Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Richmond, VA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Davidson Roofing Company (87.8), Shanco (86.2), Custom Home Improvements & Repairs (79.1), Sliding Hill Roofing (77.9), BNW Builders, LLC (73.4). Each holds a certification we verified on the manufacturer’s own register, every rating was corroborated elsewhere, and placement on this page is not for sale.
The Roofing Brief scored 9 certified roofing contractors serving the Richmond metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. Virginia requires a Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation licence for any roofing work above $1,000, carrying the ROC specialty, and the licence class caps contract value: Class C under $30,000, Class B up to $150,000, Class A at $150,000 or more. A full Richmond replacement often exceeds the Class C ceiling, so the class matters as much as the licence. This page also carries one documented exclusion, explained in the methodology.
What a Richmond roof is up against
Virginia’s licence classes are tied to contract value, and roofing has its own specialty designation on top of them. Any roofing work valued above $1,000 requires a DPOR licence; Class C covers contracts under $30,000, Class B up to $150,000, and Class A $150,000 or more, with the Roofing Contractor specialty added to whichever class the company holds. Ask for the class and the specialty, not just the number, and check that the class is high enough for the contract you are signing.
Richmond’s historic districts add a second approval, and they cover a great deal of the city’s most attractive housing. Properties in the City Old and Historic Districts, including Church Hill, the Fan and Jackson Ward, need Commission of Architectural Review approval for exterior work visible from a street or alley, which includes roof materials. Replacing like for like is normally the straightforward path; changing material or profile is where the timeline and the argument begin. Every jurisdiction in the metro requires a building permit for a full replacement.
Wind is the dominant hazard in the storm record: 966 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports over the decade, against 139 hail reports and 28 tornadoes, with July the peak month and 2025 the busiest year. On 29 July 2021 winds estimated near 75 mph blew the roof off a house in King William County, and an EF2 tornado tracked through a residential area of Chesterfield County in September 2018 during the remnants of a tropical system. Every one of the metro’s 139 hail reports reached an inch or more, and nine reached two inches.
Tropical remnants are the pattern worth planning for. Storms that come ashore in the Carolinas arrive here as heavy rain with embedded gusts, which is a test of flashing, valleys and drainage rather than of impact resistance. Ask what underlayment is specified, how valleys will be detailed, and whether the gutters and downspouts can carry the volume; on the older houses, ask what happens where the roof meets masonry, because that junction is where Richmond roofs most often leak.
The 5 best roofers in Richmond, VA
Scored 2026-09-16. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Richmond is 4.81, across a pool of 9 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davidson Roofing Company | 87.8 | President’s Club | 4.8 (173) | 4.802 | 2005 | Richmond, VA |
| 2 | Shanco | 86.2 | President’s Club | 4.8 (270) | 4.802 | not published | Midlothian, VA |
| 3 | Custom Home Improvements & Repairs | 79.1 | Master Elite | 5.0 (117) | 4.943 | 2004 | Midlothian, VA |
| 4 | Sliding Hill Roofing | 77.9 | Master Elite | 5.0 (82) | 4.928 | 2019 | Mechanicsville, VA |
| 5 | BNW Builders, LLC | 73.4 | Master Elite | 4.7 (142) | 4.729 | 2004 | Richmond, VA |
1. Davidson Roofing Company — TRB Score 87.8
Davidson Roofing Company is based in Richmond, VA, in business since 2005, led by George Davidson, BBB accredited, A+ rating with zero complaints, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 87.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited with zero complaints on record. BBB
- 4.7 across 142 Google reviews, 4.8 across 103 Angi reviews and 4.5 on Yelp. Cross-platform reviews
- Founded 2005 by George Davidson, now 14 full-time employees. Company
What they actually do. Residential roofing across the Richmond metro.
Why it ranks here. Zero BBB complaints on record is the cleanest regulatory position in the Richmond pool, and the rating holds consistently across three independent platforms rather than resting on one.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want the cleanest complaint record in the metro.
What we would want clarified. One review reports a repair carrying a one-year warranty that leaked shortly after that year expired. Ask what warranty term applies to repairs specifically, since repair warranties are usually far shorter than replacement warranties. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (804) 672-0540, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
2. Shanco — TRB Score 86.2
Trades as Shanco; listed on the GAF registry as Shanco Companies LLC.
Shanco is based in Midlothian, VA, BBB accredited since 7 November 2002, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.6 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.5 | 10 |
| Total | 86.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 7 November 2002, 38 years in business on the BBB record. BBB
- Roofing Contractor of the Year, 2021. Awards
What they actually do. Roofing, siding, windows, gutters, chimney, masonry and insulation across Virginia and Maryland.
Why it ranks here. A 2002 BBB accreditation is the longest in the Richmond top five, and the masonry and chimney capability addresses the most common leak point on Richmond’s older housing stock.
Best fit for: Older homes with masonry chimneys.
What we would want clarified. A multi-metro operator that also ranks in our Washington DC list. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (804) 544-9400, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
3. Custom Home Improvements & Repairs — TRB Score 79.1
Custom Home Improvements & Repairs is based in Midlothian, VA, in business since 2004, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), VSI certified, NRCA member, EPA certified. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 37.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.9 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.5 | 10 |
| Total | 79.1 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited with an A+ rating. BBB
- Class A licensed contractor, licence 2705 135338A. Virginia DPOR
- EPA certified, Vinyl Siding Institute certified, and a National Roofing Contractors Association member. Certifications
What they actually do. Window, trim, siding and roof installation, trading since 2004.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across 117 registry reviews, holding a Class A licence with no monetary ceiling, plus NRCA membership and EPA lead-safe certification, which is legally required on pre-1978 homes.
Best fit for: Pre-1978 Richmond homes subject to lead-safe work rules.
What we would want clarified. Also appears in our Virginia Beach list, operating across both markets. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (804) 655-5000, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
4. Sliding Hill Roofing — TRB Score 77.9
Sliding Hill Roofing is based in Mechanicsville, VA, in business since 2019, BBB a+ rating, BBB file opened 14 November 2019, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 37.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.6 | 10 |
| Total | 77.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated, trading since 1 May 2019, holding Virginia Board for Contractors licence 2705171790. BBB
- Rated 5.0 overall. Angi
What they actually do. Residential roofing across Hanover County and northern Richmond, locally owned and fully insured.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across both the registry and Angi, with a published Virginia licence number. Reviews describe the company guiding the homeowner’s insurance representative through the claim, which is a more active role than most roofers take.
Best fit for: Hanover County homeowners running a first insurance claim.
What we would want clarified. The licence on the BBB record carries an expiry of 28 February 2026, which has passed. That most likely reflects a stale third-party record rather than a lapsed licence, but verify current status on the DPOR lookup before signing. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (804) 571-1293, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
5. BNW Builders, LLC — TRB Score 73.4
BNW Builders, LLC is based in Richmond, VA, in business since 2004, led by Bruce Wiegan, BBB a+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 29.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.3 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 73.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated. BBB
- GAF Roofing Installation Excellence Award every year since 2008, and named a market leader by Professional Remodeler magazine. Awards
- Founded 2004 by Bruce Wiegan after fifteen years as vice president of a large Virginia replacement window company. Company
What they actually do. Roofing, windows, siding, GutterShutter, doors, additions, railings, decks and screened porches.
Why it ranks here. Promoted into the top five after the exclusion documented in the methodology. A GAF Installation Excellence Award every year since 2008 is eighteen consecutive years of measured installation quality, which no single year’s rating can match.
Best fit for: Homeowners weighting sustained installation-quality recognition over raw review count.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (804) 346-3300, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
What 3.0 inch hail does to a Richmond roof
Aggregate hail counts tell you very little about a specific roof. These are the individual events: every severe-weather report logged by the National Weather Service across the 17 counties of the Richmond, VA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 139 hail reports, 966 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 28 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $8.0 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Richmond in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 2017 | 3.0 in | Beach | Chesterfield |
| 27 May 2017 | 2.5 in | Jetersville | Amelia |
| 26 May 2024 | 2.4 in | Lewis Gardens | Henrico |
| 18 August 2024 | 2.0 in | Quioccasin | Henrico |
| 19 July 2016 | 2.0 in | Waverly | Sussex |
| 27 May 2017 | 2.0 in | Beverly Hills | Henrico |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 27 May 2017 near Beach, measured at 3.0 inches. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 65 knots, about 75 mph, near New Bohemia on 16 June 2023. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 28 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Beach on 17 September 2018.
What the National Weather Service wrote about it
The NWS logs a written account of each severe-weather episode. This is its description of the 4 May 2021 event near Goochland, reproduced verbatim:
The Goochland Farmer’s Market was hit with an estimated 65 mph thunderstorm wind gust. Two individuals were injured as a result of flying debris. Additionally, flying debris caused damage to cars and vendors lost merchandise.
That is what the specification has to anticipate here, written up by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in July (286), June (270), May (156). The worst years on record were 2025 (244), 2023 (125), 2022 (122). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Richmond, the months outside that window are when crews are least stretched and least likely to be triaging emergency callouts ahead of your job.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, county-level detail files 2016 to 2025, filtered to the counties of this statistical area by The Roofing Brief. Damage figures are as reported to the NWS and undercount insured losses.
What to do with this. Richmond sees enough damaging hail that a Class 4 impact-rated shingle is worth pricing, though not automatically worth buying. Get both quotes and weigh the premium against any insurance discount.
How to check a Richmond roofer in ten minutes
Licensing is required in VA. Virginia requires a licence from the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation for any roofing work valued above $1,000 including labour and materials. Roofing carries the specialty code ROC.
Virginia issues three classes by project value under Va. Code 54.1-1100. Class C covers single projects over $1,000 and under $30,000 (and under $250,000 of work a year), Class B covers $30,000 up to $150,000 (or $250,000 to $1 million a year), and Class A covers $150,000 or more (or $1 million a year), with qualifying-individual experience requirements of two, three and five years respectively. All classes require a board-approved eight-hour pre-licence course, and roofing requires its own specialty endorsement exam.
Check here: Virginia DPOR licence lookup. The class caps the contract value. A Class C licensee cannot legally take a project above $30,000, so confirm the class matches the size of your job before signing.
Four checks to run before you sign anything, in any state.
- Verify certification at the source. Use the GAF verification tool rather than trusting a badge image on a company website.
- Get the certificate of insurance from the insurer, not the contractor, and confirm general liability and workers compensation are both active on the day work starts.
- Confirm who pulls the permit. If a contractor asks you to pull it as the homeowner, that moves liability onto you. Decline.
- Get warranty terms in writing before any deposit, and check the manufacturer warranty being promised actually requires the certification tier the contractor holds.
How many certified roofers Richmond actually has
9 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Richmond, VA statistical area, of which 3 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 944 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.81. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 1,370,165, a change of 4.24% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Richmond rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Richmond, VA pool was scored out of 100 on four published components: certification tier, a Bayesian adjusted rating, review depth and distance from the metro centre. In this metro that meant scoring 9 certified contractors, of whom 3 hold President’s Club standing and 6 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.81. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. The findings are printed above whether they flatter the contractor or not, and nobody paid to appear.
Set aside in Richmond. A contractor that would otherwise have scored into the top five was removed for the reason stated. The score is computed from public data, but where the research pass finds evidence undermining an input to that score, the score is set aside.
- Paramount Builders LLC, which scored 89.5: would have ranked first on score, but its Better Business Bureau customer rating stands at 2.1 out of 5, against sixteen complaints closed in the past three years and eight in the past twelve months, an accelerating rather than historic pattern. Published complaints describe unsolicited repeat sales calls, refusal to accept no on upsells after a completed roof, unanswered service requests dating to 2023, and incomplete installations. The company retains an A+ rating and accreditation dating to 1997, and The Roofing Brief makes no finding on the quality of any individual installation. But the score is computed largely from rating data, and a 2.1 customer rating is direct evidence that the 4.8 registry figure overstates satisfaction, so the score has been set aside
The full method, the weightings, what the GAF certification tiers actually mean, who is eligible to be ranked and what we do not claim are all set out on our roofer ranking methodology page. Last updated: September 2026. Scoring run: 2026-09-16. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
The questions that come up most in Richmond
Who is the best roofer in Richmond, VA?
Davidson Roofing Company of Richmond, VA scores highest in the Richmond metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 87.8 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.8 rating across 173 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 14.4 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Richmond?
9 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Richmond, VA statistical area as of September 2026, of which 3 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Richmond get?
The Richmond, VA statistical area recorded 139 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 9 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 3.0 inches.
Did any contractor pay to appear on this list?
No. The Roofing Brief takes no placement fees, no lead fees and no affiliate commission from any roofing contractor. Ranking comes entirely from the published formula applied to public registry data, followed by an individual research pass on the top five.
What was the worst hailstorm in Richmond in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Richmond, VA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 3.0 inches, reported near Beach on 27 May 2017. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 139 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $8.0 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Richmond?
Severe-weather reports in the Richmond, VA statistical area cluster in July, June, May, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. If the work can wait, booking outside that window usually buys you shorter lead times and more of the contractor’s attention.
Do roofers need a licence in VA?
Virginia requires a licence from the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation for any roofing work valued above $1,000 including labour and materials. Roofing carries the specialty code ROC. Virginia issues three classes by project value under Va. Code 54.1-1100. Class C covers single projects over $1,000 and under $30,000 (and under $250,000 of work a year), Class B covers $30,000 up to $150,000 (or $250,000 to $1 million a year), and Class A covers $150,000 or more (or $1 million a year), with qualifying-individual experience requirements of two, three and five years respectively. All classes require a board-approved eight-hour pre-licence course, and roofing requires its own specialty endorsement exam.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Richmond?
The class caps the contract value. A Class C licensee cannot legally take a project above $30,000, so confirm the class matches the size of your job before signing.
Is Richmond a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Virginia requires a Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation licence for any roofing work above $1,000, carrying the ROC specialty, and the licence class caps contract value: Class C under $30,000, Class B up to $150,000, Class A at $150,000 or more. A full Richmond replacement often exceeds the Class C ceiling, so the class matters as much as the licence. This page also carries one documented exclusion, explained in the methodology.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Richmond?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Richmond, VA statistical area logged 966 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 139 hail reports of an inch or more between 2016 and 2025. Wind damage shows up at the rake, ridge and edge rather than across the field of the roof, so the fastening schedule and edge detail matter more here than the impact rating of the shingle.
Why is Paramount Builders LLC not on this list?
Would have ranked first on score, but its Better Business Bureau customer rating stands at 2.1 out of 5, against sixteen complaints closed in the past three years and eight in the past twelve months, an accelerating rather than historic pattern. Published complaints describe unsolicited repeat sales calls, refusal to accept no on upsells after a completed roof, unanswered service requests dating to 2023, and incomplete installations. The company retains an A+ rating and accreditation dating to 1997, and The Roofing Brief makes no finding on the quality of any individual installation. But the score is computed largely from rating data, and a 2.1 customer rating is direct evidence that the 4.8 registry figure overstates satisfaction, so the score has been set aside.
Roofer rankings for other metros
The Roofing Brief scores certified roofing contractors in the 400 largest U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas on the same formula.
- Best roofers in Charlottesville, VA, about 65 miles from Richmond
- Best roofers in Lexington Park, MD, about 75 miles from Richmond
- Best roofers in Lynchburg, VA, about 95 miles from Richmond
- Best roofers in Virginia Beach, VA, about 95 miles from Richmond
- Best roofers in Roanoke, VA, another VA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Louisville, KY, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Memphis, TN, a metro of comparable size
See the full index of all 400 metro roofer rankings, or read how to find and vet a roofing contractor anywhere in the country.
Cite this analysis
The Roofing Brief. “Best Roofers in Richmond, VA: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published September 2026. Inputs: GAF certification registry; NOAA Storm Events Database 2016-2025; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; Better Business Bureau and independent review-platform records for each ranked contractor.