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HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 6:05 pm
by 325i
So our roof developed some leaks with all the crazy rain we're getting and I need some help deciding on who to go with.

House specs:

- 1974 built bungalow
- roof was last done 13 years ago (really bad job)
- total area is 2700 sq feet
- roof incline is not steep, I've been on the roof many times

Best quote so far:

- $5500 all-in
- remove old shingles
- repair roof deck as required (2 free sheets, $50 thereafter)
- ice & water guard 3 feed from eaves and rakes, also stacks, vents, valleys, and chimmney
- felt underlayment accross entire roof
- 40 year laminate shingles (Roof Shake 40)
- chimney flashings
- upgrade roof vents to 50 sq inches
- change all plumbing stacks
- 10 year labour warranty

From there the quotes go from $4700 (25 year ashvolt) up to $8000 :confused: .

So help me out please everyone.... is this a good deal, should I shop around further?

I've received quotes from everyone like avenue roofing, let it rain... etc etc.

Oh - one more thing. We have normal square vents plus one turbine. Guy is saying you must remove the turbine, is this true???

Thanks for your help!

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 6:48 pm
by stealth
That sounds about right. I got a quote similar to that from Avenue Road last year...And never heard from them again, after I called them and said I wanted to go ahead with it. :confused:

So now I'm looking for someone to do it this year, but I have a feeling this late in the summer, with all the rain leading to more leaks, and fewer hours for them to work on roofs, prices are going to go up, or more of them will be all booked up.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 7:06 pm
by CSK'sMom
Yes to the turbines. Most people were sold them not realizing how they actually work. Not only do they help to move hot air out of your attic in the summer but if they aren't covered or stuffed with insulation they do the same in the winter. If ventilation is an issue look into ridge venting. A ridge vent can replace all your existing square vents and the turbine.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 7:30 pm
by susan123
Yup - wide range in roof quotes. My house is much smaller and I did roof (fiberglass shingels-30yr elk prestique) 2 years ago but quotes went from Unknown companies $2500, to Cherry & Clark $3700, Home Depot $4247 (who actually then give all local contracts to Charry & Clark), up to $5500 with Let It Rain. Mom's house is bigger and her quotes were approx. double.

My suggestion is to go with someone with a good reputation and to check the Better Business Bureau. Lots of roofing co. have lots of complaints I noticed. While in the end they will all give you a roof, eventually you will notice that you get what you pay for.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 7:51 pm
by l69norm
325i wrote: ...roof was last done 13 years ago (really bad job)...
If it's only 13 years old, it might be a simple problem like a missing shingle, loose flashing or a loose vent. Check in the attic to see where it's leaking. You can also have a roofing company do an inspection and tune up (for $200) as well.
CSK'sMom wrote: .. turbines. ..but if they aren't covered or stuffed with insulation they do the same in the winter....
No, wind turbines are suppose to run all year. In winter, ventilation is even more critical than in summer. In cold weather, any moist warm needs to be drawn out, else it will condense on the insulation. The problem with power vents is that the thermostat never kicks in during the winter and you can get ice forming on top of the insulation in the attic.

The problem with wind turbines are:
1) If they are not installed straight (horizontally), water can get in past the vents. Some installers leave them at an angle, which is wrong.
2) They aren't very wind resistant. They have been known to be ripped during a storm from high winds. This leaves a hole where water can enter. Usually no one notices right way. The home owner investigates a leak days or even months later, then realizes that the turbine has gone missing.
3) The bearing on cheap turbines goes after a few years, causing either a rumbling or sqeeking noise.

Thanks for the responses

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 8:10 pm
by 325i
I was thinking about going the "tune-up" route but when I had a look in the attic there was at least 6 different areas where water was dripping in, the last guy that did the roof just did a horrible job.

I'm weary on the price though... just can't believe how expensive it is, but what can you do I guess :confused:

I am going to look in to the company's rep - where do I go for that?

Thanks!!

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 14th, 2008 8:30 pm
by l69norm
I think the only reliable way is to ask neighbors for recommendations. Don't go on price alone because either they aren't quoting you on the same thing (i.e. extra charges for flashing?) or they are cutting corners. The quotes should be all within $500-$600 of each other. Also note how long it will take to get the job started. A good company may be able to get to you in a couple of weeks where someone else might take 1.5-2 months before your job starts.

Remember most of these companies don't have their own roofing crews. They sub-contract to independent crews on a piece meal basis and the crew experience level varies dramatically. The best and experienced crews eventually end up working for the best paying companies. The slow and inexperienced crews work for the cheaper companies. A good crew can do a great job on a house in less than 2 days start to finish. An inexperienced crew can take a week and a half to do the same house and produce a worse job.

Edit - some previous threads here talked about metal roofing. I know a couple of guys who had this done and they are very happy with it.

In Mississauga, you can't get any better than Cherry and Clark. I know Cherry and Clark will send someone to do temporary "emergency" repairs until they are ready to do your roof. As Susan noted, Cherry and Clark handle the Home Depot contracts in the Mississauga and Oakville

Edit - There were some previous threads here on metal roofing. I know a couple of people that had it done and they were very happy. I was the surprised at the price which was a lot lower than I expected (3X more expensive vs. only 20% more).

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 15th, 2008 7:47 am
by jumbojones
My neighbors mentioned Continental roofing did a good job at a reasonable price.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 15th, 2008 8:11 am
by Pete_Coach
CSK'sMom wrote: Yes to the turbines. Most people were sold them not realizing how they actually work. Not only do they help to move hot air out of your attic in the summer but if they aren't covered or stuffed with insulation they do the same in the winter. If ventilation is an issue look into ridge venting. A ridge vent can replace all your existing square vents and the turbine.
I had turbine vents and when my roof was redone I was told I should remove them. I had this cupola type installed. I figured it was an upsell by the roofing company but it turns out that the cupola type is now the preferred type over the turbine vents.
http://joneakes.com/cgi-bin/getdetailscals.cgi?id=1497

As for the OP question. 5K seems about right for the work you are getting done. I think it can be a bit cheaper if you got less expensive shingles. I do not believe any shingle will last 40 years. 15 + or - a few years is as good as you will get out of our climate, using asphalt or fiberglass shingles. If your roof does not have much pitch, I would suggest that you get an extra 3 ft of ice and water shield for a total of 6 ft around the perimeter though. Just insurance against ice damming.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 15th, 2008 10:17 am
by bythehour
The quotes sound about right. Our two story has less square footage, but has a steep roof and we are adding drip edges and about six vents (intake and exhaust). It's costing about $5,200.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 15th, 2008 10:32 am
by 325i
Thanks everyone for your feedback and advice.

I think I'm going to go with this quote although I'm still going to do a couple things:

- get some background information on the company
- find out about the maxi-vent thing

the place we're going with is A&P Roofing Systems.

VR

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 15th, 2008 5:24 pm
by CheapScotsman
I would strongly recommend a continuous ridge vent (assuming you have a mostly continous ridge) ... nothing to fail and much better heat ventilation ... but it only works if you have good airflow INTO your attic.

A few ways check out roofing companies; references from customers, references from their suppliers, better business bureau, roofing assocations, etc. Ask them.

Re: HELP - we need to get our roof done....

Posted: Aug 20th, 2008 8:26 pm
by mrmagoo2005
...Owned a Roofing Co. for 35 years-licensed in shingles and flats-commercial and residential projects-so here goes:

Shingles-the # 1 manufacturer of shingles is IKO-last I heard they had 80% mkt share worldwide-they also sell under the brand name CRC-NEVER had any problems with them. Most shingles are now impregnated with zinc particles to help stop algae/mold growth.

Venting-Turbines are the best BUT you must buy the "Dual Stainless Sealed Bearing" types-the cheapies are plastic/nylon bearing and once they stop turning they leak in a wind driven rainstorm. You must also have a vapour barrier in the ceiling of your home otherwise the heat will be sucked out in the winter-if you have no vapour barriar then a coat of vapour barrier paint or oil paint on the ceiling will suffice. You must also have soffitt venting and there should be a space between the underside of the roof deck and the insulation so the air can "flow" from the soffitt area.
As for price not many want to work in that business and $5,000.00 sounds fair. As for the "plumbing stacks" being replaced I don't think so...maybe the plumbing stack flashings?? As for caulking insist on Lepages Polyurethane Caulking-best in the business, has an expansion factor of 500% and stays flexible.
Quality??? there are good and there are bad-some of my employees were subs and the good crews were always busy as new customers that observed their work habits insisted on their roof being done by the same crew...price wise best time to get your roof done is in the Spring-some companies just want to keep the good crews on and there's not much work at that time so they're willing to cut their prices rather than have no work and loose their best crews.
The difference between 25 and 35 year shingles-not much as studies show most homeowners don't live in the same house that long. For a small extra charge I would always have the roof tarpapered over before the shingles were installed as there's plenty of protection on the outside (3 layers tarpaper, ceramic granules and tar) buy not much on the underside.
Cheers and I hope this helps.

Cherry and Clark

Posted: Feb 27th, 2009 9:44 am
by moeqt
I know this is an older thread, but I was searching on "Cherry and Clark" and came across this old conversation. I have been waiting 3 weeks for Cherry and Clark to call me back about a leaking roof on a roof they installed just 6 years ago. Yes it's under warranty, yes I have had 2 roofs done by them (different houses), but this time around I am getting an entirely different experience. I called the office this morning for the 4th time to see if I could talk to somebody and the receptionist "accidentally" hung up on me.

I really have my doubts at Cherry and Clark and, at this point, would not recommend them.