I've received three estimates to remove two old layers and add a new
layer to my 3400 sq ft roof on a ranch house in central New Jersey.

Company A: $11,940.00, GAF Timberline Lifetime shingles. Gave estimate
on the spot. Said job would take less than one day. Estimate includes
$700 dumpster charge, and up to three sheets of plywood. (I estimate
that the one soft spot is only 1 foot x 3 feet.) Cricket not discussed.)

Company B: $9,280, IKO Cambridge AR. Gave estimate on the spot. Said job
would take less than one day. No dumpster; uses company-owned dump
trucks. Up to three sheets of plywood free. If I want GAF shingles, they
would charge an extra $980, bringing the total to $10,260. Price of
building a cricket next to the chimney included.

Company C: $8,575, GAF Timberline Lifetime singles. Came to my house on
Monday, promised an estimate via email in one or two days; it arrived
today, four days later. Each sheet of plywood, $50. Will probably use a
dumpster. Cricket included.

Peripheral stuff like ridge vents, drip edges and replacing plumbing
pipe penetrations with non-rusting aluminum ones are the same with all
three companies. The warranty on the IKO shingles seems better than on
the GAF, but once you read them you see that all contain too many
loopholes and limitations, and just about all shingle manufacturers are
involved in class action lawsuits regarding not honoring their warranties.

In Company C's favor, aside from the price: He was the only one to walk
on the roof, inspect it and tell me I really didn't need a new one;
there are just portions of one or two shingles missing. Also, his email
proposal was the most professional, with each item specified in great
detail and everything neatly typed in a Word document.

Against Company C: He didn't meet his own deadline for the estimate,
which raises doubt about his trustworthiness; the job would take more
than the one day the other two companies promised, and the dumpster. (I
probably shouldn't be concerned about the dumpster, as it will be on
plywood "feet" to protect my blacktop driveway.)

As I am writing this, Company B called. I asked how C could be so much
lower than B even with the GAF shingles he wants an extra $980 for. B
called back at few minutes later, after checking his figures, and came
back with $9,700 as his best price.

(For the record, HD charges about $100 per square (3 bundles) for the
GAF Timberline Lifetime shingles, and my roof needs 34 bundles. IKO runs
about $84 per bundle if picked up, $88.65 if delivered, and $90 if
boomed up. IKO prices are from an Indiana company, ReeseWholesaler.com.
So HD, a retailer, would charge $510 more for the GAFs.)

With C being $1,125 cheaper, seems like a no-brainer to chose them. But
I thank you for your comments on something I may have overlooked, and
whether to bring in a company D and E.