Did I get ripped off for roof repairs?

Question

On a Tuesday morning I found a stain on a bedroom ceiling, indicating there was a leak in my roof somewhere. The weather forecast for Wed said torrential rains were coming so I went to the first contractor I found. The worker walked around on the side of the roof where the leak was found, hammered a few nails, sealed down some shingles, caulked a few areas and left with $450 of my money. Did I get ripped off, or because it was short notice and in light of the impending bad weather, was this cost justified in any way? (The contractor told me to mix equal parts water and bleach in a spray bottle, spray this on the ceiling stain and when the stained section matches the rest of the ceiling, to stop. At that point, I'm to keep an eye on that spot to be sure the stain doesn't reappear.) So, what do you think - I'm a widow and don't have all the knowledge I should, but I sure hate to get "taken". At this point, it'll just be a lesson learned, but at least I'll know better next time!

Answer 1

450 bucks seems a bit much for what you've discribed...however, .. [there are 2 views to this..] IF the man's 'experiance' has solved the problem, prevents further leakage, saves you haveing to replace or do a substancial 'patch-works', and identified and repaired the problem....he has been well payed.
On the other hand, if your roof is in need of replacement, if it has out lived it's factory designated durrability, and you have expectation that postponeing the inevitable with supperfical attention.., ... ... well.... you get what you pay for.

Answer 2

Well it sounds high - but you might have a steep roof or some other complication not described here. If his work came with some type of leak guarantee its not so bad.

Did the roof leak during the rains?

It's high, but not unheard of for a drop everything and get over here type call. Besides, it didn't sound like you had a whole lot of time to solicit bids. If this work didn't get done, maybe you'd need a lot more repairs inside with the ceiling and all. It's not so bad if you consider all this.

Answer 3

If you live in a city where contractors are very busy then no you didn't get ripped off. they have to drop their big money projects to help you, you have to understand the strain the contractors go through for this. if you live in the country where its been snowing
and work is slow then I think you might have been able to barter
better. remember this in every transaction you make you have the power to barter if your problem is fixed or resolved and you have talked about the price before hand then you didn't get ripped off.
always try to research your market (this would be hard on short emergency like this one)
I hope its fixed and you are happy.
May good luck come your way.

Answer 4

even on short notice i think that was excessive. when i hire somebody, i usually ask what time they will arrive to do the job, and when they would be done. i then ask them what materials would cost. once i hired man to do some furnace duct work. he told me the materials would be 250.00 i called the hardware store, and they quoted me 40 dollars for the material. i did not hire him. by asking what time he will arrive, and what time he will leave, determines what he charges for labor. the man that did your job, would have less than 10 dollars in materials. at a high rate of 50 dollars and hour he should have spent about 10 hours on your roof. if in doubt, ask for another quote. if your stain in your ceiling, continues. you may have to repaint it with a sealer such as bin to seal the stain, and then a regular paint job. hope this helps you.

Answer 5

I am sorry to say you were a stranger and he took you in my only question is did the leak stop? if yes you only lost money