A roof replacement is the biggest single project most homeowners will run on their house between the day they move in and the day they move out. The contract you are about to sign locks in material choices, install quality, warranty coverage, and how the insurance claim runs — for two decades or more. Twenty minutes of questions before the pen comes out is the best investment you will make on the whole job.
These are the ten questions we would want our own mother to ask. We would want her to ask them of us, too — and we would be uncomfortable if any of our answers did not pass. That is the bar. For each question, here is what to ask, why it matters, and what a real answer sounds like.
1 — "What is your NC license number, and is the company on this contract the licensed entity?"
Roofing in NC is a limited-license category. The company doing the install needs a current NC General Contractor license at the appropriate classification. The license number should be on the proposal. The licensed entity should match the company name on the contract — not a parent, not a related LLC, not a d/b/a not registered on the license.
A good answer hands you the license number and tells you to verify it on the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors website. A bad answer is vague, names a "qualifier" you have never met, or trips over the question of which entity is actually signing the contract.
2 — "Where is your NC office, and what year did it open?"
A physical NC address is what makes a workmanship warranty enforceable in 2030. A P.O. box, a UPS-store mailbox dressed up as a suite number, or an out-of-state corporate HQ does not enforce a warranty when a shingle blows off in three years. Plug the address into Google Maps before you sign.
A good answer gives you the street address, the year the office opened, and an invitation to drive by. A bad answer is the rep's home phone and a vague reference to "our regional office."
3 — "Which manufacturer certifications do you currently hold?"
The three certifications that matter most in NC residential roofing are GAF Master Elite, Owens Corning Platinum, and CertainTeed ShingleMaster. Each one has annual renewal requirements, training thresholds, and complaint review. The practical value to the homeowner is access to enhanced manufacturer warranties — the ones that include labor coverage and the stronger non-prorated windows — which a non-certified installer cannot offer.
A good answer names the certifications, the year first achieved, and offers to show the digital badge or the manufacturer portal screenshot. A bad answer is "we install all the major brands" — which is not a certification, that is just buying shingles.
4 — "May I see the workmanship warranty document?"
Two warranties come with a roof. The shingle manufacturer's warranty covers the material. The workmanship warranty covers the install — the contractor's promise that they will come back if something is leaking because of how it was put on. Read it before you sign. The company on the warranty should be the company on the contract. The length and what is covered should be in plain English. "Lifetime workmanship warranty subject to network terms" buried under three layers of disclaimer is a story, not a warranty.
5 — "Do you file supplements when the carrier scope is short?"
This single question separates a contractor working for the homeowner from one working to the carrier ceiling. Most initial NC carrier scopes on a hail or wind claim are missing items — drip edge, ice-and-water shield, ridge cap on every damaged slope, code-required deck nailing patterns, like-kind matching for shingles no longer manufactured. Those items belong on the supplement.
A good answer walks you through what the supplement process looks like, when it goes in, and how it gets paid. A bad answer is "we work to the carrier scope only" — which means the homeowner is on the hook for everything the adjuster missed.
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If you have a quote in hand and you want a second set of eyes on the contract before you sign, send it over — we will read it through this ten-question filter on the phone, no contract, no obligation, no pitch.
6 — "What happens if the deck under the shingles is rotten?"
Decking — the plywood or OSB under the shingles — sometimes comes up rotten when the old roof is torn off. It is not visible from above. A good roofer plans for it in the proposal with a per-sheet replacement price, documents what gets found during tear-off with photos, and routes the cost to the carrier as part of the claim. "Decking is included" as a flat statement is too vague — ask for the per-sheet number and the discovery process. "We cross that bridge if we come to it" is the answer that ends in a verbal mid-job upcharge.
7 — "How long does the install take, who runs the crew, and do you sub the work out?"
A standard NC residential tear-off and shingle replacement is a one-day job for a full crew on a typical home. Larger or more complex roofs run two days. The lead foreman should be a company employee with the contractor's name on their shirt — not a one-time sub. Subcontracted labor is not disqualifying by itself, but it should be disclosed up front, and the company should be able to tell you which subcontractor they use and what kind of oversight they run on the install.
8 — "Can you give me five recent jobs in my county, and two from more than a year ago?"
References from last month tell you the company can sell. References from more than a year ago tell you whether the company stands behind the install. Both matter. Ask for the five most recent county jobs by homeowner first-name and rough neighborhood (no full addresses needed up front), and ask for two older references where you can call and ask how the company handled the year after the install.
9 — "Can you email me your general liability and workers compensation certificates?"
A legitimate roofer carries general liability insurance and workers compensation, and can email you a current certificate of insurance the same day. The certificate should show coverage active through the install date, with coverage limits appropriate to a residential roofing job (typically $1 million general liability per occurrence is standard).
Without workers comp, if a crew member falls off your house, the homeowner's premises liability is the backstop. With workers comp, the contractor's policy is the backstop. The difference is meaningful and a real roofer is comfortable handing the certificate over inside a few hours.
10 — "What is your payment schedule?"
On an insurance claim, the cash flow is straightforward. The carrier sends the ACV first check (minus the deductible) after claim approval. That covers the bulk of the install. The work is done. The carrier sends the recoverable depreciation check after the final invoice and completion photos are filed. That closes the file.
On that pattern, a contractor asking for fifty percent down at signing is mismatching the cash flow. A small good-faith deposit (or zero) at signing, the ACV check applied at material delivery or install start, and the depreciation check at completion is the normal NC sequence. On a cash retail job (no insurance), a ten to twenty-five percent deposit at material delivery is more typical.
What a real answer sounds like — the meta-tell
Across all ten questions, the meta-tell is whether the rep is comfortable with the conversation. A roofer who has run hundreds of NC residential installs has heard every one of these questions before. They answer in detail, they offer documentation, and they do not get defensive when the homeowner asks for more. A rep who tries to redirect to signing the contract before answering, who pressures you on a same-day decision, or who treats the questions like a nuisance is telling you what the rest of the project will feel like.
We run free inspections across Wake, Durham, Orange, Granville, and Vance counties. We will answer these ten questions for ourselves before you ask them. See how we run claims work or, if you already have a quote in hand, send it over and we will help you read it.