Am I the only one?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
10,351
Location
Illinois
My house is going to need a roof soon. So, I've been making mental notes on the names that I'm seeing on the roofing trucks in the neighborhood, and around town.

And then I see one roofer, driving with a brand new diesel powered 4x4 one ton truck, lifted and oversized wheels, with at least another $10 grand in add-ons and chrome... and what did I think?

Gee... better not call him. Looks like he charges waaayyy too much for a roof, to be driving around a truck like that.

Am I the only one...?
 
We had a bad hailstorm in my locale back in May and there are new roofs going on every day. The roofing companies can make a real nice profit with what they can get insurance companies to pay - in most cases they'll even pick up the deductible. It must be lucrative as I've seen probably close to a dozen different signs in neighbors yards.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
My house is going to need a roof soon. So, I've been making mental notes on the names that I'm seeing on the roofing trucks in the neighborhood, and around town.

And then I see one roofer, driving with a brand new diesel powered 4x4 one ton truck, lifted and oversized wheels, with at least another $10 grand in add-ons and chrome... and what did I think?

Gee... better not call him. Looks like he charges waaayyy too much for a roof, to be driving around a truck like that.

Am I the only one...?


Do you have any Amish in your area? Around here, for jobs like roofing, they are below average in price and do really good work. And, even if they do get rich off you, you won't have to look at oversized chrome wheels on their buggy.
 
You need new shingles or?

I know someone who +/- 10 years ago needed the roof replaced, and they were quoted an astronomical amount. Needless to say they got a roofover with tin and yeah, no issues since.
Plus the house seemed cooler afterwards and nothing like falling asleep in a rainstorm while drops hit the tin roof.
thumbsup2.gif



Edit: Roofover was also nearly 50% cheaper.
 
Last edited:
This is why I always drive a modest work truck.

Never bring a nice vehicle to the job site your prices will skyrocket from the subs or your customers will complain.

A few years ago my friend had a brand new at the time Ferrari F430 and took it to a 4 lot subdivision he was doing...his prices went up 20% overnight!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
My house is going to need a roof soon. So, I've been making mental notes on the names that I'm seeing on the roofing trucks in the neighborhood, and around town.

And then I see one roofer, driving with a brand new diesel powered 4x4 one ton truck, lifted and oversized wheels, with at least another $10 grand in add-ons and chrome... and what did I think?

Gee... better not call him. Looks like he charges waaayyy too much for a roof, to be driving around a truck like that.

Am I the only one...?



I'm hearing you.
However, it could be just as simple as it's regarded as advertising for his business so he stands out, and it's his only play thing.
So he combines the two. Even though it's a bit too showy.
It worked didn't it seeing as you took notice.

One can always get multiple quotes, and double check that in the event his quote is competitive, he's not cutting back on the quality of the materials in comparison with the others in order to jack up his profitability.
Alternately he may also be underpaying his employees?

The other thing is to get referrals from prior customers and or check the workmanship of his previous jobs.

That's about all one can do really.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
My house is going to need a roof soon. So, I've been making mental notes on the names that I'm seeing on the roofing trucks in the neighborhood, and around town.

And then I see one roofer, driving with a brand new diesel powered 4x4 one ton truck, lifted and oversized wheels, with at least another $10 grand in add-ons and chrome... and what did I think?

Gee... better not call him. Looks like he charges waaayyy too much for a roof, to be driving around a truck like that.

Am I the only one...?


My first thought is how old is your home, because according to some, maintenance and repairs only need to be done on "antique" homes...

My second thought is exactly as you say. They are free to have high enough margin to afford such vehicles, but my money is green and they need it. No thanks.

My third thought is that #2 is only valid after youve solicited a few quotes to do proper due dilligence, and ensure that the guy driving the 77 Ford Ranger is actually charging less.
 
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
You need new shingles or?

I know someone who +/- 10 years ago needed the roof replaced, and they were quoted an astronomical amount. Needless to say they got a roofover with tin and yeah, no issues since.
Plus the house seemed cooler afterwards and nothing like falling asleep in a rainstorm while drops hit the tin roof.
thumbsup2.gif



Edit: Roofover was also nearly 50% cheaper.


Steel roof is the only way to go. last a lifetime and look better to.
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Edit: Roofover was also nearly 50% cheaper.


Steel roof is the only way to go. last a lifetime and look better to.


Not many folks get them around here except in the farm areas on barns. I do like the look of the steel or tin roofs. Didnt realize they are cheaper, wonder what the tradeoff is and why so many go asphalt if steel is cheaper. I wouldnt ever say they look "bad".

My preference, though expensive, is good old PA slate.
 
We were going to go that route, but have two different friends that did so and now cannot get cell phone reception in the house...or at least they must be sitting by a window. We are all in a rural area and do not have a strong signal to begin with, but the metal roof killed it.
 
Originally Posted By: lukejo
We were going to go that route, but have two different friends that did so and now cannot get cell phone reception in the house...or at least they must be sitting by a window. We are all in a rural area and do not have a strong signal to begin with, but the metal roof killed it.



This is where it would sell for me.
Peace and quiet and a beer under a metal roof.
beer3.gif
 
Those Big roofing/home improvement companies you see in the phone book will charge you a fortune. If a salesman is involved it's gonna cost you.
 
I don't go too crazy on a roof around here. Normally the way I price it is to ask much do they charge per square. A square is 100 square feet. That stops them from giving outrageous prices. I've been quoted 15-20k for a roof I ultimately got done for 7k and that was a 20 square roof with a 30 year architectural shingle. The thing with the guy driving the crazy truck is that he doesn't really need it, you just get all the materials delivered on the job site and you get a truck with a boom that can put all the shingles up on the roof. I look for the guys who advertise on craigslist and post a fixed price per square. The guy with the truck is just the salesman and he can add $100-$200 per square and all he does is sub the job out to a subcontractor. They end up doing the work for $100-$150 a square, then materials and disposal is the rest of the job.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top