I had a person come over from a home-improvement company,and take a look at my roof to see what needs to be?

Question

done,he went on the roof,told me it looks pretty bad,came off the roof,then he gave me a estimate of $15,000 to take care of the roof.He said that it really needs to be done soon.I said,that i don't have the money for that,I feel unconfortable with doing it right now.I told them when I first met them earlier in the evening,that I only wanted a free estimate.they gave me the estrimate,after alomst three hrs of talking,but never write it down,it was on their laptop computer.When I go get more estimates,what is the best way of doing it,so that I won't feel pressured to sign a contract right away,like they wanted me to?I met them by myself,do you think I should have a freind or someone else with me when I get my estimate?any suggestions?

also he said that if i did it the same day,he would knock the price down from $15,000- $10,000

Answer 1

Dont sign anything. esp if you are feeling pressured.

For goodness sake you are just getting bids right now.
Tell them that. Also tell them you want the estimate on paper.

These companies use tactics like this to get you to sign a contract with them right away. Dont fall for it.
Take your time until you feel you have gotten a decent bid and a company you can trust to repair your roof.

If you feel that you need someone there with you, then I say go for it.

Good Luck, faith

Answer 2

Dear Eric,
Trying to get estimates for any kind large home repair can be confusing--but one of the most important things to consider is what do you actually want done.

In your case, do you want the entire roof removed and replaced--which is the appropriated way to do a shingled roof, or are you willing to have a cheap job done--over existing shingles. Will any work need to be done to soffits, eaves, etc. during the reroofing? Do you know what kind of shingles you want? 30 year, 20 year--etc. The reason you need to know all of these things is so that the estimators will all be bidding using the same criteria--that way you can compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges.

New roofs aren't inexpensive but until you get a number of estimates, you won't really know so take your time and don't let anyone pressure you.

Things to find out:
Can you get a home improvement loan? Until you find out whether you can actually pay for a new roof, you're just spinning your wheels.
Find out how much of a deposit the roofer will accept
When will they begin the job
When the will finish
Get everything in writing
Find out what the warrantee on the shingles is and get that in writing--you should also be given a completion certificate that can be sent to the shingle company to activate their warrantee
Get a guarantee for workmanship in writing--such as the roofer guarantees their work for 3 years
Does the estimate include the roofer getting all permits required to do your job
Tell them that you want copies of the final inspection done by either city or county inspectors
Make sure that they know that you expect removal of debris and clean-up including removal of all roofing nails that fall to the ground.

We had to have a new roof after the hurricanes here in Florida and it has been quite an education.

Answer 3

There's a difference between an estimator and a salesman. The salesman may be a good estimator too, but an estimator will give you a written estimate and not waste three hours of your time trying to get you to sign on. He's allowed to talk his company up, but not like that. I once had a furnace replaced. People from three companies came out to look at the system and speak with me about what I wanted, took less than a half hour each, and I got three firm bids in the mail with brochures and spec sheets describing what each was offering.

By the way, there's nothing to gain by going up on the roof. That was just for show. You can assess the condition of a roof by looking at it from the ground, with binoculars at most for details. Any measurements can be taken from the ground--hell, it's the same size as the house plus an overhang, and they can tell what the slope is.

Answer 4

Make sure when anyone comes out that they know you want a free estimate and that you want it in writing before they leave. Call this company back and ask them to mail you the estimate and let them know you are going to have other companies come out and give estimates, too, before you decide. Might be interesting to see if he changes the price yet again.

You might also want to talk with any neighbors who have had roof work done to see what companies they used and if they were pleased ~ that way you won't call companies with a bad rep.

$15,000 sounds way too high unless you have a really big house. Sounds like he was trying to rip you off, ESPECIALLY since he was suddenly willing to drop it to $10,000. Very fishy.

Call 4 or 5 reputable companies, then gather all your information and decide which company you want to do the job. Then try to get a loan on your house so you can get the money to do the repairs if you don't have the cash upfront.

Be wise, though, and don't call people in the paper who say they do odd jobs, etc. You may end up with a half-done job and may have to call someone else in to get the repairs done the right way (my friend did that).

If you don't get it taken care of before the roof deteriorates more, you may end up with damage inside and then it will cost you even more to get things fixed up.

That happened to my aunt who ignored problems with her roof and then they had a hard rain ~ the water came in and the ceiling came down. She ended up with the previous roof problems, ceiling repair, furniture and carpet damage and doubled the cost to fix everything.

Good luck Eric ~ hope you can get it all worked out soon, as I know this has been plaquing you. Just my thoughts :)

Answer 5

DON'T SIGN ANYTHING!!! Always read the fine print. Get a second opinion! Never just go w/ the first person/company that comes along. Of course he's telling you that it needs to be fixed right away b/c he wants to pressure you into making a decision. 15k sounds really expensive!!!! Always have someone present when you meet w/ those people, preferably someone that might know something about roofing. Look at all your options!!! Always get something in writing. Good luck.

Answer 6

First and foremost, yes have someone there with you to back you up. When they come over you tell them that you just want an estimate on paper, and that you have other companys comeing by during this week and that you will make up your mind after all estimates are done. If your company is the one I choose I will call you thank you very much, now if they will not write it down on paper, just say see ya. good luck

Answer 7

i think u should look for other options... there are lots of options out there to chose from... u don't have to sign a contract yet.. its just like getting a second opinion from a doctor... you chose the best whats right... and yes.. no harm in bring a friend along.. specially if he/she had some experience on the matter...

Answer 8

yes

1 - always have a friend or someone else present

2 - get a quote in writing

3 - $15k seems EXCESSIVE - find other people in the same business and get alternative quotes

4 - these guys sound like cowboys from what you describe

5 - be FIRM - you don't owe THEM a living or even an excuse - a firm NO ought to be enough