Hurricane IKE bought be a new roof. Help me pick one out.

November 2, 2008 12:14 PM

Hurricane IKE bought me a new roof. Help me pick one out.

I live in Houston, Texas. Hurricane IKE did a number on my roof. My insurance company has given me $14k to buy a new one.

I know nothing about buying a roof. Only thing I know is that roof companies can be quite shady.

1) What's the best way to find a roofing company? Obviously a flip through the Yellow Pages would work, but are they any websites that list the most reputable companies? Also, if you know the area, any suggestions on specific companies to consider would be great?

2) 20- or 30-year shingles? Seems to me that 20-year would be the best route to go (since it's the cheapest). We only plan on living in this house for another five years or so, which means someone buying the house would still have 15 years of "good roof" left.

3) Type of material. I don't want the cheapest -- I don't want the most expensive. Any suggestions on material? Do roofing companies often try to up-sell you on fancy material you don't need?

4) What's a reasonable price to pay for a new roof on a 2,200 square-foot house in the suburbs of Houston?

And of course, if you have any general advice beyond the scope of the above, please feel free to sound off.

posted by JPowers to home & garden (6 comments total)

Hurricane Gustav brought me a new roof. I was in a similar position of not knowing much of anything regarding roofs.

Best way for us (my wife and I) was to ask other people we knew in the area. Get recommendations from people who have worked with the roofers in the past. That way you know you are getting someone with a reputation in the area rather than just someone who arrived after the hurricane to slap roofs on.

30-year shingles. Look around your neighborhood. Some of our neighbors had 20-year, others had 30-year. The 30-year shingled roofs suffered a lot less damage than the 20-year roofs. Our upgrade cost was not unreasonable, so check with the roofer. Granted, you live in Houston, so the chances of another hurricane heading that way is slim, but not having to get a new roof for each hurricane is a rather nice option.

The roofer will have a set brochure list of the types of shingles they have available. We didn't have a problem with the roofing company trying to up-sell us -- granted they were putting roofs on left and right, so our biggest problem was getting the color we wanted.

Ask questions. That is what they are there for. Most of all, if you feel uncomfortable with someone, find another company. Don't let them push you into anything you don't want.
posted by rand at 1:49 PM on November 2, 2008

For your fist question, the City of Houston has an online list of registered roofing contractors at the city web site. Unfortunately, these contractors are not licensed and regulated in Texas the way the other trades are. Fortunately, Mayor White recognized this and took steps to help people choose a reputable, insured contractor. I'd start with rand's suggestion, then check to see if the contractor is on the list.
posted by Robert Angelo at 2:24 PM on November 2, 2008

We live in Houston and recently used a company named M&M Roofing and have been very pleased with them. They did the whole house in one day back in August and it survived Ike beautifully a month later. A very nice sales guy, Travis Diekmann, came out and went over all the options with us; it was pleasant and informative. Then he emailed us a quote which was in the middle range of the 4 or 5 that we got. We picked them because they were the most personable. Very customer friendly. We didn't feel pushed or up-selled, and Travis addressed all our questions well before, during and after the job. The guys that came and did the work were all very nice, professional as well. A friend found them for us on Angie's List. We're about 1400 sq ft, 1 story and it was around $6000. I don't remember exactly what we got off the top of my head - it wasn't the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive. I'd highly recommend them for at least one of your quotes.
posted by dog food sugar at 2:56 PM on November 2, 2008

I didn't see M&M on the city list - but I still highly recommend them. And the husband says I'm wrong on the price - it was more like $4K or 5K.
posted by dog food sugar at 3:08 PM on November 2, 2008

The only suggestion that I have is to make sure that you get a hip roof if possible. They offer better protection from storms, and may get you a tidy discount on your homeowner's insurance premium.
posted by mewithoutyou at 4:35 PM on November 2, 2008

One thing you should know is that roofers are going to charge you "by the square". A square is 100 square feet, in roofing terms. Around here (NH), guys charge around 250 bucks per square to strip the old shingles off and replace them... This includes materials.

I'd recommend "Architectural shingles". They're generally more rugged, look a hell of a lot better than 3-tabs, and will likely raise the value of your home. I know you said you didn't want the best, but just in case you change your mind, IKO and ELK are the two best companies goin right now..
posted by Glendale at 7:20 PM on November 2, 2008