How to Hire a Roofer in Texas (Texas Does Not License Roofers)

Two policies matter. General liability covers your house if the crew drops a ladder through a window or a torch scorches the fascia. Workers compensation covers the crew if a man falls. Texas does not require a roofer to carry either one. If a worker falls off your roof and the roofer has no coverage, the claim can land on your homeowners policy, and the roofer may argue it is your problem.

Ask for proof of both. Do not take a photocopy from the roofer's truck. Ask for the insurance agent's name and have the agent send it to you directly, with your name and address on it. That takes one email and tells you two things: the policy is real, and it is paid up. A roofer who will not do that is telling you something.

A Honesty Roofing is insured. Ask Vance what his coverage is before work starts, and ask the same of every other roofer you call.

Reviews tell you more when you read them for details than when you count stars. Look for the name of the person who showed up, what the job was, whether the crew showed on time and cleaned up, and whether the reviewer says they would call again. A page of reviews that all say "great job" and nothing else is worth less than five that describe the work. Read the bad ones too, and read how the owner answered them.

Then find the address. Put it in Google Maps and look at the street view. A roofer with a real shop or yard in League City, Friendswood, Dickinson or anywhere close by has somewhere you can drive to when the roof leaks in year three. A roofer with a post office box, a rented mailbox or an address in another state does not. After Beryl the out of town trucks were easy to spot. Six months later they were gone.

Our shop is at 2125 Boden St, League City, TX 77573. Our Google reviews are there for anyone to read, and Vance answers the phone at (713) 828-2551.

A number on the back of a business card is not a quote. A written quote tells you what you are buying, and it is the only thing you can hold a roofer to. For a replacement it should say, line by line:

• Full tear off down to the deck, or a second layer laid over the old shingles. Tear off costs more and is the right way. An overlay hides rotted decking, adds weight, and the new shingles never lie flat. We tear off every roof.
• What happens if the decking is soft. The price per sheet to replace plywood, agreed before the job starts.
• Underlayment type, ice and water shield in the valleys and around every pipe and vent, new drip edge, new pipe boots and new flashing, not reused metal.
• Shingle brand, line and color, and its wind rating. Galveston County is a TWIA first tier coastal county, so the wind rating matters here.
• Ridge vent or other attic ventilation.
• Cleanup, including a magnet sweep for nails, and who hauls the debris.
• Payment terms. A deposit for material is normal. Full payment before the job starts is not.

Compare quotes line by line, not by the total. A cheap total is often an overlay with reused flashing. Our roof replacement page explains each of these items.

Every roof comes with two warranties, and homeowners mix them up. The shingle manufacturer warrants the shingle against defects. The roofer warrants the labor: the nailing, the flashing, the boots, the valleys. Most leaks in the first ten years are a labor problem, not a shingle problem, so the labor warranty is the one that matters.

Get it in writing. How many years. Whether it covers leaks at flashing and penetrations, which is where leaks happen. Whether it transfers if you sell the house. Whether you have to call the roofer before anyone else touches the roof. A verbal "we stand behind our work" is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Then ask the only question that really tests a warranty: will this company still be here in five years? The answer is in the address and the reviews you already checked.

This is the check most homeowners skip. A lot of roofing sales in Texas work like this: a salesman knocks, measures, signs you up, and hands the job to a crew he has never met. When the roof leaks, the salesman has moved on and the crew never had a contract with you. Nobody is responsible.

Ask three questions before you sign. Who will be on my roof? Who do I call if it leaks? Is that person the same one who gave me this quote? If the answers are three different names, keep looking.

At A Honesty Roofing, Vance measures the roof, writes the quote, and is the man responsible for the job when it is done. Read about Vance or see what customers say about him in our reviews. The name on the quote is the name on the phone.