firefighterjake said:
billjustbill said:
:roll: Are you sure you want Metal Roofing?
Pretty sure . . . up here the big concern is getting the snow load off the roof . . . I'm getting tired of using the snow rake . . . and this is with a very steep roof pitch.
I'm in North Central Texas where I have no experience with the kind of snow loads you live with. The hail damage that comes over a 5 to 15 year timeframe is my experience and what I've learned to do in our region.
The one piece of advice I've learned has to do with "getting what you paid for". In the 34 years of being a homeowner I have found, 100% of the time, that the roof you contracted isn't always the roof you get..... Shortcuts and unseen material changes or omissions offer dishonest roofing companies major profits:
1. Get more than one company to bid on your house to compare prices and the amount of Squares they say you need. Check their past history and see if they are bonded so if one gets hurt on your property, it doesn't tangle you and your homeowner's policy for their injury. Get every installation detail in writing by asking for an Itemized bid. UP where you live, I heard roofers there don't like that at all; they just want to do it for a bottom line price. The list should cover amounts and stock numbers for ice and water shield, vent replacements, to drip edge color, etc......
2. Be at home when the crew comes to take off the old roof and start the new one. 3. Run your own itemized list of the supplies left for the job.
4. Staying out of the roofers way, climb up as close as you can on your steep pitched roof and watch. Even keep one of those disposable cameras in your pocket and take pictures of things that don't seem right....
5. Go with a company that will be around next week, next month and next year.
6. Just like you use the web for hunting info and shopping for best prices, use it to educate yourself about the product and installation procedures before you sign anything or the projects begins..... "Finehomebuilding.com" has a good forum for any question you have about your roof, and like this forum, it helps all levels of experience.
Lastly, after you get your new roof, if you know from the beginning, there are ways to get some money back..... Ask how much of the bid was "Sales Tax". You can deduct that from your Income Tax, and with a metal roof, it can be as much as on a new car..... If you have a "Rewards Program" on your credit card, even though the insurance company may have already paid you, check to see if you can pay for your new roof in stages of completion using it. I did, and by the time I was finished with all my roof replacements, I had enough reward points to choose a $500 gift card with enough points leftover to put toward half of another one. Plus it offers another way to "Dispute the charges" if something goes wrong with the roofing company's work.