Roof. Again. Why I got quotes much higher then mentioned on this forum?

OK, so we need a new roof. It is not terrible, but sometimes roof leeks around skylights and it is old. We got quotes from 2 roofers highly recommended on this site. One – $10500, one – $25K. Roof is 20X65, we need to replace 3 big skylights and one small. Gentleman who quoted bigger estimation said that we need to replace roof hatch ( we actually probably do, but it is not the most burning issue) plus we have to rebuid gutter and tear down small part of the roof on the back. We understand it is expensive, but considering the biggest price mentioned on brownstoner from archives ($6500) we still do not understand WHY our lowest estimate is 40% more. Our roof is more like 20% more then standard size roof, besides – my understanding is that bigger roof perse does not add too much to work and material. You still have to bring equipment and people. May be those estimations make sence. We are afraid to pick unqualified contractor who will do a sloppy job. Is this price a premium for honest quality work? Please help me to sort this out. This money is not a small change for anybody I am sure, but in our situation couple of thousands are really critical. From the other side we would prefer to do a long term fix to the roof, not temporary repair. Who knows if we would have even that kind of resources or health/ability to earn 5 years down the road. Any thoughts on estimations/our situation? Enter Your Question

moskow_on_gowanus

in Roofers 13 years and 1 month ago

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anonymous | 12 years and 3 months ago

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We are a **general contractor** supplying services in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC area surrounding Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun

superdee01 | 13 years and 1 month ago

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Hello maskow_on_gowana try giving Dan a call he is very reasonable and reliable he is licensed contractor that has been in business for yrs if you want you can give him a try he can be reached at 718 485-1044.

callalily | 13 years and 1 month ago

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I take it all back. Now our basement is flooded as usual. I highly doubt it’s Leakmasters’ fault though. I suspect a combination of no gutter on the mudroom and a broken sewer (rain) pipe on our neighbor’s side.

dylan621 | 13 years and 1 month ago

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I got 2 estimates for a new roof of similar size recently- one for 4,000 and the other for 9,000\. Then there was the one who would only do a tear off for 20,000.

snowman2 | 13 years and 1 month ago

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And I would never go with Nick from Leakmasters.  Over 2 years ago he gave me a crazy price (more than double anyone else) for a new roof and told me the new roof was absolutely necessary.  Premier discovered that the glass/frame joint on the fairly new (and expensive) skylight was the source of my leak and only needed caulking.  No roof work was necessary.

slopegirl | 13 years and 1 month ago

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second the recommendation for nick at leakmasters

daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 1 month ago

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Replacing hatch and skylights and rebuilding gutter ADDS SIGNIFICANTLY to the price of a basic roof.  Tearoff would almost double it.

Arkady | 13 years and 1 month ago

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Depending on the scope of the work, rebuilding gutters can be quite expensive.

kidbklyn | 13 years and 1 month ago

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When there is such a great difference between two estimates for the same work I always think that if I don’t understand the reason for it a need to do educate myself about the work that is being done. One way to do it is to get a few more estimates from legitimate roofing contractors. When you have about five of them in total, you should have a better idea of what the cost of the job is. Look at each contractor as a resource to ask questions about the work being done. I check all this out by going on line to continue my research and to reinforce the information I have garnered. I ask neighbors and friends about their experiences with this kind of work. When you do all the leg work, you probably be a lot more confident about the decision you have to make.

callalily | 13 years and 1 month ago

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Hm…..I posted a long answer that disappeared. Maybe the cost of the three skylights, tear off, and rebuild is adding to the cost. However, if you have not called John and Nick at Leakmasters, you definitely should. They are amazing and their prices are very competitive. 718-431-2000.They just fixed a huge basement leak we have had in the three years we’ve been here and that eluded three engineers and a handyman and my next door neigbhor, who spent $5,000 on waterproofing and a french drain.