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About
The Roof Genius is a small, locally owned roofing contractor based in La Porte, on the Harris County side of Galveston Bay, run by owner John Jenkins, a La Porte native. It is reachable on (713) 878-9503 and advertises availability around the clock. The company is a member of both the La Porte-Bayshore Chamber of Commerce and the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and appears in the Houston Area Roofing Contractors Association directory.
This is one of the RCAT records in this directory that carries the separately earned Licensed Roofing Contractor credential rather than plain membership. RCAT lists three credentials against the company: Commercial & Residential Roofing License #03-0620 held by J. Jenkins, Commercial & Residential Roofing License #03-0621 held by B. Buaolm, and Residential Roofing License #01-0670 held by J. Kelly. That is an unusual depth of credentialing for a company this size and it is the strongest verifiable point on the listing.
The work covers residential and commercial roof replacement, roof leak and flat roof repair, metal and shingle roofing, gutter repair, insurance claim and restoration work, free inspections and estimates, and full house reconstruction. The company states that it installs CertainTeed Landmark MaxDef shingles over RoofRunner underlayment, that it is a TAMKO Diamond warranty member, and that its work carries a 160 mph wind warranty and a lifetime labor warranty. Those product and warranty points are stated by the company on its own listings and were not confirmed on the manufacturers' own contractor directories, so ask for the warranty paperwork in writing.
Highlights
Holds RCAT's separately earned Licensed Roofing Contractor credential, not just RCAT membership, with three named license holders on the record
Two of the three credentials are Commercial & Residential, so commercial work is covered as well as houses
Locally owned and run by a La Porte native, with chamber of commerce membership in both La Porte-Bayshore and Pasadena
Insurance claim and restoration work is a core service line, including full house reconstruction after storm damage
Free inspections and estimates, and the company advertises availability 24 hours a day
Serving La Porte, Harris County, Texas and 1 more area shown on the map.
Insurance & credential verification
Texas does not issue a state roofing license, so we verify companies the way homeowners actually can: confirming insurance coverage, checking RCAT (Roofing Contractors Association of Texas) status, and checking city or county registration where the local jurisdiction requires one. Every credential below links to the actual issuing organization's own public lookup — don't just take our checkmark for it. Always ask for a current certificate of insurance before signing any contract.
CompanyThe Roof Genius
Insurance Required by RCAT Licensed credential (liability and workers’ comp cover are conditions of this credential; ask for the current certificate)
RCAT status Licensed Roofing Contractor Verify ↗credential held by John Jenkins CRRL
City/county registration
Not checked for La PorteTexas has no state roofing licence, and city rules differ: some require contractor registration, some run a voluntary registry, some neither. Ask this company and your local permit office.
Status Active & current (listed with this licence number in RCAT’s directory)
RCAT member ID1501 (member since 2024)
Licence boardRCAT, Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (Texas issues no state roofing licence; RCAT runs the licensing programme)
RegionLa Porte
Confirm this licence yourself at web.rcat.net/rcat/search — search #03-0620 or the company name.
Confirm this yourself: ask the company for their certificate of insurance (COI). Note that RCAT's Licensed Roofing Contractor credential (CRRL, RRL or CRL) is earned and held by a named individual at a company, not by the business itself, which is why we name that person above where we know it; Texas issues no company roofing license at all. RCAT and NTRCA status can be checked in their own public directories (RCAT, NTRCA) — use the "Licensed"/"Accredited" filter to see more than plain membership. GAF's contractor verification tool and Owens Corning's Texas locator confirm those tiers directly; CertainTeed doesn't offer a comparable self-serve lookup, so ask to see that certificate in person. BBB accreditation and rating are on bbb.org. Houston's own published registered-roofer list is years out of date, so it isn't cited here at all — confirm registration by contacting the city directly. Corpus Christi's STAR program has its own online contractor registry — for any other city or county registration claim, confirm directly with that jurisdiction's permit office.
What does RCAT Licensed mean, and how is it different from RCAT Member?
RCAT Member simply means a company pays dues to the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas. The Licensed Roofing Contractor credential is separate and has to be earned, and it carries a numbered license. The Roof Genius holds the credential: RCAT lists Commercial & Residential Roofing License #03-0620 for J. Jenkins, #03-0621 for B. Buaolm and Residential Roofing License #01-0670 for J. Kelly.
Does that RCAT credential come from the State of Texas?
No, and this is an important distinction. Texas has no state roofing license and no government roofing exam. The credential here is issued by RCAT, a private trade association, through its own testing program. It is a meaningful voluntary credential and relatively few Texas roofers hold it, but it is not a government license and no roofer in Texas has one.
La Porte is right on Galveston Bay. Does WPI-8 windstorm certification apply?
No, and this catches a lot of people out. La Porte sits in Harris County, which is not one of the 14 first-tier Gulf Coast counties in the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association territory, so the WPI-8 certification scheme does not apply to most roofs there. If a contractor offers you WPI-8 certification for a La Porte address, ask them to show you why it applies, because in general it does not.
So does hurricane exposure not matter in La Porte?
It matters a great deal, it just is not handled through WPI-8. A bayside town takes hurricane and severe thunderstorm wind, wind-driven rain and long stretches of salt-laden humid air. What protects you is the specification: correct nailing pattern and nail count, sealed or taped deck, quality underlayment, properly fastened ridge and starter, and well-secured flashing and edge metal. Ask for those to be itemised on the quote.
What is wind-driven rain and why does it come up on the coast?
It is rain forced horizontally and upward under shingles, flashing and edge metal by sustained high wind, so water gets in at places that shed rain perfectly well in a normal storm. It is one of the most common causes of interior damage in coastal Texas homes with roofs that are otherwise intact. Sealed decking, proper underlayment and correct drip edge and valley detailing are the defences.
What wind rating and warranty does the company advertise?
The company states a 160 mph wind warranty on its installations and a lifetime warranty on labor, and says it uses CertainTeed Landmark MaxDef shingles over RoofRunner underlayment. Those are the company's own statements rather than independently verified facts, and enhanced wind ratings normally depend on a specific nailing pattern and a full system of matching components. Ask for the warranty certificate and the system specification in writing.
Texas has no state roofing license, so what else should I verify?
Get the certificate of general liability and workers compensation insurance from the insurance agent, not from the contractor. Confirm the RCAT record. Confirm any manufacturer credential on the manufacturer's own website. Ask which authority issues the permit for your address and confirm the contractor pulls it in its own name.
The company handles insurance claims. What should I watch for?
Insurance restoration is a legitimate and normal service line for coastal Texas roofers. The thing to avoid is signing an agreement that assigns your claim benefits or gives a contractor authority to negotiate on your behalf before you have seen a written scope and price. Under Texas law a roofing contractor also cannot act as a public adjuster on your claim. Keep the roles separate.
Do I need a permit for a roof replacement in La Porte?
Texas has no statewide building code, so permitting is set locally. The City of La Porte and unincorporated Harris County each set their own requirements. Ask the contractor to name the permitting authority for your specific address and to pull the permit under its own details, and get that written into the contract.
Does the company work outside La Porte?
It describes itself as serving La Porte and surrounding communities, and it holds chamber of commerce membership in both La Porte-Bayshore and Pasadena, which indicates it works across that eastern Harris County bay-side corridor. Confirm your specific address is covered when you call, on (713) 878-9503.
