A new roof is one of the largest purchases you’ll make as a homeowner. In the Gulf South — where storms roll through without notice and the heat never lets up — you’re also making it under pressure. A roofer shows up at your door after a hailstorm. Your neighbor recommends someone. You need to make a decision quickly.
Most homeowners hire the wrong contractor not because they didn’t care but because they didn’t know what to ask. These 15 questions won’t slow you down. They’ll save you from a contractor who disappears after the first check clears.
Capstone Roofing has worked in Birmingham and greater New Orleans for over 10 years. We know the questions that reveal the most — and the answers that should make you walk away.
1. Are You Licensed in Alabama or Louisiana?
Alabama requires a Home Builders Licensure Board license for roofing work above $10,000. Louisiana requires a state contractor license issued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. Ask for the license number and verify it directly with the state board. A legitimate contractor will hand it over without hesitation.
This is the first filter. An unlicensed contractor has no standing with your insurance company, no accountability to a licensing board, and no requirement to meet code. If they can’t show a license, the conversation ends here.
2. Can You Show Me a Certificate of Insurance?
Ask for two things: general liability insurance and workers’ compensation. General liability covers damage to your property if something goes wrong. Workers’ comp covers the crew if someone is injured on your roof.
Don’t take their word for it. Ask them to have the certificate sent directly from their insurance carrier to you. Call the number on the certificate and confirm the policy is active and the coverage amounts are real.
If a contractor asks you to sign a waiver of liability or claims they “don’t need” workers’ comp because their crew are subcontractors, stop. You can be held liable for injuries on your property if the contractor doesn’t carry workers’ comp.
3. How Long Have You Been in Business — and Is Your Office Here?
Storm chasers follow severe weather events into vulnerable areas. After a hurricane, a hailstorm, or a major tornado, they arrive in force in neighborhoods like those in Hoover, Metairie, and Mountain Brook — showing up door-to-door, offering fast starts and low prices. They are often unlicensed, uninsured, and gone before the second rain reveals what they missed.
Ask for a physical address. Verify it on Google Maps. Look at their Google Business listing and check how long they’ve been active locally. A contractor with five years of reviews in your area is accountable. One whose only address is a P.O. box in another state is not.
4. Can You Provide Three Local References From the Past 12 Months?
References should be recent and local. Not a friend. Not a family member. Three actual customers from the past year in your area, with phone numbers you can call.
When you call, ask: Did the crew show up when they said they would? Did the final cost match the written estimate? How did they handle the cleanup? Is there anything they’d do differently if they hired this contractor again?
One bad answer is worth more than ten good reviews. A contractor unwilling to provide references is a contractor with something to hide.
5. Will the Work Be Done by Your Own Crew or Subcontractors?
Many roofing companies subcontract the actual labor. That’s not automatically a red flag — but you need to know. If subcontractors are on your roof, confirm they are covered under the contractor’s insurance, not separately hired day laborers who are uninsured.
Ask who will supervise the job, who your contact is if something goes wrong during installation, and whether the lead contractor will be on-site.
The Questions That Separate Good Contractors from Great Ones
| Question | What a Good Answer Looks Like | Walk Away If You Hear |
|---|---|---|
| What materials do you recommend, and why? | Specific product names, reasons tied to your roof type and climate | “Whatever you want” with no guidance |
| What does the warranty cover? | Workmanship warranty (2–10 years) + manufacturer materials warranty | “We stand behind our work” with nothing in writing |
| How do you handle permits? | “We pull all permits before work begins” | “Permits slow things down — we’ll skip it” |
| How do you handle unexpected deck damage? | Written change order process, cost per square foot for decking | “We’ll figure it out as we go” |
| What is your payment schedule? | Deposit at contract signing, balance at completion | Full payment upfront in cash |
6–7. Materials and Warranties: The Two Things That Outlast the Job
A contractor should give you a material recommendation based on your roof slope, budget, and climate — not just hand you a catalog. In Birmingham and New Orleans, algae-resistant shingles matter. So does wind resistance rating in hurricane zones. Ask specifically: what manufacturer, what product line, and what is the wind and impact resistance rating?
On warranties, there are two types and both matter:
| Warranty Type | What It Covers | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer warranty | Defects in the roofing materials themselves | 25–50 years (limited) |
| Workmanship warranty | The contractor’s installation quality | 2–10 years (varies widely) |
Get both warranties in writing with the contractor’s name on the document before signing anything.
8. Who Pulls the Permits?
In Alabama and Louisiana, most roofing projects above a certain value require a permit. The contractor should pull the permit — not you. If a contractor suggests skipping the permit, they are asking you to take on legal liability for unpermitted work, which creates problems when you sell the house or file an insurance claim. A legitimate contractor treats permits as routine, not optional.
9. What Does Your Written Estimate Include?
A written estimate should itemize: materials (brand, product, quantity), labor cost, tear-off and disposal of old roofing, permit fees, flashing, underlayment, and ventilation work, and any exclusions or assumptions.
If the estimate is a single line item — “$12,000 for new roof” — it is not a real estimate. You have no way to compare it to another bid, no basis for a dispute if work is incomplete, and no documentation for your insurance company.
10. What Is Your Payment Schedule?
Standard: a deposit at contract signing (typically 10–30%), with the balance due at completion. Some contractors ask for a progress payment at the midpoint of a large job — that can be reasonable. Full payment upfront is not. If a contractor demands full payment before starting — especially in cash — walk away.
11–12. Property Protection and Weather Delays
Roofing generates debris. Ask specifically: Will you use tarps and plywood to protect bushes and the driveway? How do you handle nail cleanup — do you use a magnetic roller? What happens if your equipment damages my gutters or siding? Get the answers in writing as part of the contract.
On weather delays: in Birmingham and New Orleans, the weather doesn’t care about your timeline. Ask how they handle rain delays — will they protect the open roof if a storm interrupts the job? Who is responsible for water damage if the decking is exposed overnight? A contractor who has worked in this region for more than a year has a standard answer. Someone making it up on the spot is telling you something.
13–14. Timeline and Deck Damage
A standard residential roof replacement in the 1,500–2,500 square foot range typically runs one to two days under good conditions. If a contractor promises four hours on a two-day job, they are either wrong or planning to leave before it’s done. Ask for a start date in writing and a realistic completion estimate.
When the old roofing comes off, sometimes the decking underneath is rotted or damaged — especially in high-humidity climates. Ask how additional deck work is priced and documented. A contractor should have a written change-order process with a per-square-foot rate for deck replacement so you’re not surprised by a verbal estimate after the old roof is already off.
15. If I Have a Problem After the Job, How Do I Reach You?
Ask for a direct name, phone number, and email — not just the main company line. Ask how warranty claims are handled: Is there a separate process? What is the response time? A contractor who doesn’t have a clear answer to post-job support hasn’t thought past the check clearing.
Red Flags That End the Conversation
These are not yellow flags. If any of these happen, do not hire this contractor:
- Door-to-door solicitation after a storm. Legitimate local contractors have more work than they need after a major weather event. They don’t canvass neighborhoods.
- Demands for full cash payment upfront.
- Pressure to sign today, or the price goes up tomorrow.
- Offers to waive your insurance deductible. This is insurance fraud in both Alabama and Louisiana.
- No physical local address you can verify.
- Out-of-state license plates and no local references.
- Vague or verbal-only estimates.
We have replaced roofs for homeowners who paid a storm chaser first. The second roof always costs more than the first would have. The questions above are how you avoid being in that situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I verify a roofing contractor’s license in Alabama or Louisiana?
Search the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board database at hblb.alabama.gov. You’ll need the contractor’s name or license number. For Louisiana, search the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors at lslbc.louisiana.gov. Both databases are free and publicly accessible.
How many estimates should I get before hiring a roofer?
Three is the right number. One estimate gives you nothing to compare. Two creates an artificial choice. Three lets you identify the outlier — whether that’s an unusually low bid that signals cut corners or an unusually high one that may not be justified. Get all three in writing before making any decision.
What should a roofing contract include?
At minimum: contractor name and license number, insurance certificate, materials specification (brand, product, quantity), full scope of work including tear-off and disposal, payment schedule, warranty terms for both workmanship and materials, start and completion dates, and a change-order process for unexpected work.
Is it normal for a roofer to ask for a deposit?
Yes — a deposit of 10–30% at contract signing is standard. This covers material orders and scheduling. What is not standard: a deposit over 50% before work begins, or any demand for full payment before the job starts. If someone needs the whole check before a single shingle is nailed down, it’s a problem.
Schedule Your Estimate
If you’re evaluating roofing contractors in the Birmingham area or greater New Orleans, Capstone Roofing will give you a written estimate with full material specifications — no vague totals, no pressure to sign on the spot. We’re licensed in Alabama and Louisiana, and we’ve been working in these markets for over 10 years.
Call us at (205) 453-1803 or contact us online →
About the Author: The Capstone Roofing team has replaced roofs in Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, and across the greater New Orleans area for over a decade. We’re licensed in Alabama and Louisiana, and everything in this guide comes from what we’ve seen in the field — not a checklist we found online.
