New Roof Purchase

**ada8356** · 08-09-2006, 06:02 AM

I have to get a new roof put on sooner rather than later.

I have a composition shingle over cedar shingle over-lay so I have to get a complete re-deck.

The prices have come back a LOT higher than I was anticipating (~$12k).

Does anyone have any advice or tips from previous experience?

gracias

**mark the shoeshine boy** · 08-09-2006, 06:20 AM

the tin roofs are making a comeback...i girst saw them in colorado and now they are here in s/e missouri....

colorful and with a lifetime warranty i think.....i don't know about your hot summers in tx though....

mark tssb

**Jim** · 08-09-2006, 06:28 AM

Aaron

Half of the cost for this will be the tear off and disposal of the old roofing and underlayment -the next cost is the new install labor.The price points of the roofing itself are only a small portion of the overall cost -so if you consider the options of say GAF roofing there are 30-40-50-lifetime years ratings,a few hundred bucks are the only difference for the premium product VS the bottom end of the range on the average roof- the repair and replacement of the decking or sheathing could be an additional expense also. The cost of underlayment(tar paper) and flashing are also only a small portion of the job.

The advice that I always give about roofing is;
Use an established contractor or roofer-look at their work.
Have the contractor break down his price-
Insist on all new underlayment (45lb)
Insist on new flashing
Use the upper end of the shingle range
No overlapping shingles- cut and fit !
Your attic will be a filthy mess when they are done- drape the doorway and stairs especially if the attic is unfinished,remove anything you want to keep clean.

Be home when they are working on your house!

Good luck.

**ada8356** · 08-09-2006, 07:06 AM

Jim,

The two quotes that I am considering both include the following:

30yr GAF Timberline w/Fungus guard
1/2" CDX w/ TechShield
30# felt
New flashing and 1.5" x 1.5" drip edge
Install new ridge vent and soffit vents

Both Contractor's are well regarded... one has been in business since 1983, and the other is recommended by one of the well known builder-radio show dudes around here.

**Jim** · 08-09-2006, 07:25 AM

Thats why I would say get a breakdown of costs -the 50 year shingle is much more wind resistant than the 30 year (30 yr cheaper side of the range) Now I do not want to give the impression of being presumptuous, regional differences are a factor in price as well as the local "customs" but the fact that 2 of your quoted items are low-end of the range would make me take a look at the quotes again- if you get a breakdown of the quote you can compare multiple bids. BTW contractors hate this..

You can approach the job from the other direction- by specifying your materials up front eg; lb felt 50 yr shingle replace valley flashing etc etc

At the end of the day the roof that the contractor bid you as is will most likely outlast me!

Sam · 08-09-2006, 07:53 AM

I got 30 year architechtual shingles by Tamko, and since my original roof was on the house built in 1986, they just did an overlay. 4 nails per shingle. Looks nice. Ran me $3086 for it all. Ill be 76 if I am still in that house, and I know the prior roof was builder low grade.

By the way, prorated warranties out to 30 and 50 years, you are not going to get full replacement but like only 3% off the cost of new shingles. Labor is not going to apply out that far anyway. No need in my book to spend extra money unless you actually get a better shingle, say wind protection. My roof was good except that shingles blew off in a rain storm, probably due to the tar drying out.

Sam

**ouch** · 08-09-2006, 08:28 AM

That's what I love about this site. Ask a question about anything, and someone like Jim will provide a thoughtful, comprehensive, and articulate answer.

Wow.

**pitbulls20** · 08-09-2006, 10:20 AM

I saw someone mention metal roofs making a come back and they are becoming more and more noticeable here in alabama. Look great also but I think cost is pretty high.

**rnconync** · 08-09-2006, 11:47 AM

It all depends on the square footage of your house also (obviously) so without square footage, it's hard to tell what kind of price you are getting... if it's for a 1500 sq ft house, then it's obviously rediculous! Roof angle is another factor...

Just for comparison, Within the last few months I hade my roof replaced. I have a 1700 sq. ft. house. There were 3 old layers of shingles on the roof that had to be removed, damaged wood and no ridge vent among other things. my roof was not a steep angled roof, but about your average roof.

I got 25 yr. shingles, a ridge vent put in place, all new flashings and 14 new sheets of wood layed down on the roof and all was done in a days work, it ran me about $4200. I am in NC for geographical comparison also...

**JMT** · 08-09-2006, 11:53 AM

The one piece of advice I can give is to ask people in your town who have had roofwork done. Also check the better business bureau before agreeing to have any work done.

Sam · 08-09-2006, 12:12 PM

Good advice Jim. I asked around and got my mechanic, who is older then me, to recommend someone. He had the guy replace his and his mother's roof, after researching guys. I got prices and my guy matched the lowest, within $30, without knowing hte other bids.

Sam

**ouch** · 08-09-2006, 02:26 PM

I can get you a good price on a "thatch".

**mrob** · 08-09-2006, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by rnconync

Just for comparison, Within the last few months I hade my roof replaced. I have a 1700 sq. ft. house. There were 3 old layers of shingles on the roof that had to be removed, damaged wood and no ridge vent among other things. my roof was not a steep angled roof, but about your average roof.

I got 25 yr. shingles, a ridge vent put in place, all new flashings and 14 new sheets of wood layed down on the roof and all was done in a days work, it ran me about $4200. I am in NC for geographical comparison also...

I have a 2100 sf. house, split level, not too steep an incline--we had 2 layers removed, 3 or 4 sheets of new plywood roofing installed in a couple of spots, 25 yr. shingles = $7000. We live in mid-Michigan.

**TheYoshi** · 08-09-2006, 08:22 PM

Don't put shingles over shingles.. not a good idea. Good shingles over bad ones is an even worse idea.... if you are getting nicer materials make sure you put forth the extra effort/money in labor to have the job done right...

You wouldn't use a gorgeous silvertip badger brush to slap on some barbasol would you?

**Creslin** · 08-09-2006, 08:26 PM

Unfortunatly a hurricane season plays a big part inthe cost of roofing supplies. Nowadays, here in East Texas, most roofs are decked using OSB which is commonly called wafer board. Look at some and you will see why. Every time a hurricane hits somewhere you can watch the price of OSB go up faster than gas prices. If you can I would try to get it done now before any hurricanes hit. One thing about putting shingles down this time of year, the heat makes the tabs seal real well and quick.

The metal roofs don't require decking. The contracter will usually just lath (put slats down) the rafters. While these roofs are becoming real popular I am suspicious of them. All the ones I have seen are of 26 guage material. That is so thin that it can rust out a lot before you even realize you have a problem. I don't have any specific knowledge of problems; I just don't trust them.

**Sue** · 08-09-2006, 09:50 PM

Great advice at a needed time for me. Storms damaged the roof of my 6 year old home. I had the insurance adjuster out and the ins. company cut a check for $7800. I hope that will pay for shingles, tear down, soffit, gutter, & siding repair. That also included having the a/c combed, which was damaged and I have already had it fixed.

I don't understand why the gutters and downspouts would need replacing though. It's not like they are disconnected anywhere.

I wonder how many years of home-owners rate increases I will have.

Sue

**ada8356** · 08-10-2006, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by mrob

I have a 2100 sf. house, split level, not too steep an incline--we had 2 layers removed, 3 or 4 sheets of new plywood roofing installed in a couple of spots, 25 yr. shingles = $7000. We live in mid-Michigan.

Well, that would make mine seem close to right, since my house is about the same size, but I also have a shingled walk-way leading to the shingled detached garage. I also have to get all plywood w/techshield installed since there is NO plywood on the house now.