Roofer shortage?

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
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fobot.com
do you think the roofing businesses in the midwest are overloaded?

i had my roof damaged by wind during a storm at the beginning of april. it took the insurance guy a couple weeks to come and they want the whole roof redone. he gave me a check and paperwork

first roof guy said he wanted more $ than the insurance paid

next place hasn't called me back , i have called them twice , so i get the idea they are so busy they don't need to help me

with the tornado in Joplin and others in Missouri, i am thinking they have more work than they can handle
 

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,363
475
126
with the tornado in Joplin and others in Missouri, i am thinking they have more work than they can handle

probably.

after hailstorms here in DFW, roofers seem to sprout out of nowhere. i drive around and see dozens of different companies advertising on lawns.



just wondering - did you tell the roofer giving you the estimate how much the insurance company gave you?
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
14
81
fobot.com
just wondering - did you tell the roofer giving you the estimate how much the insurance company gave you?

yes, i emailed him the document the insurance guy gave me. probably not the right sequence huh? i am not good at this stuff

my concern with going with a non-established firm is stories about scammers insisting on me paying for the materials up front and then disappearing
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
65,235
13,494
146
Yeah...contact a reputable roofing company, not some "fly-by-night" outfit that will take you money and leave you uncovered...

NEVER tell them upfront how much you can pay...always just get bids. Tell them it's an insurance job if you want, but never the amount of your insurance payment. Also, if the price is more than the insurance company has already given you, will the insurance company cover the rest...minus your deductible?
 

IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
17,962
140
106
are hidden fastener metal roofs a good solution for your roof needs?? I had one of those in Polar White installed and greatly cooled the house. The roof is no longer a solar mass.
 

cardiac

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,082
14
81
DO NOT hire one of the transient roofing companies. They may offer you a great price, but next year when something happens, they are nowhere to be found. Look in your local yellow pages, and hire only a local roofing company who has been in business for a while. Do not tell them what the insurance company is giving you; let them give you an estimate first. If it is lower than your insurance companies payment - win for you. If it is higher than the ins. co. payment, then tell them (Or show them) what they paid you, and usually they will match the price.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
Supply and demand not hard to understand. Right after housing crash you could have gotten a new roof for half price.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
DO NOT hire one of the transient roofing companies. They may offer you a great price, but next year when something happens, they are nowhere to be found. Look in your local yellow pages, and hire only a local roofing company who has been in business for a while. Do not tell them what the insurance company is giving you; let them give you an estimate first. If it is lower than your insurance companies payment - win for you. If it is higher than the ins. co. payment, then tell them (Or show them) what they paid you, and usually they will match the price.

Meh, as a former builder, nothing wrong with giving new guys a shot you just have to watch em better in exchange for the better price... e.g. one could ask city inspectors for inspections along the way to insure quality workmanship & materials.
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,973
6,334
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They may have more than they can handle but I never exclude the possibility of slack a** construction people.

If your handy and have the time, what Marlin said.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
so im going to hijack this thread.

anyone know much about metal roofs? i have been seeing them pop up a lot. my daughter wants us to get a hot pink one though...

are they worth the cost?


edit: FOBOT. oh yeah i forgot to add. My step-father used to own a roofing company (with his construction one. boy i hated working for him..) and he would send teams to area's like joplin after a tornado. I went once and man the work they did was fast and not the best (not bad either. they didn't scam anyone it was just not up to the normal standards). usually his guys took pride in doing a damn good job but 2k miles away who is going to complain?

i would make sure its a good local company.
 
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Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
so im going to hijack this thread.

anyone know much about metal roofs? i have been seeing them pop up a lot. my daughter wants us to get a hot pink one though...

are they worth the cost?

Not much. Most cities/neighborhoods have codes, shake and asphalt singles or ceramics. But I have seen a lot of commercial and barns with them. They're the best roof in so far as longevity/durability but worst insulative properties.
 

alien42

Lifer
Nov 28, 2004
12,770
3,165
136
in Atlanta the roof repair companies go door to door after even small storms trying to sell new roofs to be paid by insurance companies. it appears there is an oversupply of them here.
 

Squisher

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
21,204
66
91
I've gotten my best referrals for contractors by going to the big places that sell the product you want installed and ask them for a referral. In your case go to a roofing supply house and tell them you're looking for someone who is capable and usually able to take on more work. It's possible they'll have more than one name for you.
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
My wife is an insurance adjuster. Not sure why it took weeks for someone to get out there, weird, my wife's insurance has a 24 hour turnaround to contact the insured and then 72 hours to make it out to see it unless the insured's schedule doesn't fit around that time. Roofer's are in demand right now, but the price of roofing materials has also skyrocketed. Not sure what your policy states, but most are replacement cost so even if the cost of your roof has gone up, the insurance should still cover it.
 

sourceninja

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2005
8,805
65
91
Roofing is a sketching business. I had to call 7 different places before I got a honest one.

My brother and step-father are both in construction and home repair. My brother does roofing in the summer. He lives too far away to do the job, but came out and showed me what was wrong and told me what it should cost.

Six companies I called out all pointed out things he told me they would say as scare tactics and all wanted at least double what he said it should cost. The 7th finally was honest and in the range my brother suggested. We went with them and they did a great job.

The best part was when the other 6 kept calling. I would tell them who we went with and they would reply with "Good luck with that, your going to get screwed".
 

TwiceOver

Lifer
Dec 20, 2002
13,544
44
91
I probably missed it in the thread, but how did they pay you without first having an estimate?
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
I probably missed it in the thread, but how did they pay you without first having an estimate?


Same way in the auto body repair world. THEY estimate the cost and write a check. If its less then usually you keep it. If more you need to have the insurance compnay review it and they may give more to make it up or turn it down.