Contact us for a Free Quote today
Contact us for a Free Quote today
Yeah, we wrote this ourselves. We know how that looks.
But hear us out — because the alternative is you spending three hours reading reviews on Yelp and Angi trying to figure out who to trust with a $15,000 decision, and that’s a worse outcome for everyone.
We’re going to tell you who the main players are in this market, what they do well, and where we think we have an honest edge. We’re not going to trash anyone. We’re not going to make up weaknesses. We’re going to give you the kind of comparison a friend in the industry would give you — straight, useful, and with enough self-awareness to acknowledge where competitors have legitimate strengths.
If you read this and decide someone else is the better fit for your job, that’s fine. Our goal is that Murfreesboro homeowners make good decisions about their roofs. Sometimes that means they call us. Sometimes it doesn’t.
That said — we think the case for Roof Troops is a strong one, and we’re going to make it.
Before we get into comparisons, let’s talk about what actually drives the decision — because the research on this is more specific than most people realize.
A 2024 national homeowner roofing survey conducted by Roofing Contractor magazine found that more than half of homeowners said a contractor’s experience and reputation were the chief factors in their hiring decision, with 34% indicating it as the most important factor. Roughly 41% listed professional licensing as the next top factor. HomeYou
The same survey found that referrals (88%) and online reviews (74%) are the most common ways homeowners measure trust with contractors HomeYou — and that two in five homeowners said poor communication is the biggest challenge when working with a roofing contractor. HomeYou
So the factors that actually move the needle: reputation, licensing, communication, and the ability to trust that what you were told is what you’re going to get. Not the flashiest website. Not the biggest truck wrap. The stuff that’s hard to fake over time.
Keep those factors in mind as we walk through the competitive landscape.
The Rutherford County roofing market has no shortage of options. Here are the names that come up consistently when homeowners in this area start researching.
One of the longest-running contractors in the market, Austermiller has been operating in Murfreesboro for over 25 years. They cover residential and commercial work across multiple material types and hold NRCA membership. Their longevity is real and their reputation in the market reflects it. For a homeowner who values tenure above everything else, Austermiller is a legitimate choice.
Established in 2006, Quality Exteriors holds GAF Master Elite certification — the top tier of GAF’s credentialing program — and has built a solid reputation in Rutherford County and the broader Nashville metro. They cover residential and commercial work and have been around long enough to have a genuine track record. A serious competitor with real credentials.
Over 50 years in business. That’s a legitimate statement of staying power. They hold TAMKO Pro Certified Contractor status and serve both residential and commercial clients. Their longevity in the Middle Tennessee market speaks for itself. If age of the business is your primary trust signal, Barrett has most of the market beat.
Family-owned, third-generation contractors with GAF, Owens Corning Platinum, and CertainTeed Shingle Master certifications. That multi-manufacturer credentialing is notable. A homeowner who prioritizes family ownership and multi-brand flexibility has a legitimate option here.
A national franchise with a Murfreesboro/Nashville location, Storm Guard has been operating since 2002 with a focus on insurance restoration work. They have corporate infrastructure behind them and experience navigating insurance claims. The tradeoff with any franchise is the question of local accountability versus corporate structure — something worth considering.
Another national operation with over 60 locations. Their scale gives them resources, and they focus primarily on residential replacements using Owens Corning products. Same franchise question applies as with Storm Guard — the local team may be excellent, but you’re working within a corporate framework, not with an independent owner who answers directly.
Family-owned, Murfreesboro-based, BBB A+ accredited, and the recipient of the 2023 Main Street Murfreesboro Award. Their primary focus is roofing and siding with a James Hardie fiber cement specialty. If siding is part of your project scope, they belong on your list.
Consistently appears in local search results and review platforms for Murfreesboro. Well-reviewed on Yelp with positive feedback on communication and scope accuracy. A homeowner who prioritizes review volume and recent feedback has reason to look here.
Here’s the honest breakdown.
This is not a marketing line. It has a practical consequence. When you sign a contract with Roof Troops, you are doing business with the owner. Don Hane answers his phone, shows up on job sites, and will still be in Murfreesboro three years from now when a warranty question comes up or a follow-up inspection is needed. With a franchise or national chain, the corporate relationship that backs your warranty is real — but the local person you dealt with might not be.
The survey data is clear that homeowners value trust and communication above almost everything else. Owning the relationship from first call to final nail is how we build that.
Don served. That service produced a set of operating values — accountability, mission clarity, directness, follow-through — that show up in how Roof Troops is run on a daily basis. We don’t hide problems. We don’t tell you what closes the sale. We tell you what’s actually on your roof and what it means.
Having an online presence also matters, with 31% of homeowners saying visibility was important and another 22% indicating an “About Us” page helped earn trust. HomeYou The veteran-owned story isn’t window dressing on an About page — it’s the reason the company operates the way it does.
In a market where multiple competitors can point to decades of tenure and multiple certifications, the differentiator comes down to the culture of the people running the company. Ours comes from military service. That’s verifiable, specific, and not replicated by a company that puts a flag on its logo.
Quality Exteriors holds Master Elite, which is GAF’s top tier, and that’s genuinely worth acknowledging. For a homeowner where the absolute highest warranty tier is the deciding factor, QE has an argument.
What GAF certification at either level provides that non-certified competitors can’t: enhanced warranty tiers backed directly by North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, independent verification of licensing and insurance through GAF’s credentialing process, and installation standards tied to specific manufacturer requirements. On a $15,000 roof replacement, that certification is the difference between a workmanship warranty backed by a small business and one backed by GAF itself.
Several competitors in this market — including some with long track records and solid reputations — are not GAF certified. Their workmanship warranty is backed by their word. Their material warranty is standard and prorated. If they close in ten years, the workmanship coverage goes with them.
Every spring in Middle Tennessee brings a new wave of out-of-state contractors chasing hail work. Some of them do good work. Some of them don’t. All of them eventually leave. Roof Troops is based in Murfreesboro year-round. We inspected roofs here last March and we’ll be here next March. That permanence is what allows us to stand behind a warranty claim two years from now, and what separates a local roofing company from storm-chasing operations regardless of how professional their pitch is.
The inspection determines what the roof actually needs. At Roof Troops, that inspection produces an honest finding — whether that finding supports filing an insurance claim, scheduling targeted repairs, or doing nothing because the roof is in good shape. We don’t generate claims where none exist. We don’t manufacture urgency.
The survey data that stuck with us most: clear communication was “the most important deciding factor” for homeowners choosing between two contractors. Qualityexteriors The inspection is where that communication starts.
| Roof Troops | Austermiller | Quality Exteriors | Barrett | Storm Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locally owned | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ Franchise |
| Veteran-owned | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| GAF Certified | ✅ | ❓ | ✅ Master Elite | ❌ TAMKO | ❌ |
| Based in Murfreesboro | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Regional |
| Free inspection | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Insurance claim support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Specialty |
| Financing available | ✅ | ❓ | ❓ | ❓ | ❓ |
There are good roofing companies in Murfreesboro. Austermiller has been here longer than most. Barrett has a half-century track record. Quality Exteriors has serious manufacturer credentials. We’re not going to pretend otherwise.
What we’re going to tell you is this: the research on how homeowners choose roofing contractors points consistently to trust, communication, and accountability as the deciding factors once you’ve confirmed licensing and credentials. Those are the qualities that military service trains into people and that veteran-owned businesses built on those values tend to deliver.
When the storm hits your neighborhood this spring and three contractors are knocking on your door by Tuesday, the question isn’t just who has the best pitch. It’s who will still be accountable to you when the job is done, who will answer the phone when a warranty question comes up two years from now, and who gave you a straight answer on day one instead of the answer designed to close the deal.
That’s Roof Troops.
