I’m in the process of hiring a roofer to reshingle my house. As I can’t actually see what is being done or how, e.g. are there enough nails and are they located correctly, did they take the time to replace rotted sheathing and or rake boards, were the roof penetrations sealed properly, were good materials used, is the chimney flashed properly, etc. are they any tips on choosing the right company? I’ve gotten an estimate from a roofer who shingled my house 20+ years ago but he doesn’t go up on the roofs anymore so I’m wondering what he has for a crew. My neighbor is a remodeling contractor who wants the job but another neighbor that he did work for wasn’t thrilled with the job he did for him. Any tips and suggestions would be appreciated. Am I overthinking this?
I offered the job to Calvin and would hire him in a heartbeat at whatever $ he wanted…….but he declined….I don’t live far from the location of this year’s Break Fest and I figured he could use the roofing $ to pay for his trip.
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When I saw the title I figured this was going to be one of those spams that gave us a web link to some roofer (in China, no doubt). So rule #1: Never use one of those spams to guide you.
The first time we had our roof redone I asked the the two final candidates (don't recall how we found those two) to give me the addresses of homes they'd done in the past year or so. We drove by the homes and examined the roofs (why isn't it "rooves"??) for "sharpness". (We didn't knock on doors.) One of the guys was a stand-out on this examination, and he did an excellent job.
Unfortunately, he installed crappy Certainteed shingles (their Minneapolis factory produced defective goods for over 10 years), so about a dozen years later we had to do it all over. Then we went with an outfit that we found at the local builder's show -- this was a medium-size (for here) outfit that is fairly well-known locally. They did a fine job as well.
After the first guy did our roof we recommended him to several of our friends and they all reported good experiences (though I don't know if they got the bad shingles).
So, probably ask friends and neighbors who they used, observe other roofing jobs in the area to see who is doing the work and how good a job they do (including keeping the jobsite clean, avoiding damage to shrubs, etc), go to builder's shows. And maybe look in the phone book (if you can find one).
Roof Shingles
Thank you for your response.
The roofer who gave me an estimate left me a Certainteed sample board with the different colors that are available. I'm assuming that Certainteed has their problem corrected. In general, are Certainteed shigles high end? Are there better quality shingles on the market?
Well, I'd never buy Certainteed again, but mainly because it took them 10 years (and many lawsuits) to realize that they had a problem at the Minneapolis plant, so I figure their management has their heads up their collective asses. And their warranties are worthless. But presumably the Minneapolis plant has been set right (or shut down), and to my knowledge their other plants never had a problem of similar severity.
Ask your neighbors and friends is always a good way to find any sort of contractor. I'd shy away from asking real estate agents and others in the business because they often owe favors. Not always, but sometimes.
I had a company do my shop roof and two young guys in an old pickup showed up to do the work. They were OK and did fine but this roof was really simple. (shed, not too big, no penetrations) When I had the house done I knew I wanted a company that sent out their own guys, not some extras they might have hired at the big box store parking lot. So, I'd suggest you visit some job sites where the potential contractors are doing roofs. Simply observe for a bit. See if they drive company trucks and how they work as a team. If you can be there during a rain shower all the better..... how does the crew handle that?
what's the job like?
If it's an easy job you need to worry less. Amount of pitch, pitch changes, chimney issues, etc. Has it leaked before and so on.
A hack can do a successful job on a easy roof and vice versa.
Easy Job
Based on my neighbor's (remodeling contractor) comments it's any easy job. Chimney at the end of the house that was recently rebuilt and reflashed. 3 penetrations...2 plumbing stacks and a bathroom exhaust fan. 2 valleys that were bituthaned when the roof was done 20 + years ago. Attached farmers porch and garage. I'm not sure of the pitch but easily walkable. Recent ridge vent and bathroom exhaust leaks.