When the Alberta Clipper comes barreling down on Calgary is not the optimal time to think about doing roof repairs. Your roof shingles or tiles and flashing are your first line of defense against the snow, ice, rain heat and cold that our Calgary climate can toss at us. If they are in need of repair or replacement you are going to be looking at some seriously expensive outlays if you don't take care of it now.

Yes even though Calgary is officially the sunniest city in Canada when we do get weather it can be a problem if your roof is not in good repair. At Handy Canadian we have created a directory of Calgary roofers and contractors who can handle any size roofing job you might have from complete roof replacement to simple flashing. Our directory is a great place to start when you decide it's time for the old roof to go.

Each listing in our directory will provide you with a brief description of services offered, the service area, insurance details, contact information and even comments from previous customers who found the contractor through Handy Canadian.

How to keep your project from 'going through the roof' (so to speak)

Cost is always a major concern regardless of the type of home repair or renovation project you have but when it comes to having work done on your roof there are other issues that need to be addressed that rank right up there with cost. In Calgary, roofers are not required to have a Certificate of Qualification like other, more complex trades. Basically this means anyone can call himself or herself a roofer without having any roofing knowledge or experience.

Here's what you want to do to check out a roofing contractor:

• While no 'trade licenses' is required, every roofing company is required to have a Calgary Business License. Make sure your contractor can provide you with a copy.
• If your roofer wants an advance as a condition of doing the work he must have a Prepaid Contracting License. This license essentially requires the contractor to post a bond or other surety which can be used should there be a dispute between contractor and customer.
• What if something goes wrong on the job? What if the contractor abandons the job? Is he bonded...insured? Make sure your contractor provides you with a certificate of insurance. If you have questions about just what is and what isn't covered, call the contractor's insurance company to get answers.
• While you're asking about liability insurance, make sure the contractor has insurance to cover his workers or subs. You are going to have people working on your roof, climbing ladders, and tossing of shingles over the side. It can be a dangerous job. If a worker gets injured you don't want him or her looking to the liability coverage on your homeowner policy for reimbursement.

Once you've determined that your roofer is properly licenses and has adequate insurance, then it's time to find out just how good he is.

In a service business, reputation can make you or break you. If a contractor can only offer you limited references, or hasn't been in business very long, it may be a good idea to drop them from your short list even if they do offer the lowest price. For established firms...call their references. They probably will have nothing but good to say but it's worth the effort to confirm them. It will also give you an idea of how well the contractor cleans up after himself. Roofing can be a messy worksite.

Other reputation checkers would be the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and running the roofer's name through Google. You might even want to drive by previous projects to get an idea of the quality of the roofing job.

Everyone in Calgary enjoys the great outdoors and we have some spectacular scenery to enjoy such as Banff National Park. But everyone in Calgary will also agree that they don't want to see those sites through a hole in their roof. Just follow the steps listed above, find a great Calgary roofer and get the job done.

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