Mario Williams is a partner at Lone Star Roofing, a third-generation family owned and operated roofing company located in Texas. A graduate from the University of Texas, Williams is known throughout the state as an expert in commercial and industrial roofing techniques. In this article, he explains what a roofing warranty is and why it is so important that you get one.

 There are different kinds of warranties out there that can guarantee your project for a certain amount of time. The level of guarantee that you really have, however, will obviously vary with each warranty. Certain warranties may only be valid for one to three years, while others may stay in effect for up to five years or more. In genera,l many people regard the manufacturer warranty as the best guarantee should something go wrong. However, there are a handful of other options that homeowners and building owners should look into, as well.

 Workmanship Warranties

One of the many reasons why it is so important to hire an established, reputable roofing contractor is to help secure your workmanship warrantee.

 For those who don't already know, a roofing warranty is supplied by your roofing contractor called a workmanship or labor warranty. The amount of time when your roof is covered by this warranty can vary in length from contractor to contractor. However, the average time that these warranties are usually valid is for one to three years after the initial roof was installed. Sometimes they can extend to five years on workmanship issues. However, that length is a little less common.

 These days, pretty much every reputable roofer will offer his customers some type of workmanship warranty. However, you had better really trust you contractor in these situations. I say this because your warranty is only as good as the contractor himself and the people you hire. If your contractor goes out of business the day after he finishes your roofing job, then you could be out of luck with the workmanship warranty. That's why finding a contractor who has a solid reputation, and who you can trust, is so important.

Maintenance Contracts

 Another option that gives homeowners and building owners a certain level of guarantee is what is known as a maintenance contract.

 Maintenance contracts are something that you will usually purchase in addition to your regular construction fees. And what this contract usually means, although specific terms will obviously vary from contract to contract, is that the roofer will actually come back to the job site at a predetermined date in the future to do maintenance on your roof. Whether there is a leak or not, this contractor is guaranteeing that he will come back and take care of it for you and handle the important maintenance issues that can prevent problems in the future.

 Manufacturer Warranties

 Finally, there is of course the option of a manufacturer warranty. Although these are most common on major commercial jobs, they are often seen as one of the best ways to guarantee your roof and prevent problems in the future.

 When you are dealing with manufacturer warranties, an inspector from the manufacturing company itself goes to the job site on multiple occasions during the project to keep tabs on how everything is going. At the project's completion, this inspector will hand out a special certificate that guarantees the quality of the roof. Should anything happen to the roof that was the fault of the materials or manufacturer, then that will be covered with a NDL warranty, which stands for No Dollar Limit.

 So workmanship (or labor) warranties, maintenance contracts, and manufacturer (or material) warranties are three of the most popular roofing guarantees. The option you choose, however, will depend on the size of the job and the materials being used.