12 Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor in Fort Walton Beach, FL Before You Sign

A&M Construction

1 day ago

4 min read

If you need a roofing contractor in the Fort Walton Beach area, the most useful thing you can do is not read more reviews. It is to ask every contractor the same twelve questions and listen to how quickly and specifically they answer. A contractor who has done this work here for years will answer all twelve without looking anything up. A&M Construction of NW Fla is a family-owned roofing contractor in Mary Esther, founded in 1994 by brothers Alex and Max Daugherty, holding Florida Certified Roofing Contractor license CCC1326077 and Certified Solar Contractor license CVC57246, and GAF certified. Below are the twelve questions and the answers you should expect.

Questions about the company

What is your Florida license number, and is it certified or registered? You want a number you can look up, and you want to know whether it is a state certified license or a county registration. Verify it yourself in the state's licensee search rather than taking a photo of a card.
Will your insurance agent email me a certificate of insurance? General liability and workers' compensation, sent directly from the agent with your name on it. A yes takes five minutes. A hesitation is an answer in itself.
How long have you worked in this area, and can I see local jobs? Not photos from anywhere, but roofs in Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Navarre, Shalimar, or Gulf Breeze that you could drive past.
Who will actually be on my roof? In-house crew or subcontractors, and either way, who is the supervisor on site and how do you reach them on the day.

You can confirm the answer to the first question in about a minute through the state's DBPR licensee verification search. Our full walkthrough of those background checks is in our guide to verifying a roofing company in Fort Walton Beach.

Questions about the scope of work

Is this a full tear-off or a roof-over? A tear-off removes everything to the deck so the sheathing can be inspected. Going over an existing layer hides whatever is underneath, and it is the single biggest reason two bids differ by thousands.
What happens if you find rotten decking? The answer you want is a per-sheet price written into the agreement, so the cost is capped and predictable instead of discovered on day two.
Which exact products are going on, from the deck up? Underlayment, valley membrane, drip edge, starter strip, shingle line, ridge vent, and pipe boots, by brand and product name. All of it should belong to one approved assembly.
Do those products carry current Florida Product Approval for my wind zone? Okaloosa County builds to the 2023 Florida Building Code, 8th Edition, with ASCE 7-22 wind criteria. This is not a trick question and a good contractor answers it easily.

Current code requirements are published by the Florida Building Commission, and the resilience upgrades worth asking about are described in the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standard.

Questions about paperwork, money, and the warranty

Will you pull the permit under your own license? Yes is the only good answer. If a contractor asks you to pull it as the homeowner, the code liability shifts to you, and it usually means they cannot pull it themselves.
What are the two warranties, and what voids them? There is a manufacturer warranty on the materials and a workmanship warranty from the contractor. Ask for both terms in writing, and ask what would void each one.
What is the payment schedule? A materials deposit, progress payments, and a final payment after the county's final inspection passes. Never a large cash payment before a permit exists.
How do you protect the property and clean up? Tarps over landscaping, plywood against the siding, a dumpster location you agreed to, and a magnetic sweep for nails before the crew leaves.

One more thing on money. If you are weighing how to pay for the job, look at the options before you sign rather than after. We lay them out in our post on financing a new roof.

Three answers that should end the conversation

An offer to waive, absorb, or discount your insurance deductible. This is not legal in Florida.
A price that is only good if you sign today. Roof prices do not expire in an afternoon.
A refusal to put the scope in writing. If it is not written down, it is not in the job.

If your roof work is tied to an insurance claim, the Florida Department of Financial Services publishes the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights and guidance on contractor solicitation fraud on its homeowners insurance resource page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important question to ask a roofing contractor?

Whether they will pull the permit under their own license. It confirms they hold a valid license, it keeps code responsibility where it belongs, and it guarantees the county inspects the work.

Should a roofing estimate be itemized?

Yes. Tear-off and disposal, decking allowance, underlayment, flashing and drip edge, ventilation, the shingle, the permit, cleanup, and warranty terms should each appear as a named line. Bundled totals cannot be compared against each other.

How do I know if a roofing contractor uses subcontractors?

Ask directly, and ask whether the subcontractors carry their own workers' compensation. Using subcontractors is not a problem by itself. Not knowing who is insured on your property is.

How long should a roofing contractor's workmanship warranty be?

Terms vary, so read what is offered rather than chasing a number. What matters more is whether the company will still be here to honor it. A workmanship warranty from a contractor who leaves town after storm season is worth nothing.

Can I ask a roofing contractor for references?

Yes, and ask for recent local ones. A job finished two or three years ago in your own area is more useful than a brand new one, because by then you would know about any leaks or callbacks.

Ask us all twelve

Bring this list to us and we will answer every question on it in one visit, in writing. Start with a roof inspection so the conversation is about your actual roof, then look at residential roofing or roof repair depending on what we find. Family owned in Mary Esther since 1994, and still the same two brothers on the license.

Contact A&M Construction or call 850-803-0650.