Comparing Roofing Bids from Local Roofing Contractor

Roofing Contractor

Optional Upgrades and Costs
 
When it comes time to replace your roof, you are likely to notice a difference in bid prices.  In previous blogs, I have identified two (2) mandatory factors that could impact the bids you receive from different roofing contractors; insurance and Homeowners’ Association (HOA) restrictions.
 
Once we get beyond these minimums, and I would strongly encourage discounting of roofing contractors that don’t insure their employees, we can start to compare apples-to-apples.  And we can start to look at reasonable upgrades in materials, and what might make sense and what is simply money spent on nothing.
 
When a new roof is being installed, you are presented a unique opportunity to upgrade some materials or installation practices that should be considered.  You cannot retrofit these later; as your roof might last 20-years or longer, a small additional investment may well provide significant savings and should be considered.  I am happy to discuss each of these individually with my clients and customers.
 
I use a 30-lbs felt underlayment as a minimum installation.  In a previous blog, I explained different underlayment materials you can choose from; 30-lbs isn’t the cheapest or thinnest underlayment available. 

Depending on the pitch of your roof, we may want to upgrade to ice-and-water shield for a portion of this as insurance against ice dams (another previous blog topic).  If you have an ice dam problem with your roof, the ice dam problem needs to be solved.  However if you have a relatively flat roof, ice-and-water shield is a great defense mechanism against ice dams causing roof leaks, and a roof leak in the middle of winter isn’t a pleasant proposition to address.
 
If your HOA requires 50-year Architectural Grade Shingles, we may want to consider an upgrade to a premium underlayment instead of the 30-lbs. felt.  It depends on who manufactures your roofing materials, but every manufacturer has an upgraded underlayment then have specially formulated to work in their respective systems.  I have used them, I like them, they have a lot of benefits, but they aren’t for necessary for every new roof either. 
 
Here in tornado country, another item you may have read about is “high wind” pattern on shingles.  Every roofing shingle is typically installed with four (4) nails/shingle; the high-wind pattern installs six (6) nails/shingle.  While this sounds like a 50% increase in holding power, it really doesn’t equate to that.  If you have a steeper pitched roof, this is something we may want to consider.  I would point out that manufacturers’ rate their roof resistance to wind speed, and a high wind nailing pattern only marginally changes this resistance for lower sloped roofs.  Again, this might be nice for you to consider as a homeowner, but it isn’t necessary for everyone.
 
These are just a couple of optional factors that increase material and/or labor cost.  Depending on your individual roof, I may include them as “base” cost or I may include them as optional upgrades.  When I bid a job, As a conscientious roofing contractor, I want this to be a job I am proud of, and my experience dictates that sometimes these are requirements based on your specific roof, and sometimes these are optional upgrades.  I am happy to discuss this so that you, as the homeowner, can make an educated decision.

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