On Apr 17, 11:04*pm, 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.

Sounds like you're on the right track. I'm willing to pay more for
good work, but there is usually a middle ground guy. And unless
you check their references, the most expensive guy could still
do a half-assed job. You have to wonder how these guys that
are 2X get the job. I went through that when replacing my furnace
and AC. The most expensive guy was 2X. He did show up at
the house and put those disposable booties on his feet before
coming inside and he had a brand new truck. I guess that must
impress enough folks. He was a nice guy, but like your guy,
refused to budge on price, even though he had the most room
to move.