Looks like we have rain in the forecast for Vallejo – late Saturday night…. I hope that’s true and it holds off until the Dave the roof guy is finished!
Archive for the 'Roof' Category
I got a call from Dave Friday night saying he wanted to start repairing the roof (see related posts Roof Repair and Roofing Report – Material Sourcing Issues) this upcoming weekend! Woohoo!
Just spoke with him, he’s getting the material from the source in Colorado, and we’re splitting the difference of the cost. So, when all is said and done, the roof repair is going to be $1300. This will have the broken tiles repaired, and put a new roof put on the conservatory.
$1,300 is a heck of a lot better than putting out $23K. Since the remodel we’re planning in a couple of years will require the roof to be reconfigured to support adding a small amount of square footage, this defers that cost until then, but keeps us dry!
So I talked with Dave with Ryder roofing last night, and he said he was having some issues finding the same cement-asbestos tile that we have on the Casa at what he calls the “right” price.
He says he found one source in Colorado that has the same tile, but he wants too much for them at $150 for the lot (about 20 tiles). Personally I don’t think that’s too out of line, considering:
- They don’t make this crap anymore.
- It’s a hazard
- We really need it.
He wants to take to the end of the week to try and source some from another place before he gives in. I respect his opinion. However, I told him I’d rather just get it and be done with it, as we’re getting close to the time when rain will start. Especially seeing how it’s rather cloudy this afternoon – and muggy – I feel rain in my bones.
I found him to be quite knowledgeable about the type of roof we have – he’s the only roofer that I’ve had out to look at the roof the used ladders that didn’t put weight directly onto the tiles — something I’ve learned is important – they are a lot like slate. I guess I can just be glad that all the others were scrawny (guess that’s a key trait in roofers) and they didn’t put a lot of weight on the roof.
Here’s NOT hoping for rain.
So, one of the big issues we’re facing at Casa De Kitty is that the roof is in need of repair if not replacement. The home inspector said that he felt the roof was at the end of it’s life, and needed to be replaced. He also noted that the roof was made up of concrete and asbestos tile (EEK).
During the inspection period, I had two roofers come out to give me estimates of how much the roof would cost to replace. At the time, the lowest, ($23,000 – EEEEEEEEEEEK) was just too much to think about. The contractor that gave me that price also said he could repair the roof for under $1,000 and give us another 2-3 years, if not more. The price for a total roof replacement is high because of the abatement of the asbestos – about 10K for that alone!
At the time, we decided to put the roof on the back burner until after the electric and plumbing was fixed up, and we were moved in. Well back then (end of June) I made a post to a website forum Slate Central (http://www.jenkinsslate.com/messages/) asking if there were any contractors in the area that repaired these roofs.
Today I checked that board again and found that someone had responded back in June! I called him up and next Friday he’s coming out to look at the roof and tell me what he can do. He said that typically a roof like this can last up to a hundred years if maintained. He also said his company (Ryder Roofing) has been working with them for a long time.
I’ll report back on findings…..
Another of the reasons for not replacing the roof right now, is that a planned remodle of the back bedroom area will alter the roofline significantly. That said, there’s no need to go to the expense of re-roofing the house, only to do major alterations later.
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