Looking at buying a house that needs a new roof immediately . . . wondering about using HD or Lowes to do the roof because they usually do 1 year no interest financing (kind of tough to buy a new house then do a bunch of repairs immediately). How are their prices and quality of service relative to your average local roof specialist?
Anyone Have Lowes or Home Depot Do a Roof?
- Thread starter ericlambi
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I know a guy that shingles for Lowe's. He seems to do pretty good work and he says that Lowe's in general has fairly decent contractor's doing work for them. He is obviously a little biased, but shingling isn't rocket science either. It wouldn't hurt for you to get bids from individual contractor's either. Now is a good time to do it b/c they are usually slow for the winter and give lower bids when trying to line up work. Also, remember to check on warranties on for labor with whoever you have do it.
Take the price of the roof off of the purchase price or have a contingency that they do the roof by a certain contractor (so they don't have some 1/2 *** job done).
Make an offer including language that they must have the roof replaced before closing. Include words so that you must approve the contractor and that they must remove the old shingles and repair/replace any sheathing, before installation.
I might do this. The main problem being this is some old woman who is also cash strapped and has already moved out of state. Having her do it makes it much more complicated, although it may be worth it.
well then your bank has already approved you for a certain loan amount, that most likely you guys already agreed on. So go back and ask for a credit from the buyer for replacing the roof, because your bank won't loan you the money to repair it. They say no, you buy another house.
Huh?
Most of the time, these retail stores just contract with regular local contractors to do the work. The contractor gets more business, but for a little less than they might otherwise, and the store gets a cut of course. I'm guessing they might also get a bit extra of a discount on materials.
I bought countertops from Home Depot and they had an installation company out of Ankeny - who fabricated the counter as well, do the installation. Top notch job. Same thing with the carpet we got from Neb Furniture mart.
I don't think any of these places really have their own installers on staff.
Might be worth it just to ask who they contract with....
I live in MA and apparently seller credits are not kosher here. I think I'll try and maker her do it pre-closing with a contractor we agree on. This house is a major fixer-upper and I need to save my cash for other projects. She'll do it, she has to do it because no one else is going to buy the house.
I can't claim to be an expert in the roofing business, but I do know the flooring business. Most companies do subcontract their carpet installation. The quality of the installer is usually directly related to both the pay that can be attained from a particular store, the amount of work they generate to keep the installer busy and the individual expertise of the sales people at that store. From what I understand, the pay at these types of stores is not bad overall. The amount of work generated can be more of a problem, as these types of stores typically cater to a cash and carry, do it yourself crowd. If an installer isn't busy every day, the pay rate doesn't really matter. The biggest problem quality installers have with these types of stores, however, is the quality level of the sales people. Poor sales people will create all kinds of headaches for the installer, and will tend to generate false expectations and the installer ends up on the hook to live up to them.
There are exceptions to the rule, of course, as each installer has different priorities. Some subcontractors are reputable businesses that are looking to fill in their schedules with extra work. Some installers don't care to work every day. You will also tend to find that the savings that you may have had on materials is usually made up on the labor end, so going straight to an reputable roofing company may get you the same deal (if they have financing available).
The main question I would ask is who is responsible if things go wrong? I have heard and seen many horror stories where people are caught in the middle of a dispute between the retailer and the installer. Make sure that the retailer is fully responsible for the entire job. Subcontractors come and go, and you will want to know what happens if the installation company decides to shut it down a few weeks or months after your project is completed. You do not want to be stuck in a situation where the installer is blaming the materials, and the provider of materials is blaming the installer. A reputable company will stand behind the entire installation, and then go after the installer to recoup loses if they don't hold up their end of the bargain. Other companies just point fingers, and leave you hanging high and dry.
So that's what I meant.
I would recomend going to your local lumber yard or a reputable roof specialist. I work at a local lumber yard and have seen a lot of horror stories with the big box stores. You might pay a little more by going to a lumber yard but you will be getting a better product and the quality of service will be a lot better. Let me know if you have any questions.
EXACTLY! Trust me, you do not think about your roof on sunny days. But when it is leaking, it is the most important part of your house. And if you have a house with alot of valleys, dormers, and some tricky details that are not done right, you can have problems. Don't always look at the guys with biggest add in the yellow pages, or the ones that drive the fanciest trucks. Call around and get recommendations, then drive by and look at projects that they have done and ask some of their past customers. If they are a reputable contractor, they will have no problem suppling that information.
If she has already moved out of state, then she is desparate to unload her old house. You could easily get the cost of roof replacement deducted from the asking price of the house.
roofing is not very hard. anyone that has helped a professional roof once should be able to do it alone the next time. why not just get a couple of buddies, rent a couple of air compressers and coil nailers, and hit it on a weekend next spring? tear off the old shingles, pull all nails and sweep off the roof. put down style d roof edging up your gables and gutter apron at your eaves. lay down tar paper with a hammer stapler and string. put a row of starter shingles at the bottom, and away you go. don't forget to use either box vents or ridge vents, and use cap shingles at all of your ridges. i would recommend getting a 30 year laminate shingle-the asphalt ones that kind of have the look of shakes. these are by far the easiest to lay, and if you are an amateur and get a little crooked, you won't be able to notice it from the ground.
Every time I've tried to ask a question at our local Lowe's, I've come to the realization that I know more than the person I'm asking. I've stopped trying.
We had a small problem with our roof (3 years old) in a difficult spot, during that big ice storm(s) we had in Iowa last winter. Our local, reputable contractor came out during a 4 hour window in between storms and fixed it. Somehow I doubt that Lowe’s would have done that, or at least not as quickly.
So I'm concurring with go with the local reputable contractor or lumber yard. I do shop Lowe's quite a bit, but only when I don't need any help. With your roof, I'm guessing that you do want help if and when you need it.
My wife comes from a big family and every 2 or 3 years an in-law of some kind needs a new roof. We all get together, wives cook for us, we hit it hard all day, it's kinda fun. It's not hard at all.
Actually, yes - the steak, egg, and cheese bagel sandwich from McDonald's is actually pretty good...
If you can swing it, buy the materials at one of the box stores so you get the one year no payments plan.The quality of the product is the same as the others. I would use a 30 year laminated with a 30 pound felt. This combo seems to hold up well in Iowa winters. Get a hold of a roofer and tell him you will supply the materials and all you want is a cash price on the install. Make sure the home center can do rooftop delivery. I know Menards does and probably Lowes. These guys are slow right now and cash jobs are the perfect thing before chistmas. The warranty will fall back to the shingle company but shingle warranties are few and far between if you get someone who even remotely knows what they are doing. You will save hundreds of dollars this way. The only way I would not do this is if you have a complicated roof system(lots of pitches and dormers.) These babies always leak and a contractor warranty is necessary.
