Roof Estimate Help

Hi everyone,

We just bought a house and are new to home repair, etc. We need to get the roof replaced and I have the following written estimate from a fairly new c ompany (6 months). They have decent reviews on Angies List (7-9) and seem l egitimate. However, we don't know much about roofing and the price seems am azingly cheap compared to what we expected.

Could anyone look over the estimate and give us some feedback on it? Thank you.

Here's the quote:

Roofing - Member Discount

Removal of all existing roofing and flashing membranes. Replacement of foll owing flashing materials: step flashing, collars, pipe jacks, perimeter dri p edge material. All materials to meet or exceed manufacturer's requirement s.

Installation of Ice/Watershield Membrane along bottom perimeter of roof and in valley portions of roof.?Installation of one layer of TARCO 30# asphalt saturated roofing underlayment on deck surface not covered with ic e and water protection material.

Installation of new GAF Timberline Lifetime HD Architectural Shingles will be installed in strict accordance with the manufacturer's specifications an d shall be fastened using five nails per shingle.

Installation of 5-1/2 inch aluminum drip edge along entire outside perimete r of roof.? Installation of GAF Seal-A-Ridge Cap shingles along all hips and ridges.

Installation of 12"x4' GAF Cobra ridge vent in areas requiring proper attic ventilation.?Removal of all debris and general clean-up of constru ction site once substantially completed.

*Roof to be installed in strict accordance with manufacturer's specificatio ns; 5 Year Warranty on labor to be provided upon substantial completion.

Angie's List Member Discount

3,600.00

-5.00%

*A deposit of 50% is due prior to commencement. Balance is due upon substan tial completion. $3,420.00
Reply to
Saif Raza
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Hi, It'd be nice if you mention where you live and how big/old the house is, what style building(bungalow, 2 story, split level, etc.) Also lien hold back you can use? What if they find a roof sheathing needing replacement? Where I live typical roof shingle job costs any where from

6 to 10G.
Reply to
Tony Hwang

the roof replaced and I have the following written estimate from a fairly n ew company (6 months). They have decent reviews on Angies List (7-9) and se em legitimate. However, we don't know much about roofing and the price seem s amazingly cheap compared to what we expected.

following flashing materials: step flashing, collars, pipe jacks, perimeter drip edge material. All materials to meet or exceed manufacturer's require ments.

and in valley portions of roof.?Installation of one layer of TARCO 30# asphalt saturated roofing underlayment on deck surface not covered wit h ice and water protection material.

ill be installed in strict accordance with the manufacturer's specification s and shall be fastened using five nails per shingle.

meter of roof.? Installation of GAF Seal-A-Ridge Cap shingles along all hips and ridges.

ttic ventilation.?Removal of all debris and general clean-up of con struction site once substantially completed.

ations; 5 Year Warranty on labor to be provided upon substantial completion .

stantial completion.

Reply to
Saif Raza

Sorry the house was built in 1973, and we are not sure when the roof was la st replaced. It's about 2100 square feet and we are having a few other comp anies come out this week to give us estimates. We had thought it would be b e about 5-9k to replace the roof, and this price surprised us.

Reply to
Saif Raza

last replaced. It's about 2100 square feet and we are having a few other co mpanies come out this week to give us estimates. We had thought it would be be about 5-9k to replace the roof, and this price surprised us.

That price is either a mistake or they're just nuts. I'm in NJ and I got quotes recently from 3 roofers. The going rate was $280 to $320 a square, ie per 100 sq ft. That would be $6000 to $6700 for your roof. My quote was for very similar material, ie 30 year OC TrueDef Arch shingles , ice barrier at the eaves, tear off, etc. You're looking at $100 a square just for the shingles. Factor in the ice barrier, felt, drip edge, whatever the disposal cost for the tear off is, which typically is hundreds of dollars, whatever their labor cost is, etc and they would be doing this job for no p rofit.

The quote should also contain a cost per sheet of sheathing, if it's found that any need to be replaced. Going rate here for that is $5

  1. I would also go out and inspect the fascia boards, gutters, etc. If you ha ve rotting fascia boards, kaput gutters, etc, that needs to be addressed at th e same time.

And for sure I would not let any company that has been in the roofing business for 6 months anywhere near my house. If they screw it up, you can have anything from leaks to bubbling shingles and none of that is easy to fix once done wrong.

Reply to
trader4

The sheathing is the wood under the shingles.

Many roofs have the 2 by 4 or 2 by 6 inch rafters that sort of look like triangles spaced a 16 to 24 inches apart. Over that is often 4 by 8 feet sheets of plywood or boards about an inch thick and 4 or 6 inches wide then the felt liner and the shingles. The sheathing is what holds the nails in for one thing and makes the roof strong.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Had my roof replaced a couple years ago with the same shingles and similar sized roof although mine is a rancher. Cost was around $7000 though. No drip edge since I'm coastal.

Prices varied by 2-3 thousand, but I showed competing estimates to the reputable companies in my area and got them to drop their prices until I settled on one. It took a bunch of Ecuadorans almost three days to finish the job but they were not goofing off whatsoever. They did a great job and I haven't had any problems.

The neighbor across the street saved on his roof job and hired a one man crew and helped him with the roof job. The house developed mold problems and there was no one to sue. They ended up walking away from the house and the bank foreclosed on them.

As an aside, I have a friend who's a salesman for a construction company. He tells me stories about the markups he charges for gutter, door or repair jobs, especially if the homeowner is a jerk and they don't really want the job. I told him to stop telling me these stories since I'm a homeowner and it'll just piss me off even more.

Reply to
badgolferman

What does drip edge or lack of it have to do with coastal? Drip edge is to help keep water off the fascia boards.

Reply to
trader4

Sorry, I thought it was the metal edge roofs in the north have to aid in melting snow off the edge of roofs. What ar those called?

Reply to
badgolferman

On Mon, 8 Jul 2013 07:50:32 -0700 (PDT), Saif Raza wrote in Re Roof Estimate Help:

That 50% deposit is unusual in my area. Around here (rural south east) you pay when the work (all the work) is completed.

Reply to
CRNG

Forgot to add, I would not recommend using Cobra type ridge vents. That's one of the roll type and I'm not convinced you get enough air flow through them. They are also highly dependent on how you nail them. It's essentially a cushy foam material like you'd find in a window AC and if you nail it down too much, there is going to be less air flow. I'd go with Shingle Vent II, or similar, which is one of the rigid plastic vents where it's very open.

Also make sure there is adequate soffit venting.

Reply to
trader4

Thanks for the replies. I had another company Miller Roofing Inc come out a nd give me an estimate and they say $4200 to tear away and replace the roof also with GAF Timberline Shingles. On their quote they wrote refelt with 3

0lb, reflash wells and chimney (not sure what that means), and stated it wo uld be $50 per sheathing they needed to replace.

After looking on Angie's list, Miller Roofing has been around for a while a nd has mostly positive reviews. So maybe the cost of labor/materials is tha t much cheaper here than in New Jersey?

I have two more companies com> >

s last replaced. It's about 2100 square feet and we are having a few other companies come out this week to give us estimates. We had thought it would be be about 5-9k to replace the roof, and this price surprised us.

My quote was for very similar material, ie 30 year OC TrueDef Arch shingl es, ice

Reply to
Saif Raza

Reply to
Saif Raza

You said that you will be getting some other estimates which is a good idea.

I would not do this part under any circumstances: "*A deposit of 50% is due prior to commencement. Balance is due upon substantial completion."

It's only a 1 or 2 day job, and if it was me, I would pay them in full when the job is done. "Sometimes", if the contractor is nervous about fronting his/her money for the job before getting paid, I agree to have the materials ordered in my name and delivered to my property with me paying for the materials. But, a deposit up front -- no thanks.

People will argue both sides of this issue -- the contractor's side and the homeowner's side. My view is that once I pay a deposit up front (especially a 50% deposit), the contractor already has all of his profit in his hand. He/she has no incentive to do the job at that point.

Another issue is about getting the permit to do the job. Where I live, a permit is required. I always have the contractor get the permit, and I usually pay for the cost of the permit.

Reply to
TomR

Your "raised bungalow" (I assume that's what you mean by "split foyer") is one of the cheapest to re-roof - usually fairly low pitch and lower than a 2 story - and no valleys or transitions.

It is about twice the size of my 2 story, but I also have an attched garage, bringing the total square footage up pretty close. 6 years ago I had mine done here in Soutwestern Ontario, with drip edge, ice block and 30 lb felt for $4600 - the contract specified up to so many square feet of plywood sheathing replaced at no extra labour charge if required - none was needed.

I did my roof the first time with help from father (made his living in construction) and brothers and friends - all of whom are much older now so I paid to have it done this time. I've done quite a few roofs over the years so It wasn't anything new for me (or most of the crew I had helping)

The company I had do it this time has been in business for over 20 years and my Dad had done work for them /with them for years, so I knew they were trustworthy.

If I were you, I'd likely go with your "Miller Roofing"

Reply to
clare

Good points. The part of the contract about "balance upon substantial completion" really sucks. I sure wouldn't sign a contract that said I had to pay in full until the job was totally done and inspected, if necessary.

Reply to
trader4

Cobra Vent 2 and 3 are rigid vents, similar to Shingle Vent II.

I had rigid vents installed recently. Currently I have a bunch of maple tree helicopter seeds sticking up out of the vents along both ridges of my house. This is long after they've rotted or blown away on the ground.

At least they have no medium to grow in, unlike the gutters on the house across the street. Her gutters may be declared a national forest soon and she won't be allowed to clean them.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I'd not touch these guys.

It sounds cheap to start with. Next is the terms. I've bought roofing many times in the past 12 years and typical terms are 1/3 at signing,

1/3 at half completion, 1/3 after completion.

He can do it very cheap by taking half up front and then getting the balance after "substantial" completion and he takes off with your money. No way is anyone getting full payment before completion.. This outfit is under financed and on shaky ground and you can easily get screwed.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Likely better terms if NOT on "Angies List". I'd use them IF the terms were 30/30/30 or 50/50 - after completion, I've personally never paid more than 25% on signing, balance within 7 days of completion - but that was the contractor knowing my Dad and knowing who he was dealing with. (except for when I did my own - I paid cash for the materials before they hit the truck).

I really would not have an issue paying for the materials up-front if they were under my control from time of purchace (I buy - roofer installs) but my roofer got a MUCH better price than I could ever have gotten - he buys basically by the semi trailer load as he roofs a significant number of new houses every year, as well as the re-roof jobs. Even with his markup Home Despot couldn't touch his price for the materials.

My brother is building a new home and shop up in Muskoka district, and he found a building supplier who is beating everyone else by 17 to 30% ov virtually everything - from lumber to nails to steel to shingles to insulation. And that's buying in the "boonies" where they pay more to have it shipped in, and free delivery to his site on any order over $300.

Reply to
clare

Hi, I always pay the last hold back when I was shown the material is paid for. Mo. old outfit may not even have n credit account with his supplier. Looks like he will use the first installment to get materials for the job. No local BBB to check some other roofers?

Reply to
Tony Hwang

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