Choosing a roofing contractor is the highest-stakes hire most homeowners ever make. The roof is the most expensive single component of your house, the work is impossible for you to supervise from the ground, and the industry has a reputation problem it earned honestly.
The good news: a few direct questions separate the professionals from the problems fast. Here are the ten we would ask before letting anyone on our own roofs, what a good answer sounds like, and where Hearthstone Restoration stands on each one.
1. Are you licensed and insured, and can I see proof?
A pro answers this with paperwork, not a promise. You want general liability insurance and workers’ compensation, both current. If a crew member gets hurt on an uninsured job, the homeowner can end up exposed. Anyone who hesitates on this question has answered it.
2. Are you local, and will you be here in five years?
A roof comes with promises: a warranty, follow-up, accountability. Promises only matter if the company stays reachable. Ask where they are based, how long they have operated there, and where their last ten jobs were. Hearthstone Restoration is based in Greensboro. Our name is on yard signs around the Triad, our reviews are from your neighbors, and we plan to be a short drive away for decades.
3. Who exactly will be on my roof?
This one surprises homeowners. Many companies sell the job, then hand it to whichever subcontractor crew is available that week. The name on the estimate never touches your shingles. Ask directly: employees or subs, and how long has this crew worked with you? Our answer: the same crews have worked with Hearthstone Restoration for over a decade. The people who did our last roof do your roof.
4. Are you certified by the manufacturer you install?
Shingle manufacturers certify contractors who train on their systems and install to their standards, and the certification level controls what warranties the contractor can offer you. Hearthstone Restoration is a CertainTeed ShingleMaster, and we install CertainTeed exclusively: one manufacturer, mastered, rather than whatever was cheapest at the supply house that morning.
5. What warranty do I get, and who stands behind each part?
There are two warranties on a roof, and vague answers here cost homeowners real money. The manufacturer warranty covers the materials. The workmanship warranty covers the installation, and it is only as good as the company behind it. Ask for both in writing, with years and coverage spelled out. Hearthstone Restoration backs every roof with a lifetime workmanship warranty and offers CertainTeed’s SureStart PLUS 4-Star extended warranty, which puts the manufacturer’s weight behind the installation as well.
6. How will you measure and price my roof?
The lazy answer is a number over the phone or a glance from the driveway. The professional answer involves an inspection and real measurement. Our process runs on two tools: a drone flight that documents every slope and flashing line, and an EagleView aerial measurement report with your roof’s exact dimensions, square footage, pitch, and material waste. Your quote comes from measured data, itemized, with nothing left out to win the bid. Our guide on why roof quotes vary so much shows what that itemization should include.
7. Can I see recent reviews and local work?
Every roofer says “quality.” Reviews from your own area say it for them, or refuse to. Read the reviews, note whether the same crew names and behaviors show up repeatedly, and be wary of a company whose praise all comes from somewhere far away. Our Google reviews are from Triad homeowners, and the pattern you will see repeated is the one we work hardest for: skeptical at first, five stars at the end.
8. What happens to my property during the job?
Tear-off is messy. The question is what the crew does about it. Ask about tarps over landscaping, protection for siding and windows, daily cleanup, and a magnetic sweep for nails at the end. A crew that shrugs at this question will shrug at your flowerbeds. We treat the yard as part of the job: when Hearthstone Restoration pulls out, the only evidence we were there is the roof.
9. How will you communicate during the build?
A roof replacement is loud, fast, and stressful to watch from the kitchen window. You deserve to know what is happening without climbing anything. Ask how updates work. Our answer is the roof concierge approach: drone photos and video before, during, and after, with updates as the work happens, even when the homeowner is out of town.
10. Will you put the full scope in writing?
The final filter. Product line, decking allowance, flashing, ventilation, cleanup, warranty terms, timeline, all itemized, all signed. A verbal promise is a promise you cannot enforce. If any answer in this list lives only in conversation, it does not exist.
The pattern behind all ten questions
Read the list again and one theme runs through it: accountability you can verify. Local address, named crew, manufacturer certification, written scope, reachable reviews. Roofers who welcome these questions are the ones with nothing to hide, and the ones who bristle at them are doing you a favor by showing it early.
Put us through the list. Request a free drone inspection from Hearthstone Restoration and ask us all ten. We serve Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, and homeowners across North Carolina, and we like educated customers: they are the ones who become our best referrals.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a roofing contractor?
Verify license and insurance, confirm they are local and established, ask who is on the roof (employees or subs), check manufacturer certification, get both warranties in writing, and require a measured, itemized quote. The ten questions above cover the full checklist.
Should I get multiple estimates?
Yes. Compare scope line by line, not only the total. Wide gaps between quotes almost always come from what the low bid left out. Not sure your roof needs work at all? Start with the signs you need a new roof.
What is the biggest red flag when hiring a roofer?
Pressure. A contractor pushing you to sign today, quoting without measuring, or dodging questions about insurance and crews is showing you how the whole project will go.
Does manufacturer certification matter?
Yes, twice over. It means the installer trained on the system your roof uses, and it controls which extended warranties you can receive. An uncertified bargain install can void the coverage the shingles came with.
Is a local roofer better than a big out-of-town company?
For accountability, yes. A warranty is a promise, and promises need an address. Local companies answer to their own community every day.