An honest verdict, in writing
If a repair is the right answer, that is what the report says. A leak is not automatically a replacement pitch, and a roof that is fine gets told it is fine.
Stage 07 The close-out
In writing, before you sign
A roofing job produces six documents. Most of the disputes in this trade are about something that was said on a driveway instead of written on one of them. Here is what you should be holding, and at what point in the month you should be holding it.
The paperwork, in order
Six documents, and when each one should reach you
None of these is unusual and none of them is a favour. They are the ordinary output of a job run properly, and the order matters as much as the contents.
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The inspection report
When Before anything is pricedEvery finding photographed, dated and located, including the findings that do not help a claim. A written verdict in one sentence: repair, replace, or leave it alone. It is yours whether or not you hire us.
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The itemised scope
When Before you agree to anythingMaterial by the square, tear-off layers, a stated decking allowance with a per-sheet rate beyond it, flashing and penetrations listed separately, haul-off, labour. Where a claim is open, what the carrier scoped sits beside what the roof needs.
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The change-order policy
When Before the first shingle comes offWritten before it is needed, because a policy agreed while a crew is standing on a bare deck is not a policy. It says how a change is discovered, how it is evidenced, how it is priced and who approves it — you do, before the work happens.
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The schedule and the payment stages
When Before the truck is bookedThe date we are actually holding, not the date that sounds better on the phone. Alongside it, what is due when — and what each payment is for, so a deposit is tied to materials being ordered rather than to a slot being reserved.
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The completion certificate and final photo set
When The day the job finishesThe document a carrier asks for at close-out, plus photographs of the finished work and of anything that was replaced along the way. Handed over without being chased for it.
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The written terms of what is stood behind
When In the contract, not on a bannerWhat is covered, what is excluded, how a claim is reported and what voids it — set out in plain English in the contract you sign, rather than summarised as a number in a headline.
Not a badge, a method
Six things about how the work is run
Every one of these is checkable while it is happening, which is the only kind of promise worth making on a website. There is no rating on this page, no job count and no term of years, because those would be claims rather than conduct.
The waiting, named in advance
We tell you which days nothing will happen and why, before they happen, rather than letting you ring every morning to find out.
A clean site, every evening
Dump trailer on site, tidied at the end of each day, and a magnet run over the grass and the drive before anyone calls it finished.
One accountable phone number
The person who photographed your roof, the scope, the crew and the final invoice all come from the same company and the same number.
Nothing torn off into rain
A roof is opened only when the weather allows it to be closed again the same day. If that moves the date, you hear it from us first.
No outcome ever implied
We do not predict a claim decision, a payout or a deductible, and nothing we hand you will imply one. That belongs to your carrier and your policy.
Including us
Five things to demand of any roofer you let on the roof
After a named storm, the number of roofing companies in a parish goes up sharply and comes down again by winter. These five questions are how you tell which sort you are talking to.
- A licence number, and the register it can be checked on independently.
- A certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer directly, not forwarded as a photograph.
- The name of the person who will actually be on your roof, and who supervises them.
- The full warranty document, before signing, rather than a sentence about it.
- References you chose from a list rather than three that were chosen for you.
Why there is no term of years anywhere
A warranty length is the easiest thing on a roofing website to print and the hardest to enforce. Rather than invent one, this demo explains how the two kinds of roofing warranty actually work and what quietly voids them.
Straight answers
Questions about the paperwork
What should I have in my folder before work starts?
The photo report, the itemised scope, the change-order policy, the schedule with payment stages, and the contract including its written terms. If any of those five is missing, that is the conversation to have before signing rather than after.
Why is the change-order policy agreed in advance?
Because decking is the most common surprise in this trade and the worst time to negotiate is when the roof is already open. Agreeing the method beforehand turns a nasty moment into an administrative one.
What if I want to take the report to another roofer?
Take it. The photographs are yours, there is no clause reclaiming them, and a second opinion formed from a proper photo set is a better second opinion.
Does Granite Ridge hold a licence and insurance?
Granite Ridge Roofing is a fictional company built for a design demonstration, so it holds no licence, no insurance and no accreditation, and this site claims none. For a real contractor those are documents you should verify before letting anyone on your roof, not adjectives on a website.
Ask for all six before you sign anything.
Of anyone, not only of us. A contractor who hesitates over a written change-order policy has told you how the awkward moment on your roof is going to go.