Start with the thing most homeowners do not know
Texas does not license roofing contractors. There is no state exam, no state licence number, no board you can look someone up with. Municipalities may require permits for the work and registration to pull them, but at state level, the barrier to calling yourself a roofer in Texas is a vehicle and a phone number.
That is not a reason to panic — plenty of excellent roofers work here. It is a reason to understand that nobody has pre-screened this for you, and to do the four checks below yourself.
The four checks that actually matter
1. Insurance certificate, from the carrier
Ask for a certificate of general liability insurance and ask that it be sent to you directly by their insurance agent. A PDF forwarded by the contractor proves very little; a certificate from the carrier proves the policy is current. If someone is uninsured and a worker is hurt on your property, that is a problem that finds its way to your homeowners policy.
Ask about workers' compensation too. Texas does not require private employers to carry it, so its absence is legal — but you should know either way before a crew is on your roof.
2. A physical address you can find
Not a PO box, not a phone number with an out-of-area code. Somewhere in Montgomery or Harris County. The whole storm-chaser business model depends on being untraceable by the time the workmanship problem shows up, so an address that resolves to a real place is a meaningful filter.
3. A written workmanship warranty, separate from the manufacturer's
These are two different documents and a lot of contractors blur them deliberately. The manufacturer warranty covers a defect in the shingle. The workmanship warranty covers the installation, and comes from the contractor.
Most roof failures are installation, not product — a nail line too high, a valley cut wrong, flashing re-used instead of replaced. So the workmanship warranty is the one that protects you, and "we stand behind our work" spoken out loud is not one.
4. An estimate that names the decking price
Nobody can see the plywood under an intact roof. A quote that does not state a per-sheet decking replacement price has left the most volatile part of the job as a blank cheque to be filled in mid-tear-off, when your roof is open and your leverage is zero. A quote that names the price is telling you they intend to be predictable.
Twelve questions to ask before you sign
- Can your insurance agent send me the certificate directly?
- What is your physical address here in the county?
- Who will actually be on my roof — your own crew or a subcontractor?
- What is your workmanship warranty, in writing, and for how long?
- What do you charge per sheet if decking needs replacing?
- Are you using synthetic underlayment or felt?
- Are you replacing the pipe boots and flashing, or re-using them?
- How will you assess and address my attic ventilation?
- What is the payment schedule, and what triggers each payment?
- Who pulls the permit, and is it included?
- What does cleanup include — is a magnet sweep part of it?
- Can I see photographs of the specific problems you found on my roof?
You do not need a perfect score. You need a contractor who answers all twelve without getting cagey.
Five signals to walk away from
- "We'll cover your deductible." Under Texas HB 2102 that is a misdemeanour. It is the clearest possible statement of how someone handles rules.
- Pressure to sign today. A real roof does not expire tomorrow. Urgency is a sales technique.
- Large cash deposit before material is delivered. Material deposits are normal; large up-front cash for nothing delivered is not.
- A price far under everyone else's. The money came out of something — usually underlayment, flashing, insurance or warranty.
- An "inspection authorisation" you are asked to sign at the door. Read it. Some of them assign your insurance claim benefits to the contractor.
Get more than one bid — and compare them properly
Three bids is the standard advice and it is good advice, but only if you compare like with like. Line the quotes up against each other on: tear-off to deck, underlayment type, decking price per sheet, flashing and boots new or re-used, ventilation work, warranty terms, and cleanup. A cheaper number attached to a shorter list is not a better deal.
Where we stand on all of this
Tex-Mex Roofing is owned by Martha Cano, who has been in roofing for more than 20 years and started this company in 2020. It is family owned and family run, and Martha gets on the roof and does the work herself. The person who writes your estimate is the person standing on your decking.
That arrangement is the whole answer to the questions above. When the owner is the installer, the estimate and the installation cannot disagree, and there is nobody to hand a callback off to.
Read what our customers say, request a free inspection, or call (832) 708-4611. Serving The Woodlands, Cypress, Spring, Tomball, Magnolia, Conroe, Klein, Champions, Jersey Village and Shenandoah.