Picking a commercial roofer is a different exercise than picking a residential roofer. The stakes are higher — one bad install on a 30,000 sqft building costs seven figures over its life. The technical demands are different — different systems, different certifications, different insurance requirements. And the pool of contractors who legitimately do commercial work well in the Capital Region is smaller than the residential pool.
I want to lay out the five questions I’d ask any commercial roofer I was considering hiring, and what a good answer sounds like. This is written from my perspective as one of the commercial contractors working in this region, but it’s advice I’d give my own family member if they were shopping.
Question 1: “What’s your commercial project portfolio in the last 24 months?”
The specific answer matters more than the volume. You want to hear:
- Building types — apartments, offices, retail, warehouse, healthcare, etc.
- Membrane types — TPO, EPDM, mod-bit, coatings
- Project sizes — sqft ranges you’ve been on
- Locations — specific Capital Region towns
A contractor who can rattle off five specific projects with detail is one who does commercial work regularly. A contractor who says “we do commercial and residential both” without specific commercial examples is one who primarily does residential and occasionally takes a commercial job.
Neither is inherently wrong, but you need to know which you’re getting. A residential contractor stretching into commercial can be fine on a small building. On a large or complex commercial project, they’ll be learning on your roof.
Question 2: “What manufacturer certifications do you carry?”
Commercial membrane manufacturers — Carlisle, Firestone, Johns Manville, GAF, CertainTeed — certify installer companies through training and quality-audit programs. Certification affects two things:
Warranty availability. Full manufacturer warranties on commercial systems are usually only available when the installer is certified. Non-certified installs get shorter or no manufacturer warranty. On a 25-year system, this is a meaningful difference.
Install quality. Certification training covers manufacturer-specific installation details. A certified installer is more likely to do the details correctly.
Ask which manufacturers, which certification tier, and to see the certification documentation. This is standard and should be easy for a legitimate contractor to produce.
Elite is certified with Carlisle, Firestone, and Johns Manville on TPO; Carlisle and Firestone on EPDM; GAF and CertainTeed on modified bitumen. On any commercial project we’ll walk you through what certifications apply and what warranty tier that unlocks.
Question 3: “Who’s actually on my roof — your crew or a subcontractor?”
Some commercial roofers self-perform. Some subcontract everything. Some do a hybrid.
Self-performed work means the contractor’s own crew is on your roof. Accountability is direct — the person signing your contract is the person managing the install.
Subcontracted work isn’t inherently bad. Some subs are excellent. But the accountability chain is longer and quality can vary from job to job depending on which sub is available. If a contractor subs, ask which sub does their work, what their track record is, and whether the sub is separately insured.
Elite is family-owned — myself, my brothers Vlad and Dan, and our regular crew work every job. That model works for us and for the size of jobs we take. Larger regional contractors sometimes need subs for capacity; that’s not a red flag, but it’s information you should have.
Question 4: “What’s your safety record and insurance coverage?”
Commercial roofing is one of the higher-risk trades. OSHA-compliant safety practices, worker’s compensation coverage, and general liability insurance are non-negotiable on any commercial project.
Ask for:
- Certificate of Insurance naming your building as additional insured for the duration of the project
- OSHA compliance history and safety training records
- Recent workers’ compensation experience modifier (E-Mod) — this is a numerical rating that reflects claims history; lower is better
- Any recent OSHA citations and how they were addressed
A commercial contractor with clean documentation on these items is one taking safety seriously. A contractor who can’t produce documentation or hedges on these questions is one to walk away from.
Question 5: “Show me your warranty documentation for a completed project.”
Every commercial roof carries two warranties: the manufacturer material warranty and the contractor workmanship warranty. Both should be in writing. Both should specify covered items, coverage duration, and transfer terms.
Ask to see a completed project’s warranty documentation as an example. A legitimate commercial contractor has this on hand and shows it readily.
Watch specifically for:
- Duration. Manufacturer 20-30 years typical. Workmanship 5-10 years typical for reputable contractors.
- What’s excluded. Every warranty has exclusions. Understand them before signing anything.
- Transferability. If you sell the building, does the warranty transfer? Some do, some don’t, and some require notification with a fee.
- What voids the warranty. Common voiders include unauthorized subsequent repairs by another party, satellite or HVAC equipment installation without notification, and pressure washing.
What the answers tell you
If a contractor can answer all five questions confidently with specifics and documentation, they’re one to keep in the running. If they hedge on multiple questions or their answers are vague, they’re one to filter out.
The commercial pool in the Capital Region is small enough that a couple of afternoons of due diligence will narrow it to two or three real candidates. Compare their proposals honestly on scope, warranty, and price — knowing that the cheapest quote is usually cheapest because something is missing.
Paul Sandul, Elite Contracting. Family-owned, Owens Corning Preferred, Clifton Park.
The full commercial decision framework — including material selection and coating vs. replacement math — is in our pillar guide: The Commercial Roof Playbook. Service page: Commercial Roofing.