New roof estimate

[Squiner]

What do you think a reasonable price to replace my roof is?

I want the current shingles removed and plain white/gray 3 tab shingles laid down.

Some facts:

Single story low slope roof home in Maryland
Roof is approximately 3200 s.f.
Two chimneys to flash (one is 6'x3' other is 2'x2')
Three vent pipe to re-flash
About 3 pieces of plywood to replace
About 100 linear feet of tongue and groove boards need to be replaced


Also, any tips so I can make sure they do a good job the first time? How should I pay them, as they go/once finished? I really don't want to get screwed out of a lot of money.

Thanks for any guidance that you all may have.

Jim

 

[Jack Straw]

I believe the growing rate for that would be $200 per square(10x10) plus $100 for each pce of plywood installed.

 

[Gooserider]

I would expect that you will find a lot of variation in labor rates and such, so I don't know how much good comments on this from around the country will help... I would ask around locally to see who has a good reputation and get a few estimates...

Hopefully Hogwildz, our resident roofing expert, will be by and can suggest what your best approach is for telling the roofers what to do in terms of products and such...

My own comment is that you should look at the costs of different grades of shingles, the biggest part of the job is the labor, the cost of the shingles is only a small part of it, and often the cost difference between the cheapest grade shingles and the best can be quite small as a percentage of the total bill...

Gooserider

 

[devinsdad]

I can only speak for myself but I would go with a 35yr architectural shingle instead. $200 a sq sounds right then hourly for any wood replacement.I would expect to pay for material upfront then labor at the satisfactory completion of the job.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Looking at materials, you are looking at $2600 in shingles. $21 in Ply. About $25 in flashing. Felt... Cheap, but I can't remember how large a roll is. Nails are also cheap. T&G depends on where you buy it and how clear you want it. I'll go expensive and say $4/ft so $400. I've never priced out vents, etc.

I've seen the $200 sq plus materials quote also. So maybe $10-11,000.

Seeing the difference in parts vs labor has had me on my roof more than I'd care to admit. I'll be up there later today so I can finish a bit I started yesterday.

Matt

 

[Jack Straw]

I thought $200 per square included taking off the old roof, the cost of the dumpster, materials and installation. I may have been mistaken though.... I would also recommend the architectural shingles, but I guess it depends on how long you are gonna live there.

 

[Shipper50]

Since I live in a log home with a steep pitched roof, would the pitch have any effect on his or me getting an idea of cost?

Thanks
Shipper

 

[Jack Straw]

In some ways a really steep roof is easier because you don't have to bend over to nail the shingles, but you do have to put up brackets and boards to work off of. I have a 6/12 pitched roof, you can work directly on it, but it is a challenge. Towards the end of the job we put up some brakets because we were tired.

 

[Squiner]

Thanks for the responses. I have had one estimate so far and it was $8,700 for the entire job excluding sheathing repair since it's not know exactly the extent that needs to be replaced. He also quoted $4,500 for only everything but removing the old shingles.

I'm having another contractor stop by tomorrow for another quote. My wife knows a friend of a friend of the guy. Hope that helps on the price.

 

[Elderthewelder]

I had my roof done this last summer

The contractor removed old comp shingles and felt, removed old vents, cut ridge of roof and installed a ridge vent, and installed these
Owens Corning 30 year comp "laminated" shingles http://roofing.owenscorning.com/professional/shingles/oakridge.aspx, and disposed of all waste/garbage

Can not remember how many squares it was, but my house is a 1500 square foot Tri Level home if that helps, cost was $5300

 

[PJF1313]

It cost us about $10k for our roof, about 3,000 sqr. ft. That included removal of :
2 layers of asphalt
1 layer of cedar (original AFAIK)
1000 sq ft of hot tar flat roofing

installation of:

3/4 PLY WOOD - no MDF or fiberboard
GAF Slateline shingles (Lifetime warranty)
COPPER flashing (I provided the copper - 16 gauge leftovers)
1000 sf ft of EDMP of flat roof.

They also carted the wast.

EDIT - this was done in July, '09 on Long Island, N.Y.

 

[devinsdad]

I have had one estimate so far and it was $8,700 for the entire job excluding sheathing repair since it's not know exactly the extent that needs to be replaced. He also quoted $4,500 for only everything but removing the old shingles.

If that includes material which I hope it would that sounds like a reasonable deal.Just remember cheaper doesn't always mean better. Paying a little more for a guy with liability ins. is always a good thing .A good way to find a good roofer is ask them where they would tar and caulk? The best answer in most cases is 2 dabs on the exposed nails on the last cap shingle :coolsmirk:

 

[mayhem]

Also, any tips so I can make sure they do a good job the first time? How should I pay them, as they go/once finished? I really don't want to get screwed out of a lot of money.

Jim

Pay in installments based on clearly specified and written benchmarks. Last installment doesn't exchange hands until the contract is 100% completed.

 

[Squiner]

If that includes material which I hope it would that sounds like a reasonable deal.Just remember cheaper doesn't always mean better. Paying a little more for a guy with liability ins. is always a good thing .A good way to find a good roofer is ask them where they would tar and caulk? The best answer in most cases is 2 dabs on the exposed nails on the last cap shingle :coolsmirk:

That's a really good question. That is the most critical part of the job I want done correctly. Thanks!

 

[Squiner]

It cost us about $10k for our roof, about 3,000 sqr. ft. That included removal of :
2 layers of asphalt
1 layer of cedar (original AFAIK)
1000 sq ft of hot tar flat roofing

installation of:

3/4 PLY WOOD - no MDF or fiberboard
GAF Slateline shingles (Lifetime warranty)
COPPER flashing (I provided the copper - 16 gauge leftovers)
1000 sf ft of EDMP of flat roof.

They also carted the wast.

EDIT - this was done in July, '09 on Long Island, N.Y.

That sounds like a real good price based on what I have learned so far.

 

[Hogwildz]

32 square sounds awfully large for a single story, sure ya computed right?

 

[Hogwildz]

Pay as said, not all at once.
Do 1/2 at start, 1/2 at completion.
Or split it any other way you want. keep a good chunk on the completion to assure it gets done & done right.

 

[Squiner]

32 square sounds awfully large for a single story, sure ya computed right?

My calculations match the two contrctor estimates thus far. Two large roof areas cover a carport and another covers a large screned porch.

 

[Squiner]

Another question I have since I had another contractor come by yesterday.

He thinks that I should consider using the ice shield instead of the felt paper since the roof is low slope. I'm not sure what the price differeence will be but are there any comments on that? In Maryland we can get some snow and I guess ice damming can be an issue.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I ice shield everything on my own buildings but it is 5x the price of felt and is a little harder to install. It isn't going to prevent ice damming. If you are looking to minimize any potential damage without spending a boatload, you might do a few rows along the eaves and then the rest in felt.

 

[Squiner]

I ice shield everything on my own buildings but it is 5x the price of felt and is a little harder to install. It isn't going to prevent ice damming. If you are looking to minimize any potential damage without spending a boatload, you might do a few rows along the eaves and then the rest in felt.

The contractor said that the ice shield will prevent the water from leaking becasue it seals around the nails since it is a rubber that sticks to the roof. He is also going to give me a quote for only putting it down near the eaves.

 

[SolarAndWood]

It definitely does that. Almost like having a second roof. I also run it a couple feet up any sidewalls the roof comes against.

 

[Nic36]

I skimmed through the posts, but make sure to inquire about how the roofer will install the shingles in any roof valleys you may have. I had my shingles replaced about 3 years ago, only to recently discover two of my four valleys were leaking. I did a little reading and that is one of the most common roofing mistakes. If the valley is not installed properly, water can wick in under the shingles.

 

[Squiner]

I skimmed through the posts, but make sure to inquire about how the roofer will install the shingles in any roof valleys you may have. I had my shingles replaced about 3 years ago, only to recently discover two of my four valleys were leaking. I did a little reading and that is one of the most common roofing mistakes. If the valley is not installed properly, water can wick in under the shingles.

Thanks for the tip. Fortunatley I dont have any valleys.

The one contractor that so far I think will do the best job had one issue. I asked how he will flash the chimney. He said with step flashing and with the top cover flashing buried in the grout line. He said that he will fold the cover flashing and force it into the grout line like you are supposed to. Although, he will not put fresh grout in to secure it. He said that he will use caulk. From my internet searches on how to do this it said to use grout.

What are the thoughts on this? Shoul I require him to use grout? Is grout even considered best practice?

 

[SolarAndWood]

How was it flashed originally? Is it still there? Can it be reused and just reinforced with his step flashing and caulk? This is a major weak point in a lot of roofs. I don't think I have ever taken one apart and not found rot around the chimneys. I don't think I would rely on caulk to seal the step flashing to the masonry.