November 25, 2024 · 7 min read · Tips
Look at the paperwork, not the pitch
Most roofers sound confident on the driveway. The difference between a professional and a guess shows up on paper: the license, the certifications, the proposal, the permit and what you are handed at the end. This guide walks through each document and what a good one looks like in Palm Beach County.
Molsbee Roofing has roofed homes across the county since 1975, from our office in Lake Worth Beach, so we see a lot of other contractors' proposals when homeowners ask for a second look.
Is the license the right kind, and is it active?
Florida licenses roofers at the state level. A certified roofing contractor can work anywhere in the state; a registered contractor is limited to the local areas where the registration is held. Look the license up on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation site, confirm the name matches the company on the proposal, and confirm it is active. Ours is CCC1327429.
The permit should be pulled under that same license. If a contractor asks you to pull the permit as an owner-builder, that is a red flag: it moves the legal responsibility for the work onto you.
Do the manufacturer credentials match the materials being quoted?
Manufacturer programs mean the contractor has met the manufacturer's standards for installing its products. Molsbee is a GAF Certified Contractor and an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor. The useful check is whether the credential fits the job: a shingle credential tells you about shingle work, not tile or metal. Ask which manufacturer's system is being quoted, including the underlayment, not just the top layer.
What should a written proposal name?
A proposal you can compare side by side names, at minimum:
- The roof covering, by manufacturer, product line and color.
- The underlayment and the secondary water barrier. The Florida Building Code sets secondary water barrier requirements on re-roofs and allows more than one compliant method, and we specify a self-adhered one over the deck. If the proposal does not name the method, ask why.
- Fastening. The county's design wind speeds run from 150 mph inland to 160 mph on most of the mainland and 170 mph on the barrier islands, all inside the wind-borne debris region. The fastening schedule follows the product approval for your wind band.
- Flashing and edge metal, and whether they are new or reused. Near the Intracoastal and the ocean, the metal and fasteners should be specified for salt air.
- The permit, which town or county office issues it, and who meets the inspector.
- Concealed conditions. Deck damage is often invisible until tear-off. A good proposal states in advance how rotted or soft decking is documented and priced, so you approve extra work from photos, not from a surprise.
- Cleanup and disposal.
- The payment schedule and the warranty, in writing.
A single total with no line items is not a proposal. It is a number.
Did the inspection come with evidence?
Ask to see what the roofer saw. A careful inspection comes with photos of each finding, labeled so you can tell a cracked tile from a lifted flashing. It also comes with honest limits: nobody can confirm the condition of the underlayment beneath intact tile, or the deck beneath it, without opening the roof. A roofer who claims certainty about hidden layers from the ground is guessing.
Does the contractor know the rules that apply to your address?
Two things change the plan more than homeowners expect. The first is the quarter-roof rule. If repairs, replacements or roof recovering cover more than a quarter of a roof system or section in any 12-month period, the code generally requires replacing or recovering the roof covering across that entire system or section to meet current code requirements. If that system or section was built, repaired or replaced in compliance with the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, only the portion being worked on must meet applicable current code requirements. Our inspection helps determine which applies to your roof. The second is design review. In Boca Raton's Old Floresta and Pearl City districts, a certificate of appropriateness comes first. In West Palm Beach's El Cid, Flamingo Park and Old Northwood, an exterior roof change needs historic review before the permit, and the city favors in-kind replacement. A contractor who raises these before quoting has done the homework.
Red flags to watch for
- Door-to-door offers right after a storm, with pressure to sign that day.
- No permanent office address in the county.
- A request to pull the permit yourself.
- A vague proposal with no named materials, underlayment or fastening.
- Full payment or cash demanded up front.
- A price far below the others with no explanation of what is different.
How to check references and reviews
Read recent Google reviews and look for detail: names of neighborhoods, the type of roof, how problems were handled. Molsbee holds 4.8 stars across 200+ Google reviews. Drive past a finished job in your area if you can, and ask the contractor for the permit numbers on past work; permits are public records in each town's portal.
What you get from Molsbee, in order
Our process is built to hand you the evidence this article asks for. It starts with a free roof inspection. You then receive photos of the findings and a written scope with the price before any work starts. At the end of the job you receive the warranty documents, the closed permit, and, when your insurer asks for one, a roof certification letter for your insurer.
Every installation carries our lifetime workmanship warranty alongside the manufacturers' product warranties on the materials. A company roofing this county since 1975, an active state license and credentials from GAF and Owens Corning: that is what we put on the table for you to verify.
Compare us against the checklist
Put our proposal next to anyone else's and check it line by line. Call (561) 318-8624 or request a free roof inspection to get started. If a full re-roof is likely, see what shapes the number in our guide to roof replacement cost in Palm Beach County.
