Key Points

You can verify a Richmond exterior contractor yourself by looking up the Class A license on DPOR and asking for a copy of the certificate of insurance.
Only a certified installer can write a manufacturer's enhanced roofing warranty, which changes what you're actually covered for when a leak starts.
The license you checked only covers the company you hire, so it's worth asking whether the installers on your roof are its employees.
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Papers, Please: What a Richmond Contractor Should Hand You Before You Sign

How do you know the person standing in your driveway is actually licensed and insured?

And if the siding fails in year 8, will that company still be around to fix it?

In this post, you’ll learn where to verify a contractor’s license yourself, what manufacturer certification changes about your roof warranty, how to get warranty terms on paper, and the 5 questions worth asking before you sign.

How to Check If a Richmond, Virginia Exterior Contractor Is Licensed and Insured

To check if a Richmond exterior contractor is licensed and insured, look the company up on the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) website, where Class A licenses are issued.

Then ask the contractor directly for a copy of the license and the certificate of insurance.

Regal Home Improvement will send copies the same day.

You can also confirm certification on manufacturer sites like James Hardie, Ply Gem, and GAF.

You can’t hold a Class A license in Virginia without carrying insurance, so that’s how you know we’re insured.

Why Manufacturer Certification Matters for Roofing

We tell homeowners to ask about certification for one reason: only a certified installer can write the manufacturer’s enhanced warranty.

Without it, the only coverage on your roof is a prorated warranty on the shingle itself.

That’s worth less than it sounds.

Roofing warranties used to get sold as a 10-year shingle, a 20-year shingle, a 50-year shingle, and homeowners heard “50 years of coverage.”

What it actually meant was prorated defect coverage on the shingle, and nothing else.

Shingles rarely fail that way.

About 95% of leaks start at a point of penetration: a skylight, a pipe collar, a corner, flashing.

And the shingle is 1 of 6 components in a roof system.

We’re GAF certified installers and CertainTeed Shingle Master installers, which is what lets us write the GAF Systems Plus warranty: 50 years, non-prorated, covering labor and material.

Ask whoever you’re considering whether they’re certified for the exact shingle they’re quoting.

If they aren’t, the prorated version is all they can hand you.

The Questions to Ask a Remodeler Before Hiring Them

Here are the 5 questions worth asking any exterior contractor before you sign:

  1. How long have you been in business?
  2. Are there any current claims against the company?
  3. Are you in litigation with anyone right now?
  4. Can you show me a copy of your license and your certificate of insurance?
  5. Are you a certified installer for the product you’re quoting?

Here are our answers:

  1. Since 1949.
  2. No current claims.
  3. No current litigation.
  4. We can show copies of our license and certificate of insurance
  5. We’re listed as installers on the James Hardie, Ply Gem, and GAF sites.

Windows should last 20 to 30 years, so the other question is whether the company that installed them will pick up the phone in 2040.

We’ve made it through COVID and a few recessions, and we plan on staying around a lot longer.

Why an In-House, Class A Trained Crew Beats an Anonymous Subcontractor

The license and the certificate of insurance you just checked cover the company you’re hiring, not the people who show up on your roof.

So ask one more question before you sign: are the installers your employees?

If they’re subcontractors, the vetting you just did was on a different company than the one on your house.

Our installers are Class A trained, bonded, and insured.

Every job we run gets its own crew and its own crew foreman.

On top of that, a project manager is on your property daily, or every other day at the outside, checking the work while it’s happening.

Whether we’re in Glen Allen or out toward Charlottesville, those are our people.

We Have Everything We Need to Help With Your Next Project

Check the license, ask for the certificate of insurance, and look up the installer certification.

Any contractor worth hiring can prove they have everything they need to best protect and serve you.

When you’re ready to see if we walk the walk, fill out our contact form or give us a call.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I compare 2 proposals from contractors who are both licensed?

Compare the scope of work line by line before you compare the prices. Two window quotes can sit thousands apart because one is a Fibrex unit and the other is vinyl, or because one wraps the trim in aluminum coil and the other uses PVC.

Does a price match require the other contractor to be licensed?

Ours does. We'll match a competing quote for Valpak customers as long as it's apples to apples and comes from another Class A contractor. An unlicensed bid doesn't qualify for the match. If you want us to look at a number you've been given, bring the full scope of work with it, not just the total.

What certifications should I ask about for siding, not just roofing?

Ask whether the contractor is a listed installer with the siding manufacturer they're quoting. We're listed on the James Hardie, Ply Gem, and GAF sites. On a historic Richmond home, James Hardie matters twice over, because it's been approved by historic societies.

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