# Replacing roof



## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

I needtoreplace roof in our house. Can anybody recommend some resonably priced roofing contractors in GTA?
Generally, what is estimation cost of roof raplacing in 1850 sq ft house?


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

gibor365 said:


> I needtoreplace roof in our house. Can anybody recommend some resonably priced roofing contractors in GTA?
> Generally, what is estimation cost of roof raplacing in 1850 sq ft house?


It would certainly depend on whether it was a one or two story. It would also depend on how busy the roof was, i.e. dormers, number of peaks, etc.


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

I can recommend Roof-Tek Ontario Ltd. 416.580.6156 ask for Andras. PM me if you'd like any more details..


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## Koogie (Dec 15, 2014)

Toronto area roofing estimate
http://www.sum-itroofing.ca/replace-roof.asp


Good Ontario based listing of most reno costs
http://www.ontariocontractors.com/costs.htm?printable=1


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

like_to_retire said:


> It would certainly depend on whether it was a one or two story. It would also depend on how busy the roof was, i.e. dormers, number of peaks, etc.


Just standard 2 story detached home.
Usually I do research and raed reviews on homestars.com,,, for roofing there are about 15-20 companies with very similar rating.... so was womdering if anyone had good/bad experience with some of the companies.


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## twa2w (Mar 5, 2016)

Price will depend on type of roof. Asphault shingle?and quality. Rip off existing shingles or bang over?

Some may depend on your expected remaining time in house.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

twa2w said:


> Price will depend on type of roof. Asphault shingle?and quality. Rip off existing shingles or bang over?
> 
> Some may depend on your expected remaining time in house.


I suppose "Rip off existing shingles". Current roof is 17 years old and couple of years ago 5-7 shigles was replace by some contractor.


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

Did ours about 9 yrs ago. 2100. sq ft house with hightlights as follows:
tear off old shake roof
resheet with osb 
apply 30 lb felt to all valleys and eves
apply 15 lb felt over rest of roof and deck
install metal valleys
install 30 yr fibreglass laminated shingles
install raised ridgeglass capping
install AF50 low profiil roof vents (I think ot was about a dozen)
replace plumbing flashings
install step and wall flashings (for chimney)
clean up and haul away debris

Pd $11,500. all in

oops, thought it was done only about 4 yrs ago but decided to send it to you anyway. How time flies!


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

Gibor talk to Andras, tell him you want the old stuff removed and snow/ice shield underlay installed. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Be careful. Lots of shysters out there. Last time we replaced a roof it was somewhat entertaining. My spouse bore the brunt of most of the visits since she was home. We had four quotes. We needed to take off 2 layers of interlock shingles, add more vents, plus other usual roofing items/flashings.

The highest quote came from someone who climbed on the roof for ten minutes, stamped around, and then gave DW a price. He told her to sign now (May)otherwise he could not schedule before the 'October/November rains'. DW got a low ball quote for someone else who did not think we had to take off the two existing layers of shingles. When questioned...he said that all that was needed was to 'snip off the curly bits' so the old shingles would not push up the new ones. He said no new vents required. We finally got someone recommended who did a great job. 

One of our neighbours went with the ball quote Sears quote. It was a disaster. Multiple trips back to fix problems. They re shingled their roof a few years later.

These guys come and go like the wind. Get a recommendation from someone who had had work done in a professional manner. If you are going with shingles, check the bundles when they show up to ensure that you are getting the quality of shingle that you contracted for. No use paying for higher end shingles if the contractor does a bait and switch with cheaper product.

The guarantee is not worth much. Many of these companies re-incorporate every few years or disappear altogether. The shingle warranty is typically pro rated and may not include the removal/replacement labour costs.

If you go with a reputable company they will be around to service you for years to come. Our experience, several years after, was that when we had an issue they showed up quickly because we were a past customer. Worked out well when there was bad weather and everyone was scrambling to get a contractor.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

Dilbert said:


> I can recommend Roof-Tek Ontario Ltd. 416.580.6156 ask for Andras. PM me if you'd like any more details..


How do you know this guy? I couldn't find any review on the Internet for this company. And on website they have "Eavestrough and rain gutter installation " , not roof replacement ....


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

> Be careful....The highest quote came from someone who climbed on the roof for ten minutes, stamped around, and then gave DW a price.


I was thinking to replace roof 2 years ago, one guy got recommended to me, he checked my roof and said that I need to replace it in 2 years and for now it's enough to change just 5-7 shingles (that he did for reasonable price). I liked that he was honest and din't push me to replace roof right away... Was thinking to hire him also to replace roof now, but his company is very small , actually he's the only owner and has some flexible crew to work... Also, as per homestars.com reciew, majority of his work was fixing roofs (not replacing).
btw, another 3 big companies with excellent reviews on homestars.com also came to our home to give a guote and .... no one from them even climb the roof  . they just measured width and lenght or the house and gave detailed quote... Maybe if I replace all roof, it's not necessary climb on it...have no idea, understand nothing in roofing...


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

gibor365 said:


> How do you know this guy? I couldn't find any review on the Internet for this company. And on website they have "Eavestrough and rain gutter installation " , not roof replacement ....


I sent you a PM.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

Where one is planning on replacing everything, where all the potential complications (ex. dormers, valleys, vents) are easily visible ... I would think it would be relatively easy to estimate by square footage.

I expect the risks would be they are leaving out stuff that would go under the shingles (ex. felt, flashing) or something that isn't usually needed like damage that requires the boards that the felt, shingles are attached to being replaced.


Have you compared the details of the three quotes to see if there's something different?


Cheers


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## Mike-RetireEarly (Feb 28, 2016)

You should also consider replacing with a metal roof, costs more but you won't have to replace your roof in 20 years. It costs more, about the same as the the high end asphalt shingles. I used http://www.newsteelroofers.com/ and liked the results.


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

gibor365 said:


> btw, another 3 big companies with excellent reviews on homestars.com also came to our home to give a guote and .... no one from them even climb the roof  . they just measured width and length or the house and gave detailed quote... Maybe if I replace all roof, it's not necessary climb on it...have no idea, understand nothing in roofing...


Most of the companies just use Google satellite to look at the roof and estimate square footage.

ltr


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## Nerd Investor (Nov 3, 2015)

Tesla's solar roof tiles will allegedly be as cheap or cheaper than regular shingles.


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## mordko (Jan 23, 2016)

Right, but Elon's "regular shingles" are probably pure gold.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Mike-RetireEarly said:


> You should also consider replacing with a metal roof, costs more but you won't have to replace your roof in 20 years. It costs more, about the same as the the high end asphalt shingles. I used http://www.newsteelroofers.com/ and liked the results.


They have their downsides too. Really noisy in a big rainstorm, never mind a hailstorm. My bro has had to replace some of his twice due to hailstones as big as golfballs. Consider polymer 'shingles' as an alternative to asphalt. One brand name is from EnviroShakes (am giving them some consideration for a roof replacement this year).


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## SW20 MR2 (Dec 18, 2010)

We did our roof last year with Imperial Roofs. Their reviews on Homestars were pretty good. No problems at all.


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## Mike-RetireEarly (Feb 28, 2016)

AltaRed said:


> They have their downsides too. Really noisy in a big rainstorm, never mind a hailstorm. My bro has had to replace some of his twice due to hailstones as big as golfballs. Consider polymer 'shingles' as an alternative to asphalt. One brand name is from EnviroShakes (am giving them some consideration for a roof replacement this year).


We went with a stone coated metal shingle, so it's not noisy during a rain storm.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

The last time was asked for an estimate was on our former home in Calgary. Cedar shingles. Big roof, three story home, lots of skylights, steep, dormers. The so called local expert who was doing roofs in the community came by and said we needed to replace the whole roof. I checked on them...they had a habit of going bankrupt every year or so. Called in someone else who had a sterling reputation. 500 cedar shingles, plus caps, plus a 5 year mtce agreement came to $2500. A far cry from a complete new roof as many people in the area seemed to buy.


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## bass player (Jan 27, 2016)

ian said:


> Be careful. Lots of shysters out there.


I agree.



ian said:


> The highest quote came from someone who climbed on the roof for ten minutes, stamped around, and then gave DW a price...


Shingling a roof isn't rocket science. It shouldn't take more than 10 - 20 minutes to estimate a job on an average house.


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## RCB (Jan 11, 2014)

We're very happy with the metal roof on our new house. The price was not much more than shingles, and a much faster install than asphalt shingles. My husband and his father installed, their first time with metal.

I don't find it noisy at all during heavy rain. The attic is well insulated, so almost no sound transmission at all. Best of all, snow slides right off. That's important since we had 14 FEET of snow fall this winter (eastern shore of Lake Superior). We worry about either snowload or ice dams up here. With the metal I now worry about nothing, and won't need to have the roof redone in my lifetime.

An added benefit is that it's pretty fire-proof to external fires. The house is in a rural area with no fire service, except MNR for a wildfire...when they choose to get there. Any embers landing on it won't do much except maybe cause discolouration.


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## gardner (Feb 13, 2014)

We have a new metal roof -- there was a thread somewhere in this forum -- and we do not experience the "noisy" effect that people seem to think we might. It is certainly no noisier under a rain deluge than the old asphalt roof was -- you can hear that it is raining, but it is not a disturbing sound at all.

What has been an issue is how easily the snow moves on the roof. We have a side-split with a 40-foot clear run down from the peak on one side, and when the snow lets go, we get a huge dump in just a few seconds. It is a bit frightening. Fixing that will require adding a bunch of snow fence/retaining bars to the roof and will add a bunch of expense this year.


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## bass player (Jan 27, 2016)

gardner said:


> We have a new metal roof -- there was a thread somewhere in this forum -- and we do not experience the "noisy" effect that people seem to think we might. It is certainly no noisier under a rain deluge than the old asphalt roof was -- you can hear that it is raining, but it is not a disturbing sound at all.


Metal roofs aren't noisy unless there is an air space underneath them. Think of how loud a metal heating duct is when you rap against it as compared to a piece of sheet metal sitting flat on a solid surface.


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## awakendreams (Apr 10, 2017)

I can recommend one: King Koating Roofing. It's in business since 1988.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

Started to get quotes and was wondering what shingles are better: GAF Timberline HD or BP Mystique? Any opinions?


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## Emjay85 (Nov 9, 2014)

gibor365 said:


> Started to get quotes and was wondering what shingles are better: GAF Timberline HD or BP Mystique? Any opinions?


From what all the roofers I have spoken to have said, stay away from IKO and BP shingles. GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed are the brands to stick with.

I am having my roof done today and got numerous quotes and spoke to many roofers and roofing companies. ALL of them speak badly about IKO. Most do not like BP quality. The rest say GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed are all about the same.


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## cashinstinct (Apr 4, 2009)

Emjay85 said:


> From what all the roofers I have spoken to have said, stay away from IKO and BP shingles. GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed are the brands to stick with.


That's what I read too.

I could have changed my 2002 BP with a new BP shingle in 2016 and get some rebate (around $800) because of their awful organic shingle , but I did not want new BP shingles.

I chose CertainTeed because that's what the roofer I chose prefers to work it, but I read good things about GAF and Owens Corning too.


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

A few years ago we re-did a roof. We went with GAF timberline shinges which carry their weather stopper product warranty. 
GAF sent an inspector to each warrantied job to inspect the installation, venting, etc. A guy from the US came by to check the job, he was on the road throughout the west. 
The roofer offered their own written warranty for the installation work. Only roofer I've known who has their own show room and keeps their guys on the payroll at some level all year, even when business is slow.


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## bass player (Jan 27, 2016)

Emjay85 said:


> From what all the roofers I have spoken to have said, stay away from IKO and BP shingles. GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed are the brands to stick with.


There was a lawsuit related to IKO shingles due to their failure. I shingled my parents house and a year later on a windy day they lost 30 or so shingles...and not due to a poor instillation. 

I found out about the lawsuit, but they refused to pay because they weren't installed by a "professional" roofer. That was pure BS because the failure had nothing to do with the installation....the shingles tore off and left a little bit under the nails, all of which were still holding. It wasn't an installation failure, it was a shingle failure.


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## Emjay85 (Nov 9, 2014)

bass player said:


> There was a lawsuit related to IKO shingles due to their failure. I shingled my parents house and a year later on a windy day they lost 30 or so shingles...and not due to a poor instillation.
> 
> I found out about the lawsuit, but they refused to pay because they weren't installed by a "professional" roofer. That was pure BS because the failure had nothing to do with the installation....the shingles tore off and left a little bit under the nails, all of which were still holding. It wasn't an installation failure, it was a shingle failure.


Oh absolutely. I think every manufacturer of shingles has had/does have a lawsuit against them. It is nothing out of the ordinary.

Most of it was because of organic shingles. Every manufacturer had them and used them as far as I can tell. They all lasted a fraction of the time they were supposed to. Fibreglass lamintated shingles of today are all pretty standard and more than likely pretty comparable.


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