How the business runs

A roofing business in a state that licenses nobody

This is a roof replacement business working Sherman and the Grayson County towns around it. The work is residential and small commercial: asphalt, impact-resistant, metal and low-slope roofing.

It is organized around a gap that is specific to Texas. There is no state roofing license, so the standard advice to check for one leads nowhere, and the reassurance most contractors offer here is hollow by construction. What is checkable is City of Sherman registration and the $300,000 liability cover that comes with it, so that is stated on every quote rather than left implied. The second thing this market needs is a straight answer on Class 4 impact-resistant products: they cost 15 to 25% more, they are worth it on a long hold and not on a short one, and both numbers go in front of you rather than one.

No claim work of any kind, and no storm-damage paperwork
No door-knocking after a storm -- ever
Roofs only: no siding, windows or gutters
No price without walking the roof

Steel roof trusses above loose-fill insulation in a large attic — **During the job**Survey before any price is given

How it runs

Four steps, no surprises

Free inspection, the City registration and the $75 permit stated, then a written quote.

Call or message

Tell us the address and roughly when the roof went on. In this county the second answer matters more than usual: a roof that has been through two hail seasons is a different conversation from one that has been through eight.

Survey, on the roof and in the gutters

Bruising does not show from the ground, so the slopes get checked by hand. The soft metal -- vents, flashings, gutter aprons -- dents before shingles bruise, and granule loss in the gutters is the third piece of evidence. If the roof is fine, we will say so.

Written scope, then the price

Per square, with standard and Class 4 side by side rather than one recommendation. The City registration, the $75 permit and the nailing pattern all go in writing, and decking is priced per sheet.

The work, and the photographs

Permit pulled so the work is inspected, the site left clean and nails swept, and a before-and-after set that is yours whatever you decide to do next.

Before you choose

Five checks worth making on every quote, including ours

The first two are specific to Texas and to this city, and almost nobody makes them.

Are they registered with the City of Sherman

Not 'licensed' -- registered, as a Roofing Contractor, with a $300,000 certificate of liability cover naming the City as certificate holder. Texas issues no roofing license, so this is the credential that exists here.

Is the $75 permit being pulled

It should be, and it should be on the quote. The inspection that comes with it is your only independent check on what actually went on the roof.

Does the scope name the product AND its rating

'Impact resistant' is a phrase; UL 2218 Class 4 is a rating. And a Class 4 field with standard ridge, hip and starter products is not a Class 4 roof, so those get named too.

Does it state the nailing pattern

It is what survives a North Texas wind and it cannot be inspected once the roof looks finished. It has to be in writing beforehand or it is unverifiable afterwards.

Did anybody put a hand on the slope

Hail bruising is invisible from the ground. A verdict given from a driveway -- in either direction -- is a guess, and after a storm this market produces a great many of them.

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