I Hate dealing with contractors!

I’m a retired cop and now own a small home improvement business. People think cops are jerks, let me tell you contractors are real jerks! Lol When I give a price there is no negotiating, I give the lowest price I possibly can while still making the profit I need. I cannot go any lower or I will pass on the job. As far as pricing I can’t comment not knowing your market. Where I am a roof for a house that size would be $25k plus. What I can tell you is get referrals from friends if you can. Hire someone who has worked for someone you know and did a good job. Get everything in writing. Get a signed contract spelling out all aspects of the job. Have them show you a copy of their insurance policy. Have them show you their license if required in your area. Most roofers will include two sheets of plywood with the cost. Get the cost per sheet if more plywood is needed, have that info in the contract. If someone doesn’t want to give you a written estimate, and then a signed contract tell them to hit the road.
 
It is a good thing I have patience and a sense of humor:

Contractor #1 spent a good amount of time bashing the work done on the original roof. Discussed how the shingles were laid wrong for the type and several other things. I hate people who build themselves up by tearing others down but there might have been some useful information there.

Contractor #2 was climbing off the roof when I got home and as soon as he introduced himself he told me that he put the original roof on

Contractor #3 I guess he has suspected that he has lost jobs in the past due to being Hispanic because in part of his sales pitch he mentioned that I can hire a big company but it is all going to be Hispanics on the roof anyway. That made me chuckle for some reason. So far, he might be my front runner due to his product and appearance of integrity.

3 bids in and we are between $18K and 19.5K
 


They are doing a few re roofs on our street. First day a big crew shows up and they get the old roof off. Then everyday it is less and less working, some days none at all. How fun
 
Another way to get a deal with these guys is to pay in cash. They like that a lot apparently. It saved us thousands on our roof.
Do you mean actual cash or do you mean not financing?

I can't imagine handing them a briefcase full of money.
 
I don't know yet if $18K is a fair price (I was anticipating $14K based on past experience) but my big issue is that the price changed by $4k in as many minutes - after I asked for his best price first.

I definitely understand the frustration, but I don't think asking for his best price first is a reasonable request where negotiation is par for the course. He has his costs and he has his profit margin. Naturally, he wants to maximize his profit while still trying to earn your business, so he will have wiggle room in the price. Somewhere, he has a line between how much he can eat into his profit where its still worthwhile to get your business. He also doesn't know what price you will balk at - he probably started with what he thought was reasonable or competitive ($22K), knowing he had the room to come down from there if need be. Its very much like buying a car - playing stupid pricing games, fake "going another route", and end making a deal not knowing how you feel about the whole thing! Good luck!!
 


Do you have any special code requirements for your area and for your insurance? We have to meet Miami-Dade requirements for hurricanes. We had thought about getting either a metal or tile roof put on until we heard the prices. Got a lovely architectural shingle roof put on last year. Plus new gutters and soffits.
 
We built a lake house a few years ago down in the hollar. There is lots of cash floating around down there. As DH was the GC there were a lot of things done with a cash discount. Not my concern if they paid taxes on it or not.

We also paid in segments such as a few grand when they start, a few grand part way thru, and a few grand at the end. We also paid for a lot of the materials ourselves on our credit cards. We earned quite a few points.

We paid $15k for our room 20 years ago. It was a huge three story house with 6 gables and tall steep roofs. They also relined our yankee gutters. I hate to think what it would cost to replace now. Kind of glad we sold that house.
 
Funny to see this today, when I’ve got a crew here doing a new furnace & ac. I handle all the home improvement projects & repairs. My DH works 10-12 hour days so nothing would ever get done if I had to wait for him. I have never had anyone ask to talk to my DH. Well, wait, that might not be true. I think when we redid the family room, the contractor & I laughed about him not caring about the design or finishes. All he cared about was how long would it take & where his tv would be in the meantime.

But also, I have never haggled a price. Maybe I am naive, but my DH wouldn’t do it either. Give me your best price & we’ll decide.
 
Do you have any special code requirements for your area and for your insurance? We have to meet Miami-Dade requirements for hurricanes. We had thought about getting either a metal or tile roof put on until we heard the prices. Got a lovely architectural shingle roof put on last year. Plus new gutters and soffits.
No special code requirements.
 
A few months ago, I got a cold call about having solar panels installed. Since that was something I was considering anyway, I told them I would meet with them. When they called back to schedule the appointment though, they refused to make an appointment unless my dh was there. I told them that my dh doesn't make any of those decisions and that there's no way I'd ask my dh to take time off from work to meet with solar panel salesman. They wouldn't budge so they never did get that appointment. I ended the call by telling them that I'd never buy from such a sexist company and not to call again. I had the feeling that if my dh was willing to meet with them without me, they would have been fine with it.
 
Good luck just getting contractors to return your calls let alone actually showing up to give an estimate! I’ve been pretty lucky with the ones I’ve used. Over the past few years that’s included roofers, tree removal, asphalt paving, and interior painting.

I agree with someone that said those that advertise on tv, radio or billboards have higher estimates.
 
Good luck just getting contractors to return your calls let alone actually showing up to give an estimate! I’ve been pretty lucky with the ones I’ve used. Over the past few years that’s included roofers, tree removal, asphalt paving, and interior painting.

I agree with someone that said those that advertise on tv, radio or billboards have higher estimates.

I have been through this in the past. Couldn't get contractors to return calls or show up for estimates. Had a porch added and had to just about beg for estimates. This time, though, I have had a lot of interest in the job and so far, everyone has been on time. Other than that first guy, they have all handed me written quotes with me asking.
 
It may not be popular, but we just had 2 roofs put on in the last year (our home and our rental in FL) by Lowe's. I am comfortable with them as you have the backing of a big company and the regular roofing guys are their subs. We had an issue with rental roof and lowe's took care of it. Just something you may not have thought of.
 
Good luck just getting contractors to return your calls let alone actually showing up to give an estimate! I’ve been pretty lucky with the ones I’ve used. Over the past few years that’s included roofers, tree removal, asphalt paving, and interior painting.

I agree with someone that said those that advertise on tv, radio or billboards have higher estimates.
I’ve been having luck getting responses through Yelp. My theory is they feel Yelp reviews are more valuable than word of mouth or flyers. The people I just had paint my house gave me a discount for going through Yelp and for paying cash.
 
I have an okay contractor he gives you a price for labor and then adds the materials later which IMHO is kind of a joke b/c if you are having a ton of work done how do you know the 5 cans of paint are what you used not 4 and one goes to someone else! I know its done but he comes on time and keeps his promises and if there is a problem he is quick to fix it even if it is not related to his work. The problem is he keeps losing his guys b/c they start their own business so his staff is always in flux. He has a lot of good guys but some are better than others and it is a sad day when you learn that the fantastic carpenter is no longer working for him. He is not standing there waiting for his money either, if I want to pay in installments I can and so I have to weigh the good with the bad.

Sadly dealing with contractors is like dealing with car salesmen, there is very little trust factor.
 

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