I called five roofing guys, two called back, and one showed up. That's about par for the course, especially because we have box or Yankee gutters on the house and there seem to be about three guys in the state that will work on them.
That ugly area in the middle at the top has been leaking. The three-foot icicle that we noticed last winter as we were leaving for MD was our first clue.
Here's the guy yelling down to John that the ugly area is really just peeling paint and doesn't seem to be rotting wood. That was good news, but the estimate that we got today wasn't quite as pleasant. It includes labor of $130/hour and a 10-hour minimum, using materials that are currently running $550 for a 5-gallon can of the sealant goop. There is no estimate of how long the job might take, or how much of this stuff and other materials might be needed. I've never seen an estimate quite like this and will continue to seek out others while I lament that
I hope your Friday has better news than mine and your weekend is a good one!
Oh man! Good luck. We just had our first estimate for a new roof (not even the entire roof as Fletch and his brother did part of it a few years ago). The estimate was double what Fletch expected!
ReplyDeleteOh dear! Houses always require so much attention (and $$$) -- they might be more expensive than children! We replaced our entire (slate) roof last summer, so I know how expensive that work can be and you have my sympathies.
ReplyDeleteBeing a homeowner of an older home is NOT for the weak! I hope you get better (and more detailed) news from a different contractor.
ReplyDeleteI think Winnie the Pooh had the best response to this sort of trouble... Oh, help and bother!
ReplyDeleteAnd I will add several ugh's to that... I hope that the repair is not as costly as you are imagining and fixed sooner than later!
$550 for a can of sealant?! Surely you jest. I know there is currently an inflation issue, but I always feel like I am getting cheated when something is this outrageously priced. Then again, I think that I may need to trust people more. I would certainly be googling this sealant and finding out what it is in it, if nothing else but for curiosity's sake. I don't doubt the labor costs at all. We had a big limb fall on our roof during an ice storm last winter, and I ended up just having the roof patched rather than replaced. It doesn't match perfectly, but I am hoping the slight differences in color fade in a couple of years. I hope you have good luck getting another estimate so you can compare. Owning a home, especially an older home is such a PIA! Then again, we are lucky to have shelter, right?
ReplyDeleteOh boy. I sympathize. I love my old house, but it tests my devotion every now & then! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel lucky we called three and three showed up and three gave estimates (two were similar, one was really high). I looked at the BBB listing for roofers in the area and picked ones without compaints!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's oinky news, for sure! I hope you get everything sorted and fixed soon -- and for less $$ than you're hoping for. XO
ReplyDeleteYikes. The first house we ever owned needed the roof replaced in 1996-ish and the cost was $2000 and that is now what I think a roof should cost. So I get sticker shock every time.
ReplyDeleteI like that 1996 price way more than the 2022 quotes!
DeleteHope it is not too bad.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the same situation with fencing. Getting someone to call back is hard. Getting someone to show up even harder, and seeing the estimates almost produces a heart attack. We have two people coming on Monday. At least they SAY they are. Then we will have to make the hard decision to pick on and write a check. :::sigh:::
Good luck with the roof.
Oh dear. That repair sounds expensive. I hope someone shows up and gives you a more reasonable estimate.
ReplyDeleteoh ugh ... I'm sorry your weekend started that way ... off to read today's post and hoping the news improved!!
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