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Smart-Buyer Guide
Questions to Ask a Roofer Before You Hire (Printable Checklist)
Hiring a roofer is one of the bigger decisions you will make on your home, and most homeowners only do it once or twice in a lifetime. That makes it hard to know what a good answer sounds like. The fix is simple: ask every roofer the same set of questions, write down what they say, and compare the answers side by side. The right questions to ask a roofer will tell you more than any sales pitch, and they quietly expose the out-of-town crews and corner-cutters before they ever set foot on your roof. Below is the checklist we would hand a friend or family member. Print it, take it to every bid, and hold us to the same standard.
How to use this checklist
Use the same list with every contractor you talk to. The goal is not to trip anyone up. It is to get clear, written answers you can actually compare. A trustworthy roofer will answer all of these without getting defensive, and most will be glad you asked because it tells them you are a serious homeowner who plans to hold up your end too.
- Ask for answers in writing wherever you can. Verbal promises do not travel to the contract on their own.
- Watch for vague answers, pressure to sign today, and discounts that expire if you do not commit on the spot.
- On the Oregon coast, pay special attention to the materials and crew questions. Salt air and wind-driven rain punish shortcuts that inland homes might never notice.
1. Licensing and insurance
This is the floor. In Oregon, anyone who works on your roof for pay is supposed to be licensed with the Construction Contractors Board (CCB). Licensing is not just paperwork. It means the contractor carries the bond and liability coverage the state requires, and it gives you a place to file a complaint if something goes sideways.
- What is your Oregon CCB license number? (Get the actual number, then verify it yourself on the state registry.)
- Are you bonded and insured, including general liability and workers' compensation for your crew?
- Can I see a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) for this job?
- Is the business name on your estimate the same name your license is registered under?
Pacific Peaks is licensed, bonded, and insured under Oregon CCB #254443. You can look us up on the state registry the same way you would check any roofer, and we will hand you a COI for the job without being asked twice.
2. Who manages the crew and stands behind the work
This is the question that separates a roofing company from a roofing broker. The thing that matters is not employee versus subcontractor. It is oversight and accountability: who manages the crew on your roof, who controls the quality, and who stands behind the finished job in writing. Some outfits sell you the job, then disappear, with no one clearly accountable once something goes wrong. You want one contractor who owns the whole job from first call to final walkthrough.
- Who manages the crew on my roof day to day, and who is accountable for the quality of their work?
- Will the person who quotes my roof be involved in doing it, or supervising it?
- Who is my single point of contact from start to finish?
- Who backs the written workmanship warranty, and is that the same company I am signing with?
At Pacific Peaks, we manage the whole job and stand behind it. Every crew on your roof is held to our standards and overseen by us, and we back the work with our own written workmanship warranty, so you always know who is responsible: us. One accountable contractor, start to finish, with no finger-pointing if a question comes up later. If you want the full case for keeping it local, our guide on choosing a local coastal roofer walks through it.
3. Scope and materials in writing
Two bids can look hundreds or thousands of dollars apart and still be a fair fight, or they can be comparing completely different work. The only way to know is to get the full scope and the exact products in writing. A real estimate names what is going on your roof. A weak one hides behind 'standard materials' and leaves the details to chance.
- Will you put the full scope of work in writing, not just a bottom-line price?
- What exact products are you installing? Name the shingle line, the underlayment, the flashing metal, the fasteners.
- On a coastal home, what fasteners and flashing components are you using, and are they stainless or otherwise corrosion-rated for salt air?
- Does the price include tear-off and disposal of the old roof, or is that extra?
- What is your plan if you find rotted decking once the old roof is off?
We work with materials chosen for this climate: PVC membrane with stainless components, Owens Corning TruDefinition(R) Duration(R) architectural and Berkshire(R) designer shingles, and 26 and 24-gauge standing-seam metal, plus seamless gutters, venting, and skylights. Every product goes on your estimate by name. For help reading any roofer's numbers, see our guide on how to read a roofing estimate.
4. Warranty: how long, in writing, and what voids it
Warranties are where a lot of confusion lives, so ask the questions that cut through it. There are two separate warranties on most new roofs, and a good roofer will explain both without blurring them together.
- How long is your workmanship warranty, and is it written down?
- What does the workmanship warranty actually cover, and what voids it?
- Who stands behind the material warranty, the manufacturer or you, and what does it cover?
- If I have a problem in a few years, who do I call, and is that promise in writing too?
Keep the two warranties straight. The workmanship warranty covers the installation, the labor, the way the roof was put on. That one comes from the roofer. The material warranty covers manufacturing defects in the product itself, and that one comes from the manufacturer on the manufacturer's terms. They are not the same thing, and a roofer who says a single 'lifetime' warranty covers everything is glossing over the difference. Our guide on workmanship versus material warranties breaks down exactly what each one does.
5. Process: permits, decking, and site protection
How a roofer runs the job tells you how the finished roof will hold up. Ask about the parts of the process that homeowners usually find out about the hard way: permits, hidden rot, and the mess a tear-off creates.
- Will you pull the permit, or are you expecting me to? (A roofer pulling the permit in their own name is generally a good sign of accountability.)
- How do you handle rotted or soft decking once the old roof is off, and how is that priced?
- How do you protect my landscaping, siding, windows, and gutters during the tear-off?
- How do you clean up, and how do you make sure no nails are left in the yard or driveway?
- Roughly how many days will the job take, and what happens if weather rolls in mid-job?
Rotted decking is the classic surprise. On the coast, years of wind-driven rain and trapped moisture can quietly soften the wood under an old roof, and you often cannot see it until the roof is off. The honest answer is not 'we never find rot.' It is a clear plan for how it gets handled and how it is billed, in writing, before the work starts. For how permits work here, see our guide on Oregon roofing permits.
6. Local: where they are based and how long you can reach them
These two questions do quiet but heavy lifting. They are built to surface the out-of-town crews that follow storms across the map and the templated landing pages that list a dozen towns but have no real address in any of them. A roofer who lives in the weather they roof in answers differently than one passing through.
- Where are you based? (Look for a real local address, not just a phone number and a list of cities.)
- How long after the job is done can I still reach you?
- Do you know this stretch of coast by name, or are the town names just filled into a template?
- Can you point to work you have done nearby that I could go look at or ask about?
Pacific Peaks is a family-owned, locally owned roofer based right here in Florence. We work the coast from Newport down to Coos Bay and the valley inland, and we are still here when you need us after the job.
7. Recourse: local work and how they handle a complaint
Even good jobs occasionally need a follow-up. What matters is how a contractor responds when you call. Ask before you hire, not after, so you know what recourse actually looks like.
- Can I see examples of your local work, or talk to a recent customer nearby?
- If I am not happy with something, what is your process for making it right?
- Who answers the phone in a couple of years if I notice a problem?
- Are you the company I would file a CCB complaint against if it came to that, and are you comfortable with that?
A confident, accountable roofer welcomes these questions. A roofer who gets cagey about local references or who cannot tell you how a complaint gets handled is telling you something. Trust the discomfort.
The printable checklist
Here is the whole thing in one place. Print it, bring it to every bid, and jot the answers in the margin so you can compare contractors side by side.
- Licensing and insurance: What is your Oregon CCB number? Are you bonded and insured, including workers' comp? Can I see a current COI?
- Crew: Who manages the crew and is accountable for quality? Who backs the written workmanship warranty? Who is my single point of contact?
- Scope and materials: Will you put the full scope and exact products in writing? Is the coastal flashing and fastener metal stainless or corrosion-rated? Is tear-off and disposal included?
- Warranty: How long is your workmanship warranty, and is it written? What voids it? Who backs the material warranty?
- Process: Will you pull the permit? How do you handle rotted decking? How is my property protected and cleaned up?
- Local: Where are you based? How long after the job can I reach you? Do you know this coast by name?
- Recourse: Can I see local work? How do you handle a complaint? Who answers when you call back later?
This guide is general information for Oregon homeowners, not legal advice. Licensing and permit rules can change, so verify the current requirements with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board and your local building department before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What is the single most important question to ask a roofer?
If you only ask one, ask for the Oregon CCB license number and then verify it yourself on the state registry. Licensing confirms the contractor carries the bond and insurance the state requires and gives you recourse if something goes wrong. After that, the most revealing question is who manages the crew, who is accountable for the quality, and who backs the written workmanship warranty, so you always know who is responsible.
How can I tell a local roofer from an out-of-town crew?
Ask where they are based and how long after the job you can reach them. A genuinely local roofer has a real address, knows the towns by name rather than from a template, and can point you to nearby work. An out-of-town or storm-chasing crew tends to list many cities, push you to sign quickly, and get hard to reach once the job is done.
Should a roofer give me everything in writing before I sign?
Yes. The full scope of work, the exact products by name, the price and payment schedule, the warranty terms, and how rotted decking and cleanup are handled should all be in writing before you sign. Verbal promises do not make it into the contract on their own. Our roofing contract checklist covers what a complete Oregon roofing contract should include.
Is a longer warranty always better?
Not by itself. What matters is whether the workmanship warranty is written down, what it actually covers, and what voids it, kept separate from the manufacturer's material warranty. A single vague 'lifetime' promise that blurs the two is less useful than a clear, written workmanship warranty you can actually hold.
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Call 541-690-8089 or send us a few details and we will set up a free inspection.
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- Licensed & insured, Oregon CCB #254443
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