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Mostly, people just like to complain

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Kickboxer View Drop Down
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    Posted: October/20/2011 at 07:31
I've been trying for two months now to get someone in the "roofing industry" to come out and give a bid on some repairs on my mother-in-law's mobile home and on my metal roof.  I started with those in the immediate vicinity and expanded to Scottsboro, Guntersville, and Huntsville and surrounding areas.  I, personally, have contacted over a dozen "roofers", my wife has contacted more.  So far, NOT ONE has come out to even look and make an estimate.  
The economy may be bad, but my impression, based upon building this house, is that most people REALLY don't want to work.  They are kind of like my oldest daughter..."I didn't really want a job... I just want a paycheck".  She was joking.  These guys are not...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2011 at 07:45
I agree KB, this reminds me of the "Occupy Wall Street" group.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2011 at 07:45
Very true.  However, on the flip side, if you have to "beg" just to get an estimate, the work they provide will likely be sub-standard anyway. Around here, if we get a call for a quote, we are on it immediately (usually within 1-2 hours). Competition is fierce so when we snooze, we lose. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote scooter65 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2011 at 08:59
I have found this same problem here as well.  I guess all the illegal immigrants have gone back home.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2011 at 09:29
Dan, have you had a lot of storm damage in the area lately?
About a year ago dad had a leak in his roof we just couldn't patch. He called a roofer that advertises all the time, and said they could get the insurance co. to pay. They came out, never even got on the roof, and told dad the insurance co wouldn't cover the roof and left. A friend of mine who is a contractor told dad to call his insurance co. and have them look at the roof. The adjuster came out and never got on the roof and told dad, "You've been with us for over 40 years, your getting a new roof". At the time roofers were swamped with storm damaged roofs, and dad's roof didn't look that bad.
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2011 at 17:13
Originally posted by BeltFed BeltFed wrote:

Dan, have you had a lot of storm damage in the area lately?
About a year ago dad had a leak in his roof we just couldn't patch. He called a roofer that advertises all the time, and said they could get the insurance co. to pay. They came out, never even got on the roof, and told dad the insurance co wouldn't cover the roof and left. A friend of mine who is a contractor told dad to call his insurance co. and have them look at the roof. The adjuster came out and never got on the roof and told dad, "You've been with us for over 40 years, your getting a new roof". At the time roofers were swamped with storm damaged roofs, and dad's roof didn't look that bad.
Doesn't matter... they say they are coming out, make an appointment to do an estimate, never show up.  A couple my wife called back said "terribly sorry... we got busy".  NO EXCUSE.  They could at least call.  I never call back to anyone who doesn't show...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HuntMaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2011 at 19:32

KB, sent you an I.M. on this.

Derek

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/21/2011 at 09:30

I built my house during a houseing boom. I didn't have much trouble finding contrators until it came to drywall. I tried several drywall contractors, but if you weren't building a subdivision they were not interested in the job. I had to use my framing contractor, and he told me up front that he could do it, but he wasn't the best at it. The job was to big for me, so I let him have the job. He finished the job in a timely manner, but he was right, drywalling is not something he does well, but it works.

I feel for you Dan, it sucks when you have a job to be done, and you can't find a contractor that wants the job.
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/21/2011 at 12:10
Originally posted by HuntMaster HuntMaster wrote:

KB, sent you an I.M. on this.

Derek

Thank you, Derek.  I'll get in touch.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote budperm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/21/2011 at 12:31
I hqad teh same problem getting estimateys for my roof Dan.  Before the market tanked I had only one company show up for an estimate.  Remodel America.  Those thiefs quoted me $30K for an 18Sq roof.  They are just a referral service to sub-contractors.  I estimated my $3500 in materials for total tearoff, new felt, snmowseal in valleys, drip edge and 50Yr arch. shingles.  Figured $1500 for tear off and disposal and twice the materials in labor....$7000.  My figures put het job at approx $12K  NOT $30K and that was a generous estimate.   After the market tanked, everybody wanted to give estimates and they all fell in the $9K to 16K range....go figure.
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/21/2011 at 14:33
Well, I got an email with an estimate today.  No idea when they came out and looked... my MIL says she never saw anybody???  (of course she is 83 and wacko, so they could have been here and she never knew, but seems like they would have let someone know).   I got in touch with a place IN town that said they will be out Monday... we'll see.  They will not come unless I am here... which kind of makes sense to me...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Duce Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/22/2011 at 14:23
In my neighborhood we all got new roofs about four  years ago after a hail storm, all the roofers were hispanic. Construction, farming, masonory etc virturally every job where you have to work outdoors year around is hurting for labor now. Hopefully this will cause enough uproar in congress to get them to revise a reasonable immigrant work permit.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/23/2011 at 05:51
Originally posted by bugsNbows bugsNbows wrote:

Very true.  However, on the flip side, if you have to "beg" just to get an estimate, the work they provide will likely be sub-standard anyway. Around here, if we get a call for a quote, we are on it immediately (usually within 1-2 hours). Competition is fierce so when we snooze, we lose. 

Same here in Charlotte. I see more roofing guys driving around town than I can count. I'd wager I could call today (Sunday AM) and get a quote before sundown.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/23/2011 at 10:57
Well, I've gone over the estimate we got in email.  For my MIL's mobile home, I guess the quote is OK, a little higher than expected, but not too far out of reason.  
The estimate for my house DID NOT address what we have indicated to everyone we've contacted we wanted done.  They simply estimated removal and replacement of the metal roof.  My house is insulated with Icynene... a spray on polyurethane foam.  It was sprayed onto the bottom side of my roof.  (We won't go into that, I requested a barrier between the metal roof and rafters... it did not get done.  You have to understand that while this was being done, I was on travel most of the time addressing 9-11-01 issues, my wife had two broken legs and we were depending on a contractor who was supposed to be a "friend" to look out for us.)  Removal/replacement is not an option as I would have to replace the Icynene... a major effort and expense alone.  Obviously, if they cannot listen and address what I want done, I have no need of them.  I hope the guys coming out Monday are better...
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