So I hired a contractor to do my roof...

[Guido]

Some of you may remember I was looking for a contractor to replace my shingles - here is what I found during my search:

I got about 8 quotes to remove 2 layers of ashphalt shingles and install a layer of name-brand 25yr shingles for my semi-detached, 1200 sq foot, hip-roof bungalow in the Toronto area.

Below is a summary of what I was quoted for the exact same job using the same materials.

1) PRICE
Quotes range from $2350 tax incl. to $6100 plus tax.
Cheapest and most expensive are from small guys. Sears was $5300+. After 3 calls HD never did come to provide a quote. I called about 5 more companies, and they never returned my call.

Some guys spent 5 minutes looking at the house and 5 minutes making the quote. Some were there for over an hour, walked on the roof and provided a computer printed quote on the spot. Some showed up in workboots, some in office clothes (Sears). The ones with the workboots were way more knowledgable in the product and job

2) MATERIAL
Quotes ranged from 47 to 55 bundles required. My estimates using online calculators were 50 bundles including 10% waste.

3) VENTING
My roof requires 4 vents. I was quoted from 3 to 6.

4) ROOF PITCH
I have written quotes stating my roof pitch is 2/12, 3/12, 4/12, and 6/12! I measured it and it's exactly 3.5/12. The closest two were from guys who actually went on the roof. The 6/12 guy used a template he held up from the street to estimate pitch. The 2/12 guy siad he's been doing this for years and can easily tell. He also told me that since it's a low pitch I'll have to get ice & water shield installed on the entire roof.

5) INSURANCE
Most said they have it, a few provided a copy with their quote. One copy provided was outdated by 2 years. One guy said it's not really necessary for the homeowner and before I could ask another guy he asked me if I have home insurance.

6) PLYWOOD
Additional plywood was charged from $32 sheet to $75 to one guy who said he'll throw in 2 sheets free if req'd. His quote was $2700.

7) BARGAINING
I asked one guy if he can improve his price and he said no but he'll throw in a case of beer. I laughed. He was shocked, then said he'll throw in 2 cases.

The $6100 guy is the only person who followed up. When I said he's too high he said he couldn't budge, not even $10. He said the cheaper guys are cutting corners. His quote was written on the back of his business card.

8) DOWN PAYMENT
One guy wanted 75% upfront, Sears wanted 50%, most guys wanted 10%, the cheapest guy said pay when the job is done and you're happy.

My advice - gets lots of quotes until you find the one you like. Sometimes the price is great, but the guys are terrible, or vice versa. Eventually you'll find the one you're comfortable with.

[Wgoodrich]

Curious which one did you pick. Did you ask for references of customers in your area where they did jobs? Did you check Better Business Bureau for any registered complaints on the contractor you picked.

When you have close to 3/12 pitch the ice bridging is required per code.

Curious

Wg

[Guido]

I went with the least expensive guy! $2350 taxes included.

BUT, I didn't base it solely on price. All the other guys I found on the internet or phone book, this was the only guy I contacted as I saw him working on 2 houses down the street. The final product looked good and I talked to the home owners and they were happy. They said he was recommended by a friend.
He was very professional every time I talked to him, and would return my call as promised (unlike others who I had to chase around). He gave me a detailed quote on proper letter head with a copy of current insurance. He charges $35 a sheet of plywood and said will remove my unused vent stack and shingle a small overhang for free (one guy wanted $75 for the overhang).
He was the only one to mention I have different sized vents and he will replace them all with large vents so they look the same. I pay when the job is complete, and I'm satisfied - no down payment.
I have to admit I forgot about checking the BBB, but I did just now and it says he is not a member, and there have been 0 complaints in the last 36 months.
His advertising says he's been in the business for over 20 years.

Only negative point I saw was he also does windows and eavestrough/soffit work. I don't think it's a big deal, but some people say stay away from these "jack of all trades" and stick to someone who specializes in what you want. But I think the above points more than make up for this. I absolutely fail to see any added benefit I will receive by paying thousands more with some other guys. They must either have very high expenses, or they are ripping people off big time.

Never heard it called ice bridging - are you talking about the rubber sheet placed near the eaves? Here it's called Ice and Water shield.
Not sure what code is in Canada, but I decided not to get it because: a) my house is 40+ years old, currently doesn't have it, and the roof is in good shape, and b) I don't plan on being here in 5+ years from now and it does nothing for resale value.

[Under_Miner]

In Canada, low sloped roofs require no eave protection, but require triple coverage and be tarred. Slopes of more than 4/12 require double coverage with eave protection.

[Wgoodrich]

Ice Bridging is a roll of thick tar type tape. It is installed like a double sided tape at the top of your shingle tabs just under the shingle. When the sun hits it and set in this ice bridging then melt connecting the lower shingle to the upper shingle by the melting of that tar. Works much like the tie down tar patches found on the underside of a shingle tab that seals the shingle tab down to the roof to limit wind damage. Easy to install and works like a dam keeping back flow of melted ice and snow or heavy rain causing water to run backwards under your shingles due to the low pitch of the roof.

Not expensive and easy to install but great protection.

I had a feeling you would pick that guy. His manners, professionalism of bidding and customer relation and other things he did showing he cared seemed to show in your reply having been noticed by you. Sounds like my pick from your discription. Low bid is not always the best bid but also not the bad bid if the person has credentials and knowledge to back up his initial contact and promises.

Good Luck

Wg

[Mr Fixit eh]

I'm glad it all worked out, Guido. Thanks for sharing your experience. Too bad there isn't a better way to pick a tradesperson, eh?

[Guido]

Ice Bridging is a roll of thick tar type tape.
Wow, I wonder if this exists in Canada because in all my research I never heard of this. No contractor ever mentioned it. The Ice and Water Shield is a thick rubber sheet you roll around the perimiter of the roof and should extend 3' up from the where the soffit touches the wall. That's the only thing I heard of regarding ice dam protection.
But I like the Ice Bridging method better because it prevents the water from going beneath the shingles, unlike the rubber sheet which only prevent the water from touching the plywood.
Maybe roofers don't like it because it's more difficult to install than rolling a rubber sheet?

[Guido]

Update on my roof repair...

Guys started the job on Wednesday, and finished Thursday. The roof looks good, and they cleaned up really nice. They stepped all over my wife's roses, and dented the gutter where they leaned the ladder against.
But my main concern is this...

My old roof had large aluminum rectangular vents. My guess is 10" X 20" or so. They replaced them with large square plastic vents which look a lot nicer. But when you put a square piece in a rectangular hole, you're left with a few inches on each side. I looked inside the attic and saw the vent, and saw 2-3 inches of shingle on each side. Will this cause a problem with snow and heat of the sun in the future? I'm worried it will eventually stretch and droop down. I'm not worried about it falling through (the opening is not that big) but I don't want it to look ugly or cause water buildup.

The good part is I have yet to give them a penny... so should I tell them anything or am I nitpicking?

Also, some of you may remember that ugly vent pipe I had poking through the roof. They removed this, and shingled directly over the 4" hole. Same issue as above.

[suemarkp]

I think you may have a problem. I changed my roof from shake to composition shingle. My decking was 1x8's with about a 3/8" gap between each board. The roofer was afraid what that gap would do to the shingles, plus it would be possible to miss with nails if they needed to nail into that open space.

So we covered the whole roof with 3/8" plywood. This also covered the hole for the old electrical mast that was removed.

I don't think you want any gap or hole larger than about an inch in diameter under a composition shingle. I'm also wondering if the vent was designed to be unsopported on two sides also. If they can get into your attic and nail in some support under those unsupported shingles, I'd make them do it. If access is difficult, I'm not sure what you should do, as a tear off seems like too much of a penalty. See what kind of solution they offer.

I don't know about some roofers.... At my last house, they installed some vents. From the outside, it looked good. When I went into the attic months later, I saw all kinds of wood chunks below each vent. They didn't cut a hole for the vent, they smashed one with a hammer into the sheathing. So there was a ragged hole, but it was only about 4" in diameter. A cut hole about 6" square is what I was expecting. Don't think you get great air flow through a 3 to 6 inch hole with jagged edges.

[Guido]

Thanks Mark, I'll discuss it with him and tell him I'm not happy about the gap. He has access to the attic - so I'll mention that option. For sure he will say "don't worry, you have 10 yr warranty, call us if anything happens", but I don't like that idea. I think worse comes to worse I can get a document from the shingle manufacturer (IKO) stating what their minimum requirement is for shingle support.

I got him to write on the purchase to remove the vent stack and cover the hole with plywood (which they didn't do), but it never occured to me to tell him to do the same with the attic vents.

If he still refuses to do anything I won't pay him the full amount. Maybe 75% or so. But so far he's been a really good guy and I hopefully he'll understand.

[Bumblerazz]

Just a comment:

Ice Bridging is a roll of thick tar type tape. It is installed like a double sided tape at the top of your shingle tabs just under the shingle. When the sun hits it and set in this ice bridging then melt connecting the lower shingle to the upper shingle by the melting of that tar.

Sounds like the black "line" found on all shingles here in Can. I asked what it was when I had my roof done. The explanation is as WG stated above and that all shingles fabricated in Can has had this for years. This would suggest to me that you don't have a choice when purchasing shingle and it must be code for here. So it's not surprising you hadn't heard of it, I hadn't either, though it seems obvious now.

[Guido]

Final update on my roofing project:
I phoned him about the vent issue, he said he'll fix it no problem. By the time I got home he was on my driveway waiting for me and to my surprise he had already installed two extra vents and placed aluminum sheet around the existing vents to strengthen the unsupported shingles. The sheet was installed below the shingles so it's not visible.
I asked him about the 4" hole where the exhaust vent used to be (that was removed) and he said he installed an extra layer of rubber sheet. I can't verify this, but I trust him.

In conclusion, I'm very happy with his work, and his customer service.
After much thought I still fail to see where an extra $500 would have given me better quality or service, let along an EXTRA $2-3000 that some people were quoting!

I'm not sure if this website allows me to say his company name here, but if you want to know who I chose you can PM me. But I think he only does northern Toronto. And he does windows too!