All Forum Posts by: Jesse L. Weaver

I agree. Even if you have "some room to play around" a $7,000 roof replacement is still $7,000 coming out of your pocket. As stated, I would look for other ways to improve curb appeal. And that is coming from a roofing contractor!

That is another good point Theresa. If I'm replacing a roof for someone and buying materials for the job, they are paying only for the materials that are used on their job.

Ex: A roll of synthetic paper covers 1000 sq ft. A box of roofing nails covers about 2000 sq ft. If your roof is 2100 sq ft and you want to supply the materials, I will make sure you provide 3 rolls of paper and 2 boxes of nails. You can keep the extra for when the roof needs replaced again in 30 years.

If I have a roofing customer that wants to buy the materials it will cost them significantly more. I can get the materials cheaper, I can provide a manufacturer's warranty, and I can set up the delivery. 

I will factor in a lot of extra costs for labor because things will be out of my control. What if we have to reschedule delivery due to weather? What if there is a shorage on materials and we have to wait around for them to show up? What if the materials are defective? My reputation is on the line and I won't install shingles that someone bought at a discount because they were sitting out behind a warehouse for 5 years.

To add to the above post- if a contractor is screwing his insulation through the old roof and into the existing roof deck he has no idea if the wood is in good enough condition for the screws to grab. He's hoping that there isn't any rot and the screws grab tight and don't push back out over time.

I always recommend removing it. The weight is certainly a concern even though new insulation board and EPDM is very light. My main reason is for being able to inspect the roof deck and framing. If there is water damage there could be parts of the roof frame that are failing or about to fail. 

The way I look at a roof- do it right, hire the right contractor and you won't have to touch it for 25 years. That is well worth the investment of a little more labor to remove the old roof. I guess that could be a little bit of the sales side of me coming out too.

To add to Terrell Garren's advice... When starting with the simple projects, YouTube is your best friend. Combine that with the hands on experience you'll build over time and you will develop skills that will benefit you the rest of your life.

Excellent work! I love the lessons learned part. I think we've all been there before--I wasted a lot of hours and dollars the first (and only!) time i tried to refinish hardwood floors.

What’s the number on how many businesses fail within 5 years? 90%? Just remember, most of those are experienced roofers focusing solely on their roofing business. 

If your experience is limited and you are also trying to focus on getting 2 other businesses going (fix and flip, sales) it will not be easy. I advise against it. I have been in the roofing industry for the past 10 years. Not many owners that I know have side jobs  

Pick one thing and be great at it. 

Good Morning Greg,

I have dealt with David Wolfe at Principal Mortgage Group in Lancaster and he was very knowlegable and great to work with!

I'm a big fan of EPDM rubber roofing, and that is mainly what my company installs on flat roofs. It should be a decent amount cheaper than TPO and have the same lifespan. If someone ever tries to sell you on TPO over EPDM because TPO is white and reflects sunlight better... They do make EPDM in white. Everyone always thinks the difference is TPO=white and EPDM=black. This is not the case.