Most roofing contractors in Maryland can tell you they’re licensed and insured. Fewer can show you the manufacturer certifications, industry designations, and sustained community recognition that separate a qualified contractor from an exceptional one. If you want to understand exactly what Fichtner Home Exteriors brings to your project — and why each credential matters in practice — here’s the full picture.
MHIC Licensed and Fully Insured
Fichtner Home Exteriors holds Maryland Home Improvement Commission license #50157, verifiable in real time through the MHIC Public Query tool. We carry active general liability and workers’ compensation insurance — both available on request before any project begins.
MHIC licensure is the legal baseline for performing residential roofing work in Maryland. It means we’ve passed the state’s licensing exam, maintained the required insurance continuously, and operate as a registered business in the state. It also means any work we perform is covered under the MHIC Guaranty Fund — the state’s homeowner protection mechanism for losses due to poor workmanship.
GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractor Since 2002
Fichtner is a GAF Certified Master Elite contractor – a designation held by fewer that 2% of roofing contractors in the United States.
Earning Master Elite status requires:
- Proper state licensing
- Verified insurance
- A demonstrated record of customer satisfaction
- A commitment to continuing education.
GAF awards and renews the designation based on performance — it isn’t a one-time credential.
What this means for your project: Master Elite status is the only way a contractor can offer GAF’s enhanced warranty options, including lifetime coverage on both materials and workmanship. If you’re installing a GAF shingle roof and want the strongest warranty available, Master Elite status is the threshold that matters.
TAMKO Pro Diamond Shield
Fichtner is a TAMKO Pro Diamond Certified Contractor — the highest tier in TAMKO’s professional certification program.
Diamond contractors represent the top 5% of all TAMKO contractors and are hand-selected professionals by invitation only.
The designation requires verified insurance, training and certification across all TAMKO products and installation techniques, and adherence to TAMKO’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.
Diamond certification gives Fichtner exclusive access to TAMKO’s DiamondShield™ Enhanced Limited System Warranty, which extends coverage to 25 years on both materials and contractor workmanship when a full TAMKO system is installed. This warranty is backed directly by TAMKO — not just the contractor — and is only available through Diamond-certified installers. You can verify Fichtner’s certification through TAMKO’s contractor locator.
What this means for your project: If you’re choosing TAMKO shingles, hiring a Diamond-certified contractor is the only way to access the strongest warranty TAMKO offers. A non-certified installer can put the same shingles on your roof, but you’ll forfeit the enhanced system warranty — including the workmanship coverage that makes it meaningfully different from a standard material warranty.
Firestone Red Shield Certified Applicator
For flat and low-slope roofing systems, Fichtner holds Firestone Red Shield Certified Applicator status for EPDM rubber and metal roofing systems. Red Shield certification requires product-specific installation training and demonstrated workmanship standards set by Firestone. It is not available to general roofing contractors without that verification process. Certified applicator status allows Fichtner to offer Firestone’s Red Shield Limited Warranty — up to 25 years on both materials and workmanship on commercial applications — a warranty tier that uncertified contractors simply cannot provide.
What this means for your project: If your project involves a flat roof, low-slope addition, or commercial roofing application, this certification is the difference between a warrantied system and a considerable risk.
Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau (CSSB) Approved Installer
Fichtner is one of only nine CSSB Approved Installers in the state of Maryland. The CSSB approved installer designation requires:
- A written exam
- Documented experience with cedar roofing materials
- Proof of adequate liability and workers’ compensation coverage
- A workmanship guarantee
It is not a designation a contractor can self-report — it requires application, vetting, and ongoing standing with the Bureau.
What this means for your project: Only CSSB Approved Installers can offer the manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty on cedar roofing products. If you’re investing in a cedar shake or cedar shingle roof, particularly on an older or historic Annapolis home where cedar is the appropriate material, hiring a non-approved installer means forfeiting that warranty entirely, regardless of what the contractor tells you.
NRCA Member Since 2000 — and Gold Circle Award Recipient
Fichtner has held membership in the National Roofing Contractors Association since 2000 — more than two decades of continuous professional affiliation with the roofing industry’s leading organization.
NRCA membership reflects an ongoing commitment to industry standards, continuing education, and professional ethics. It also provides access to the most current technical guidance, safety standards, and installation best practices in the industry — knowledge that directly informs the quality of work on every project.
In addition to long-standing membership,Fichtner has held NRCA membership since 2000 and received the organization’s Gold Circle Award for Service to the Community — one of the industry’s most recognized honors.
Proud to Live Here. Proud to Work Here.
Fichtner Home Exteriors isn’t a regional chain that sends crews into Annapolis from three counties over. This is home. The team lives in the same neighborhoods they work in, sends their kids to the same schools, and shops at the same local businesses. That proximity creates a different kind of accountability than a license number or a warranty document ever could.
Fourteen consecutive years of being voted Annapolis’s best roofing company by What’s Up Magazine isn’t a marketing milestone — it’s a reflection of what happens when a contractor is genuinely embedded in the community they serve. Neighbors recommend Fichtner to neighbors. Homeowners who had their roof done in 2015 call back when they need siding in 2024.
That kind of sustained recognition reflects something that credentials alone can’t fully capture: what it’s actually like to work with a contractor from the first estimate through final cleanup. It reflects the estimator who showed up same-day. The crew that left the job site clean. The phone call that got answered when something came up after the work was done.
75% percent of Fichtner’s business comes from repeat customers and referrals — in a market like Annapolis, that number doesn’t accumulate by accident.
What This Means When You Hire Fichtner for your New Roof Project
Every credential listed here translates into something tangible for your project:
- MHIC licensure means your project is covered under Maryland’s homeowner protection framework
- GAF Master Elite status means access to the strongest warranty available on asphalt shingle roofing
- Firestone Red Shield certification means a fully warrantied flat or metal roofing system
- CSSB approval means a manufacturer-backed warranty on cedar roofing that most Maryland contractors cannot offer
- 30-plus years of local operation means accountability that extends well beyond the day the crew leaves your property
Schedule a free estimate and we’ll assess your project, walk you through your options, and give you a clear, detailed quote with no pressure and no hidden fees.
