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Need a new roof

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Newbie
Oct 16, 2011
5 posts

Need a new roof

Hey everyone.

We bought a 1930s house in the midtown area last December that we knew needed a new roof this spring. We had a quote done before the bad winter weather started -- at around $20,000! The company seemed a little over the top, trying to upsell "venting" technology and a "lifetime warranty" that would increase the value of our house. We knew the roof needed to be completely redone, sheathing and all, but figured we would get a quote half of that or even a little less. Is that the going rate in Toronto for a completely new roof? Does anyone have a company they would use/recommend who they found to be a little more reasonable?

Thanks!

Dan
16 replies
Deal Expert
Jan 27, 2006
21844 posts
15620 upvotes
Vancouver, BC
I would bring at least another three companies in for a quote. I just completed a new roof in Vancouver last year and when everything was done (cedar with 3 light tubes) I was looking at over $26,000 which was pretty good as many of the other contractors were in the high 20's and mid 30's. As such, many of my neighbours also got the same contractor to do their roofs so you might want to check around to see if any of your neighbours want theirs done and work out a deal with a contractor.
Deal Guru
Jan 25, 2007
12695 posts
7861 upvotes
Paris
20 grand for steel isn't bad. 20k for fibreglass singles seems pricey (though you said replace ALL the sheathing) 20k for 3 tab asphalt is highway robbery.
Newbie
Oct 16, 2011
5 posts
Jerico wrote: 20 grand for steel isn't bad. 20k for fibreglass singles seems pricey (though you said replace ALL the sheathing) 20k for 3 tab asphalt is highway robbery.
Nope it's new plywood sheathing and normal shingles -- not steel. Figured the 20k was too high.
Deal Expert
Oct 6, 2005
16872 posts
2557 upvotes
dangoodman8 wrote: We bought a 1930s house in the midtown area last December that we knew needed a new roof this spring. We had a quote done before the bad winter weather started -- at around $20,000! The company seemed a little over the top, trying to upsell "venting" technology and a "lifetime warranty" that would increase the value of our house. We knew the roof needed to be completely redone, sheathing and all, but figured we would get a quote half of that or even a little less. Is that the going rate in Toronto for a completely new roof? Does anyone have a company they would use/recommend who they found to be a little more reasonable?
That's a lot - I only paid <6K for my roof - the roof is about 1,600 square feet; asphalt shingles, 25 year warranty, GTA.
Newbie
Oct 16, 2011
5 posts
coolspot wrote: That's a lot - I only paid <6K for my roof - the roof is about 1,600 square feet; asphalt shingles, 25 year warranty, GTA.
Were you happy with the work? If so, could you pm me who you used?

Thanks!
Deal Guru
Jan 25, 2007
12695 posts
7861 upvotes
Paris
I did fibreglass shingles with a 50 year warranty. Didn't cost much extra and I think they look nicer.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Feb 8, 2014
32150 posts
15428 upvotes
Socially Distanced
The warranty is worthless, roofing companies go out of business all the time and the manufacturer will tell you to take a hike. I can personally attest to this.
Get many quotes, finding good roofers is hard unless your already a master roofer.
If your not planning on living there for more then 10 years then asphalt shingles will cost the least, metal will cost the most but if your never moving then it can be worth it (but then you better be damn sure your getting quality, blowing 20-30k on a badly done roof with no warranty will make you very bitter)
In fact in Rand McNally they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people
Deal Addict
User avatar
Feb 10, 2011
1254 posts
429 upvotes
Quentin5 wrote: The warranty is worthless, roofing companies go out of business all the time and the manufacturer will tell you to take a hike. I can personally attest to this.
Get many quotes, finding good roofers is hard unless your already a master roofer.
If your not planning on living there for more then 10 years then asphalt shingles will cost the least, metal will cost the most but if your never moving then it can be worth it (but then you better be damn sure your getting quality, blowing 20-30k on a badly done roof with no warranty will make you very bitter)
So true, over the years I have done 5 or so roofs and we kept all records with receipts and codes off bundles and with every roof the shingles wore out after about half of the warranty.. each time we were denied any warranty on shingle from manufacture, Best we did was have the seller take the tax off the new ones...
No One Goes to Palmerston Ontario
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jun 12, 2007
20807 posts
6623 upvotes
London
dangoodman8 wrote: Nope it's new plywood sheathing and normal shingles -- not steel. Figured the 20k was too high.
? replace all sheathing ?

That's not part of a normal roof job

Is there a reason for replacing all sheathing like mold?
Deal Addict
Dec 24, 2007
1993 posts
513 upvotes
Toronto
The price in TO will always be 2-3X the regular price.

I am not sure about your budget or how accessible your roof is but it will determine the price. It really bothers me that contractors think just becuase you can afford to buy a house in TO, that you can pay their premium prices.

Someone in this forum recommend Gitson in Markham many years ago, my parents, neighbour and friends have used them without any issues. I would recommend still to do your homework/research and go from there.

Cheers and good luck!
dangoodman8 wrote: Hey everyone.

We bought a 1930s house in the midtown area last December that we knew needed a new roof this spring. We had a quote done before the bad winter weather started -- at around $20,000! The company seemed a little over the top, trying to upsell "venting" technology and a "lifetime warranty" that would increase the value of our house. We knew the roof needed to be completely redone, sheathing and all, but figured we would get a quote half of that or even a little less. Is that the going rate in Toronto for a completely new roof? Does anyone have a company they would use/recommend who they found to be a little more reasonable?

Thanks!

Dan
Thread started in 2016 - 1927 fully gutted and renovated 2 storey detached home in the big T.O. - small projects still in progress.

RFD priceless!
Deal Guru
Feb 9, 2006
13378 posts
8308 upvotes
Brampton
These are the guys I used
https://homestars.com/companies/199218- ... oofing-inc

I got 3 quotes everyone ball parked around ~$500 of each other. He was in the middle I usually take the middle. I got him to throw on 1 "upgraded stack vent", all the vents replaced, ice and water shield on the the joints.
Deal Addict
Feb 29, 2012
2654 posts
1461 upvotes
Richmond
Like the others said, get 3 quotes. Get them to break it down a bit and tell you what they are charging for each item. Then compare and ask questions if they appear to be offering different things. It doesn't take much research to understand the basics.

In general most estimators simply base it on the area of your roof and the materials cost. Labour is pretty standard, and most roofing companies use contractors.

Long-term warranty on the shingles is worthless, but it may be worth getting a decent short-term warranty (like 10 years) from a roofing company that's been around long enough to have a reputation. That might cover you in case a problem with the workmanship or materials turns up in the first few years.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Mar 23, 2009
22529 posts
8939 upvotes
Toronto
dangoodman8 wrote: We bought a 1930s house in the midtown area last December that we knew needed a new roof this spring. We had a quote done before the bad winter weather started -- at around $20,000! The company seemed a little over the top, trying to upsell "venting" technology and a "lifetime warranty" that would increase the value of our house. We knew the roof needed to be completely redone, sheathing and all, but figured we would get a quote half of that or even a little less. Is that the going rate in Toronto for a completely new roof? Does anyone have a company they would use/recommend who they found to be a little more reasonable?
How big is this house, and how complex is it? I'm guessing that having to get all the sheathing done is the problem here though.

I have a large house with a complex roof in Toronto. I contacted 4 different roofers. One guy flat out just refused and said it was too much finicky work. He has enough word of mouth so that he can pick and choose, so he just goes for the easy jobs. For the other three, I was quoted between $11000 with Certainteed Landmark asphalt shingles and approximately $15000 with Iko (more for Certainteed). However, all the plywood was intact so they didn't have to replace any of that. They just had to replace some of the vents, which is a 3-digit $ cost. I chose a small company with the middle quote, but when they came to house the crew refused to do the work because they said the roof was too steep in some parts and overall too complex (like that 1st roofer I mentioned said). I was like WTF?!? But at least I didn't get charged a cent and had no deposit so it was just wasted time for me. Time is money though.

I ended up getting it done with the guys who gave me the cheapest quote and it was fine. However, that cheapest one was from a large outfit, popular on Homestars, but I was originally wary because they do a lot of subcontracting I'm told, so it really comes down to the quality of the subcontractors. Fortunately for me, they seemed to be on the ball from what I saw, and according to my neighbour who also just had his roof done and who was watching the whole process for my roof.
Member
May 1, 2007
418 posts
210 upvotes
Toronto
I had mine done November 2015 by George Kent (http://www.georgekent.ca/) and was very satisfied with the whole process.

They were not the cheapest, however they are GAF Master Elite certified installers and they installed the entire GAF Lifetime Roof System on my house using GAF Timberline HD shingles.
Deal Addict
May 23, 2009
3681 posts
2388 upvotes
Mississauga
dangoodman8 wrote: Hey everyone.

We bought a 1930s house in the midtown area last December that we knew needed a new roof this spring. We had a quote done before the bad winter weather started -- at around $20,000! The company seemed a little over the top, trying to upsell "venting" technology and a "lifetime warranty" that would increase the value of our house. We knew the roof needed to be completely redone, sheathing and all, but figured we would get a quote half of that or even a little less. Is that the going rate in Toronto for a completely new roof? Does anyone have a company they would use/recommend who they found to be a little more reasonable?

Thanks!

Dan
Rosedale mansion?

As a few posters mentioned get more quotes. Complexity of your roof and location will have their markups. I know of two people who had issues getting quotes in Lorne Park Mississauga. The first guy went with the only quote he could get which was more than $25K before taxes. Quite a few contractors showed up and just refused to quote the job.
Deal Addict
Feb 29, 2012
2654 posts
1461 upvotes
Richmond
EugW wrote: How big is this house, and how complex is it? I'm guessing that having to get all the sheathing done is the problem here though.
I have a large house with a complex roof in Toronto. I contacted 4 different roofers. One guy flat out just refused and said it was too much finicky work.
I though that would be an issue with my roof too - a complex roof with lots of sections and eaves, full first-time sheathing needed since we were converting from cedar shake to asphalt shingles.

But all the estimators said no, it was mainly just the total area and the cost of materials driving their estimate. And in truth the very professional roofing crew made short work of the sheathing, cutting and fitting everything fast and efficiently with no wasted time or material. The job was 3 days start to finish, including tear-off, sheathing, underlay, shingles, new skylights, and clean-up. The complex roof didn't seem to slow them down or give them any concern at all. I was impressed! If I were doing that job, sure as heck I would have made a bunch of bad cuts and wasted a lot of plywood. :)

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