7 Way to Protect Yourself Against Storm Chaser’s Roofing Scams (Don’t Get Scammed!)
By Faith Wakefield /
In this guide to Chicago roofers, you’ll learn:
Each product and or company featured here has been independently selected by the writer. You can learn more about our review methodology here. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Whether you need roof repair, roof replacement or some other roofing service in Chicago, you’ll have plenty of professional contractors to choose from. But in a city so large, determining which contractor is best for your specific needs can take a lot of time and effort.
In this guide, we’ll provide a list of the top five best roofing companies in Chicago and include reviews and pricing of each to help you decide.
We assess roofing companies on many different criteria, including the warranty coverage they provide, the sustainability of their work, the types of roofs they work with, the customer service they bring to the table and more.
Below is a quick list of the five best Chicago roofing companies we landed on.
In the table below, you can find basic information about these Chicago roofing companies. In the following sections, you’ll find even more information and in-depth reviews for each.
Company | Our Take | EcoWatch Rating | Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating | Areas Covered | Unique Features |
Power Home Remodeling | Best Overall | 4.5 | A+ | All of Illinois | Lifetime warranty and eco-friendly materials |
Aspen Contracting | Most Eco-Friendly | 4.5 | A+ | All of Illinois | Eco-friendly materials and practices |
Erie Metal Roofs | Best for New Roofs | 4.5 | A+ | All of Illinois | Highly durable materials with lifetime warranty |
CMR Construction & Roofing | Best Variety of Products | 4.0 | A+ | All of Illinois | Handles all types of roof materials |
Gaffney Construction Inc | Best Local Contractor | 4.0 | N/A | Chicagoland area | Decades of local experience |
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Power Home is a national roofing company with a local branch located in the heart of Chicago. Despite this company’s massive size, it still manages to provide just about all of its customers with the care and attention you’d expect from a much smaller, local company.
It also offers a lifetime warranty on all Chicago roofing solutions, including workmanship.
Unfortunately, Power Home only deals with asphalt shingle roofs, although this is the most popular style in Illinois. It also offers other exterior home improvements, like windows, doors, siding and more.
Power Home is reasonably eco-friendly. Although it doesn’t use entirely recycled materials for new roofs, it does recycle old roofing materials and provides highly efficient and durable roofs that can help improve your home’s energy efficiency in the cold climate of Northern Illinois.
+ Excellent customer service
+ Lifetime warranty
+ Huge service area
+ Relatively eco-friendly
+ High-quality materials
+ Highly-trained roofers
– Only offers services for asphalt roofs
For a company of its size, it’s impressive that Power Home has managed to maintain such excellent reviews.
Most of the customer comments about this company are positive, praising the roofer for great customer service and the easy claims process for the lifetime warranty. They also mention how professional and friendly the entire staff is.
Of course, there are some negative reviews as well. Most of them speak about communication issues between the installers and the office, sometimes leading to improper materials being brought to the work site, delays and scheduling conflicts.
Aspen Contracting is another massive roofing company with a nationwide presence. It has a local branch in La Grange, which receives almost entirely positive reviews from its customers. The customer service offered by this company is generally top-notch.
We love this company in part because it carries out eco-friendly business practices. In addition to using recycled materials and recycling old roof materials, it also provides energy-efficient materials that help your home conserve energy.
Aspen Contracting provides residential and commercial roofing services, and it works on virtually all roof types. These include asphalt shingles, clay tiles, concrete tiles, wood, slate, flat roofs — including ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) — and more.
All roofing systems are backed by the company’s lifetime warranty for materials and craftsmanship.
+ Services many types of roofs
+ Lifetime warranty
+ Eco-friendly
+ High level of customer satisfaction
+ Highly-trained technicians
– A bit expensive
– Some issues with communication within the company
The negative reviews about Aspen Contracting usually note that the company has poor communication. This can lead to issues like delays in work getting done, unannounced workers showing up and mistakes with materials ordered.
However, the majority of the customers who review this company are pleased with the service. There are countless positive reviews that rave about the customer service and the quality of the work done. Some people also comment on how professional and knowledgeable the roof installation team is as well.
Erie Metal Roofs has a history dating back to 1976, making it the longest-lasting and most experienced roofing company on our list.
As the name implies, these roofing professionals use exclusively stone-coated steel roofs, which have outstanding durability and long lifespans suitable for the climate of the Windy City.
Erie Metal Roofs handles all your roofing needs, including repair, replacement, coating and inspections. It also tackles siding, windows and doors.
It offers an outstanding lifetime warranty on all roofing products. The company also scores points in our book for its use of sustainable materials that can be recycled at the end of their lifespans.
This is a great company to choose if you don’t mind paying a little above average for top-quality materials and service.
+ Outstanding quality
+ Eco-friendly materials
+ Lifetime warranty coverage
+ Many years of experience
+ Long-lasting roofs
– Expensive
– Only one roof material offered
– Some negative customer reviews
Erie Metal Roofs maintains mostly positive customer reviews online. Customers seem to love the high-quality roof and the appearance of the stone-coated steel.
Others rave about the lifetime warranty and the peace of mind it brings, especially given the above-average cost of its metal roofs.
There are also quite a few negative reviews for this company, most of which suggest that it uses aggressive sales techniques to earn customers. Thankfully, most of the negative reviews aren’t about the actual service or roof quality.
CMR Construction & Roofing is a national roofing contractor with a local branch in Highland Park, from which it services the greater Chicago area. This roofer has been in business since 2002, so it has over 20 years of experience and success behind it.
Its technicians are highly trained in a variety of roofing materials and styles. Whether you have a flat roof or a pitched roof with asphalt shingles, clay tiles, slate shingles or metal shingles, CMR can likely provide outstanding service to you.
CMR backs up its technicians’ work with a lifetime warranty that is sure to bring you peace of mind following your roof work.
Unfortunately, CMR Construction doesn’t make any mention on its website about eco-friendly building practices.
+ Excellent warranty coverage
+ Highly-trained technicians
+ Two decades of experience
+ Great customer service
+ Services for all types of roofs
– No confirmation of eco-friendly practices
– Some customers have issues with communication
Like the other large companies on this list, the customer reviews for CMR suggest that the company’s size leads to some issues with communication. Some customers have complained about poor scheduling and confusion among the installation team as to what work was to be done.
However, most of the reviews for this company are in the four-to-five star range. Some positive aspects highlighted in customer reviews include the variety of products offered, the knowledge and professionalism of the installation team and the ease of the warranty claims process.
Gaffney Construction is, by far, the smallest roofing contractor to make our list. It is based in Chicago and only services homeowners in the Chicago metro area, as well as the west and south suburbs.
Gaffney is most well known for its outstanding customer service and attention to detail, which it can provide thanks to its local approach.
Its technicians are highly trained and can tackle repairs and installations for asphalt shingle roofs, metal roofs, clay tile roofs, slate roofs and many other quality roofing materials. It also provides gutter and downspout installation and siding installation and repair.
Unfortunately, there is no financing information or warranty coverage specifics on the company’s website. However, it has been around since 1970 with few negative reviews, so it seems as though the website is just not indicative of the full service offered.
+ Decades of experience
+ Local knowledge
+ Unmatched customer service
+ Highly trained technicians
+ Many roof materials offered
– No financing information available online
– No warranty information available online
– Small coverage area
Nearly all of the reviews for Gaffney Construction are overwhelmingly positive — not to be confused with another company by the same name located in Washington State. Customers love the personal touch and quality service the technicians bring to each and every job.
There are also plenty of positive comments about the quality of the materials provided, especially for the price.
Roof repair, replacement and cleaning are the three primary roof services Chicago residents need most often. In the sections below, we’ll discuss why these are required as often as they are in the Windy City.
Roof repair is offered by most Chicago roofers, primarily to keep up with demand, as it’s one of the most requested roofing services needed in the area.
The weather in Chicago is mostly to blame for repairs being so common. For one, the city is prone to severe thunderstorms that bring strong winds and heavy rains that can bring down tree limbs and subject your home to an increased risk of roof leaks.1 Common repairs include those for:
Illinois is also located in Tornado Alley, and Chicago gets hit with quite a few tornadoes per year.2 These weather events put a strain on your roof and can cause significant damage.
Finally, Chicago experiences an average of around 37 inches of snow per year, which is quite a bit above the national average.3
The constant exposure to cold and moisture can cause your roof to deteriorate more quickly than the average, demanding repairs to avoid leaks and visible damage.
Roof replacement is another service commonly required in Chicago. There are a few reasons this service is needed as well.
First, Chicago experiences extreme temperatures on both ends of the spectrum, with daily averages ranging between below-zero temperatures in the winter and nearly 100 degrees in the summer.4 As such, home energy efficiency is extremely important.
Since your roof is a part of your home’s primary defense against the elements, ensuring your roof is at peak efficiency is crucial. Roofs are replaced more often in Chicago than in many other areas for this reason.
Third, Illinois is ranked 17th in the country for solar installations per capita, which means thousands of people install solar every year.5
In order to avoid having to remove the panels for roof service after installation (which can cost a few thousand dollars), it’s often recommended to replace your roof prior to going solar. This contributes to the high rate of roof replacement in Chicago.
Finally, Chicago’s weather puts a lot of wear and tear on roof materials, even more so than in other cities and states. As such, the average roof age is naturally shorter in the area, which means more frequent roof replacements are required.
Roof cleaning is the last of the common roof services required in Chicago, and there are a few conditions that make it a necessity.
First, Illinois has an average year-round humidity of just under 71%.6 This is well above average and can contribute to a high rate of roof moss.
Moss on your roof can grow under shingles, exposing your roof deck to water and promoting roof leaks. This can lead to a loss of energy efficiency in your home. Roof cleaning in the Midwest is most often carried out to remove moss.
However, cleaning services are also common to keep up the curb appeal of homes in Chicago. The city experiences above-average rainfall and above-average snowfall. Frequent exposure to precipitation can leave dirt, debris and stains on your roof that require professional cleaning services.
Whether you choose one of the roofing contractors we’ve reviewed above or you continue looking for a roof on your own, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to ensure you choose the right one.
Below, we’ll detail some of the most important considerations to make when choosing a Chicago roofing contractor.
The answer to this question really depends on a few things, including:
The most popular roofing style in Chicago is asphalt shingles. This is popular primarily because it offers a good blend of affordability, longevity and energy efficiency. However, it’s far from the best material overall.
Asphalt is cheap to install, but metal roofs offer far greater insulation and energy efficiency, and they can stand up to the intense winds and weather conditions that are prevalent in Chicago much better. Asphalt is also one of the least sustainable roofing materials, as it’s made from a petroleum-based substance.
Metal is reflective, so it prevents the intense sun in the summer from heating up your living space too much. It’s also a good insulator, so it can keep warm air trapped inside your home in the winter, helping to lower your energy use.
Since solar is so popular in Chicago — in part because electricity costs are above the national average and energy consumption is high — it’s worth mentioning that metal roofs outlast asphalt shingle roofs.7 As such, metal roofing provides more assurance that you won’t need to pay to remove and reinstall your panels to carry out roof maintenance or replacement.
There are a few things you can use as triggers to replace your roof and ensure it remains up to the task of protecting your home.
First, you can replace it if you’re thinking of going solar and know that it’s nearing the end of its expected life. This is a good time to replace your roof without the added cost of removing and reinstalling your solar panels.
Second, it’s likely time to re-roof your home if you’re experiencing multiple leaks or ongoing issues with leaking. This is an indication that your roof is beyond its expected lifespan and will only serve to damage your home going forward.
Finally, you should consider replacing your roof if you notice any visible damage. Chicago roofs get exposed to lots of extreme weather, and even a partially compromised roof can give you major issues if left untreated. Damages to watch out for include:
When you’re choosing a roofing contractor, you should always make sure that the company is licensed and able to pull the necessary permits for you.
The State of Illinois requires that all roofing contractors be licensed with the state and hold a roofing contractor’s license and not a general contractor’s license.8 You can ask your roofer for license information or look up the company by name to be sure.
Roof repair and replacement also require building permits in Illinois. Failing to pull the proper permits can result in large monetary assessments, so you should always be sure that your roof will be properly permitted. You can ask your roofing company for confirmation that it will pull and close out permits as needed.
Finding the right roofer in Chicago can feel overwhelming, but there are a few key things you should pay attention to in order to get started in the right direction.
First, we suggest you only work with companies that are fully insured, which should include general liability and worker’s comp. Narrowing your search to these companies will help ensure that, if there is a problem in the future that requires an insurance claim, your insurance company will cover it.
Second, you can narrow down your roofing company options based on the types of roofs each one installs. If you know you want a highly energy-efficient roofing product that will last for decades, then you can choose to work with roofers that offer metal or stone-covered steel roofs.
Lastly, we suggest you read through some online reviews for any company you’re considering. Reading positive and negative comments about how the company has treated past customers should give you some insight into the service and quality of product it will provide to you.