New Roof: How to Stay on Top of the Costs
My husband and I knew the verdict before the contractor came down the ladder.
The roof was lucky to have lasted this long, let alone another season. But we bought the house anyway, crossing our fingers that things would hold for one more rainy season.
Little did we suspect that three rainy seasons would pass before the roof was replaced--and that we’d be doing it ourselves.
The first hurdle was selecting a material to use. Our 30-year-old Swiss chalet-style tract house did look best with wood shake, we agreed. But was there an acceptably attractive, fireproof alternative? We cruised the neighborhood for ideas, driving back and forth so many times it’s amazing no one called the police.
After seeing some appealing non-wood materials, we set out to get information and bids. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Joe Isuzus out there installing roofing. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but we did receive a lot of conflicting information.
Was the material flexible enough to walk on? Did it change color on weathering? Were there additional costs for a Class A fire resistance rating? The answers varied, depending on who was doing the talking. Important information was often omitted or glossed over.
In the end, contractors’ bids ranged from about $4,500 (fiberglass composite shingle) to $8,600 (light-weight concrete composite) for our modest 1,171-square-foot home.
That’s when we seriously thought about replacing the roof ourselves. I say “we” meaning mainly my husband. At eight months’ pregnant, I was hardly going up on any roofs. If my husband seemed like the Lone Ranger, I soon felt like faithful Tonto, scouting out materials and costs.
In the search we found that books are a good source of information only about wood-shake or fiberglass shingle installation. For a more exotic material, it’s best to get specific information from the manufacturer.
Most information packets contain a fact sheet from the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) listing basic requirements.
Some manufacturers also provide a technical services representative who will answer questions over the phone. He may even come out to your home during installation.
While looking for cost information, we found few roofing suppliers and no source for nailing guns and cartridges in our regular Yellow Pages. These items are listed in the Business to Business” Yellow Pages, which are available at public libraries or may be ordered from the phone company.
In comparing roofing systems, especially for do-it-yourself jobs versus a contractor’s bid, beware of extras that may substantially affect the cost. For example:
Underlayments and wood replacement--The material required that sits under the tile, shingle or shake is called underlayment and can vary greatly from system to system. Some require the addition of plywood sheathing and 1-by-2-inch strips called battens. Any existing sheathing that is rotted will also need replacing. We replaced about 400 linear feet of the 1-by-6-inch sheathing on our roof. The cost of this wood over an entire roof can add several hundred dollars to your final estimate.
Special equipment--Ceramic and concrete tile usually require a wet saw for cutting and trimming. A wet saw is a power saw with a water-cooled blade.
You may want a nailing gun to speed things along for some roofing materials. The rental cost of any equipment should be part of a do-it-yourself estimate.
Special services/permits--A roofing system that’s heavier than the existing one may require evaluation and sign-off by a structural engineer. This would have cost us $150 for one concrete tile roof we evaluated. There are also costs (less than $100) for city permits.
Rubbish removal--Renting a bin is the easiest way to dispose of the old roofing. The 6-by-8-by 20-foot bin we rented cost $185.
Warranties--If warranties are important to you, keep in mind that any leaks are yours to repair on a do-it-yourself project.
After all this research, what did we finally use to reroof our roof?
Wood shake was our choice for both aesthetics and cost. Although we liked the look of concrete tile, its overall cost, even on a do-it-yourself basis, proved high.
Fiberglass shingle was also a runner-up, but we couldn’t convince ourselves it would complement the house without a major face lift. A face lift might be possible in the future. What we needed now was just a roof.
July 1 became our appointed D-Day. With the help of several family members, removal and replacement of the front half of the roof was completed by week’s end. My husband spent an additional two weeks of time after work and on weekends to complete the back half of the house.
We have the following suggestions about doing the work:
“Take-off,” or removing the old roof, was the messiest part of the job. We kept windows and doors shut to keep out the unbelievable amount of dirt and dust. Face masks are good for everyone to use.
If possible, have your rubbish bin positioned so that material can be dropped directly into it from atop the roof. With wood and nails coming down, this is also no time for small children to be around. Arrange for an outing during the day, or better yet, a few days stay at grandma’s.
Make a notebook listing names, addresses, telephone numbers and hours of suppliers, city inspectors and local hardware stores.
Include a plastic pouch at the back to hold checks (for COD orders), building permits and receipts. Keep the receipts until the job is done; you may want to return miscellaneous items or compute total costs.
The more help you can muster for take-off the better. I’ve seen professional operations use five or six men working at once.
Installing the new material can be handled by one person but goes quickest with a two-person team. It would be possible to work with two teams of two: one team on the front and the other on the back of the house.
Roofing requires basic carpentry skills: measuring, sawing and hammering (lots of hammering). It is arduous work, requiring both endurance and coordination. Coordination is especially important: walking and crouching on a sloped surface 10 to 20 feet off the ground is a tricky proposition at best.
If the roof is made up of spaced sheathing (ours is 1-by-6-inch boards spaced about 6 inches apart) or you’ve removed areas that were rotted, maneuvering becomes more difficult. Potential do-it-yourselfers should realize that any cost savings can be instantly negated by serious injury.
Certain equipment is a worthwhile investment. An extension ladder is of great help in getting on and off the roof. For wood shake, a roofer’s hammer makes trimming and fitting each shake easier. (A roofer’s hammer has a hatchet blade on one end and a hammer head on the other end). A carpenter’s pouch that attaches to a belt is handy for carrying nails.
My husband found that working for a short period, say, three to four hours at a time, left him less sore and minimized risk of injury. The more fatigued you are, the more likely you are to take a misstep.
It can get unexpectedly hot atop a roof, so it’s advisable to work during cooler parts of the day.
In the end, we estimated the work took 100 hours and our material costs were from 50% to 55% of the contractors’ bids.
Was it worth it? It was only fair to ask my husband, since he had done most of the labor.
“Well,” he said, “it all depends on how much time and back you have, versus money.”
I think that sums it up best.
