Ask Each Roofer the Same Question Twice, a Week Apart

Most roofer comparisons start with one phone call and one written bid from each company, given on one day. A homeowner in the middle of a decision can hear a clear answer and feel settled, but a clear answer on Monday tells you less than the same answer the following Monday. Asking the same question twice, a week apart, is a cheap way to find out whether a roofer keeps track of what they said.

Roofer comparison

Pick three to five questions whose answers should not change in a week. Good choices are the name of the foreman who will be on your roof, the shingle line named on the order, whether the company pulls its own permit or expects you to, and how many crew members will be on site on a typical day. Avoid questions that depend on the weather, such as the exact start date. A St. Louis spring can move any schedule by several days, and a roofer who shifts the date after a cold snap or a storm backlog is reporting the weather, not contradicting themselves.

Write down each answer with the date you heard it and the method: phone, email, or in person. Then ask again a week later, using the same wording. A roofer who gives the same names and the same product line both times is giving you a stable answer. One who names a different foreman, or says the shingle line is still undecided, has told you something about how the job is tracked before a single shingle moves.

A sheet with three columns is enough. The first column holds the question, the second holds the answer on the first date, and the third holds the answer on the second date. Add a fourth column for the method, because an answer given in writing carries more weight than one given on a call. Each roofer gets a row. For example, if the first call names a foreman and the second call names someone else with no explanation, that row shows the gap without any further argument. The sheet makes the comparison for you.

The office line for Keys Roofing is (314) 220-2333, and it is a fair place to start the second round of questions. Run the same check with every company on your list, not only the ones you like best so far, so that the rows are comparable.

Why the wording matters

Ask in the same words both times. If you ask about the shingle line on the first call and then ask 'what are you putting on the roof' a week later, a different answer may simply reflect a different question. Write the exact sentence on your sheet and read it aloud when you call. Paste the same sentence into an email when you write.

The topics that hold steady are the ones tied to a fixed record. Shingle lines are named on the order. Foremen are named on the job schedule. Permit responsibility follows the permit desk that covers your address, and you can check which desk that is before you call anyone. Several St. Louis County municipalities issue their own permits, so the right desk depends on the address and not on the roofer's office. That makes 'who pulls the permit, and from which desk' a useful test question. A roofer who knows the answer should give the same answer each time, and a roofer who is unsure is worth noting.

Avoid questions that invite a sales pitch. 'Are you the best company in town?' will get a pitch both times. 'Who is on my roof on day one?' will get a name, and a name can be checked against the next call.

What it costs

The check costs time, not money. Two calls and two emails spread over a week are small next to the price of a roof, and no roofer should charge for answering questions about their own crew. If a company hesitates to answer a second time, or wants a deposit before it will repeat what it already said, treat that hesitation as information about the company.

Skipping the check has a real cost. A roof is replaced once in a long while, and a wrong guess about who is working on it, or which shingle line goes up, is hard to undo after the old roof is off. Keys installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only, so a roofer who names a different brand on one call and an Atlas or Malarkey line on another has given you a mismatch to resolve before the order is placed. A week of notes is cheap protection against that kind of drift.

When you compare totals later, keep the sheet next to each bid. A bid that names a shingle line the roofer could not confirm on the second call is a different bid from one that matched the sheet, even if the two totals look the same.

What to ask

Choose questions from four groups. Crew questions cover who will be on site on day one and who will be on the roof on the last day. Product questions cover the shingle line, the underlayment, and whether the roofer will name the line in the written bid. Permit questions cover who pulls the permit, from which desk, and whose name is listed as the contractor on it. Paperwork questions cover what the written scope includes and whether photos and measurements come with it.

Ask about shingle brands only in a form you can check later. If one roofer's answer changes between calls, ask the second time in writing and file the reply with the sheet. Written answers are harder to shift, and a roofer who will not put a product line in writing after answering it out loud has created a question you need to settle before the crew arrives.

If a question drifts toward your insurance claim, such as whether the roofer will talk to your adjuster or cover the deductible, write that down too. Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) forbids a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, and from saying anything about paying, waiving or covering a deductible. A roofer who offers either is offering something the statute forbids, and that answer belongs on the sheet next to the others. What Keys does is document damage, put a written scope with photos and measurements in your hands, and attend as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer.

Finish the sheet before you pick a company. Read down the second-date column and mark every row where the answer matches the first date. Those are the roofers whose answers you can plan around. Rows that changed need a written reply before you sign anything, and the matching bid is the one whose totals you should compare first.