How to choose a roofer in Woodburn, Oregon (and check their license in a minute)

Step 1: Look up the license

Oregon licenses contractors through the Construction Contractors Board, the CCB. Every licensed contractor has a CCB number, and Oregon requires them to put it on their advertising, their estimates and their contracts. If someone can't give you a CCB number, you can stop there.

Go to the CCB license search, type in the number or the business name, and check four things:

• The status is Active. Not expired, not suspended.
• The name matches. The business on the license should be the business on the truck, the estimate and the contract.
• The bond and insurance are current. The record shows both, with expiration dates.
• The history. The record also shows complaints and disciplinary actions, if there are any.

It takes about a minute, and it's the single most useful minute you'll spend on this.

Step 2: Ask where they're based

Search for a roofer in Woodburn and you'll find a lot of companies that serve Woodburn from somewhere else. Many of them do good work. It's still worth asking a few plain questions:

• Where is your company based?
• Who will come out to look at the roof, and who will do the work?
• If I have a leak in January, how soon can someone get here?
• Have you worked on homes near mine?

A roof is a long relationship. If something needs attention two winters from now, you want the company close enough to come back.

Step 3: Get it in writing

This one isn't just good advice. It's Oregon law. For residential work over $2,000, the contractor has to give you a written contract. They also have to give you three notices: a Consumer Protection Notice, a Notice of Procedure, and an Information Notice to Owner About Construction Liens. The CCB publishes all three.

You don't have to memorize them. What matters is this: a contractor who does things properly will hand you paperwork. One who wants to start on a handshake and a deposit is skipping steps the state requires.

Step 4: Compare estimates line by line

Two estimates can be thousands of dollars apart and both be fair, because they aren't for the same job. Line them up and look for:

• Is the old roof being torn off, or is the new one going over it?
• What happens if they find soft wood under the old shingles, and how is that priced?
• What underlayment and what shingle, by name?
• Is new flashing included at the walls, the chimney and the vents? That's where most leaks start.
• Who handles the permit, if one is needed?
• Is cleanup and hauling away the old roof included?

The lowest number is often the one that left something out. Two or three estimates is plenty. More than that turns into a second job.

Red flags

• A knock on the door right after a storm from a company you've never heard of.
• Pressure to sign today, or a price that's "only good until I leave."
• A large deposit up front, especially in cash.
• No CCB number on the card, the truck or the estimate.
• A firm price with no inspection. Be careful with a number from someone who hasn't measured or looked at the roof.
• Vague paperwork. "Replace roof" is not a scope.

Two warranties, not one

A new roof usually comes with two different warranties, and people mix them up. The manufacturer's warranty covers the shingles themselves. The workmanship warranty comes from the roofer and covers how the roof was put on. Most roof problems in the first few years are installation problems, so ask what the workmanship warranty covers, for how long, and get it in writing.

If you're choosing for a parent

A lot of people reading this aren't shopping for themselves. They're looking into it for a mom or dad, often after a storm or a pushy visit at the door. If that's you: look up the license yourself, ask to be on the call or at the estimate, and ask for the paperwork by email so you can read it before anyone signs. A good contractor will be glad you're involved.

Hold us to the same list

We're Silver Ridge Roofing LLC, based in Woodburn. Our license is CCB #251085, and you can look it up on the state's license search right now. We put the scope in writing before we talk price, and there's no pressure to sign. If you'd like us to be one of your estimates, tell us what you're seeing.