New Roof Costs? (1 Viewer)

Tommy

Tommy

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Looks like I will be getting a new roof in the next 2 weeks. After all the rain we had, I had a leak in the garage. I cut away some drywall and found that it probably has been leaking for a while. When I bought the house over 5 years ago, the home inspector said the roof is pretty much at its end of life. I was trying to make it to next spring but that's not going to happen now.

Anyone here in the field that could give me some guidance?

I got two estimates so far. One from Home Depot and the other from a well known local roofing company.
Home Depot was $15,500 and the local roofer was $9,200. Big difference.

Ranch style house.
Roof is 22 squares.
2 layers removed.
2 old chimneys removed (1 brick/cinder block, 1 metal) and new decking installed to patch the holes.
IKO 30 year architectural shingles
IKO Ice and Water Shield
Up to 5 sheets of plywood included.
New 6" K gutters and downspouts
 
I'm far from an expert on roofs, but I do know 2 things for sure:

-never, ever source major home reno work like that to Home Depot. Anything more complicated than laying carpet, you can get the job done better for cheaper elsewhere (with just about anybody.)

-$9,200 for any roof anywhere is really, really, REALLY cheap. I assume it's a small house since even the HD price is only $15k, but if you can confirm that the local company is legit and will stand behind their work (and that's a big IF) then that's a snap-call.
 
Ha..they can't even do carpet. Took 3 tries to get it right when I got the carpet for the basement.

The local roofer has an A+ with BBB, included a copy of his state licenses and roofing certifications, and a list of references.

I think you right. The price seems decent. (It's pouring right now too. lol) I can save $200 if I take the chimney down below the roof line myself. It's a small chimney that was for the wood stove that I removed.
 
By a sawzall for $100, you're +EV $100 already. ;)
 
Sounds good. Only thing I would say is that a BBB rating stopped meaning diddly about the time everybody got broadband. Nobody ever bitches to the BBB anymore; they bitch on the internet. Google him - heavily. Yelp, Yahoo, etc. If you're in a decently metropolitan area (and I think you are?) then Angie's List is probably worth investing in. Of course, you still have to be able to separate the legit complaints from the droolers whose mantra is "the customer is always right - no matter how wrong." If you see no reviews at all, and he's been in business more than a year, he's probably a decent bet. If you see a metric tonne of positive reviews, that is cause to be wary (because he's padding that intentionally.) Sigh... the world we live in. :rolleyes:
 
I had the roof replaced on my old home about eight years ago. It was a two story 1500 sq ft house and cost me about $8000 if I am remembering correctly.
 
We had our roof done about 7 years ago. Very similar job to what you have specified above. It was just over 9K.
 
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Ben said:
-never, ever source major home reno work like that to Home Depot. Anything more complicated than laying carpet, you can get the job done better for cheaper elsewhere (with just about anybody.)
Click to expand...

Unless you're getting big promotional discounts, and you know who their subcontractors are. I've done two full kitchens with them in the last ten years, and been very pleased with the outcomes. In particular, their granite subs have been old world artisan types.

The biggest problem with HD is that you never know how long your HD "project manager" is going to stay employed there.,..
 
I paid $10K for mine. I would look up his license on the department of professional licensing site for your state and verify that he does not have any disciplinary action. I would also call the references he gave you. It shouldn't take long and people love to praise of bash depending on their experience and personality. If he has been working for older or very busy people they may not have taken the time to complain online or to the BBB.
 
I just signed up on Angies List. $9.99 for the year - 20% code - 20% for using PayPal = $6.39.

2015-12-29_9-18-38.png
 
Home Depot can't do carpets, appliance installs, or really anything at all. It's a place to buy things, but their services are ALL outsourced contractors that Home Depot ultimately has very little control over.

I went with the 2nd best ranked roofing contractor on Angie's list, who was later also recommended by my siding & windows guy. Total cost was $14K and included putting 8' of ice and water shield on the roof (I had none) and additional flashing in several spots on the roof that had leaked previously. We used top-end materials from GAF after multiple problems and the roof almost failing last year.

I've had tough experiences with trying to use the top rated person on Angie's List - they're usually swamped. You're generally better off going with a well-rated #2 or #3.
 
Like Tommy, I'm living on borrowed time with my roof too. I'm sure the quotes given in this thread are for shingled roofs. What about shingles vs. metal? I know metal roofs cost more, but generally a lifetime solution from what I've heard. Anyone with experience / thoughts?
 
We just replaced ours last week. Had an excellent contractor that was able to get insurance to cover the cost (minus the deductible of course). Having a guy that tracks all weather data ("this was probablly damaged last June") and an insurance company that doesn't pro-rate for the age of the roof (ours was over 12 years old) saved us a bundle. I honestly cannot remember what the total bill (to insurance) was though, but it was expensive.
 
My customers (I work in wholesale building supply) are getting around $400/100 SQ FT installed for simple rip and reroofs. New England area fwiw.

Alot of the big brands will offer extended warranties if you use their whole line to do the roof (shingles, underlayment, flashing etc), so make sure you look into that.

Big +1 to using a service like Angies List. The roof is something you want to make sure is done right the first time.
 
I replaced my garage and house roof myself two years ago. The technique isn't that difficult. I did the garage first and learned all the 'tricks' and made my mistakes there. Tore off three layers of shingles on the house, and was careful to avoid old nails in the driveway. Saved a ton of money. I wouldn't try this on a two-story house though.
 
My wife works for State Farm and does inspections of roofs and writes estimates and says that it should cost in the $12K range. She says the $9K bid is WAY to low for what you have listed to be done. Quality maybe an issue. As others have stated vet this roofer before signing on the line to get it done.
 
New roof is getting installed on Monday!

Just want to thank everyone for all the feedback and info. The roofer checks out on multiple review sites and is listed on the roofing material manufacturer's website as a certified + installer of their products.

All the copies of their business licenses and insurance papers that they included in the binder all check out too. I did say that I'm a member of Angies List and that I checked them out on there too. Hopefully that helps make sure no corners are cut. Don't think that they would want a bad review. :)

I got a detailed proposal of all the work to be done and exactly what products they will be using. Quality wise its all good products.

I got the price down to $9K by removing both chimneys myself the day before. I added all new fascia metal to the job since the previous owner put a ton of non-galvanized nails in it that are all rusted now. This can easily be seen and it looks like crap IMO. This added $250 so the total is now $9250.

The back section of my garage roof (about 15' x 15') which currently has shingles and is leaking, doesn't have enough pitch for shingles. Both people who came out to do estimates said the same thing. That part will be getting a rubber roof that I'll have to coat with the silver stuff every 3-4 years. The good thing is that part of the roof cannot be seen from the street. (or even from my back yard)
 
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Is the roofer providing you with a certificate of insurance, proving they have general liability and workers' compensation coverages in effect?
 
lnlver said:
Is the roofer providing you with a certificate of insurance, proving they have general liability and workers' compensation coverages in effect?
Click to expand...

Yes, there was a copy of the insurance cert for that. This is all new to me but it was included with the others.
 
Nine grand still seems awful cheap; my experience would indicate somewhere in the $10-$12k range. Maybe you just caught a good deal, that sometimes happens around the holidays when people are willing to take minimal profits vs zero income at all. Good luck!

And fwiw, like Larry, I've had good results (along with two other close friends) with kitchen remodeling jobs by The Home Depot (and subcontractors). I wouldn't hire them for a roof job, however.
 
BGinGA said:
Nine grand still seems awful cheap; my experience would indicate somewhere in the $10-$12k range. Maybe you just caught a good deal, that sometimes happens around the holidays when people are willing to take minimal profits vs zero income at all. Good luck!

And fwiw, like Larry, I've had good results (along with two other close friends) with kitchen remodeling jobs by The Home Depot (and subcontractors). I wouldn't hire them for a roof job, however.
Click to expand...
Could also be catching good with timing, as snow hasn't accumulated enough around the northeast to have people contemplating fixing their roof, also in that cold period where people aren't replacing their roof in the winter unless an emergency comes
 
I think the price is in the range. Angies List has offers from other local companies that range from $6500 to $7500. Those for a 20 square roof, ridge vent, 1 layer removed and up to 2 sheets of plywood.

2015-12-30_23-17-53.png
 
Goodness, I replaced my roof last year and it was $23k. I know Seattle is an expensive place to live (I was a little annoyed by the gas price thread!) -- but goodness sake. It sounds like I should have been able to get TWO roofs for that price!!

At least it should be the last roof I should ever have to buy. Thankfully!!
 
Your roof was probably bigger than mine. If the pitch is higher which makes it harder to walk/work on, then that drives the price up too. (from what i read) My roof is probably the easiest type to do.
 
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Highly suggest not going with home depot from personal experience. Most of the time they are sub contracted out as well and everyone is getting a cut.. might as well go to a local shop and ask around for references. A local shop that depends on word of mouth and references to get work will be more motivated to do a good job. Like someone said earlier, the Internet is your friend.

Btw, I use the same mentality when I eat in 3rd world countries. Locals don't go to a place where they get poisoned.
 
Ancillary question to this discussion: I have a brick chimney that ends in my attic. Obviously, a prior owner removed the chimney from the roof and roofed over it. If I wanted to build on the existing chimney, including going through the roof, any idea how much something like that might run? I'd need about 10 feet of chimney.

The reason: I am getting a wood stove, and routing the insulated stove pipe up the chimney from the first floor. For purely aesthetic reasons, I'd prefer not to have 10 feet of silver stove chimney pipe sticking out of the top of my Victorian house. Since the pipe is going up thru the brick chimney, why not continue the brick up through the roof like it used to be?
 

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