With regular maintenance and some care most roofs will have a considerable life of 15 years or more, but regardless of how careful you are in looking after your roof you will inevitably need to have a new roof fitted one day and it can be a large outlay of money, however, your roof provides an invaluable service to you, the house itself and the contents within it so it is important that you do not compromise the quality of your new roof by taking the cheapest quote around. The key is to shop around as much as possible. Get a free roofing estimate from numerous different companies and make sure that you are comparing them on a like for like basis to get the best idea of which quote suits your needs. Preparation before you request a free roofing estimate It is always important to do your research, especially if you know little or nothing about roofing. When you request a free roofing estimate you want to be able to do so with confidence that you know what you are asking for. Searching the Internet will usually yield impressive results for your research and you can always ring a roofing contractor to ask a few questions; they will normally be glad to help in the hope they will be invited to work on the project. Try to research as much as possible regarding the potential materials and some basic building techniques that may be employed. Picking the companies to give you a free roofing estimate Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways of finding good roofing contractors. This way you will already know that the company in question has done good work on somebody elses house. Look around for houses that are having their roof done and ask the homeowner what they think of the work; if the work has been good they wont mind telling you. Compare on a like for like basis When you have a list of quotes for anything, whether insurance or for your roofing work it is vital that you compare them on a like for like basis. This is why it is also important that you research the product you are looking to buy before you begin your hunt for the best free roofing estimate you can find. If you have a quote from one company offering you two layers of slate shingles and an offer from another company only offering one layer it is immediately obvious that the latter is going to work out cheaper because they have lower cost of materials and lower labor costs. You should always make sure that you clearly indicate what you want a quote for and this way whenever you receive a free roofing estimate you will be able to quickly ascertain how it stands up to competition from other companies. A free roofing estimate is invaluable in your search for the best value roofing contractor but only when used properly, otherwise it can do more harm than good.