Anytime your business needs a new roof, you’re making a large investment and you need to know that you can trust the contractor to do the best possible job. In Hawaii, this is even more important because of the unique weather that the islands experience compared to the rest of the United States. You can’t settle for a mediocre job.

Luckily, it’s not that hard to separate the good contractors from the bad ones. If you need commercial roofing in Hawaii, here’s what to look for:

1. Experience – Like any job, commercial roofing contractors get better with experience. They’re better able to predict what will and won’t work for a given roof, they make better recommendations, they have a keener eye for mistakes, and they can do the job better, faster, and more reliably. Ask how long your Hawaii commercial roofing contractor has been in business.

2. Local understanding of Hawaii’s weather – Hawaii is hot, humid and subject to intense storms. Any commercial roof is only as good as it is during the most challenging weather events. So how long has the group been doing business in Hawaii? How many other Hawaii businesses have they roofed? And how many of their foremen or supervisors are from Hawaii themselves? Get someone who knows the area and the weather.

3. References – It doesn’t matter how good of a game a contractor talks; if they’ve done quality work before, they can provide references and they shouldn’t have any hesitation providing them. And when you get references, don’t make the mistake of not following up—give each one a call and ask them a few questions. If they agreed to be references in the first place, they won’t mind, and you can find out a lot about how quickly and efficiently your contractor finishes a roof.

4. Proper licensing & insurance – You would think that in this day and age, every commercial roofing contractor, in Hawaii or otherwise, would have proper licensing and insurance, as required by law. The truth is that many are still operating as rogue contractors and skirting the law to save money—and that’s a liability for you. Don’t just ask about their licensing and insurance, get proof of it and keep it on file.

5. Good communication skills – How quickly does your contractor call you back? Do their e-mails make sense? Do they answer all your questions in a way you can understand? All these qualities will be important to your working relationship once the job is underway.

What else do you look for in commercial roofing in Hawaii? Do you have any other tips?