The early spring and early summer time time of year brings potent thunderstorms to much of the nation. Through a mix of strong wind gusts, hail and tornadoes, many people could have substantial damage done to their homes this season.
The rooftop is one section of the home that is frequently disturbed by these types of storms. It isn't unusual for one serious weather to do enough damage to a house that a complete roof replacement is needed.
Because replacing a roof is a big expenditure for house owners, it is essential that they completely research area roofing contractors to locate a business that can properly complete the job at a fair price. A new website, called the Roofing Contractors Review Center, launched this week to give consumers a simple place to visit to locate and compare companies in their area.
J.W. Keith, managing editor of the website, said the goal of the website is to give consumers a valuable resource to use to research and compare local roofers.
"It is very unfortunate, but each year thousands of home owners become victims of fraud as fly-by-night companies hit their towns after severe storms and dupe them out of their money," said Keith. "It is vital that consumers do their homework by thoroughly researching a company before hiring them."
Keith said a few things consumers should do when searching for a company to handle their roofing job include asking friends and family members for referrals to good companies, checking with the Better Business Bureau for a company with good ratings and talking to their insurance agents to see if they can get a recommendation for a company that has completed satisfactory work for other clients.
"If I were a home owner with a damaged roof, the first thing I would personally do is call Angie's List at toll-free 1-877-275-9417 and ask for a list of the top-rated roofers in my area," said Keith. "Angie's List provides rankings based on real feedback from other consumers and home owners in your home town."
Keith said the website currently has nearly 2,000 profiles of roofing companies available, but plans to triple that number by mid summertime.
"We are working very hard to build a huge database for consumers to use free of charge to search for and compare roofers," said Keith. "We are adding dozens of new profiles each day and will have thousands of profiles online within six weeks."
