| Author | Message | ||
     Clueless Liz |
Help! My husband and I bought a 1900-era house two years ago knowing the asphalt roof was nearing its life end. We got a $4000 credit from the seller for replacement. NOW, we are getting estimates and in that process a roofer has discovered a secret layer of slate under the asphalt that we previously thought was a layer of older asphalt. He says that the first layer being slate doubles the cost of a whole roof replacement (From about $7000 to $13000). Is this right? It seems to me that tearing off and throwing away slate should be about the same cost as tearing and throwing away asphalt... | ||
| admin |
Yes, Liz, your roofer sounds dishonest. We usually charge about $100/square for removal of slates prior to re-slating. Removal of slates is actually easier than removal of asphalt shingles in many cases as there are only two nails per slate. It would be reasonable for your roofer to tack on an additional removal fee upon discovery of the slate layer, but almost doubling the cost of the job reeks of dishonesty. Joe Jenkins | ||
| John Chan |
This is ridiculous. We charge $100/sq. unless it's extremely difficult. But seeing how he was going to tear off one layer of shingles already, I would think that he would only charge about $50-75 for a layer of slate underneath of it. | ||
| Clueless Liz |
Thanks for your input! The estimator claimed that because the slate would shred apart while tearing off it would be much more labor intensive to clean up and remove all the little pieces. I can see that, but $6000 more expensive? And only the top most roofs have the slate, not an addition or the garage which is in the first estimate. We will definately get estimates from other companies. But it is nice to have some expert advice to bargain with when talking to these people. Thanks again! |
