The joys of homeownership!

[krautmaster]

I'm "liking" your post, not because I'm happy you have to replace your roof, but because I'm in the same situation.

We bought our current house new in 1994, so we have an old roof. Here in SoCal, we are bracing for this so called "Super El-Nino" which (may) means heavy rains are a-comin'.

I just got our first estimate for our roof and it wasn't good. The inspector did a really thorough job - poked under all the corners of the roof, pulled tiles to look at the decking and felt papering, flashings, fans seals, ducting, etc. Took pictures to document it all to show us first hand.

Our roof is definitely showing severe signs of age and is compromised.

And we have solar panels, so that means disconnecting, removing, storing, re-installing, re-connecting after the new roof is in place.

The estimate was for $34K and that's keeping our existing tiles which are in good shape.

I've got two more estimates coming next week before making a decision.

I just hope we can get this done before the predicted heavy rains.

Replace those tiles with asphalt shingles: they last just as long as the felt/tar paper under layment does on a tile roof, and every time you get a decent hailstorm your insurance will buy you a new roof. We had ours replaced in Sept 2020 as the then 16 yr old tile roof was leaking in three rooms. More than half the homes in my neighborhood have switched to asphalt shingles because the tile roofs are now leaking like sieves.

 

[Bushikan]

Yeah, you can definitely do it with one person. I ended up switching out to a slightly thicker snake. The thicker snake doesn't kink and twist on itself as much as the thinner one did. Don't feed too much snake because it will twist on itself in the drain. The most important thing is to take it slow. When you start hitting a backup, just take it easy and get a little at a time. It takes some getting used to, just don't keep cramming the line in, that's where it might kink or twist. There's also a lock on auger that keeps the snake from going in or out. You lock it when you hit the back up and then kind of just use the drill itself in and out. As you make progress, you unlock the auger to feed more line then lock it again to work the blockage. Repeat, repeat until the auger either punches thru or you have to pull it out to take the debris off. And then you repeat until it clears.

If you've ever seen a pro do it, they use like a one inch+ diameter snake on a giant wheel and feed the snake in with one gloved hand while the auger spins on a standing frame. The smaller hand unit one torques at the drill, but if you feed it in and pull it out to clean it frequently, it is manageable. The fatter snake also has a little more strength than the standard so you can tell when you need to pull it out, or work it in and out a little to proceed, or get it all the way out to get the debris off the cutting or spiral bit and then proceed again.

Just takes a little getting used to, but I got it to the point where I just sat on a Homer Bucket by the drain and 30 minutes later the drain was completely clear. If you have really bad clogs it will not be so easy the first time and you might need a pro with an industrial auger, but once it's clear, even if you spend the time yourself with the smaller unit the first time, the succeeding times will be much more simple.

We've moved from that house so I haven't needed the big SEARS one yet at the new place, but I did buy a little 25 foot hand crank unit for sinks and toilets that I've busted out at the new place a few times. Works the same, it's just that you crank by hand with the auger lock on, then feed more out, lock it... you get the idea.

GREAT tool!

That’s what she said?

 

[DesertRatt]

I'm "liking" your post, not because I'm happy you have to replace your roof, but because I'm in the same situation.

We bought our current house new in 1994, so we have an old roof. Here in SoCal, we are bracing for this so called "Super El-Nino" which (may) means heavy rains are a-comin'.

I just got our first estimate for our roof and it wasn't good. The inspector did a really thorough job - poked under all the corners of the roof, pulled tiles to look at the decking and felt papering, flashings, fans seals, ducting, etc. Took pictures to document it all to show us first hand.

Our roof is definitely showing severe signs of age and is compromised.

And we have solar panels, so that means disconnecting, removing, storing, re-installing, re-connecting after the new roof is in place.

The estimate was for $34K and that's keeping our existing tiles which are in good shape.

I've got two more estimates coming next week before making a decision.

I just hope we can get this done before the predicted heavy rains.

Does 34k include all the solar work, or I'd that extra?

 

[Erik Tracy]

Does 34k include all the solar work, or I'd that extra?

Everything; new water proofing adhesive, all new flashing, sealing, mortar mounds, labor, solar panel work. It also includes replacing some rotting facia sections we have in two spots.

The inspector did say some plywood decking may need to be replaced if rotted - only when they start pulling up the old 40lb felt paper will they be able see - so there may be some price creep.

I've asked around with friends, neighbors for their roof work - some paid as high as $60k because they replaced all their tiles as well.

 

[Copanel]

Everything; new water proofing adhesive, all new flashing, sealing, mortar mounds, labor, solar panel work. It also includes replacing some rotting facia sections we have in two spots.

The inspector did say some plywood decking may need to be replaced if rotted - only when they start pulling up the old 40lb felt paper will they be able see - so there may be some price creep.

I've asked around with friends, neighbors for their roof work - some paid as high as $60k because they replaced all their tiles as well.

Are you talking about clay or concrete tiles? I love clay tiles or slate; I would have liked to buy tiles from Elrus, but they were more expensive than I wanted to spend. For the house, I chose clay tiles made by Creaton, and for the garage, I went with standing-seam metal roofing.

 

[Erik Tracy]

We have flat concrete tiles. The housing contractor who built our block alternated the roofing between "spanish" red clay and gray square concrete.

The roofing inspector said almost all of our tiles are still in good shape and since it is a common design, they have a stockpile of them to replace any cracked ones.

I still have two more bids coming scheduled for next week, but we were impressed with the detail and thoroughness of the first company.

 

[Copanel]

We have flat concrete tiles. The housing contractor who built our block alternated the roofing between "spanish" red clay and gray square concrete.

The roofing inspector said almost all of our tiles are still in good shape and since it is a common design, they have a stockpile of them to replace any cracked ones.

I still have two more bids coming scheduled for next week, but we were impressed with the detail and thoroughness of the first company.

Look for at least 4–6 quotes; ultimately, it is the result that matters, not the contractors' sales talk. You might also get recommendations for contractors from people you know.

 

[Fat Point Ja]

The waterfront subdivision here in Fat Point has a deed restriction that requires a tile roof. When Hurricane Charley came thru in 2004 many of these roofs were 20-30 years old. The metals tabs that tied them down were rusted out (saltwater canal in the back yard) so that it was held down by the weight of the roof and the ridge caps were unsupported. When a flying object hit the ridge, it broke and compromised the integrity of the roof. The wind then sent the pieces flying and hit the neighbor's roof.

We drove thru a day later and the streets were a gravel road.

 

[krautmaster]

Everything; new water proofing adhesive, all new flashing, sealing, mortar mounds, labor, solar panel work. It also includes replacing some rotting facia sections we have in two spots.

The inspector did say some plywood decking may need to be replaced if rotted - only when they start pulling up the old 40lb felt paper will they be able see - so there may be some price creep.

I've asked around with friends, neighbors for their roof work - some paid as high as $60k because they replaced all their tiles as well.

When they did out roof they threw the concrete tiles in a huge dumpster (and hauled it away) put in new plywood where the leaks were, tar then tar paper then a synthetic membrane, all new flashing, and finally the shingles- all for $19K. We had considered metal but that would have doubled the price to $39K.

 

[Copanel]

When they did out roof they threw the concrete tiles in a huge dumpster (and hauled it away) put in new plywood where the leaks were, tar then tar paper then a synthetic membrane, all new flashing, and finally the shingles- all for $19K. We had considered metal but that would have doubled the price to $39K.

I’m curious what portion of these amounts goes toward materials versus labor in the US. I had to replace the roofing on my previous house, and the quotes varied wildly—from €10,000 to €35,000 for sheet metal roofing—with labor accounting for roughly half the cost. The price of the metal itself also varies significantly depending on the model, finish, and manufacturer.

 

[0b11011001]

The best thing about homeownership is not having to deal with other people or HOAs. And if you do any work on the house yourself, you don’t have to involve the county.

It also gives me plenty of room for my hobbies.

When we remodeled our mountain house, we specified real hardwood floors, no slab construction, and a shingle roof.

We also decided against solar and went with a large generator that I just plug into the main switch panel on the back of the house.

 

[djwhy60]

I’m curious what portion of these amounts goes toward materials versus labor in the US. I had to replace the roofing on my previous house, and the quotes varied wildly—from €10,000 to €35,000 for sheet metal roofing—with labor accounting for roughly half the cost. The price of the metal itself also varies significantly depending on the model, finish, and manufacturer.

Roofers usually charge by a square rather than an hr rate. Can be anywhere between $300 to $800 per square depending on the material and slope of the roof.

 

[Copanel]

Roofers usually charge by a square rather than an hr rate. Can be anywhere between $300 to $800 per square depending on the material and slope of the roof.

300–800 USD per square foot or per square meter, i guess per square meter.

 

[Mr Boochie]

If you've ever seen a pro do it, they use like a one inch+ diameter snake on a giant wheel and feed the snake in with one gloved hand while the auger spins on a standing frame. The smaller hand unit one torques at the drill, but if you feed it in and pull it out to clean it frequently, it is manageable. The fatter snake also has a little more strength than the standard so you can tell when you need to pull it out, or work it in and out a little to proceed, or get it all the way out to get the debris off the cutting or spiral bit and then proceed again.

GREAT tool!

Feed the snake into and out of the pipes several times. It helps remove the rough oxidized surfaces on the inside of the old cast-iron pipes. Then flush for a good 5 minutes.

Does anyone here have one of those long borescopes for pipes? They're like doing a pipeline colonoscopy.

 

[old_tv_nut]

300–800 USD per square foot or per square meter, i guess per square meter.

A roofing square is 10x10 feet = 100 square feet = 9.29 m^2 according to Google.
~ $3 to $8 per square foot, ~ $30 - $80 per square meter

 

[mkane]

I'm "liking" your post, not because I'm happy you have to replace your roof, but because I'm in the same situation.

We bought our current house new in 1994, so we have an old roof. Here in SoCal, we are bracing for this so called "Super El-Nino" which (may) means heavy rains are a-comin'.

I just got our first estimate for our roof and it wasn't good. The inspector did a really thorough job - poked under all the corners of the roof, pulled tiles to look at the decking and felt papering, flashings, fans seals, ducting, etc. Took pictures to document it all to show us first hand.

Our roof is definitely showing severe signs of age and is compromised.

And we have solar panels, so that means disconnecting, removing, storing, re-installing, re-connecting after the new roof is in place.

The estimate was for $34K and that's keeping our existing tiles which are in good shape.

I've got two more estimates coming next week before making a decision.

I just hope we can get this done before the predicted heavy rains.

Tiles are cheap. why go all this way and use old tiles.

15 Square is 1500$. 50 bundles

 

[krautmaster]

Roofers usually charge by a square rather than an hr rate. Can be anywhere between $300 to $800 per square depending on the material and slope of the roof.

Yep- we paid $350 a square

 

[djwhy60]

A roofing square is 10x10 feet = 100 square feet = 9.29 m^2 according to Google.
~ $3 to $8 per square foot, ~ $30 - $80 per square meter

Correct, a "square" in roofing is 100 sq ft.

 

[Copanel]

$30–$50 per square meter is a decent price, especially when working with a company that provides a warranty and an invoice.

 

[felix_katze]

....especially when working with a company that provides a warranty and an invoice.

That's why we're going with the roofer we chose. They replaced the guttering and did a bang up job fixing a leak where verandah roof meets the house roof a year or so ago. 12 year warranty on work yadda yadda just a no brainer.