Roofing – to save a buck and spend a bundle

There are things in life one should never skimp on. The most common I hear are:

1. Lunchmeat
2. Cheese
3. Toilet paper

There are things in construction that bear the same simple rules. I would say the same for all construction, but at the very least (from a safety standpoint) they are:

1. Electrical
2. Structural (framing/masonry/concrete)
3. Roofing
4. Plumbing (remember we are talking about human waste and potable/drinking water)

Lets hit on roofing. There are lots of crews in this business that will bid lowest for installing the same stuff as the reputable guys (same stuff meaning the same brand materials). This leads to the thought “it is the same brand and material, right? It has the same warranty, right? Why pay more than the lowest bid?”

Well, if you hang a 300lb mirror on the wall with one 100lb-rated hook instead of three or four, it is still installed. Right? At least until it falls off the wall.

Standard nailing for an asphalt shingle roof is usually 4 nails per shingle. Some manufacturers even want five, and once you get into slate/tile/composite, it is totally different. I you don’t follow the manufacturer’s installation specs, the manufacturer won’t honor the warranty. See Tamko’s site info on shingle installation requirements by clicking here.

We are currently repairing some missing shingles on a roof that is only six years old. The new shingles we are installing in the repair are the same brand and color as the original, but they don’t match. This is because the six-year-old shingles have faded. It looks kind of odd right now, but they will blend better over time as the new shingles weather.

Why does a 6 year old roof need shingles replaced? No there was not a hurricane. The original roofers installed new decking over the original, and installed the shingles with 3 nails per shingle, and they did not install underlayment (tar paper)!

The homeowner paid $8000 to have the roofing done six years ago, and after I let him know the cost to re-roof it now, he said that he had already paid the 8K to do it before, he didn’t want to pay again. “Repair it” he said. So now we are repairing it by installing tar paper and shingles wherever they have blown or fallen off- with 4 nails this time.

But- the original contractor was cheap and they were FAST!

We are doing good repairs, but the only real lasting repair in this case is to redo the whole roof. And he will have to do just that long before the shingles’ lifespan is out. Our patches will hold, and we will warranty them, but other spots on the roof will continue to come apart.

Oh yeah- and there is no warranty offered or honored by the shingle manufacturers if you don’t install underlayment and you don’t follow a 4-nail minimum nailing pattern. Also, the nails have to be the proper depth, proper nail length, and nailed in the proper locations on the shingle.

So now the homeowner finds out that there is no warranty from the manufacturer on the shingles.

So he called the original roofer – repeatedly – and was unable to reach the original roofer. In fact (big surprise) the number has been disconnected. We have performed two major repairs so far, and he will still need a new roof in the next five years. If he had spent $2500 to $3000 more when the roof was installed and hired a licensed and insured contractor, he could have saved the repair costs which are already close to the $2500 difference, and would not be looking at a new roof in a few years.

Time period – 25 years

Amount spent on the current roof – likely to be a total of $25000 when the new roof is installed in a few years.

Amount to do it right the first time – $11000

Savings if it had been done right in the first place – $14000

But those original roofers were the lowest bid, and they were so FAST!

Buyer beware! The lowest bid does not mean the best bid.