Roofer questions

Hi,

Would anyone have some advise on this?

I am interviewing roofers to replace the roof on my house. A few of them seem really good. Are there any questions that I could ask them to vet them out to find the best one?

Thanks,

Josh

Reply to
Josh Kalish
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Ask for a list of references and their phone numbers. Call the references and get their opinions on the work they did. You will be able to make your decision after the references are contacted. You should also make sure that the roofers are bondable and licensed contractors.

Reply to
Chuck

Make sure they were in last years phonebook. I have a ten year old phone book I use to make sure they have been around a while. At work I had a 20 year old phonebook. Also make sure they have workman's comp insurance. Check it out to make sure they are really registered.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Home Depot's contractor wanted 6,400 (if they only have to remove one layer) or 7,100 if they have to remove two layers. Another local guy wanted 6,500 regardless of how many layers. I found another guy who 4,500 and other who wanted 3,500.

According to the Home Depot roofing guy he said that I would need 72 linear feet of ventillation and the house itself will need about 28 squares, which he explained as about 2800 sq feet of roofing materials. The house itself measures at 2,700 square feet and is two stores with an attached two car garage.

The guy with the $3,500 estimate seems prettey good, but I'm concerend that this estimate is out of line when compared to HD's.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Josh

Reply to
Josh Kalish

One other question, now, after hearing all of these stories, is it worth it to tell the roofer that I want a price without materials and that I would order everything? Then at least, I'll know that he's putting up good stuff. I don't want to insult him, but at the same time I only know him from an ad in the newspaper.

Thanks,

Josh

Reply to
Josh Kalish

Ask you neighbors. If you are about to replace your roof. Chances are a few of your neighbors may have done it already, assuming you are in a development built around the same time.

Reply to
Yaofeng

Their profit/gain is not in the materials..... I always furnish materials of my choice and have them delivered to the jobsite. That way you're bargaining for labor/expertise/experience and the quality, type, supplier, etc. of the materials is your responsibility. Also warranties and such are much easier to handle. And don't let them badmouth your choices,.... if they can't work with what you provide it's their problem.

Josh Kalish" wrote in message news:Cqxhb.38555$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrdny02.gnilink.net... One other question, now, after hearing all of these stories, is it worth it to tell the roofer that I want a price without materials and that I would order everything? Then at least, I'll know that he's putting up good stuff. I don't want to insult him, but at the same time I only know him from an ad in the newspaper.

Reply to
C.M.German

Just consider that the HD-recommended guy has to figure in his kick-back to Home Depot in his price. Not having talked to the individuals I would go by the rule of thumb and use the $4500 guy.

Reply to
Brad

That is the last place I would look for a roofer. Find one who has done good work, that has stood the test of time, for somebody you know. Then, discuss what product will be used and make sure it is in the bid. Lots of other important stuff you can find out about by doing a google search on alt.home.repair. There are also some good comments about brands of shingles. Educate yourself before you shop. Check out a couple of mfg websites, for starters, read the installation instructions. Narrow down the field of contractors and check with your local licensing agency/building code enforcement, for complaints against the contractor. Some shingle mfg. certify contractors, and you can get a reference from them, as well. When we had our condo painted, the mfg came around three times, at various stages, to inspect the prep being done for warranty purposes.

Variables, such as repairing rafter tails or roof deck, should be mentioned and priced in the bid. Should include tearoff, disposal, cleanup, release of lien, completion time.

Reply to
RamblinOn

I would let the roofer do the buying. They may be able to work a better deal than you can and if so they may cut you a little better deal.

However, you can specify the make and line of roofing materials they use. There are differences in quality (and price).

Check out Consumer's Reports from about two or three months ago (see you library) they did a report on many of them.

Good Luck

BTW I agree with the others about the HD roofer.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

We have been looking at metal roofing or Ondura. We plan on DIY. Any experiences with Ondura we should know about? Is it cheaper than tin? "If I can not dance, I want no part in your revolution." Emma Goldman

Reply to
cyber

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