A new roof is one of the biggest exterior investments you’ll make on your home. The hard part isn’t the roof itself — it’s deciding who installs it.
Get that right and the roof does its job quietly for decades. Get it wrong and you’re chasing down leaks, voided warranties, and a crew that’s already three states away.
Is the contractor licensed, bonded, and insured in Illinois?
Start here. Everything else is secondary. Illinois licenses roofing contractors at the state level — a legitimate roofer hands you their license number without hesitation, and carries both general liability and workers’ comp insurance.
Where We Work
Verify a roofer’s license through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), then ask for current liability and workers’ comp certificates. A real contractor produces them the same day.
Are they local — or just passing through?
There’s a real difference between a contractor rooted in the area and a crew following storms across the map. Most storm chasers have a magnet on the truck and a motel reservation — we’ve been on Arlington Heights roofs since 2007.
Most contractors order pre-formed metal and bend it to approximate your roof — we fabricate every detail in-house. The difference shows in 10 years.
What does the warranty actually cover?
Two roofers can both say “10-year warranty” and mean completely different things. Here’s how the common coverage compares:
Coverage
What it protects
Ask for it?
Material warranty
The shingles or metal (manufacturer)
Yes
Workmanship warranty
The installation (the contractor)
Always — in writing
Black Square Roofing & Exterior
Labor and materials, 10 years
Included
Questions to ask before you sign
Bring this list to every estimate. The right contractor answers all of them without flinching.
1
What's your Illinois roofing license number, and is it active?
2
Can I see your liability and workers' comp certificates?
3
Does your warranty cover labor and materials — and for how long?
4
Who does the actual work — your crew or subcontractors?
5
Can you show me recent roofs you've done nearby?
Weighing repair vs. replacement?
Green flags vs. red flags
Green flags
- Active IL license, insurance on request
- Real local address & history
- Labor and material warranty, in writing
- Owner or in-house crew on the job
Red flags
- Door-knocking right after a storm
- No license number, vague on insurance
- Out-of-state plates, no local address
- A quote far below everyone else’s
Because we meet every item on that list — and Arlington Heights is our home, not a territory. Family-owned since 2007. Owner on every project. Not a storm chaser. Not a franchise.