Roof replacement cost

[Smtwnwygrl]

Sorry for the off-topic question.

Well after 31 years my roof needs replacement. I got three local bids but wanted the work finished this summer so the shingles would have time to seal down. Then I made the

mistake of filling out one of those online roof ads. So here is where it gets weird. Bids for 35 square, strip to bare sheeting all metal and vents replaced, and ice shield in valleys and

around vents were;

Low of $12,560 to a high of $38,650. Two bids were both around $22,000 these were local as well as the low bid. The issue came up as to when the work would be done. Only one of the

locals could give me a contract with a finish date, and the high bidders also could meet my schedule, but for $38,000 and $36,000, I would hope so. Then it got weird the $38,000 bidder

called me and asked if they got the job. I said no. He asked how much was the bid I went with. I told him it was $22,000. He then said looking at my work he could meet that bid. Wow

rip me off if I went with his original bid, no way. The low bid was crossed off after some roofing questions came back with answers that put his work into question

 

[Smtwnwygrl]

Sorry for the off-topic question.

Well after 31 years my roof needs replacement. I got three local bids but wanted the work finished this summer so the shingles would have time to seal down. Then I made the

mistake of filling out one of those online roof ads. So here is where it gets weird. Bids for 35 square, strip to bare sheeting all metal and vents replaced, and ice shield in valleys and

around vents were;

Low of $12,560 to a high of $38,650. Two bids were both around $22,000 these were local as well as the low bid. The issue came up as to when the work would be done. Only one of the

locals could give me a contract with a finish date, and the high bidders also could meet my schedule, but for $38,000 and $36,000, I would hope so. Then it got weird the $38,000 bidder

called me and asked if they got the job of roof replacement. I said no. He asked how much was the bid I went with. I told him it was $22,000. He then said looking at my work he could meet that bid. Wow

rip me off if I went with his original bid, no way. The low bid was crossed off after some roofing questions came back with answers that put his work into question

thanks in advance for any help

 

[DaveC]

Sounds like our roofs are very different here in AZ vs. what you have in the UK, but generally speaking, any time I'm having significant work done like this, it's all about doing due diligence up front. I'm having a new roof put on my house next week, so from a selection process, here's what I can offer.

I will only use a licensed and bonded contractor for work like this. Here, our licensing agency is the Registrar of Contractors (ROC), After contacting multiple contractors to come out and provide bids, I researched their licensing and history with the ROC. I was able to see what type of licenses each carried, what, if any disputes had been filed against them and cured (or not), how long they'd been licensed and the value of the bonds put up against their licenses. This gives good insight into their level of competence. Also, by law in Arizona, depending on the type of work, the contractor owns anything he touches for 2-5 years after the job is complete, so anything that goes wrong and isn't rectified can be taken to the ROC and their license can be suspended or revoked, so the consumer has legal protection.

I also researched online reviews for each, and not just the ones on their websites; Yelp, Google and various other online reviews can tell you a lot about overall quality, how well they manage their jobs, follow up and addressing any issues that may come up. In addition to the online reviews, in my case, 2 of the vendors I considered were referred to me by friends and coworkers, so I was able to get their first-hand feedback to compare with all the other information.

With all this information in-hand, I closely compare the bids and accompanying scope of work to determine whether I'm comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges.

Finally, while I'm a firm believer in paying once for quality to have it done right, I don't always negate the cheapest bid and always look more discerningly at the outliers, both high and low. A low bid may indicate lower grade materials being used or that they're cutting corners elsewhere (labor, finishing, quality control, etc.) - or if all else is equal, they may simply have lower overhead and not have to account for advertising expenses.

In your case, I'd definitely have second thoughts about going with someone who had the ability to lower their price by +40% at the drop of a hat.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

I had my roof replaced about 10 years ago. I went with the low bidder. They were a local contractor that's been doing roofs for two generations. The original owner replaced the roof on my parents home. He keeps his cost down by buying shingles in large volume.

Also, being a roofing contractor with a long history, his liability insurance is low. My agent told me that general contractors that do roofs would have a higher premium. Same with roofing contractors with less than, say, a decade of experience.

 

[mxz800]

Just replaced a roof in Maine on a ranch house 13,500. That was for everything.

 

[RobertJ]

I must be stuck in military/federal employee mode, because I generally go with the middle bid. To the OP's point though, a guy that has the balls to overbid by that much and all of the sudden can "match the lower bid" can go pound sand. I don't play games with these people and generally let them know that up front.