area – not someplace else as you want a person who is working on houses like yours. not in the suburbs (unless you are in a modern suburban style house).

andriywww1990 | 3 years and 8 months ago

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No one thing that i am about to say is any indication that you will get a good job but what you want when you hire people are contractors with “skin” in the game. you want to avoid people who fly under the radar as they may literally be “fly by nights” taking what ever job comes along without specializing. also, roofing is a specialty, especially these flat roofs and you want people who do just that and perhaps other exterior work, like masonry or other water proofing – you don’t want people who are painters or landscapers doing the roof because they think they can make a quick buck.

License. hire people who are licensed. this is no guarantee of anything except that they person has said to all of us “here i am, i am in business and you can judge me as such and take me to court if you need”. the city does have some oversight over HIC contractors. you can look their license up on line: NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs.

Insurance. again, on its own, means nothing but you do not want people on your house who do not have workers comp, disability, and liabil ity: ask for their “certificates of insurance” (if they say they do not give those out or can’t get them all it means is they do not have insurance or don’t want the job). it is your right to ask for these and when i work for coops or condos, the first thing they ask for are the certificates (no insurance or not the right kind of insurance is a “show stopper”). then this, call the liability company or agent and ask if they cover roofers. i have insurance but it will not cover roofing work; roofing work is a specialty. also, some big construction firms who do masonry also do roofing, that is fine as these water proofing or exterior envelop projects seem to go hand in hand.

use people who openly advertise and have a company name (not just some guy with a cell phone). see chris’s post above. people who advertise like this are putting themselves out there to be judged on here. You do not want a name and cell phone number; all a name and cell phone number means is that they are a handyman taking their chances on what they can get.

if you begin with this, you will weed a lot of people out who have no business doing what they are doing. ask for these things on the phone and if they get evasive, put the phone down. also, it takes a little skill to know when not to ask. see chris’s guy above; if i looked them up on the ‘net and saw they are doing all sorts of projects around the city (roofs and other exterior construction work; building water proofing or facade work) and found they have trucks with their names plastered all over them, i might not ask. maybe just the insurance as you can say “your insurance company” requires it.