Compare How Steady Each Roofer's Crew Stays From Bid to Final Nail

A roof job runs for days, sometimes a couple of weeks, and the people on your roof on the first morning are not always the people there on the last afternoon. That is normal in a trade where crews move between jobs. The question for a homeowner comparing bids is whether each roofer can tell you, before you sign, how steady the crew is and what happens when someone leaves in the middle. This page covers how to ask that and what a useful answer sounds like. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333 if you want to put these questions to us directly.

Roofer comparison

Put the crew question on the same sheet as the rest of your comparison. Most bids name a company and a project manager. Fewer name the lead installer, and fewer still name the people who will tear off the old shingles. Those are different jobs. A crew that tears off on Monday may not be the crew that sets the ridge on Thursday, even with the same company behind both.

Look for three things in each answer. First, whether the roofer names a lead installer or foreman, and whether that person is the one who will be on site. Second, whether the roofer can say how many people from the last job of your size still work for the company. A roofer who answers that plainly has probably been tracking it. Third, whether the roofer describes a rule for replacing someone mid-job, including who approves the change and whether you hear about it before the new person arrives.

A vague answer is information too. "Our guys are great" tells you nothing about staffing. "We bring in whoever is free" tells you the crew may change without notice. Write down each roofer's exact words, because the difference between a named foreman and a general promise is easy to forget once the bids are side by side.

What it costs

Crew stability rarely shows up as a line on the bid, which is part of why it gets skipped. It shows up in the labor figure, in how many days the job takes, and in whether a delay adds a charge. A crew that changes often may run slower in the first week while new people learn the layout, and a slower crew can push labor hours past what the bid assumed. Ask each roofer whether the labor number assumes one crew from start to finish, and what the bid says if it does not.

If a roofer pulls people off your job to cover another site, ask whether that change moves your start date or your finish date, and whether it changes the price. A written answer to that question costs nothing to request and protects you from a surprise invoice at the end. Compare the answers, not just the totals.

What to ask

Ask these in writing, one roofer at a time, and keep the replies in the same file as the bid:

• Who will be the lead installer on my roof, and will that person be on site on the first day?
• How many people from the last three jobs of this size are still with the company?
• If the lead installer has to leave during my job, who replaces them, and how will I be told?
• Does the labor in this bid assume one crew from tear-off through cleanup?
• If a crew change moves my start or finish date, what does the written schedule say happens next?

Ask for individual names only where the roofer is willing to share them. Some companies do not give homeowners the names of individual workers, and that can be a fair answer as long as the company will say who is responsible for the job. The aim is to know who is accountable, not to collect a list of workers.

Reading the answers

A roofer with a steady crew usually answers quickly and specifically. They can say who holds the lead role, how long that person has been with the company, and what happens if that person is unavailable. A roofer who needs time to check may still be a sound choice, but you should ask for the answer in writing once it is ready.

Pay attention to how each roofer handles the follow-up. If you ask about turnover and the answer drifts to price or to shingle color, note that shift. The shingle line matters in the same way: Keys installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only, so a bid that names another line should be explained before you compare it on crew terms. Ask every roofer on your list the same questions so the comparison stays fair.

Missouri does not license roofers at the state level, so no state record tells you how long a crew has worked together. The most reliable record is what each roofer tells you in writing and what you can confirm with past customers. Ask for a reference whose job resembled yours, and ask that reference whether the people who started the job were the ones who finished it.

Keeping the crew question open after you sign

Once the contract is signed, the crew question stays open. Ask for a short written notice whenever the lead installer changes, with the date and the name of the replacement. Keep that notice with the contract and the schedule. If the roofer does not give notice, write down the date you noticed the change and raise it before the crew reaches the next phase of work.

Crew questions are easiest to settle early. Before tear-off starts, you should know the name of the person who will walk the roof with you, roughly how many people will be on site each day, and the phone number for the office. Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333 for questions before the first day or during the job.