# Did I get ripped off? $175 to replace three shingles?



## Ler0y Jenkins (May 5, 2008)

I know prices vary by area but I had three shingles blow off my roof during a recent storm... I bought three asphalt shingles but I chickened out when I tried to climb up on the roof. A woman I work with has a husband who owns a roofing company less than a mile from my house, so I called the guy and he agreed to fix the shingles using the shingles I bought. 

I didn't ask for an estimate because I worked with the guys wife. Anyway, he left an invoice in my mailbox... $175!!!!! The guy was here for less than 10 minutes. That's about 3x more than I expected to pay. 

Kevin


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

That is less than many contractors would have charged.

Most will have minimums to get on a roof.

While the shingles may have only cost "X", insurance, access, equipment, etc., etc. all add to the cost of a project.

That is more than reasonable and bordering on cheap in my opinion.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Love the screen name by the way.

Funny video...


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## ParagonEx (Sep 14, 2011)

Why is that too much money in your opinion?


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Until you own your own business it's hard to understand why things cost what they do. I don't think that is out of line especially when you figure in his health insurance, workman's comp, vehicle insurance, business insurance, fuel, risk of getting up on a roof, etc. And, let me add, small jobs still require a roofer to bring all his tools to the site, and maybe it took him an hour to load up from another job to get to your job. $175 was a small price to pay when you consider that you could have done the repair wrong and had a leak, or, you could have been laid up for months after a fall from the roof.


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## rossfingal (Mar 20, 2011)

A few years ago:
I worked for a roofing/siding/window/door/gutter company.
I was a repairman/estimator/supervisor (one of them).
The going rate for me was -
$125 for the first hour -
$75/hour after that (not including materials)
(After 5 or 6 in the evening - You can't afford it!) 
That was 15 to 20 years ago.
Most of the roofs we dealt with were 8/12 to 12/12 pitch - or steeper.

You want me to go up there??!??
Now?!?
How much money you got?!? 

rossfingal


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I agree, you did not mention how high the roof is, or how steep.
http://www.amazon.com/Werner-D6240-...d=1357397972&sr=8-107&keywords=ladders+werner

Some has to pay for this stuff.

I love it when I'd show up with a $400.00 and a $200.00 ladder, a $1600.00 brake, a $20,000 truck, 2, pair of $58.00 snips and seamers, $80.00 roll of coil stock, $368.00 cutter for the coil stock, $268.00 reel to hold the the coil stock, two people just to replace one piece of coil stock at the peak of a roof and have them complain behind my back that there $200.00 bill was robbery.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Reminds me of a story.....

A factory had this big machine the produced most of the product. One day it broke down and the only guy who knew how to fix it was retired. So they called him up and asked him if he could come in and fix it. Just send them the bill afterwards.

He shows up....walks around the machine for about 10 minutes, then puts an X on one of the components and says "Replace that part"

A week later they get a bill for $2000. A bit shocked they wrote back requesting an itemized breakdown of the bill.

He responded.

$1 for the X
$1999 for knowing where to put the X.


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## rossfingal (Mar 20, 2011)

Sometimes -
It's not what do - 
It's because you know how to do it "right"!


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

How many times have we shown up and can see someone has tryed to do it thereself to "save money" and seen things like roofing nails used to reattach a loose facia, the top of the shingle has been cut off, tar all over it to hold it in place. 
The best one is when someone just lays the shingle right over what's there and uses a gal of tar to seal it.


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## bigchaz (Jun 28, 2006)

AS others have mentioned, his cost of doing business includes all the things that have to be spread out over the cost of every job he does. The fixed costs if you will. 

$175:

$75 to Uncle Sam
$10 for gas in the truck
$20 for labor being there
$20 for depreciation on ladders and tools
$20 for truck payment
$20 for insurance, business licenses, workers comp

$10 profit. If he's lucky. I'm guessing he probably lost money doing the job as a favor


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Well what would it have cost if you fell off the roof, broke your back and ended up in the hospital for three or four months? It has nothing to do with the cost of the damn materials for gods sake. 

You got a hell of a deal. I would have charged you $450.00 at least, but then I would have been there about an hour, because there is no way to do that right in ten minutes. you have to take off about 6 shingles to replace 1, then put them back and bib the holes.


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## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

would YOU have done it for $175.00?? if it's something you don't want to do then almost any price is a deal.


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## snowenvy (Jan 5, 2013)

*$175 isn't bad if it was fixed*

Whenever you have any professional look at your home, they need to be paid. 

If people offer free estimates, their prices will be higher because they have to recoup the money paid out in time and gas for those estimates that turn out to be nothing. 

I don't want to pay some plumber 100 bucks to look at my toilet and not fix it. So I would say 175 for three shingles isn't bad. $300 would be. But I think anything around $150/first hour, and $25 for three shingles isn't a bad price.

Always be cautious but don't undervalue someone's time and efforts as long as the fix really does fix the problem.


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

Out here insurance has gotten so high most guys will not even go on your roof for less than 150 dollars. For any type of repair you are looking at 300 bucks. There is the liability of him falling, as well as your roof ever leaking. As a policy, when people ask me if they paid to much I never will answer because I do not know the details of the deal. The fact that you did not want to do it yourself tells a lot right there. He did you a favor, he was only covering his costs. You honestly expect someone to even come over your house for 60 dollars. You are clueless as to the cost of things in the world, not even a local handyman would work that cheap.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Ler0y Jenkins said:


> I know prices vary by area but I had three shingles blow off my roof during a recent storm... I bought three asphalt shingles but I chickened out when I tried to climb up on the roof. A woman I work with has a husband who owns a roofing company less than a mile from my house, so I called the guy and he agreed to fix the shingles using the shingles I bought.
> 
> I didn't ask for an estimate because I worked with the guys wife. Anyway, he left an invoice in my mailbox... $175!!!!! The guy was here for less than 10 minutes. That's about 3x more than I expected to pay.
> 
> Kevin


Let's reword this:
Since it's worth about $60 bucks to you- lets put 3 $20's up on your roof. Now, since your worried about heights or roof pitch- will you go up and get the money? Likely not. Why should someone else?


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

3 shingles 

5/12-8/12 = $250

10/12-12/12= $350

12/12 or more could be an additional $150 or more depending on stories.

I do think he should have provided the materials though.

I roofed my brothers house and he was crying about the roof top delivery charge.I told him fine,,,ground drop them and you load that roof and save a couple bucks.He said o.k no problem.

He loaded 1 bundle and fell out.So I charged him $250 to load it.He didn't care what I charged just so he didn't have to load the roof.He thought I was going to have my guys hand load it.Nope I have a ladder-vadder,,,it took me about 20 minutes to load the roof.He was not really happy about it.

But after he looked at the other side of him having to load it he realized something.I knew roofing and I had the equipment to perform the task.

He also learned a valuable lesson that day,,,pay the $70 roof top delivery or big brother is going to make you pay.

But I would like to know where you bought 3 single shingles ?


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

Roofmaster417 said:


> I would like to know where you bought 3 single shingles ?


That was my first thought.

Nice story RM, rooftop delivery doesn’t exist in NCK. Since moving here I’ve seriously thought about starting that service, I’m sure there would be plenty of takers. I have the right truck, just need the conveyor to mount to it. :whistling2:


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Workmans comp is 38% of payroll for roofers in Illinois,If my memory serves me---

Deduct that from that greedy roofers check of $175 and send that money right to the state--you will feel better.


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## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

I had a branch during a storm put a whole in my roof. Replace 4x8 osb sheet 3 bundles landmark 30 $480.00 Couldn't even tell roof was patched. Insurance adjuster cut the check. He said i would have paid more.:laughing: The insurance guy showed up when they were on the roof. This was about a year ago.


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

Repairs are a very profitable part of roofing.Less time,labor etc.If your a good roofer you can pull 3 shingles and replace them in 10 minutes or under on about any pitch.

I have never heard much flak about roofing unless it pertains to repairs.Is it my fault I can pull 4 pipe flashings 10 vents and replace the shingles around them in under half an hour and still charge $600-$800 ?

Seriously is it the roofers fault if they have the skill and ability to perform the repair and move on ?

I have charged $550 to install new step flashing around a chimney and cricket.That took me about 15 minutes,,,J stayed there another 45 minutes on the roof behind the chimney with my lap top looking at an insurance scope I received in an email from one of my adjusters.So I did the repair and caught up on some office issues behind a chimney so the customer did not get upset for my price and how quickly it was done.


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## ParagonEx (Sep 14, 2011)

Good point roofmaster.


I have done repair jobs where I quote a price and I do it for that price. The only time it's an issue is when it took me 1/4 the time the HO thought it would. I've heard the whole "that's more than I make an hour or that's more than my accountant charges me." I always say I wish that's how much money I made.


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

ParagonEx said:


> Good point roofmaster.
> 
> 
> I have done repair jobs where I quote a price and I do it for that price. The only time it's an issue is when it took me 1/4 the time the HO thought it would. I've heard the whole "that's more than I make an hour or that's more than my accountant charges me." I always say I wish that's how much money I made.


I always tell them "Man that was a bear" "Boy that was a tough one" Then I apologize if it took too long,,Even though I was basically doing nothing but walking around the roof after the repair is done looking at the previous roofers workmanship.I can burn about 40 minutes or so just doing that.

I never really give a time limit.I always say it depends on what I run into but unless you have serious structural issues unseen (Which I really doubt) it should not take that long.Feel free to go about your daily chores or errands though.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

some jobs are best done when nobody is at home----


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Its great to see that everyone has such a good understanding of the hidden costs of self employment. Now I know for sure that none of you would ever complain that you think Realtors are overpaid:jester:


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

creeper said:


> Its great to see that everyone has such a good understanding of the hidden costs of self employment. Now I know for sure that none of you would ever complain that you think Realtors are overpaid:jester:


Now that might be debatable :laughing:

My sister in law is a realtor in San Diego.She made $60,000 in 3 days last week. :thumbup:


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

I bet she will have an earful for you if you put it that way to her. She did a lot of prep to make it all come together. It all just happened to close within 3 days.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Roofmaster417 said:


> Now that might be debatable :laughing:
> 
> My sister in law is a realtor in San Diego.She made $60,000 in 3 days last week. :thumbup:



Is that an average of $20,000 a day for the year ?

Ask her what her average net take home was for the last two years---I bet you would have to think hard about trading jobs.:laughing:


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

creeper said:


> I bet she will have an earful for you if you put it that way to her. She did a lot of prep to make it all come together. It all just happened to close within 3 days.


She is a wizard,I can say that about her.She provides a top notch no nonsense service.But yes,every holiday we go to San Diego or whenever she calls to talk to my wife we go around and around.(In a very fun way)She has a stellar reputation in the San Diego,Ramona and occasionally L.A.

And in those areas the competition is fierce and to stand out means your doing something right. :thumbsup:


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

oh'mike said:


> Is that an average of $20,000 a day for the year ?
> 
> Ask her what her average net take home was for the last two years---I bet you would have to think hard about trading jobs.:laughing:


She sells an average of 7 to 8 houses a month during the peak times.Their home is ridiculous.She is 36 and is doing very,very well.Her husband owns a moving company and he averages 1.3 to 1.4 million per year.Mostly because of government contracts for the bases there.They do very well for themselves.Our entire families are involved in business of some sort and its just a ping pong game of inspiration within our family.

She has offered to train my wife and I but that's not something I personally would like to do.Besides the market in my area is very sour but the markets in California (Mainly coastal) is still doing very well.I would have to move there and that's something I am not sure I would want to do.

Within her company she is a platinum multi million dollar seller.She mainly sells high end beach properties in San Diego.She is very talented.


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

oh'mike said:


> Is that an average of $20,000 a day for the year ?
> 
> Ask her what her average net take home was for the last two years---I bet you would have to think hard about trading jobs.:laughing:


My fault Mike,,,I danced around the question.She has been doing this for 8 years and since that time she says she started around $300,000 and now she is very modest and tells my wife she does not make over 2 million per year.So her and her husband have about a 3-4 million dollar income.

If you met them you would never think they were that well off.That is if they didn't drive there or you were not at their home.Really good hard working people who made good decisions and sticking with them while early in life.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

In Real Estate, 10% of the Agents do 90% of the business. In other words you get a few top producers and the everybody else carves out a living with the leftovers. 

Its actually harder to sell a modest 250k-450k home then it is to sell a multi million dollar one. Clients with limited funds are way more careful and the difference of 5 or 15 could be a deal breaker. Not so much with rich folks.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not begrudging anyone else's success, but your SIL is definitely the exception. Still, her alone expenses are probably more than what most of us earn.


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## Ler0y Jenkins (May 5, 2008)

UNCLE!! UNCLE!!! UNCLE!!! No, seriously though, thanks for all the replies. I guess there's more to it than I thought. I'm more of a do-it-yourselfer, so I'm not used to hiring people to do work on my house. It just seemed a little steep to me. 

Anyway, I bought the three shingles at Home Depot. They were three-tab, asphalt shingles. Oh, and FYI, my house is standard, two-story colonial. I still wish I wasn't afraid of heights... I could have saved myself $175. 

Thanks for the replies. At least I feel a little better now. 

Kevin


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

jagans said:


> You got a hell of a deal. I would have charged you $450.00 at least, but then I would have been there about an hour, because there is no way to do that right in ten minutes. you have to take off about 6 shingles to replace 1, then put them back and bib the holes.


In their haste to come to the support of the roofer, this is the key piece that everyone is overlooking. $175 is not a problem at all. 10 minutes is the problem. (Although the OP might be exaggerating here.) To replace 3 shingles takes a good bit of removing, replacing, caulking, etc. Depending on the 3, you might have to remove 10 and put it all back together


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## NewHomeDIYGuy (Nov 23, 2011)

Funny thread..

I think the natural reaction is to think things ought to be cheaper than they are. All most people think is the guy just has a ladder and a hammer and some shingles, and he's rolling around everyplace making $175/hr. Unfortunately like others said, they have a lot of other costs. Now, that's not to say that tradesmen don't make a good living, especially if you run your own business.. I have a friend that's a plumber that does very well, but he's fast/efficient/reliable (not the norm for most contractors).

I think the reality also is that the "go to college" movement has made these jobs more profitable, as people seem to think these sort of jobs are "beneath" them. The good/reliable tradesmen are perhaps less common than years ago (general knowledge I think was also more common 50 yrs ago compared to today) which allows them to make more money. My dad and grandfather built their house not too long after they came to the US, and that wasn't very uncommon back then.. not so much these days. Perhaps we'll have a mean reversion though with a lot of people coming to realize that their liberal arts degree won't pay the bills.


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Hey, Take it easy on the Liberal Arts Guys. I have a liberal arts degree, and have been in the construction trades my whole life, because I could not stand to be inside too long, or stay in one place when there was so much to learn in this big ole world. 

There is nothing wrong with being a well read mechanic my friend. The education you get working in many different types of factories and environments is priceless, all you have to do is be interested in what other people do, and they are always happy to give you the grand tour. 

The real pros that you encounter in these forums are very well read in their chosen profession. Yes there are hacks, and you can tell who they are straightaway. As Jeff caught what I previously said, in order to remove one broken shingle you have to remove quite a few because the nails go through several shingles to catch the headlap below. It can be done half assed, but then so can anything.


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

I am starting to see the shift happening. For a long time people looked at a blue collar worker as a second class citizen. Someone that was not up to par with the real world. Somehow a blue collar worker had failed on some level. That is a big generalization and i hope no body takes offense here. People are starting to look at the blue collar worker as someone that is working and making money. A successful person with useful skills. It is about time tradesmen get the respect for the difficult jobs they do.


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

I had a homeowner who kept having blow offs.Every storm we had I knew he was for sure to call.It was one here after a storm,,2 there after a storm,.,3 there after a storm,,So I averaged $350 per call.I soon lowered my price for the simple fact he was a repeat customer.I even went so far as to leave a square of shingles and got the combination to his out building security system where the shingles are.That makes it simple for me to perform the repair while he is at work since he works very long hours and has a very busy schedule.

So up the ladder I would go with my sponges in tow because it was a 10/12,,,10 minutes later I was done.And wouldn't you know it,.,the next severe storm my shingles were still fastened as I left them,.,but more were missing.

I said "Ray" when are you gonna let me put a roof on this house.,he said Jim you are,.,its just taking a while.:whistling2:


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Gives a whole new meaning to Unit Price. I guess your add should have said "One Shingle at a Time" :thumbup:


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 9, 2010)

I think the most important part of a transaction is when both sides leave feeling they have gained something.

For the guy who puts on 3 shingles in 10 minutes or the guy who takes 30 minutes.It all comes down to "IF" the installation is correct. :thumbsup:


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## NewHomeDIYGuy (Nov 23, 2011)

jagans said:


> Hey, Take it easy on the Liberal Arts Guys. I have a liberal arts degree, and have been in the construction trades my whole life, because I could not stand to be inside too long, or stay in one place when there was so much to learn in this big ole world.
> 
> There is nothing wrong with being a well read mechanic my friend. The education you get working in many different types of factories and environments is priceless, all you have to do is be interested in what other people do, and they are always happy to give you the grand tour. .


Jagans,

Didn't mean to offend anyone, and I agree there is nothing wrong with a liberal arts degree *as long as you are realistic!* That last part is crucial. There are many people who have their head in the clouds rather than reality, and it sounds like you're not that person. I was referring to the stereotypical liberal arts major these days that thinks they're going to rack up all this student loan debt and be fine because they'll be some rich artist. Slim chance..

Also, while getting a 4 yr degree from college may help some in the trades, it's definitely not necessary. Not picking on anyone, just too many people are unrealistic these days. Btw, this is coming from someone that could have gone into music, but opted not to because I didn't want to be that starving artist.


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## NewHomeDIYGuy (Nov 23, 2011)

paintdrying said:


> I am starting to see the shift happening. For a long time people looked at a blue collar worker as a second class citizen. Someone that was not up to par with the real world. Somehow a blue collar worker had failed on some level. That is a big generalization and i hope no body takes offense here. People are starting to look at the blue collar worker as someone that is working and making money. A successful person with useful skills. It is about time tradesmen get the respect for the difficult jobs they do.


Ya, it's truly a shame that people see "blue collar" workers this way. It's funny though, because many "blue collar" workers make more $ than the 9-5 wage slaves. When I took a basic home DIY electrical class given by the county during my college days, the electrician teaching the class was telling me I could be a promising electrician.. Looking back maybe I should've gone that route.. :001_tongue: In all seriousness though, given today's job environment, if my kids are unsure about college, going into a trade is a great alternative (something that's overlooked these days).


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

To be honest with you, I am 66 years old, and I have never viewed tradesman like Plumbers, Electricians, mechanics and HVAC people with the utmost respect. Of course I really liked Redd Foxx, especially when he made statements like "College, heh, I didnt go, I couldnt see where knowing when George Washington crossed the Delaware was going to help you in a Brick Fight"

The really good thing about College is that it teaches you to think outside the box, or to come at something from a different angle.

And in response to hurting my feelings, if you think that anything said on these forums can bother a 66 year old Vietnam Veteran from NJ who has spent the last 35 years in Commercial Roofing, You have got to be kidding. I have Rhino skin, my friend.

No offense taken at all, I pretty much agree with everything you say.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

jagans said:


> To be honest with you, I am 66 years old, and I have never viewed tradesman like Plumbers, Electricians, mechanics and HVAC people with the utmost respect. Of course I really liked Redd Foxx, especially when he made statements like "College, heh, I didnt go, I couldnt see where knowing when George Washington crossed the Delaware was going to help you in a Brick Fight"
> 
> The really good thing about College is that it teaches you to think outside the box, or to come at something from a different angle.
> 
> ...


NJ and a roofer...:no:

There went the neighborhood.


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

AMEN! Sidebar: When I first came to MD I worked for an engineering firm called A-Tec. We had the contract with Dow to inspect all of their inverted roofs. My Name is Jim Agans.

A Roofer from NJ was installing a new inverted roof on the FAA building in DC.

The ground man called the foreman on the roof and said "Theres a Jim Agans here says he has to do an inspection on the roof"

A couple seconds later comes back the response " What the hell does a JAMAICAN want with my roof" 

Im still laughing after 25 years.


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## tinner666 (Mar 14, 2005)

Thread still going. For the record then, my minimum is $250.


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## fltdek (Oct 14, 2009)

What you should have done is given him an extra $50.00 and expressed your appreciation for what you appear to have very little of! Far to often people needing work done have all of a sudden become experts on what someone esles time and knowledge is worth. Blows my mind! Think nothing about showing off your new 60" LED flat screen, 90K dollar auto, or your 4,500 sq ft house?? What? You expected it for free but would have settled for a 1/3? Any intelligent homeowner would have gotten a couple of estimates regardless. Something else to consider, which I did not see mentioned, is that with most roof repairs, there is no guaranteee!! So there is a built in "probability" fee because when there is a problem with the fix, who are you going to call? "Hey man, my roof's leaking again" - As I have been told by many roofers when I had an issue with mine.

But honestly, he did you a favor!:thumbup:


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Competitive bidding to replace three shingles??? If anybody questioned a bill I gave them for 175 dollars after I drove to their house, set up my ladder, went up on the roof risking my neck, and replaced anything, even an end cap on a gutter, I would go back up, take off the end cap, or the three shingles in this case. and tell them to NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CALL ME AGAIN.

When is the last time you had your car tuned up? How much did it cost?

$600? and they do that on the ground!

Gravity never fails.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

sounds like fair price to me. hes got to make something, time and knowledge. i do a lot of tile roof repairs and they go from $600.00 - $2400.00, not very much in material but in labor and knowledge on how to repair it. how about $1400.00 for a 3 hour repair, material = $100.00, but then again it was two story roof. how much is your life worth. when it comes down to it = was it fixed.


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## clpalerm (Jan 22, 2013)

To some this might sound like a lot but like other have pointed out with all that goes into the project( service call) in this case things can add up. 

All in all I like to look at it like this....was $175 worth it to you for them to be replaced? if it was than thats all that matters. :thumbsup:


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