Every spring, the same thing plays out across Lebanon. A line of storms pushes up US-231, drops dime-sized hail on rooftops from the Public Square out to Hunters Point, and by the weekend our phone starts ringing — right alongside a wave of unfamiliar trucks cruising the subdivisions. After 22 years running re-roof crews here in Middle Tennessee, I can tell you the hardest part of a roof replacement often isn't the work. It's knowing which contractor to trust with it.
Here is exactly how we tell homeowners to vet any roofer in the Lebanon area — and yes, that includes vetting us.
Start With the Tennessee License
Tennessee requires a state contractor's license for any project costing $25,000 or more, including both labor and materials. A full tear-off and replacement on a typical Lebanon home runs anywhere from about $9,000 to $22,000 depending on square footage, roof pitch, and whether the decking underneath needs repair — so plenty of jobs land right at or above that threshold.
Don't take a business card's word for it. You can confirm any contractor's license, classification, and monetary limit for free at the state's verification site (verify.tn.gov). Check that the license is active, that the name matches the company on your contract, and that the classification actually covers roofing. A legitimate Lebanon roofer will hand over their license number without flinching.
The Two Insurance Policies That Protect You
Licensing is only half of it. You want to see two separate coverages, and you want to see them on paper:
- General liability — covers damage to your home if something goes wrong on the job, like a dropped bundle cracking a skylight or a gutter run.
- Workers' compensation — in Tennessee, construction businesses are required to carry workers' comp once they have employees. If an uninsured crew member gets hurt on your roof, you do not want that liability drifting onto your homeowner's policy.
Ask for a Certificate of Insurance sent directly from the contractor's carrier, not a photocopy slid across your kitchen table. It costs the company one email, and how they respond tells you a lot about how they operate.
Spotting the Storm-Chasers
After the March 2020 tornadoes tore through Wilson County and Mt. Juliet — and after every big hail event since — storm-chasing crews flood in from out of state. A few do honest work. Many collect a deposit and are three states away before the first shingle lifts. Watch for these red flags:
- Door-knocking within days of a storm and pushing you to sign on the spot.
- Out-of-state plates and no verifiable local address in Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, or Watertown.
- An offer to "waive" or "eat" your insurance deductible — that is insurance fraud in Tennessee, and it tells you precisely how they do business.
- A large cash deposit demanded before any material is even ordered.
- A vague "authorization to inspect" form that turns out to be a binding contract in disguise.
A local company still has to face its neighbors at Kroger, at the ballfields, and at the Cedars of Lebanon trailhead. That accountability is worth a great deal when a warranty question comes up five years down the road.
Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign
- Who is actually on my roof — your own crews, or a day-labor sub you met this morning?
- Will you fully tear off the old roof, or lay new shingles over the existing layer? (Overlays trap heat and hide rotten decking.)
- What underlayment, ice-and-water shield, and ridge ventilation are you installing?
- If you find soft or rotten decking once the old roof is off, how is that priced?
- Can I see a recent job nearby — in Providence, Gladeville, or right here in town?
Workmanship vs. Manufacturer Warranties
This is where homeowners get tripped up, because there are two very different warranties on every roof.
The manufacturer warranty
This covers the shingles themselves against defects. Most architectural shingles carry a "lifetime limited" material warranty, but read the fine print: full coverage drops off sharply after the first 10 to 15 years, and it only pays for the defective material, not the labor to install it. Enhanced system warranties (such as those from GAF or Owens Corning) cover material and labor together for longer, but they are only available through manufacturer-certified contractors who install the complete system.
The workmanship warranty
This is the one that matters most day to day, and it comes from the contractor, not the factory. It covers installation mistakes — the leaks that show up because a valley or a piece of flashing was done wrong. A manufacturer warranty is worthless if the company that installed your roof has vanished. That is why a written workmanship warranty from an established Lebanon contractor carries real weight.
The best roof warranty in the world is only as good as the company standing behind it. Ask how long a roofer has actually been working in Lebanon — not how long they have been in business somewhere else.
At Cedar Creek Roofing, we are licensed, insured, and based right here serving Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, Watertown, and the Providence area — and we are glad to walk you through our license number, our insurance, and our workmanship warranty before you commit to anything. If a storm has you eyeing your roof, call us at (877) 692-5349 for a free, no-pressure inspection and an honest estimate from a crew that isn't going anywhere.