Roofer advice

imortlfool

imortlfool

Well-known member
Hello BARF,

Looking for a sanity check. I've been trying to find a roofer to do some work on my house.

I've called/emailed a ton of people. Two showed up to estimate. Got one estimate back then they vanished, no returned calls.

Either everyone's crazy busy due to previous season's rain or my job has red flags on it.

Or both. I recognize my job is smaller and possibly tricky. House is on a slope, access is hard. Fully expect that to raise the price.

Here's the work:
- Re-roof detached 2 car garage. Has 30yo tar/gravel. Want to strip it, add some insulation, then either IB roof systems or torchdown.
- Replace large skylight on the main house. ~75" square.
- Small stuff like put a better cap on a vent, fix one downspout on the garage.
- Clean & check over my gutters and drains.

Would appreciate advice on how to find someone to do this work or how I might be screwing up in my search. Or not and I gotta just wait until the backlog clears.

Thanks for reading
 
R

Removed 3

Banned
DiamondCertified.org

Call one of the roofers in the directory to come out and give you an estimate. I've never been let down by the customer service from these businesses. They'll let you know upfront if they have a backlog of customers or not. They won't keep you guess'n.
 
afm199

afm199

Well-known member
imortlfool said:
Hello BARF,

Looking for a sanity check. I've been trying to find a roofer to do some work on my house.

I've called/emailed a ton of people. Two showed up to estimate. Got one estimate back then they vanished, no returned calls.

Either everyone's crazy busy due to previous season's rain or my job has red flags on it.

Or both. I recognize my job is smaller and possibly tricky. House is on a slope, access is hard. Fully expect that to raise the price.

Here's the work:
- Re-roof detached 2 car garage. Has 30yo tar/gravel. Want to strip it, add some insulation, then either IB roof systems or torchdown.
- Replace large skylight on the main house. ~75" square.
- Small stuff like put a better cap on a vent, fix one downspout on the garage.
- Clean & check over my gutters and drains.

Would appreciate advice on how to find someone to do this work or how I might be screwing up in my search. Or not and I gotta just wait until the backlog clears.

Thanks for reading
Click to expand...

Bunch of little and pesky stuff and a 450Sq ft roof, is probably small enough to not get too excited about in busy season. How many contractors did you contact? Get 3-5 bids minimum and compare.
 
easter bunny

easter bunny

Amateur Hour
Every time I've ever had to call a contractor I've had to use the rule of half. Half the people I call will even call back. Half of those people will never show up. Half of the ones that show up won't give me a written estimate. Half of the estimates won't bother to actually schedule the work. And if you can find two people who make it that far - one won't ever actually show up to do the job and you'll have to call the other.
 
imortlfool

imortlfool

Well-known member
easter bunny said:
Every time I've ever had to call a contractor I've had to use the rule of half. Half the people I call will even call back. Half of those people will never show up. Half of the ones that show up won't give me a written estimate. Half of the estimates won't bother to actually schedule the work. And if you can find two people who make it that far - one won't ever actually show up to do the job and you'll have to call the other.
Click to expand...

Ok if my math is good that's 32 phone calls.

I've made 12 calls and it's a busy season and it's not an attractive job.

Advice received.
 
m_asim

m_asim

Coitus Infinitum
Also keep in mind that many of the smaller GCs/Roofers will not show up at the agreed upon time if they get a bigger job elsewhere.
 
CockyRooster

CockyRooster

Grab the Transmogrifier!
Many people in the trades;

Scene: Uneducated Bros sitting around getting drunk or stoned...
"Bro, I need money"

"Dude! Come work for my boss (painting, roofing, etc) for double minimum wage!"

"Fucking aye dude!"

Fast forward..."Fuck this working for someone else bullshit!"

And there's your service industry.

That's not everybody, but few people go into the trades if they have options.

I speak with 25 years of living in the trades.
 
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