How to get a full roof replaced, cheap!
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:12 pm
We do not have a home improvement base on JC, so I will post this in The King's Quarters because... well, it has to do with Da King's Quarters.
I had a roof leak repaired last year. Never dawned on me that the entire roof might need to be done, so I had a simple repair. Done.
A few months ago, I have another leak. Opposite valley on the same roof. Realize that my roof is almost 25 years old, maybe I need a new one. Time to call 3 contractors!
Contractor #1 only wanted to replace the entire roof. That includes the section I had repaired last year (thereby wasting a chunk of my money).
Contractor #2 gave me a few options... just repair the other valley, replace the entire south-facing side of my roof (which takes the brunt of the weather), because the north side probably has another 10 years left in it... or do the entire thing. (NOTE: This is the same guy who did my repair last year).
Contractor #3 can't be bothered to ever call me back with the actual estimate until a week later. Pass.
So I go with #2. I'm just replacing the south side of the roof. He tells me it'll be 2-3 weeks, maybe sooner. Awesome.
About 4.5 weeks later, I realize he hasn't called, so I call him. He says I'm on the schedule for the end of this week (this coming Thursday or Friday). OK, cool.
The next day, he calls and says that he had to postpone another job due to lack of materials, wants to know if he can do mine Monday (today). Even better.
My wife wakes me up at 715 this morning telling me that they're already setting up in the driveway. I hurry up and get dressed to get our cars out of the garage (I dont want them hammering away at the roof and dropping any debris onto our cars). I try to say "hi" to the contractors. I get a friendly wave, but I'm pretty sure they were all Columbian or something, and didnt speak a word of English. Whatever, as long as they can replace a roof.
I go back inside, and hop in the shower. When I get out, I can hear them removing the old shingles. BUT WAIT! It sounds like they're on the north side!
I get dressed, take a peak outside, and sure enough... they're scraping the north side.
So I call the contractor, and tell him his crew is doing the north side when I wanted the south side done. He says he'll call them and get it straightened out. No problem. Er, ok. I get dressed and drive out to one of our stores to work for the day (I dont want to listen to hammering all day).
He calls me back, and says that they've already started scraping every angle on the house except for one. He will eat the cost on replacing everything they've already scraped. Holy crap. The one roofline that hasn't been touched, he will do for an extra $1800. Basically, that gets me an entire new roof for just under $10k.
Considering that my roof 25 years ago cost me about $10k... and that I was quoted $22k for a new roof by contractor #1... I'd say I made out pretty well on this deal. I'm sure the contractor still made money on the deal (I doubt he's paying his Columbians very much, and I'm sure they're happy to earn all they can before Trump deports them). I feel a LITTLE bad, like I'm taking advantage of him... but it was no fault of my own, and he offered without any griping.
I've been on the right side of some great deals before... but thats a $12k win. Damn.
I had a roof leak repaired last year. Never dawned on me that the entire roof might need to be done, so I had a simple repair. Done.
A few months ago, I have another leak. Opposite valley on the same roof. Realize that my roof is almost 25 years old, maybe I need a new one. Time to call 3 contractors!
Contractor #1 only wanted to replace the entire roof. That includes the section I had repaired last year (thereby wasting a chunk of my money).
Contractor #2 gave me a few options... just repair the other valley, replace the entire south-facing side of my roof (which takes the brunt of the weather), because the north side probably has another 10 years left in it... or do the entire thing. (NOTE: This is the same guy who did my repair last year).
Contractor #3 can't be bothered to ever call me back with the actual estimate until a week later. Pass.
So I go with #2. I'm just replacing the south side of the roof. He tells me it'll be 2-3 weeks, maybe sooner. Awesome.
About 4.5 weeks later, I realize he hasn't called, so I call him. He says I'm on the schedule for the end of this week (this coming Thursday or Friday). OK, cool.
The next day, he calls and says that he had to postpone another job due to lack of materials, wants to know if he can do mine Monday (today). Even better.
My wife wakes me up at 715 this morning telling me that they're already setting up in the driveway. I hurry up and get dressed to get our cars out of the garage (I dont want them hammering away at the roof and dropping any debris onto our cars). I try to say "hi" to the contractors. I get a friendly wave, but I'm pretty sure they were all Columbian or something, and didnt speak a word of English. Whatever, as long as they can replace a roof.
I go back inside, and hop in the shower. When I get out, I can hear them removing the old shingles. BUT WAIT! It sounds like they're on the north side!
I get dressed, take a peak outside, and sure enough... they're scraping the north side.
So I call the contractor, and tell him his crew is doing the north side when I wanted the south side done. He says he'll call them and get it straightened out. No problem. Er, ok. I get dressed and drive out to one of our stores to work for the day (I dont want to listen to hammering all day).
He calls me back, and says that they've already started scraping every angle on the house except for one. He will eat the cost on replacing everything they've already scraped. Holy crap. The one roofline that hasn't been touched, he will do for an extra $1800. Basically, that gets me an entire new roof for just under $10k.
Considering that my roof 25 years ago cost me about $10k... and that I was quoted $22k for a new roof by contractor #1... I'd say I made out pretty well on this deal. I'm sure the contractor still made money on the deal (I doubt he's paying his Columbians very much, and I'm sure they're happy to earn all they can before Trump deports them). I feel a LITTLE bad, like I'm taking advantage of him... but it was no fault of my own, and he offered without any griping.
I've been on the right side of some great deals before... but thats a $12k win. Damn.