August 18, 2006
The roof
I have noticed that whenever you talk about a repair problem -- car repair, home repair, whatever -- the first thing that people want to do is tell you all about how you are clearly being ripped off by your auto mechanic/drywall contractor/whoever. They will often launch into a lengthy discussion of all the different ways you are being ripped off, before you have even really given any details. This has happened to me enough times that I think it must be some sort of basic human instinct, sort of like the way there are so many women out there who, upon finding out that another woman is pregnant, feel compelled to share every story they know in which a pregnancy went Horribly Awry.
I'm honestly at the point where I hate even talking about repairs that we're having done. I mentioned at the family Christmas party that the reason we had to replace our Taurus was because our mechanic found that the transmission was bad and fixing it would cost more than the car was worth. One of my uncles instantly asked how much the mechanic had said the transmission repair would cost. I told him. He triumphantly said, "That's a ripoff! My mechanic could have done it for [lesser dollar amount]."
I could have gone into a long explanation of how we trust our mechanic and he has always done a good job for us and how he is like one of the only honest mechanics we've ever met, and so forth, but it wouldn't have mattered. People have this undeniable urge to tell you that you're being ripped off. I don't know if it's because they want to think that their mechanic/drywall contractor/whoever is better than yours, or whether they just want to feel like they're stopping you from getting into a bad deal, or what.
You might wonder why I'm pondering this topic today. Well, I'll tell you.
Our roof needs to be replaced. Now, just having said that, I bet some of you out there are thinking, "Is she sure? Did she talk to more than one contractor? I bet she's getting ripped off!" Admit it. You thought it, didn't you?
Anyway, the roof definitely needs to be replaced. When we bought it back in November, the house inspector noticed a soft spot on the back side, and we did request that the sellers fix it, along with about fifteen other things we wanted to be fixed. They fixed the other fourteen, but declined to do the roof repair on the grounds that it was not actually leaking. Well, they had a point. It wasn't actually leaking. It didn't actually start leaking until a month or two ago. I don't know how long for sure, but I do know that about a month ago, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm, I was standing by our box windows -- you know, those windows that are built out from the house so that you can put plants in them? -- when I felt water splash onto my face.
This is really not something that you want to have happen. I briefly considered just walking away and pretending that it hadn't happened, but decided to go ahead and look up at the ceiling. To my great surprise, there was no water coming through the ceiling. But I was still getting splashed from somewhere; it turned out that there was water leaking through the screw holding the plant shelves onto the wall, and in a couple other places near the window frame. The most likely explanation for this was that the "soft spot" had finally given way and that water was now cascading into the interior of the wall.
As you can imagine, this is not a desirable state of affairs.
I Googled up a roofing contractor the next day and made an appointment for him to come look at the roof. He came out, checked out the bad spot, looked at some other stuff, and told us that the entire roof needs to be replaced. Really? I said. Really, he said. He told us that there are a lot more soft spots where the underlying plywood has rotted out, and that the shingles were put on very poorly in what appears to have been a do-it-yourself job that went badly. Also, our attic ventilation sucks. He said he'd draw up an estimate and give us a call.
I called Keith at work. I didn't really want him to do anything right that second, but I needed moral support, which he provided, because he is Keith and he is awesome and can provide moral support even while in the middle of sorting mail at the post office.
When he came home, we decided that since apparently the job was going to be bigger than the small repair we'd originally hoped it would be, we should go ahead and pony up the fee to look at Angie's List. Angie's List is a site where you can review and see reviews on all kinds of different contractors and repair workers and so forth. Keith spent a few hours perusing it, and then came up with two more names for us to call. (The original guy we called also had favorable reviews in Angie's List.)
I told the subsequent two contractors the same thing I'd told the first guy: we have this leak, under a soft spot in the roof. What do you think? They both told me the same thing he had, namely that our roof needs to be entirely replaced. I told them to do estimates and send them to us.
So that's more or less where we're at right now. We got an estimate from the second company in the mail yesterday. The first guy actually came by the house last night to explain his estimate in person and go over all of our various options and so forth. I have to admit that although Guy #2's estimate is higher in cost, I like the personal touch, and appreciate that he was willing to sit here with us for an hour and a half answering all of our questions and explaining the different costs involved. Guy #3 is meeting with us next Thursday, after which we'll decide who we're going with.
I guess at the end of all of this, at least we'll have a solid roof over our heads. And a credit card that is never, ever, never, ever going to be paid off, I swear to God. (We were so close! So close!)
Posted at August 18, 2006 10:45 AM
Posted by: Heidi at August 18, 2006 4:11 PM
Oh, I am so sorry to hear about the roof repair! I must admit, though, after having ours replaced, there is something satisfying about getting to tell the telemarketers "We DO NOT NEED a new roof!" It's also good to know that such a huge thing is taken care of for the next 25 years or so (hopefully, with a 30 yr roof). When we bought our house we were told the roof had another 10 years in it, as it was a 15 yr roof and only 4 years old. HAH! It had been placed right over at least 2 other layers, quite illegally. The elderly lady who lived here previously had been taken.
I completely empathize with you about being annoyed with people who always know better about contractors/workers. I never, ever talk to my brothers about stuff like that. Unless I want to feel bad about myself, and who needs that? I'm quite capable of that myself. Yes, after our remodel, which will never be completed, we also will never be debt-free.
Posted by: Bibi at August 21, 2006 1:41 PM
Oh, I am so sorry to hear about the roof repair! I must admit, though, after having ours replaced, there is something satisfying about getting to tell the telemarketers "We DO NOT NEED a new roof!" It's also good to know that such a huge thing is taken care of for the next 25 years or so (hopefully, with a 30 yr roof). When we bought our house we were told the roof had another 10 years in it, as it was a 15 yr roof and only 4 years old. HAH! It had been placed right over at least 2 other layers, quite illegally. The elderly lady who lived here previously had been taken.
I completely empathise with you about being annoyed with people who always know better about contractors/workers. I never, ever talk to my brothers about stuff like that. Unless I want to feel bad about myself, and who needs that? I'm quite capable of that myself. Yes, after our remodel, which will never be completed, we also will never be debt-free.
Posted by: Bibi at August 21, 2006 1:41 PM
I totally agree with the lady in regards to construction work however, coming from a contractor, she must know that she is not covered for 30yrs just because she had a 30 yr. shingle installed. Every year those shingles are prorated and there warranty's only cover material defects. (unless you purchased a manufacturers specialty warranty) Not to mention if a hurricane sweeps it off, your back to square one (An act of God) A good labor or workmanship warranty is what to look for because they are the ones that will come to her rescue if she should have a leak or just need an inspection done. ALL ROOFS also need to be checked and maintained on a yearly bascis and this sounds like a good contractor that did this roof so I am pretty sure he informed then of this. This comment is also not to tell her she did wrong in choosing the contractor she did, as we make those house calls too and if an estimator doesnt have time to sit and answer your questions then he's not good enough to receive one dollar of your hard work earning's. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW ROOF AND CONGRATS. Donna
Posted by: Donna Lord at August 30, 2006 2:48 PM
::::typing through the banging that is going on over my head:::::: I can SO relate.
We found out we had a roof leak in our livingroom on Christmas EVE as we were putting the presents under the tree at 2:00 am. I've been meaning to write the roof saga for some time but simply can't get the energy up to do so. Let's just say that after 6 months of this and that we're in our 4th day of people on our roof. We have a BIG roof (32 squres). We had to borrow from our 401K to pay for it. We also will never be debt free at this rate. :-(