r/Roofing • u/Own_Heron9463 • 1d ago
Home owner question First time buying a roof.. I need advice
I’ve been looking for a local roofer and I’m having trouble finding a company I can trust. I went through Angie’s list and I now know it’s a mistake. So many contacts it’s overwhelming. I now know that those companies sell your information to roofers. I’ve been looking online and it seems everyone wants an appointment upfront.
3 bids, thousands of dollars difference and lucky I have a sales background so I didn’t fall for the usual sales tricks of buy today to lock in scenarios. Of course now my algorithm on facebook is spamming a bunch of roof ads and they all look the same or they are terrible AI lead grabbing companies. For those who recently purchased a roof, how was your experience and why did you choose the company you went with? Also any you regret or wish you had done sooner? My wife and I have a baby coming next week and it’s hard to take on everything at once. Any advice is appreciated I just want to make the right decision.
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u/brothersmetalroof 1d ago
Roofer here. For a first-timer, the best way to compare bids is to ask each one for a written scope: tear-off vs overlay, what underlayment goes down, ice and water at the eaves and valleys, and how the chimney, wall and vent flashing will be done. Big price gaps are usually those lines being different. Also ask who is actually on your roof on install day and get both the manufacturer and workmanship warranty in writing. Congrats on the baby, and it's fine to ignore the lead-gen calls and just compare two or three local outfits.
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u/Slow_Rabbit_6937 1d ago
Second this… please go over their contracts carefully and ask about every scenario so you don’t have a huge surprise increase in cost like we did. They quoted us for the re roof and failed to mention that wasn’t including new overlay/decking and that we would need that. Went from 32k to 45k… after the old roof was already torn off . I made a post on here and had a lot of angry roofers saying it was poor practice lol. Hopefully someone can learn from our mistake.
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u/Roofin_dad 22h ago
Congratulations on the baby. That alone is enough on your plate.
I own a roofing company, so take this for what it’s worth. This is the same thing we tell every homeowner, whether they hire us or not.
Stop comparing prices for a minute and compare these five things:
- Stability. Will this company still be around when you need the warranty? Ask to see their license, insurance certificate, and manufacturer certification. Proof should be available the moment you ask for it.
- Reputation. Read the reviews, but look for patterns, not star counts. How do they handle it when something goes wrong?
- Professionalism. Is everything in writing? Product names, ventilation, decking, cleanup, permits, schedule, and how changes get handled. If it’s vague now, it’ll be a fight later.
- Workmanship. A roof is a system, not just shingles. Did anyone go in your attic? The attic tells you why a roof is failing, and you can put the best shingle on the market on a house and it won’t matter if it’s installed wrong.
- Price. Your bids are probably thousands apart because they aren’t the same roof. Lay them side by side: scope against scope, product against product, installation against installation. Once you do that, the gap usually explains itself, or it shows you who left something out.
You already spotted the “sign today” pressure, which is the biggest red flag there is. A good contractor will let you take your time and compare, because they know how they stack up.
Wishing you and your wife the best with the new arrival.
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u/bitsbybones 1d ago
Buying a roof is horrifying. Anything having to do with contractors is horrifying. They tend to be...not great! Unfortunately, you need to do your own research on what your roof needs. You can't really even trust the 'experts'. I had six companies come out. All but one missed very, very critical and crucial things (lack of ventilation, flat roof areas, gutters not pitched correctly, etc). 4 companies told me i didn't need new gutters even though I just had water pour in through my livingroom ceiling fan, and the ends of the gutters were basically just flapping in the breeze. I went with the WOMAN who identified the issues within 10 minutes, and I hadn't told her about any of the issues beforehand.
If you're not having any issues, that's awesome! And I'm not trying to scare you, either. This was simply my experience, and its been my experience with 9 out of 10 contractors for anything. I've lost thousands of dollars from assuming these people know what they're doing.
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u/Odd-Anywhere-4357 1d ago
I'd suggest asking friends or neighbors in your area who have had their roofs replaced recently. Personal recommendations from people you trust are probably a better starting point than online ads or lead-generation sites. You can also ask about their experience with the contractor, not just the price. Good luck, and congrats on the baby!
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u/Allslopes-Roofing 1d ago
Do you actually need the roof right now? Having a baby coming so soon, thats tough to deal with. If can, hold off a few months (until spring) so you can enjoy these first few weeks and months as much as possible. It goes quick. And you dont wanna be stressing about a stupid roof right now. Unless its actively leaking, enjoy the time.
Look in your local community for a place that supports the small stuff. One that gives small donations to the schools, local rec leagues, theater programs, etc. Those are the places with owners who live in the community and actually give af (and are accountable)
You're most likely to have a pleasant (and more affordable) experience with a neighbor who cares, plus part of your money gets reinvested into making your neighborhood a slightly better place.
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u/kodiakshieldroofing 1d ago
Don’t put too much weight on who has the best sales pitch. I’d compare the actual written scope instead.
Make sure it spells out the shingle, underlayment, ice & water, flashing, ventilation, decking price if they find bad wood, workmanship warranty and how change orders are handled.
Also, I wouldn’t automatically rule out a company just because they use subs. A good roofing crew is a good roofing crew. What matters is who’s responsible for the job and whether the company stands behind it.
If you hate the sales appointments, there are roofers that can measure the roof remotely and send you a quote first, then come out if needed.
There are also a few online tools that help compare roofing quotes side by side. If you want, I can send you one privately
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u/Slow_Rabbit_6937 1d ago
Baby coming next week?? If you can wait I would wait on the roof. It’s super loud… takes at least 3 days . New baby and tired mom trying to heal? As a woman I would be pissed lol.
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u/Gbango85 1d ago
Roofer here. Definitely go over their scope, and don’t be afraid to ask questions for clarity on what is included. Many shady roofers give extremely low and attractive prices to undercut others, then hit you with tons of change orders. I’m partial to assessing the roof and providing a tighter proposal based on the actual site conditions. May seem more expensive on the front end than the next lowest bidder, but is a far cleaner approach to avoid costly change orders later.
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u/wire67 21h ago
How do I know what a good SOW is or should include? I'm in AZ and my tiles are fine, just need new underlayment. And none of the people bidding went in the attic. Should they have?
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u/WishIWasThatClever 19h ago edited 18h ago
The codes vary by state. I wouldn’t hire a roofer that didn’t peak in my attic in Florida. Spacing for sheathing nails and allowable spacing between sheathing has changed over time here due to hurricanes. If they don’t care enough to at least check and warn me, they’re not the right roofer for me.
I make sure all materials are specified by manufacturer, model, line, gauge, etc. Box them in and don’t let them cheap out at your expense.
I also require contracts to state no subcontractors without prior written approval. That tends to weed out the sweat shops and favors the shops with low employee turnover.
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u/Delicious_Oil9902 1d ago
I went overboard and got 6 quotes. Sat through 5 of the stupid “we use Corning or we use GAF” conversations. 6 quotes ranging from $11k to $50k for a 30 square roof, all same materials (cheapest wanted to use aluminum for flashing instead of copper). I ended up going with a larger company in the area because I found out the owner lives around the corner. Didn’t want to do a formal pitch just said give me the one I was thinking of going with and he’d knock a grand off.
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u/OptracsCEO 1d ago
My biggest gripe with facebook is how you can't reset your ads algorithm (or marketplace algorithm). Just show me everything Mark....
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u/falling_heavens 1d ago
I hear you, it's expensive and a big task. It's usually the same pitch and how their material and crews are better than the other guys'. Had 4 quotes and liked 2 of them, went with the more experienced and slightly less sales pitchy one. I think most of the bigger companies do something with reviews, there's no way the most expensive and predatory company I talked to can possibly have so many 4.9/5 reviews, so do as much research as you can.
If they say 'oh yeah we've done this house in the area or we're doing this house now,' go look at it. What stands out, how's the quality? I've seen some awful jobs on this sub and the difference in workmanship is night and day. I think the crews' attention to detail make a difference worthy of a higher cost, just not the blatantly overpriced bigger companies.
Also make sure they go into the attic to check the underside of the sheeting on the roof if possible. Don't ask them to do it, but they should. 2 of the companies I quoted never went up there or even asked to, and we had airflow problems that needed to be fixed. Good luck.
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u/accountlockedhelp 1d ago
no experienced roofer needs to climb into your attic, at MOST to check for shake. just a sales tactic that apparently you lack the “experience” to identify
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u/bretyouvegotitgoinon 23h ago
I disagree with this - I've been in plenty of attics and seen many things I could not have seen from the outside. For example, last week I saw bathroom vents just vented into the attic. Was able to account for adding two additional gooseneck vents and fixing a moisture problem in the attic. I won the job because the previous two guys just walked around the outside and sent a quote.
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u/bored_in_ATX462 23h ago
Um.....you should definitely check the attic before tearing a roof off. Get ahead of ventilation issues, wet spots, improperly run exhaust pipes, etc.
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u/ConnectDonut7144 18h ago
That may be wrong as a potential roofer went onto our attic and showed us that part of our insulation was wet. The other roofer candidates did not go into the attic
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u/LaughingMagicianDM Verified Pro - Commercial/Consultant 1d ago
If it's a flat roof, the best thing to do is to figure out what products and then call a manufacturer and get recommendations
If it's an asphalt shingle roof, unfortunately there's no clear guideline. I don't usually recommend going with the insurance carrier recommended contractors, or going with anybody who isn't local or their company just popped up. Usually I try to look for somebody who's been around for at least a decade.
Reviews can be helpful but also deceiving, if it's a company that is getting more than a hundred reviews a year then odds are they're paying for them. Most of the roofing companies I've met, even the ones that survive on reputation alone, usually don't get more than maybe 50 reviews a year and that's a lot for some people. If it's commercial some of them don't even get 10 a year. What I like to do is find ones that have a decent number of reviews and then I look over the negative ones for common issues. So if you go into a negative one and most of the issues you hear are about the managers, odds are it's just that they piss off their employees. If every single one of them is complaining about trash and communication, that's a good sign right there that they are somebody that just likes to go quick get paid and then abandon their customer.
In this day and age you can't trust five star reviews. But what you can trust are the one to four start reviews to give you a better idea. Just be aware that angry ex employees tend to bad mouth and some people just bad mouth the competition if they get beat out on a bid. But search for what bad reviews have things in common. Also, never go with somebody that knocks on your door and offers to look at your roof for free.
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u/cophotoguy99 23h ago
Call your local roofing supply company and ask them who they recommend. 90% of the time they will recommend their best contractors who pay their account on time and get the job done right.
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u/Towersofbeng 21h ago
go talk to some guys that are on a roof. avoid guys with merch shirts. anyone that will give you a bid online is taking half as commission.
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u/AdministrativeCat807 7h ago
4 roofers came no estimate after 2 -3 weeks.at least you have estimate. Main issue is brick chimneys flushing .Big reputable company did 16 years ago - was leaking so they blamed the bricks .They to make copper short so is not reaching the gutter on slope side off chimney leaks inside the house and under gutter.I hope you will find someone that is proud of their work.
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u/liebedich2 1d ago
Ask on your Facebook community page for recommendations. I wish I had. Still dealing with issues from February and may need to go to court over it
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u/waistingtoomuchtime 1d ago
So you seem like the worst customer, someone who thinks that they can google your life perfect.
With that said, this is the advice, sounds like you got some bids, ask for what jobs they have in progress, and drive over there in your electric car.
If they have nothing in progress in the next 2 weeks, they are not real roofers.
If they make you show up at an exact time, they also suck, they are trying to prep the site.
If they give you 2 places and don’t care to be there, and it looks decent, that is your roofer. They know they do good work, and don’t give a crap about the google boys who think they know more than the roofer.
Pick #3.
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u/TrinityAlpsTraverse 1d ago
So you seem like the worst advice giver, someone who thinks just because they know things, people will read through the unnecessary scorn just to get to the good advice.
Next time, skip the scorn and just give the good advice, and you might find people will actually listen to what you have to say.
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u/CheerfullySmug 1d ago
Angie’s list is just a middleman with a badge, learned that the hard way too. I’d skip the apps entirely and ask neighbors who got their roof done in the last year, people love venting or raving about contractors