How busy do you want your roofer to be?

[DerbyDad03]

In my on-going search for a roofing contractor, I ran into a neighbor (who I know to be pretty anal about her house) and she told me whom she had choosen. "He's not the cheapest, but he's not the most expensive." The price she told me seemed about right based on what she said she needed. (She's got leaks, rotten wood, etc.)

Now, the three contractors that I already got estimates from said that I'm looking at 2 - 4 weeks for them to get started.

So I called this other guy today to set up an estimate and he asked me when I was looking to have the job done. I asked him what his schedule looked like and he said that he was trying to fill a few days *next week*.

Now, I know that there can be cancellations etc. but when someone is that readily available, alarms go off. My gut tells me that I want my contractor to be reasonably busy.

Obviously, I'll put more weight towards what he says when he talks to me about what I need and how he'll do it, but the fact that he's ready to start climbing ladders next week has me a little concerned.

Should I be?

[Jim Elbrecht]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I got a squeak in a wheel bearing last week & my mechanic, a guy who usually makes appointments a week or two in advance, asked if I could bring it in right then.

He's got a 3bay garage & his is usually empty- but 5 people had canceled [actually one canceled, 4 were no-shows] that morning. He read me off the jobs-- none of them were likely to have cured themselves.

He said he's been busier than normal-- but with 5 times the number of cancellations and no-shows. Sign of a bad economy? Who knows.

I'd put the most stock in what a customer says about him. Next I'd trust my gut when talking to the guy. Maybe you're just lucky like I was. I've been going to my mechanic for 25 years and this is the first time he said- bring it right in. [unless it was an emergency]

Jim

[gonjah]

After a hail stom here they contract out jobs. They sure f_cked up my chimney and supposedly the company had a good rep. They even wanted to put a cheap sign in my yard....a$$holes.

[Home Guy]

Look.

You're putting way too much thought into this.

Roofing contractors are lucky if they know how much unskilled labor they are going to have tommorrow let alone next week.

Roofing has got to be the most fly-by-night industry there is, with a high percentage of transient workers.

You should just select and order the materials yourself from your local wholesaler (shingles, tar paper, ice-guard if so needed for your climate) and have it delivered to your rooftop, and then select a roofer based on how much they quote - given they just have to bring nails, hammers and people.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Right now, a lot of contractors have no business, not because they do bad work, they don't have customers with jobs and money. If he has a good reputation, I'd go with him.

[DerbyDad03]

What the H does any of that have to do with the question I asked/

[DerbyDad03]

You are kidding right? You *have* to be.

I have a hammer. I have nails. I have people. If it's only about the price of labor, why don't I just do it myself?

Oh yeah...maybe it's about quality of workmanship, know-how and someone to call back if there's a problem.

[gonjah]

How busy do you want your roofers to be?: "Not *too* busy" would have to be my answer. Perhaps I should have spelled it out. Here, even the good ones contract out their business when they are too busy.

Seems like a straight forward question. Do you want to rephrase?

The answer is completely innocuous. If you feel it has no bearing just ignore it.

[Cliff H]

It all about scheduling, he could have an opening because a new house was maybe delayed, special order shinges didn't come in, his next job can only start on day X because thats what the owner wants, he needs both his crews for a really big job and one is tied up until they finish somewhere else, the planets just didn't algin that day.

I signed a contract and they stated before the ink dried . It also helped it was Feb we had a mid winter and I was basiclly first in line for the season.

As long as all the normal stuff checks out I think you are over thinking this. I would only be worried if you think he would start and leave and not come back.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, How busy? It depends on season, Spring time before rainy summer/fall before winter sets in is busy time roofing. Worst time to have a good deal. Roofing can be done in the winter too. Depends on the time of the year. When I had my roof done with ceramic coated metal tile the crew was from Ukraine where they used this type of material long time They worked like busy ants, I did not see them taking breaks other than brief lunch time. They were very hard working knowing what to do. I took them out for a fancy dinner to thank them after job is completed in about 10 days.

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm, Maybe his roof is BIG and needs special extra special job, LOL! Word of mouth referal, checking with BBB, fair quote, what else is needed?

[recyclebinned]

It may be that he doesn=92t like to take on too many or too big jobs becaus= e he can=92t find workers that he trusts. That=92s what I have had to do.

[Home Guy]

No. I'm not kidding.

Many people do that (do it themselves).

The biggest issue is having a few extra people to get the job done in under 2 or 3 days.

Contrary to popular belief, most DIY's don't have access to 4 or 5 "friends" who are willing and able to put down their keyboards for a few days straight and get all roughed up and bruised to help tear off and put up some shingles.

Now I ask - you're kidding - right?

This is roofing we're talking about. It's not rocket science.

And if you were any kind of man, you'd be up there on your roof with them - performing your own examination and being critical of their work WHILE THEY'RE DOING IT. Maybe even give them a hand, moving bundles around, helping with the chalk lines.

[gonjah]

I'm not following. Any decent contractor would want you to watch, but help? I don't think so.

If I understand correctly, roofing companies can contract out jobs but they still need to supervise the work. If they get way too busy they can't even do that effectively. The company I hired supervised "some" of the work they contracted out but the part that wasn't supervised leaked.

FWIW: I'd suggest "not" getting the work done after a bad hail or wind storm. Check the company out at the BBB and get references.

[Ed Pawlowski]

It certainly isn't, but some roofs are a bit more complex with valleys, flashing, angled joints and such that can destroy the underlayment if not done right. You won't know for years in some cases.

A simple ranch roof, not so much, just a lot of hot and heavy work.

[Home Guy]

That's exactly what I did when I had my roof done about 6 years ago.

I was up there, practically like one of the crew. About the only thing I didn't do was any nailing.

I had about 8 sheets of decking replaced - mostly the sections that formed the eaves. When each sheet came off, I had my shop vac up there and I vacuumed out the junk that was there (which included a few dried up squirel carcasses).

With the decking sections removed, I took pictures from various angles for documentation so I could refer to them later when I did any soffit or attic work. These pictures show how the varous trusses and joists run, some vent lines and even some electrical wiring that would have been a pain for me to trace from inside the attic when it was closed up.

I also re-arranged the insulation and the eave-baffles to insure good air flow. I added additional insulation where I found it was lacking.

I've also helped a few friends and family do their roofs over the years. It's got to be one of the simplest jobs that a homeowner can do (from a "fussy" or meticulous point of view) while being some-what physically demanding.

[gonjah]

:-)

[N8N]

"Somewhat physically demanding" being the understatement of the century, if you're someone like YT who doesn't deal well at all with hot weather. Bring lots of water up there with you and some gatorade as well. Trust me on this one.

My last house had a metal roof and that made me very, very happy. I made a few minor repairs where some edging got damaged in a heavy snowstorm, but that was it.

nate

[Larry]

Bingo! It appears Homoguy did some grunt work, now he's an self proclaimed expert on roofing. I had to "LOL" when I read about him & his vacuum cleaner on the roof.

[DerbyDad03]

Well, I guess it's true...they really will let *anybody* access the internet.