Guttrz / Roofing / How to choose a roofer
How to choose a roofer in Stark County: local roofer vs storm chaser
Roofing by Guttrz is a North Canton company that inspects your roof, sends a photo report and gives one written quote good for a year, with no insurance or storm work, so this page is written to help you pick any roofer well, including someone else.
To choose a roofer in Stark County, pick a company with a street address you can visit, a written itemized quote that names the shingle line, underlayment, ice and water shield coverage, ventilation, permit, cleanup, payment schedule, warranty and dates, and a workmanship warranty on paper. Walk away from door knocking after a storm, sign-today pricing, requests to sign over your insurance claim, cash deals and offers to cover your deductible. Ohio has no statewide residential roofing license, so check the local building department, the BBB, the Attorney General and an insurance certificate instead. Roofing by Guttrz, at 1196 Doncaster St NW in North Canton, does owner-inspected asphalt shingle replacements with one flat quote good for one year and no insurance or storm work.
Knowing how to choose a roofer in Stark County matters most in the week after a storm, when trucks you have never seen start working your street. Some of those roofers are fine. Some are not. This page gives you the red flags, what to get in writing, how to check a contractor in Ohio, and where Roofing by Guttrz fits. One thing up front: Guttrz is a North Canton company at 1196 Doncaster St NW, and we do not do insurance or storm work. This page still helps you pick who does.
What is a storm chaser, and is every traveling roofer one?
A storm chaser is a roofing outfit that follows hail and wind events from town to town, signs as many insurance jobs as it can, then moves on. The problem is not that they travel. It is that when the roof leaks in year three, there is nobody within 500 miles to call.
Be fair about this. Some out-of-town companies do good work, pull permits and honor warranties. A regional roofer from Akron working Canton after a storm is not a scammer. The question is whether you can find the company, in person, two winters from now.
How to choose a roofer in Stark County: the red flags
These are the warning signs the Ohio Attorney General repeats after every big storm. None alone proves a scam. Two or three together mean stop.
- Door knocking right after a storm. Established local roofers are booked after a storm and do not canvass. A stranger who noticed damage from the street is selling, not inspecting.
- Pressure to sign today. A price that expires this afternoon is a sales tactic. A fair quote can wait a week. Guttrz quotes are good for one year for this reason.
- Asking you to sign over your insurance claim. A contingency agreement or assignment of benefits lets the contractor deal with your insurer and collect the check, often with no price in the contract.
- No local address. A PO box, a hotel, or a street address that turns out to be a mail drop.
- Out-of-state plates and magnetic door signs. Not proof of anything. But a name that peels off the truck can peel off the warranty too.
- Cash deals and deductible games. A roofer who offers to cover your deductible is asking you to misstate the claim to your insurer. A cash discount with no paper trail leaves you with no contract to enforce.
If a contract was signed at your door, Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act gives you three business days to cancel in writing. The Attorney General's office takes complaints and publishes its lawsuits against roofing companies at ohioattorneygeneral.gov.
What should a roofing quote put in writing?
A real roofing quote reads like a materials list, not a brochure. If the paper says new roof and a price and nothing else, you have not been given a quote. Our post on questions to ask before signing a roofing contract goes deeper.
- Scope. Full tear-off or a second layer. The Residential Code of Ohio allows at most two layers of asphalt shingles, so a roof with two layers must come off. See roof overlay vs tear-off.
- Shingle line. Manufacturer, product name and color. The exact line sets the warranty and wind rating. Architectural vs 3-tab shingles explains the names.
- Underlayment. Synthetic or felt, and the brand.
- Ice and water shield coverage. Code in Northeast Ohio calls for it at the eaves, extending at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and good practice adds the valleys and every penetration.
- Ventilation. Ridge vent, box vents, or both.
- Drip edge, starter strip, flashing. New or reused. Reused step flashing on a tear-off is a corner cut.
- Permit. Who pulls it and whether its cost is in the price.
- Cleanup. Dumpster, tarps over landscaping, a magnet sweep for nails.
- Payment schedule. Deposit, when the balance is due, and what triggers it. Balance at completion after your walk-through is the fair version.
- Warranty. The manufacturer warranty on the shingles and a separate written workmanship warranty, with the length and what voids it.
- Start and finish dates. A window is fine. No dates at all is not.
| What to compare | Local roofer | Storm chaser pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Street address near Stark County you can visit | PO box, hotel, or out of state |
| How you met | You called them | They knocked the day after the storm |
| Price | Written, itemized, good for weeks or longer | Verbal, or whatever the insurer pays, sign today |
| Insurance claim | Your claim stays yours | Asks you to assign the claim |
| Permit | Pulled in the company's name | Skipped, or left to you |
| Warranty | Manufacturer plus written workmanship warranty | Verbal, or from a company that will not be here |
| Payment | Deposit to schedule, balance at completion | Cash, paid in full up front, or deductible waived |
| In three years | Same phone number answers | Number disconnected |
Why do a local address and a permit matter?
A local address means the warranty has somewhere to live. A permit means someone who does not work for the roofer looks at the job. Both cost the contractor something, so the ones planning to leave skip them.
Who issues the permit depends on where you live. North Canton issues its own building permits through its Development Services Department on North Main Street. Canton has its own Building Department. Jackson Township, Plain Township and the other townships go through the Stark County Building Inspection Department on Whipple Avenue NW. Green is in Summit County and uses Summit County Building Standards. Guttrz pulls the permit where one is required.
How do you check a roofing contractor in Ohio?
Ohio has no statewide license for residential roofers. The state licenses commercial electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hydronics and refrigeration contractors, not roofing. A 2024 law created a state registration for home improvement contractors, so ask whether the company is registered with the Ohio Department of Commerce and check what the rule requires this year. With no roofing license to look up, you check a roofer the slow way.
- The building department. Ask whether the company has pulled roofing permits in your town. No permits here means no inspections here.
- The Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General. Search the business name and the owner's name. A brand-new name has no complaints yet, which is not the same as a clean record.
- A certificate of insurance. General liability and workers' compensation, sent to you from the insurer or agent, not a photocopy from the salesperson. Check the dates.
- Local references from the last two years. Two addresses you can drive by and one owner you can call.
What is a written roofing warranty worth?
Two warranties cover a new roof. The manufacturer warranty covers the shingles against defects, and it holds only if the installer followed the manufacturer's nailing and ventilation rules. The workmanship warranty covers the install, where most leaks come from, and it is only as good as the company still being in business. Get the length and exclusions on paper and keep it with your permit and photos.
Guttrz roof replacements carry a manufacturer warranty on the shingles and a written Guttrz workmanship warranty, terms on your quote. The quote and the free roof inspection report stay in your file.
Where does Roofing by Guttrz fit?
Roofing by Guttrz is a North Canton company at 1196 Doncaster St NW, North Canton, OH 44720, selling asphalt shingle roof replacements starting spring 2027. We do not do insurance claims or storm work. If a storm just took shingles off your roof, call your insurer first and pick a local roofer who does claim work, using the checklist above. If your roof is simply old, the owner inspects the roof himself, sends a photo report with a Good, Watch or Replace Soon rating, and gives one written quote good for one year. Gutters and gutter guards can go on the same week, covered on the roof and gutter replacement page. Prices are on the roof replacement cost page, and the roofing hub has the rest.
Now booking spring 2027 roof replacements. Free roof inspections now. You get the photo report and a written quote whether or not you hire us. Book a free roof inspection in North Canton, or text your address to (330) 818-5584.
Questions
Are storm chaser roofers always a scam?
No. Some traveling roofers do solid work, pull permits and honor their warranties. The risk is that a company based three states away is hard to reach when a leak shows up in year three. Judge the company by whether it has a real address, a written itemized quote, a permit in its own name and a workmanship warranty on paper, not by its license plates.
Should I let a roofer handle my insurance claim?
Be careful. A roofer can meet the adjuster and document damage, and that is normal. Signing an assignment of benefits or a contingency agreement is different. It can hand the contractor control of your claim and lock you into that company for whatever the insurer pays, with no price in your contract. Read anything like that twice and ask your insurer about it before you sign.
Is it legal for a roofer to pay my deductible in Ohio?
Treat any offer to cover, waive or absorb your deductible as a red flag. Your policy makes the deductible your share of the loss, and a contractor who hides it is usually inflating the claim to make up the difference, which puts you in the middle of an insurance fraud question. Pay your deductible and get a receipt.
Can I cancel a roofing contract I signed at my door?
Usually, yes, if you act quickly. Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act gives you a right to cancel most contracts signed at your home within three business days, and the seller must give you written notice of that right. Send the cancellation in writing and keep a copy. If the company refuses, the Ohio Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section takes complaints.
Does a roofer need a license in Ohio?
Ohio has no statewide license specifically for residential roofers, so there is no state roofing license number to look up. Ask whether the company is registered with the Ohio Department of Commerce under the home improvement contractor rules, then check the local building department for permits, the BBB and Attorney General for complaints, and ask for a current certificate of insurance sent from the insurer.
Does Guttrz do storm damage or insurance roof work?
No. Roofing by Guttrz sells full asphalt shingle roof replacements with one flat written quote, starting spring 2027, and does not handle insurance claims or storm repairs. If a storm damaged your roof and you are filing a claim, call your insurer first and use the checklist on this page to pick a local roofer who does claim work. If your roof is simply old, book a free inspection and we will tell you where it stands.
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Written by Christian Schaffner, owner of Guttrz. Updated November 7, 2026.
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