What the roofer said

[debodun]

Last week I had a roofer come to give me an estimate on the back porch roof. He rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat. The first thing he wanted to know was if I had gotten any other estimates. When I replied that I had one other estimate, he wanted to know the quote. When I told him, he responded that I should hire that guy because his estimate was more than twice the other contractor's. I said I wanted 3-tab shingles and he said they don't make those anymore - he only installs architectural shingles.

He also bad-mouthed other roofing contractors then said that what I wanted done was almost too small a job for his company. Maybe they have a minimum price no matter how small the area. After his quote, I asked if he gave senior discounts. He blew air and said he could knock off $100. Bottom line - $3100 (and that included a small senior discount).

Since I do not have roofing done very often, I wouldn't know if that was a good price or not. Here is the area in question - a crude diagram to show the slope and an actual photo (the area of concern outlined in red)

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[Lc jones]

Anyone that bad mouths peers should be avoided....my opinion

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would check with Lowe's or another large home improvement store to see if they have contractors that would give you an estimate and a guarantee/warranty. A roof can be tricky if they need to remove the existing roof and find rot in the decking/structure be sure to read any estimate carefully and understand exactly what they are covering in the quote.

https://www.lowes.com/l/roofing-ins...MIw5W83Ivg4wIVjv_jBx1K3gc-EAAYASAAEgKO4_D_BwE

Good luck!

 

[debodun]

One of the ladies I deliver meals to recommended that I should contact the County Senior Services. She said they installed new energy efficient windows in her home. They also take care of insurance and things like that. I have contacted them numerous times about senior benefits and have been told I do not meet the eligibility requirements. I believe you have to be very near indigent to qualify for county benefits. I know for HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) you can't have over a $10,000 a year income per household.

 

[RadishRose]

One of the ladies I deliver meals to recommended that I should contact the County Senior Services. She said they installed new energy efficient windows in her home. They also take care of insurance and things like that. I have contacted them numerous times about senior benefits and have been told I do not meet the eligibility requirements. I believe you have to be very near indigent to qualify for county benefits. I know for HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) you can't have over a $10,000 a year income per household.

Deb, go here. You are over income, from what you have previously stated-

http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/#income-limits



For one person, the gross monthly limit is $2,391 . Multiply by 12 = 28,692. per year.

Questions regarding the HEAP program should be directed to your HEAP Local District Contact or the OTDA Hotline at 1-800-342-3009.

 

[debodun]

Mayhaps it's gone up because of inflation since I last checked into it. I still would not qualify, though.

 

[Marie5656]

@debodun , I know you previously mentioned looking at Home Advisor. Did you hire this roofer through there? If so, you need to report him to them. If not, I am curious if a call to the BBB would work? I am not sure if the BBB would handle such a complaint, but it would not hurt.

 

[debodun]

He did my next-door neighbors roof earlier this year and got the number off of his truck. But I did check on HA and he did have a good rating there. Not worth complaining about, after all, a man has a right to run his buiness the way he wants and can refuse jobs he feels are beneath him.

 

[applecruncher]

The Better Business Bureau is a joke. BBB has no authority to do anything. All they do is take complaints and put them in a file. BBB is a complete waste; surprised they still exist.

 

[911]

The Better Business Bureau is a joke. BBB has no authority to do anything. All they do is take complaints and put them in a file. BBB is a complete waste; surprised they still exist.

You got that right. Any business that pays their annual BBB dues gets a sticker or whatever to place on their window or a plaque for their wall. And, as far as Home Advisor, I only used them one time to have some electrical work done, which I ended up doing myself. The electrician that was recommended came to my home and said he couldn’t do the job I needed done. He offered free estimates, but charged me $50.00. I told him if you offer free estimates and can’t do the job, why would you charge? He left without any money.

 

[win231]

I got 5 estimates before having one large room done. He didn't ask about other estimates or bad mouth anyone. If he did, I would have answered, "Let's just talk about YOUR estimate."

 

[squatting dog]

Did he say if this was a job that required removing the old shingles, or just covering over? If just going over, then I'd say he is a bit overpriced. If it includes removing the old shingles, then factor in renting a dumpster for the old material, the unknown condition of the underside of the roof, then, in reality, he's probably not that far off. I say this not knowing where you live as that can vary how much it would cost. JMHO. Oh yeah, Him saying they don't make 3 tab shingles is false. Roofers love those architectural shingles because they are easier to set without worrying about lining up the tabs. That's all. In the old days, when you laid down shingles, one should be able to view them from horizontal, vertical, and angular, and the lines would be straight. This is also the reason so many roofers love to put metal roofs on. Easy to cover a lot of roof in a short time. that translates to profit.