Am I the only one?

[Donald]

Go to real lumber yard and ask the guy at counter.

Odd as it sounds, I judge some by the name.

So I might go with JD Roofing
But avoid Mr Shingle

Put your name or initials in your company name.

 

[NMBurb02]

I don't begrudge people for their success. If he gives you a fair quote, does quality work (as verified through multiple references), and operates on the up-and-up (as far as you can determine), then why eliminate him just because he drives a nicer/more expensive car/toy than you? Why is it automatically that he rips people off, cheats his employees, and/or operates unethically? It could be that he is so good and gives people such a good deal that he has a lot of business, generating income through quantity, rather than price gouging.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Go to real lumber yard and ask the guy at counter.


Also measure your home and get a quote on quality materials with a Roof Top delivery.
This will put any quotes into perspective.

You may also want to have your contractor quote for Labour and equipment only.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
I don't begrudge people for their success. If he gives you a fair quote, does quality work (as verified through multiple references), and operates on the up-and-up (as far as you can determine), then why eliminate him just because he drives a nicer/more expensive car/toy than you? Why is it automatically that he rips people off, cheats his employees, and/or operates unethically? It could be that he is so good and gives people such a good deal that he has a lot of business, generating income through quantity, rather than price gouging.


I guess that could be so. But in my experience (and I have quite a bit) such guys tend to be Slime.

 

[michaelluscher]

Pry a network extender out of your carrier.

 

[Michael_P]

Most fly by night contractors I was able to identify drove very junky looking vehicles. If I were in construction, I would buy somewhere in the middle. Not to flashy and not too junky.

 

[PR1955]

I suppose it is possible he overcharges, but my experience was different. I needed a new roof with tearoff (old roof already had 2 layers, older home).
I got 4 estimates from local roofers, 2 more from companies 40 miles away. I went with the second lowest ( the lowest didn't impress me as being very professional), who also had several good references.
The owner showed up with a BEAUTIFUL brand new 1 ton dually, decked out with everything imagineable, fancy paint work, etc. He (and his guys) did a fantastic job, from beginning to final cleanup. Turns out his fancy truck was earned from doing a LOT of roofs, due to word-of mouth advertising. Don't judge a book by it's cover...

 

[strat81]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
Most fly by night contractors I was able to identify drove very junky looking vehicles. If I were in construction, I would buy somewhere in the middle. Not to flashy and not too junky.


Exactly.

Too nice or flashy, and people think you'll overcharge them.

Too shabby, and people think you don't do much business because you do a lousy job.



New trucks aren't a red flag for me. I realize that some of these guys put significant miles on their vehicles and cannot have unreliable equipment.

The key is to look professional. Your line of work and your clientele will affect that look.

 

[EA82]

Can't judge the book by its cover as far as pricing goes however I do think its unprofessional to show up with a flashy vehicle to give someone a quote.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
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.


Here, they are more expensive than asphalt, but will last a lifetime. I don't mean the steel roof you put a barn, but the designer steel shingle style roofs. Add up the cost of replacing asphalt shingles over the life of the building and steel makes sense

Steel Roof

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: laserred96gt
Can't judge the book by its cover as far as pricing goes however I do think its unprofessional to show up with a flashy vehicle to give someone a quote.


As long as it is reserved, I like a clean newer vehicle. Too flashy is a turn off for me also, I'm talking chrome and custom stuff. That's not a real businessman's truck...

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It makes zero difference to me what type of vehicle they drive. When we built our home a couple of the contractors had "bubba buggies", jacked up pickups with lots of fancy chrome. They were selected as contractors because they did good work, not because they like to drive a specific type of truck.

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

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


I would have assumed you'd know that asphalt shingle roofs have a finite life span. Some homes have 20 year shingles, some shingles are 50 year shingles. So when building a new home or evaluating a preexisting home, the type of shingle would be important. A home with 20 year shingles will probably need a new roof in 20 years or less. A home (new or old) that has a higher quality, 50 year shingle will likely go significantly longer before it needs replaced.

The same holds true for your "antique" home or my "newer" home. And yes, my home has 50 year shingles on it. And at nearly 20 years old, the shingles are still in perfect shape. Barring a hail or wind event, I don't expect to ever need to get them replaced in my lifetime.

 

[PR1955]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. He showed up with a "work" truck (nothing fancy) for the quote. He showed up with the decked-out truck a couple of days into the job, and to collect final payment. The fancy truck carried his company name, but it seemed to be used more as his personal vehicle, certainly not for any "dirty" sork...

 

[strat81]

Originally Posted By: PR1955
Sorry, I wasn't clear. He showed up with a "work" truck (nothing fancy) for the quote. He showed up with the decked-out truck a couple of days into the job, and to collect final payment. The fancy truck carried his company name, but it seemed to be used more as his personal vehicle, certainly not for any "dirty" sork...


Oh.... that truck. That's his write-off truck.

 

[sleddriver]

No, you're not. I'm skeptical when I see "ME" trucks. Bad juju.

Re: Roofs. I did my own. I used steel on purlins over old shingles on garage as a test before the main house. Over time it can become quite slippery on a 5/12 pitch. So I used asphalt shingles on the house. I did it one section at a time and also repaired several rotten miters between rake and fascia. Used very high grade metal flashing everywhere instead of that flimsy cheap junk.

 

[IndyIan]

For a simple, relatively flat roof, you can do it yourself. Its not that complicated to do asphalt shingles or steel sheets. Do some research and you might do a better job than the guy you would hire. I've been to a few cottage roofing weekends and none of them leak.

 

[dja4260]

I live in the Chicago land area. My mom worked for a family owned roofing company out of the north side. They're good people. If interested please send me a message.

The office staff and field reps were family and the roofing crews were mostly Mexican. That's going to be typical for the majority of companies.

 

[Mykl]

Angie's List is a surprisingly good reference for this sort of thing. I have yet to be disappointed by a well reviewed service provider that I've found there.

 

[Mykl]

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.


http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-DPH151-AT-Mi...+signal+booster

There are other options if that specific one wouldn't work for you. The key point is that there are ways to generate a signal in your house so your phones continue to work.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
It makes zero difference to me what type of vehicle they drive. When we built our home a couple of the contractors had "bubba buggies", jacked up pickups with lots of fancy chrome. They were selected as contractors because they did good work, not because they like to drive a specific type of truck.

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

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


I would have assumed you'd know that asphalt shingle roofs have a finite life span. Some homes have 20 year shingles, some shingles are 50 year shingles. So when building a new home or evaluating a preexisting home, the type of shingle would be important. A home with 20 year shingles will probably need a new roof in 20 years or less. A home (new or old) that has a higher quality, 50 year shingle will likely go significantly longer before it needs replaced.

The same holds true for your "antique" home or my "newer" home. And yes, my home has 50 year shingles on it. And at nearly 20 years old, the shingles are still in perfect shape. Barring a hail or wind event, I don't expect to ever need to get them replaced in my lifetime.


Mine does too. I would have assumed that your comprehension given knowledge of other volleys would have identified an attempt at being slightly humorous.