DerbyDad03 wrote:

For those that don't recall the original thread, I had a roofing
contractor tell me that my 6" soffits were too narrow to use a ridge
vent and he recommended box vents instead.

All a.h.r responders basically said BS.

I have had 2 more estimates since then and also spoke to 2 shingle
manufacturer's customer service lines. No one has ever heard of the
"narrow soffit - no ridge vent" practice.

So, while I'd like to tell that contractor to take a hike, there are
also issues with the other 2 estimates:

One company came out, took a look at the house when I wasn't home and
then brought over the estimate one day after work. Before I looked at
the estimate I asked him about the "narrow soffit - no ridge vent"
practice. He said that it doesn't even make sense and that the
estimate that I was holding included a ridge vent. When I asked him
how he was going to handle the soffits he said "Oh, I didn't notice
that you don't have any soffit vents." A quick calculation later and
he said "That'll be $200 more soffit vents." How the heck do you
estimate a roof job and not even notice that there are no soffit
vents?

The other company seemed very well prepared, asked me a bunch of
questions, and then said. "I'll tell you right up front, we'll
probably be the most expensive estimate you'll get, but you'll never
call us back unless you want some other work done." He eventually
gave me very complete estimate, including doing a few things that the
other companies had not mentioned. Problem is, he's more than twice
the other 2 estimates. He even charges $10 more per sheet of plywood
than the others. I asked him about that. "What's different about your
plywood or the way you install it that makes it worth $10 more per
sheet?"

The answer: "There's nothing different. I just have a lot of overhead
to cover. I have 5 trucks like mine, a dump truck, a this, a that and
another thing." Even if he did include some extra items on the
estimate, does he really expect me to pay more for everything else
just because he has higher overhead than the other guys? I'm sure I
could get the other contractors to add in his items for a lot less
than he's doing them for. Seriously - If I added the other 2
estimates together, they be less than his.

The search goes on.


Last year when I had my roof replaced I asked for recommendations from
people I knew. I was given a list of names and did my own research on
their reputations. Then I had estimates done and compared them all to
each other. As you say there is a wide variety of costs they quote but
the tiebreaker for me was the reputation of the contractor.

The one I chose wasn't the cheapest but they reduced their price a few
hundred dollars when I showed them the quote from a competitor and told
them I would rather deal with them because of their reputation. They
had a crew of 6 Mexicans do the job on my 2200 sq ft ranch house and it
took them 2 1/2 days to rip out the old shingles, replace the plywood
for the old fans and cupola, install new ridge vent and vents for the
sinks, and clean up the attic and premises spotlessly. They didn't
even goof off during that time, they just did a thorough job. I have
not had to call them back once and would recommend them to others.

Sometimes service is worth the extra price.