What is the one way to tell if someone is a good roofer or not while they're in the midst of doing the work? I've had difficulty recently getting reasonable roof quotes that were not astronomical.

The positive thing that I have going for me is if one is given to someone reasonable they can get a couple more jobs right after.

The concern that I have is if someone is doing something on the roof that is incorrect oh, I am not knowledgeable enough right now to know it or to not give them additional roofs to get done.

I know the way around this is to ask for references. I also know of someone personally who had their entire house done, and then she had to have it redone at a later date. The person that did it is actually doing roofs all the time and maybe at the time was less-experienced. I didn't witness this personally but I do trust the source. I'm just really really concerned about such a high-ticket item not being done properly. Having said that, some of the quotes that I'm getting are so absurd that I can actually get the roof done a couple times for some of the high ticket quotes.

For example right now I'm dealing with a two to three layer two story house that would be a tear off. Some roofers are saying resheet the whole thing. Others are saying they will not know until the shingles are off and can take a look at the wood. I don't know if the one saying resheet the whole thing or just looking for extra income. He can always make a house better by replacing everything but we have to weigh that with cost. By no means do I want to put good new shingles over bad wood. I also don't plan on getting on a ladder to walk a roof.

Also I am in Ohio and looking to do shingles over the next week.

Tough call, but a text book example of why it's important to know how to do this and rough material and time costs involved for projects.

You can start by culling your list. Figure out what's needed and see who comes up with what your thinking. For example there is no way you should pick a roofer who arbitrary says re sheet the whole thing. "No" we order extra decking "in case" bad decking is found. Next is you order the dumpster and you put materials on "your" account. This way when the roofer gives his estimate if he OVER estimates -- you can return the extra for YOUR money back. Here's the roofing scam. Over order 3 squares 4 rolls of tarpaper, extra box of nails. When the jobs over he's charged you labor for installing and using this stuff and now he's taking the EXTRA back to the roofing store and he puts that in his pocket. So find a roofer that will give you the materials list- you order and have delivered-- he is the one I would use.

Recommendations are about it. Talk to someone who hired them 5 years ago. How have they liked the work they did?

There's a trap in REI to think we have to "know it all". Nope...impossible. Even smart DIYers like NE don't know everything, nor do they have time to baby sit contractors to ensure peg A is always correctly inserted into slot B.

Do you know enough to ensure your HVAC contractor is installing the $7000 system correctly?

How about your foundation guy? Is his $4000 set of pylons going to do the trick?

Are you positive that $3000 worth of PEX supply lines and PVC drain lines won't leak? Was the main line to the street installed with the proper grade to encourage the right flow of waste?

Jen, a building old enough to have 2 or 3 (illegal in most areas) on it will have individual boards instead of plywood as the roof sheathing. These boards tend to dry out & split especially when subject to so many extra roof nails being installed. If you have access to the attic & it's unfinished, you should be able to get a good idea of the boarding's condition. As a general rule if more than 1/3 of the boarding is bad, it's faster & actually more economical to add another layer of 1/2" plywood than to remove & replace some boards.

Go to the web sites of the roofing manufactures used in your area to see their installation instructions & warranty info. Around here the most common brands are GAF, Tamko and CertainTeed. In order to get the best warranty you'll find that all of the manufacturers will require you to use only their products. For instance GAF requires you to use their brand of underlayment.

IMO to try to determine if you'll get a good job you should look for a company that has been in business in your area for at least 10 years, preferably even longer. They should be able to provide you with a list of satisfied clients. Make sure you actually call or at least drive by the references. Since yours is a 2 story project make sure you don't get only 1 story references.

You'll want a company that has both liability & workmen's compensation insurance as well as any required local licenses. Any company that wants you to pay more than a 10% deposit, supply any of the materials, use any of your equipment or wants you to pull the permit is a good one to stay away from. Unlike some of my fellow LLs, I would want my roofer to handle everything including permits, providing materials, cleanups & warranty. Otherwise if a problem develops it will end up a huge he said she said ISSUE (or for Jeff[CO] PROBLEM) (g).

A good crew can install asphalt shingles year round. However IMO it's never a good practice to install them if the temperature is below freezing during the daylight hours. The same is true for installing asphalt shingles when the temperatures are in the 90+ range.

I have talked with local landlords. I’ve been amazed to get $11,000 bid for a 24 to 25 square roof.

I guess it depends on the area how much you’re paying of course. The last roofer I don’t with that was reasonable ask for additional jobs that were not roofing and I’ve been at five-year-olds with more dignity and accountability. So sadly trying to give work to someone who really wanted it in the work was available outside of roofing was a mistake. Wouldn’t have been if the person would’ve admitted their limitations.

I’m looking at factory seconds from duration as an option. I was told duration was top-of-the-line so no concern over 2nds.

I really can’t imagine ever being successful on claiming a warranty on the roof. In my Opinion it’s kind of like insurance. It’s important to have but don’t expect it to be there when you need it. If it is great just don’t count on it.

Well, glad to hear the price I am paying for a top-notch roof isn’t way out of line for what you have been quoted. My goofy prefab homes have some very bad roof issues built into their design, starting with the very thin roof decking that was used. I am doing the whole shebang on the roof I am having done in early May. Price wasn’t easy on the budget, but I have gotten so tired off all of the roof issues created by the ‘innovative design’ these little houses have.

Anyone else dealing with prefab homes built by National Homes out of La Fayetteville, Indiana in the 40s and 50s, I feel ya!

Jen, I currently have a kids’ sled in the attic the catch the drips over the kitchen, my concrete mixing tub catches the drips over the bedroom light fixture. I need to get in the attic this week to put hardware cloth over the opening where the squirrels are getting in. Neighbor over the back fence re-did his whole house exterior last year. All his squirrels made effort to move into my house. Going to have to tease the neighbor about that over the fence this year *grins* All my buckets and hardware cloth will be holding the line till the whole hot mess gets cleaned up in early May. My house has six year old architectural shingles, put on by the foreclosing bank. Over two layers of badly curled shingles. Obviously cannot fix a roof just by throwing more shingles on it, but it was the band-aid that got the house off the banks’ books, and gave me time to plan for this.

Jen,

Can you list what this bid covers?

That amount covered everything but the sheeting. The sheeting was going to add an additional roughly $2500.

As a LL, you can't know EVERYTHING about building code, repairs and replacements. But you need to know something, so you are not taken to the cleaners by subs, even by those who you have hired in the past.

Let me ask you this: say you know absolutely nothing about the restaurant business, would you open a restaurant?

Jen, my current costs for a 30 year laminated shingle, 2 strips od Ice & Water along the eaves, 8" aluminum drip edge for eaves & rakes, synthetic underlayment, new vent pipe boots, a ridge vent & required fasteners for a 25 SQ (2,500 SF) roof is approximately $3,150.00. My dumping fee for 2-3 layers of old roofing is approximately $800.00 - $1,200.00 plus trucking. My current WC for pitch roofing is $93.50 per hundred (every $100.00 paid to a worker cost an additional $93.50 for WC). In 40+ years of business they've paid out less than $700.00 in WC claims for my company. On top of the WC I pay approximately another $42.00 per hundred for my workers. This includes unemployment, liability, my portion of the their taxes and a small amount towards their vacation time. This translate to a $25.00 an hour roofer costing me almost $60.00 for every hour they are on the job.

In my area for a project like yours a fair price for a good job using decent materials would be in the $12,000.00 to $16,000.00 range. I do know some who would do it for less than $10,000.00 & some who wouldn't touch it for less than $20,000.00.

IMO if you find someone who you trust & can do it according to your time schedule $11,000.00 or so is a fair price.

Jen,

I just read your last response.

Can you clear up this: "It what was said before the shingles were taken off".

Shirt to clarify, if there is two layers of shingles in spots or three layers in other spots, wouldn’t you have to tear off the shingles to know if the sheeting is bad?

I know that the roofer say they can walk it And tell, but this roofer said it’s a full tear off. Not due to walking.

Jen,if you really want to know more about roofing, I would guess that U-tube is full of videos about how to roof.

But, if it is a second story building, you aren't going to be able to see much of what they are doing.

If you want to watch it being done and know a little about it you could google and get a drone.

Steve broke the cost down pretty well for you as an example.

Jen,

When I do a roofing job, I tear off the old roof if it's 1 layer, 2 layers or three. I want to see the bare deck and fix it, if needed.

Many cities are changing their codes and disallowing multiple layers, which is a good thing IMHO. If you think about it, roofers will not guaranty a roof job done over 2 layers, for obvious reasons.

Then there is the weight consideration.

Jen,

One last thing:

Look at their materials. Are they using good multi layer architectural shingles? Using hip and ridge shingles or just cutting regular shingles to fit? Are they using underlayments? New vent caps and sleeves or trying to reuse old?