Where to find good deals for roofing?

[DixyDoodle]

I was just told that to get new shingles on my house, I am looking at $5,000 (material, NOT including installation!). Is this a mistake? Ok, I know it's not, really, they do charge that around here...and that is for asphalt. Tin is almost double that. When I was given an estimate, it was by a tin shingler, so I'm not sure if maybe there are cheaper ways to go about it, or is this a general price.

Note, I am in Ontario, Canada.

Where could I look to buy cheaper supplies that will last? I look at some peoples' homes that have flat tin roofs and I think, does that kind of tin really cost that much? I can see if it is tin "shingles" (those with fancy patterns), but really......sheets of tin?!

Where can I look.....or should I just wait for Home Depot or wherever to have a sale and buy now? And yes, given a choice, I would go for tin.

[MO_cows]

It better not be tin! It should be painted, cold rolled, corrugated steel. Prime is the top grade, secondary has imperfections but you will never see them once it's installed and it's cheaper. And there are different gauges or thicknesses. Do some research on what you are actually getting. We put a steel roof on our house, and the only downside is, due to the corrugations it is much more tricky to seal up where things come thru the roof. Like, around the chimney, the vents, etc. Or if you have a very complex roof, sometimes steel isn't the best choice. If it is properly installed and a good quality of material, it should be the last roof your house will ever need. But it will cost more than shingles. How long do you plan to keep the home? If you are there for the long haul, the steel seems more worth it than if you plan to move.

[CurtisWilliams]

Here in NE Nebraska, at a local mom and pops building supply store, 30 year architectural grade shingles are $80/square. Not including ridge caps or the starter course. I could get them less expensively if I travelled into Omaha or Sioux, but the gas, wear and tear, inconvenience and time factor would equal out the cost.

How many square does that $5000 include? What is the warranty/quality? Is delivery included? Will they put the bundles on the roof? How many cuts are involved? Every cut = waste.

I don't know what things cost in Canada, but that seems outrageous.

[ET1 SS]

The last time I owned a house with asphalt composite roofing, the roof was nearing the end of it's life. The tar was letting go, corners were lifting off in high winds, and many of the tiny pebbles were rolling loose. The building is three stories tall, and the lowest estimate I could get was $25k.

I found a latex roofing paint called 'elastomeric' that claimed it would grip all of the loose pebbles, and shield UV so the tar would stop evaporating. I paid $100 for enough paint the cover the entire roof. It was supposed to be good for 10 years, though after 5 years I did a second coat for another $100.

Things happen in life, and I no longer own that building. If I were to own an asphalt composite roof ever again, I would coat it with latex elastomeric paint every 5 years. At $100 per coat, after 4 applications [20 years], I would be out $400. As compared to new roofing at $25k every 20 years.



For my house now, we have a metal roof. Rolled steel with a baked-on enamel finish. It will outlast me and my children.

[Molly Mckee]

We bought our roofing from a company that makes the machines that make the metal roofing. They run so much metal through before they ship to make sure the machine works well. We saved over 50% on the roofing and they would use whatever color you wanted. They will put the roofing in your truck, and it's a cash deal, but well worth it if you are close to a company that does this.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Do a google search for roofing metal in your area. That's how I found the folks I use. I called each company that showed up in the search and picked the one I liked best. It was a combination of price and customer service.

[Doug Hodges]

Screwed down metal panels are up there with the worst roof possible. It's not if it will leak, it's when. If you want metal, the only option is high end standing seam. You never want exposed fasteners. You will want weather watch around the entire perimeter and in all valleys and around flashings. It must be a Kynar finish or it will rust and fade in just a few years. I make a very nice living coating and repairing metal roofs. They have bought me new trucks, cars, boats, guns, houses, etc etc etc. I always try to talk people out of putting metal on their house unless they are going to spend the money for a lifetime roof. This roof will cost $10 to $20 per sq ft. It will last 100 years. The screw down panel roofs will start leaking almost immediately. You may not know it because it's leaking into your insulation and rotting your wood before it infiltrates the house where you can see it. This may take years, at that point you will have to replace insulation, rafters, decking, etc. You will have mold and unhealthy conditions. It will end up costing you what the original high end roof would cost. If you want an inexpensive roof that will last for years, get someone to install a 30 year architectural shingle with weather watch in all valleys and new 30lb felt. Use vents in the ridge to keep the attic ventilated. Don't use red colors. Use neutral tan or light brown colors. Cedar shake colors or wood grain colors are best. This roof will probably outlast you. Don't use the 3 tab 25 year shingles. The difference in a 25 year 3 tab and a 30 year architectural is about 25 years. The 25 year will last 10 to 15 years. The 30 will last 35 to 45. In the last 10 years, the only 30 year shingles we have replaced were damaged by strong winds and hail or were being replaced because the home owner wanted to replace them and hand the house down to the kids or grand kids. I could go on and on. I've been working/running a commercial roofing company for the last 10 years. www.meyer-roofing.com My clients include Wal Mart, Bunge North America, ADM, and many many others. The saying you get what you pay for. Well, it's true in roofing. Also, only use licensed and insured roofers. Did you know that if a guy gets hurt working for you on your house and doesn't have insurance. He can sue you for lost wages, hospital bills, and punitive damages for your negligence. Good luck out there. I don't care a bit to answer questions. You can pm me.




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[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by DixyDoodle

I was just told that to get new shingles on my house, I am looking at $5,000 (material, NOT including installation!).

This would be true for a 3500 to 4000 sq ft home with a 6/12 pitch. You can figure 100 per square of roof. (100x100) for materials. That's probably on the high end.



http://www.spottednubian.com/index.html

[DixyDoodle]

That above estimate was from someone who actually came to our house and guesstimated. We have a pretty simple 1 1/2 storey roof with a porch on one side. No dormers or anything, just a vent pipe for furnace and a stink pipe.

Sorry, when I said tin, I meant steel. Most people around here say tin roof. I personally don't like the idea of the seams on the metal roof. We plan to be here for 20 years, maybe a bit more, but if the price is not bad, we would likely be ok with putting up more shingles a second time before selling if we had to.

First thing to do I guess is to measure the roof so we have an idea of how much. If I saw a good deal on shingles, I would likely buy ahead, as I don't want to pay on credit, given a choice.

[ninny]

If you wanted to do the roofing yourself, look on youtube and you can find dozens of videos on how to do your own roofing.

.

[1shotwade]

Originally Posted by Doug Hodges

Screwed down metal panels are up there with the worst roof possible. It's not if it will leak, it's when. If you want metal, the only option is high end standing seam. You never want exposed fasteners. You will want weather watch around the entire perimeter and in all valleys and around flashings. It must be a Kynar finish or it will rust and fade in just a few years. I make a very nice living coating and repairing metal roofs. They have bought me new trucks, cars, boats, guns, houses, etc etc etc. I always try to talk people out of putting metal on their house unless they are going to spend the money for a lifetime roof. This roof will cost $10 to $20 per sq ft. It will last 100 years. The screw down panel roofs will start leaking almost immediately. You may not know it because it's leaking into your insulation and rotting your wood before it infiltrates the house where you can see it. This may take years, at that point you will have to replace insulation, rafters, decking, etc. You will have mold and unhealthy conditions. It will end up costing you what the original high end roof would cost. If you want an inexpensive roof that will last for years, get someone to install a 30 year architectural shingle with weather watch in all valleys and new 30lb felt. Use vents in the ridge to keep the attic ventilated. Don't use red colors. Use neutral tan or light brown colors. Cedar shake colors or wood grain colors are best. This roof will probably outlast you. Don't use the 3 tab 25 year shingles. The difference in a 25 year 3 tab and a 30 year architectural is about 25 years. The 25 year will last 10 to 15 years. The 30 will last 35 to 45. In the last 10 years, the only 30 year shingles we have replaced were damaged by strong winds and hail or were being replaced because the home owner wanted to replace them and hand the house down to the kids or grand kids. I could go on and on. I've been working/running a commercial roofing company for the last 10 years. www.meyer-roofing.com My clients include Wal Mart, Bunge North America, ADM, and many many others. The saying you get what you pay for. Well, it's true in roofing. Also, only use licensed and insured roofers. Did you know that if a guy gets hurt working for you on your house and doesn't have insurance. He can sue you for lost wages, hospital bills, and punitive damages for your negligence. Good luck out there. I don't care a bit to answer questions. You can pm me.




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So Doug,I agree that standing seam is a great roof but I don't see the signs of my metal painted roofs failing. I put one on the barn in 92 and another on the house in 96. I don't have leaks! I know it wold be harder to detect on the house but the barn is wide open and I do not have leaks.
The house is a 12/12 pitch Laid over asphalt shingle with 1x3 bolsters allowing a total venting for the roof and providing a barrier against electrolytic corrosion And after these 20 years there is no sign aof failure.
If I'm wrong here let me know.

Wade

[Doug Hodges]

Are the panels screwed down? If you are in the south the neoprene washers wear out in 5 years or less. In the north they last 2 to 3 times as long. You will see stains on the wood if it's leaking.


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