Roof replacement advice needed

[frannn]

Our roof in NY is leaking and raccoons are trying to break in, so we need to replace quickly. Got 3 estimates- 2 from Angi List and 1 guy DH found that did a good small repair recently. 2 of the estimates were 11K, the 3rd was 18K (includes 50yr warranty and somewhat thicker shingle). We're not sure which to pick and will have to finance regardless. The 18k was from Angi and the co has been in business for 70+ years, but there were a couple of sketchy reviews mixed in, plus companies go out of business every day. The other from Angi has about 45 positive reviews. Any advice?

 

[NYCgrrl]

Ask a neighbor for a referral? I’m skeptical of the 50 year warranty since the useful life of most roofing material is 10- 20 years with slate being the only exception in the 50 year mark.

eta I’m assuming that winter has arrived in your area and thus the best that can be done is a temp fix until spring arrives. The temp fix would apply a thick mil plastic to the area needing repair.

PS if raccoons are wandering around the roof you may also want to look into having a landscaper prune back the trees and bushes around the foundation. This is also a probable spring time frame thingie.

 

[fla4fun]

Well, as someone who has had a roof repair this year, my instinct is to go with the guy that your DH knows has done good work. It’s so difficult to trust a contractor these days, so when you find one who does good work and gives a competitive estimate, it’s gold. If you know anyone who has had roof work done recently, or your neighborhood has a community website, a referral from them could be another source of reliable contractors.

I agree with the previous poster that a 50-year warranty on an asphalt shingle roof just doesn’t sound right. If the estimate they provided gives you the name of the product they will be installing, maybe look some reviews up on the internet to get a better idea of the quality of the shingle and how long it lasts.

 

[tvguy]

Ask a neighbor for a referral? I’m skeptical of the 50 year warranty since the useful life of most roofing material is 10- 20 years with slate being the only exception in the 50 year mark.

50 year, and Lifetime warranties aren't uncommon here, however, what you need to look for is a company that purchases a bond to cover roof replacement if they go out of business. Neighbor's Lifetime roof started leaking after 30 years. The Roofer had long since retired and closed his business, and the company that made the roofing went out of business, but the bond company stepped right up and paid for another roof.

 

[NYCgrrl]

50 year, and Lifetime warranties aren't uncommon here, however, what you need to look for is a company that purchases a bond to cover roof replacement if they go out of business. Neighbor's Lifetime roof started leaking after 30 years. The Roofer had long since retired and closed his business, and the company that made the roofing went out of business, but the bond company stepped right up and paid for another roof.

The bond is an excellent idea!
Lifetime warranties are not unheard of in the NE but the useful life of the material still rules thus it can be just a marketing tool unfortunately. I’ve never dealt with a roof in a milder clime so your input adds to my general knowledge .

 

[Eastern]

If you are on FB also check if there is a local town group that has referrals.

 

[tvguy]

The bond is an excellent idea!
Lifetime warranties are not unheard of in the NE but the useful life of the material still rules thus it can be just a marketing tool unfortunately. I’ve never dealt with a roof in a milder clime so your input adds to my general knowledge .

LOL. Define "milder climate". Rarely gets under 32 here, frequently gets over 100.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

as you local building department….
they can’t give recommendations
however, they can tell you who they have the most problems with

 

[barkley]

you might also give your homeowner's insurance company a call and find out who they would use in your area in the event of a claim. i've found some home repair/improvement folks that way. this summer we had an issue with our home-i called the general contractor that did an insurance job for us several years ago. the current job was not something they could take on (they were booking jobs into 2024 back in june ) but they were able to provide me with a couple of the subcontractor's names they would have used for the job which resulted in an excellent resource.

angies list? many of the top tradespeople in our area are not listed b/c of their business practices. i know there are some companies that show as great on their site when in reality they have horrible local reputations.

i agree with reccommendations/word of mouth (but check licensing, bonding, reviews from multiple sources).

 

[Anthony1971]

50 year warranty is the shingle and may be useless in the end. Lifetime….everyone has been sued. Find out the brand of shingle and read the actual warranty from the website and what it covers also what it will pay after X years. Labor will never be included most will pay around 300-700 after 10-20 years if you can prove it was installed properly. With that there are better brands of shingles. My neighbor has a 50 year shingle that is definitely older not 50 years maybe 30-35 but leaking. they are selling so not fixing it but was disclosed. If the roof is ventilated correctly an average brand like GAF should easily last 25-30 years. NY is expensive for labor we are in that area as well. Most important is to find a real roofer the roof should be peeled and reroofed starting at 8 am and finishing up by 1pm the same day unless you have a very large house. Ask the right questions including if there is rot on the sheathing what is included and what the charge if you go over.
Many years ago a 50 year warranty meant just that… not the case anymore as is prorated. To say it again the cheapest shingles at Home Depot installed right will last longer then a 50 year shingles installed wrong. The people that say ask the neighbors is good advice with how long ago and any problems. I have seen roofs done by me this time of year by a well known good roofing company but with asphalt they are brittle in the cold and will take longer to seal as they need sun to heat up the sealant and seal to the other shingles so get it done ASAP before the snow and ice or wait until March or April January and February in NY are the last months you want to have a new roof put on. Please make sure the company you are using are the people installing not a contractor that subs like the huge companies that advertise roofing siding bathrooms…. Look online after the paid advertisements for XYZ roofing and look at the website should be roofs only.

 

[Anthony1971]

I will also add a good roofer will have a ladder walk on your roof be able to tell you the condition of your current roof let you know if needs to be replaced or can be repaired and should have X years left. A 3 year old or less can still leak, sometimes the shingles do not seal correctly or just a few bad shingles from the lot put on your roof which is why you should be left a sealed pack of the shingles used. Also good if the shingle company finds lot X was produced incorrectly you then have proof. Make sure they are stored inside in a dry place like a garage shelf.

 

[easyas123]

Any advice?

sk a neighbor for a referral? I’m skeptical of the 50 year warranty since the useful life of most roofing material is 10- 20 years with slate being the only exception in the 50 year mark.

Neighbor referrals are a excellent idea.

PS if raccoons are wandering around the roof you may also want to look into having a landscaper prune back the trees

I would go farther and suggest is raccoons (OP do you maybe mean squirrels??) are getting in you have a problem - and one that won't be solved with just a new roof. You need to prevent the ability of the animals from accessing the area, otherwise they may have a go at your new roof.

It’s so difficult to trust a contractor these days,

I'm a contractor, and this is spot on. I'm not a residential contractor thank god!

50 year warranty is the shingle and may be useless in the end.

Not necessarily true.

OP - when we built our latest house about 10 years ago we got a 50 year warranty that covers both shingles & the labor to repair them should the need arise. This warranty will also convey to the next owner should we sell. OF COURSE, a lot of this is predicated upon the Company still being around/in business years from now - and we went in to it knowing that since it was a small family business. We would have gotten these shingles and used this sub for our roof (and siding) in any event. I wouldn't have given the 50 year warranty a second thought but we actually had some wind damage freak wind storm 2 or 3 years ago and when we called them they came right down (they are in PA, we are in MD) and fixed the roof w/o a hassle.

OP - good luck, I hope you can find someone reputable and who does a decent job sooner rather than later.

 

[_19disnA]

I have always had good luck using neighbor referrals for any type of roofing work in the past. They are going to be honest about their experience and aren't trying to sell you anything. Roofing is one of those things I would NOT just choose someone at random from online ads. Way too much can go wrong, especially if replacing a roof vs. just doing some sort of minor repairs. I am far more inclined to trust my neighbor for a review vs. someone online you have never met. Who knows if those reviews are real or just people who work for that company?

Regular shingles will never last 50 yrs, so I am not sure what exactly that warranty would be for. Also if you don't plan to live there another 50 yrs, then that type of warranty won't mean very much. Many factors impact how long a roof lasts including the quality of the shingles, the climate where you live and if your yard has lots of trees/shade causing the shingles to always remain damp and fail sooner.

How long the job takes once they start is related to a number of factors. Are the old shingles being removed, does the roof involve intersecting/complex shapes, how large is the roof and if any repair of the plywood is necessary due to age/rot/deterioration? They may not know some of those things until the work actually starts and well-written quotes from experienced roofers will spell that out. I would rather they do the job well instead of rushing to complete in a fixed amount of time. You pay by the job not by the hour.

 

[cvjw]

Just got a new roof a couple weeks ago. Our neighborhood of 240 houses was hit by 2.5 inch hail in September, so most everyone is getting a new roof. We used the same company that other neighbors had used. We figured if other neighbors were happy with them, we would be too.

I will say that roofs are super expensive now. Our last roof 17 years ago was $6000. This roof was $19,000. Cost has tripled.

 

[NickC]

It all depends. Did any of the companies look at the roof, or was the price based on an Eagleview? It's probably a good idea to put the proposals next to each other and see how many squares are included, how many layers are proposed to be removed, how many sheets of plywood are allotted in the scope, does that include underlayment, dumpster, permits etc. If one proposal is for one layer removal with an extra charge for plywood, then that can add to the cost. So, it wouldn't be apples to apples.

Whichever you decide, I would advise asking for a workers comp Acord as proof of WC insurance. I don't let anyone work on my house without it.

 

[dclpluto]

You want a company to come in and get it done the same day. There should be roofing places by you. I had my roof done in December 2019. They came at 7 in the morning and had the roof put on at noon. They were cleaned up at one. I have a rancher 26x44 1144 square feet. Even if your house is doubled the size they should be able to get it done in one day. Cost me 6800 in south Jersey. Of course it’s been four years and costs are a lot higher now.

 

[mjkacmom]

You want a company to come in and get it done the same day. There should be roofing places by you. I had my roof done in December 2019. They came at 7 in the morning and had the roof put on at noon. They were cleaned up at one. I have a rancher 26x44 1144 square feet. Even if your house is doubled the size they should be able to get it done in one day. Cost me 6800 in south Jersey. Of course it’s been four years and costs are a lot higher now.

We had our roof done s few years ago, I think it was $8000, got word of mouth reviews, a local roofing company. At least 8 guys came and the work was done in 4 hours.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

In my neighborhood there is always somebody doing something to their home. New roofs, new driveways, new gutters, new doors, new paint, etc. I have stopped and asked for a business card if I see workers in front of someone's house and I like the work they're doing. Also, I notice the vans they drive in, always have name of business. My neighbor just did a new roof, gutter, paint and new doors and we've asked who they used and if they were pleased with the work. We will probably get a new roof next year. I have a large house, I've heard about $15,000 but I think it's going to be more like $20,000.