Roofer references are the real stories behind a roofing contractor’s reviews: past customers you can call, and finished roofs you can look at. The useful ones are recent jobs like yours, in your part of Santa Barbara, plus a few from several years back so you learn how the roof held up through winter storms. Ask for them, call with specific questions, and compare what you hear with the written reviews. To talk to NEMA Roofing, call 805-977-5949.
What makes a reference worth calling
- The same kind of roof. A happy shingle customer tells you little about how a crew handles clay tile, a flat roof over a garage or a metal reroof.
- The same kind of job. A small leak repair and a full tear-off test different skills: planning, permits, weather protection and cleanup over several days.
- Some age on the job. A roof finished last month has not seen a rainy season. Ask for at least one customer whose roof is a few years old.
- A job where something went wrong. Callbacks happen on roofing jobs. A customer who can describe how a problem was fixed tells you more than one whose job went perfectly.
- Nearby. A roof on the Mesa or near the harbor lives with salt air and fog; one in the foothills deals with more sun and, in Montecito, the fire district’s roofing rules. A reference close to you has faced the same conditions.
Questions to ask a past customer
- Did the final price match the written estimate, and were any changes explained and signed before the work was done?
- Who pulled the permit, and did the job pass its final inspection?
- Did the work start and finish when promised? If not, were you told why?
- How did the crew protect the house, the yard and the driveway, and how was cleanup each day?
- Has the roof leaked since? If you called about anything, how quickly and how well was it handled?
- Did you receive the warranty paperwork and lien releases at the end?
- Would you hire them again for the same job?
Listen for specifics. A general compliment is pleasant; a description of what the crew found (rotted sheathing under a valley, for example), how it was shown to the owner and how it was priced before any extra work is real information.
Look at the finished roofs
With the customer’s permission, or simply from the street, a finished roof shows its quality:
- Shingle or tile courses run straight and even, with no lifted edges.
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and skylights is formed metal, not a smear of sealant.
- Ridge and hip caps are aligned and secure; tile ends at rakes and eaves are finished neatly.
- Gutters, downspouts and landscaping below the eaves show no damage.
What customers tell us most often
Many homeowners reach out to us after dealing with unreliable contractors. Missed deadlines, unclear estimates and temporary fixes are the most common complaints we hear. Transparency is one of the most mentioned qualities in customer feedback: clients appreciate knowing exactly what is happening with their roof, so from the first inspection to project completion we explain materials, timelines and recommendations in simple, straightforward language.
Customers also mention how organized and respectful our crews are on site, from protecting landscaping to keeping work areas clean, and how their roofs continue to perform and look good years after installation. Many of our new clients come to us through their neighbors and family members. Those are the same points worth asking any roofer’s references about.
Check the story against the public record
References are chosen by the contractor, so balance them with sources the contractor does not control:
- The state license record. The Contractors State License Board’s license lookup shows status, classifications, workers’ compensation coverage and any complaint disclosures. NEMA Roofing’s is CSLB license #1083283.
- Public reviews. NEMA Roofing holds 5.0 stars from 400+ Google reviews. For any roofer, read the text of the reviews, not only the average; see how to vet roofers found online for what to look for.
- The permit. Ask the reference for the permit number and check with the office that issued it (the city, the county or your town’s building department).
Once a contractor passes these checks, the guide to choosing a roofer in Santa Barbara covers bids and roof-specific questions, and how the marine layer wears roofs explains what a coastal roof needs.
NEMA Roofing in Santa Barbara and beyond
Santa Barbara is one of NEMA Roofing’s six locations, with Oxnard, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Downey and San Bernardino; from them the company serves all of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties (see the service areas). It installs as a GAF Master Elite contractor, an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor and a Polyglass Preferred Contractor. Read more on the roofing contractor near me page, or call 805-977-5949 to schedule an inspection.
