The Youtube embed button don't work, anyway, for everyone who hasn't seen Moonstruck, here's the scene in question:

http://youtu.be/1slibJ52yoc

Mark, I don't think I gave you any reason to give me an FU price, thought we had a pleasant chat, but who knows. I'll give you this, you were right about there being 3-4 inches of crap up there! But the crew is getting it off pretty easily.

I am a contractor myself in another industry where I also give flat bids. I've even given FU bids, the price at which I'll happily do a job I don't want. Sometimes I'm underbid in my creative industry by some kid trying to build his business. I was that kid once too. I know I can deliver quality work, but sometimes all the customer wants is cheap and good enough. That's business. But if you give an FU bid you can't complain about getting a reputation as pricey.

As customers of building contractors we often find enormous variation in price, particularly the ones like plumbing and electrical where you can't just use a $/sq ft metric. And I'm definitely talking about between licensed and insured businesses, not a "handyman". I've had electrical bids also vary by 300% too. Justifying that price requires a huge leap of faith on the part of the customer that they're getting what they're paying for. When someone wants 10% of the value of my property to put a roof on it, I balk at that leap. Guess I'll see if I made the right choice down the road.

Here is how a roof estimate should be done. Years ago I developed this formula .
Remember GLOMPI

Garbage
labor
overhead
materials
profit
Insurance

The difference in peoples prices relates or should relate to these items. The variables are usually in how the quality of the roof is installed.

I am a risk manager of a sort. Since I take the roof work so seriously maybe we do the details tha way we learned at University and through doing so much government work. I think if every roofers price is not different you should think twice.

A roof has to take the elements for 20 plus years , think about it. How should you do the work if you area contractor.

Variations in price realte to the management and compensation to the elements of the capital invested including Human capital and time to be spent.

Mark Nejmeh
www.jerseycityroofrepair.com
732-995-3914
twitter; @realroofer

Here is why you should not use any roof coatings. Even though the coatings both silver and white make the roof look pretty they also provide no other benefit to roofs. The coating as a matter of fact is no longer recommended by modifird bitumen companies. The reason is that adhering to these types of roofs for repairs is difficult as the coating delaminates after a patch or repair is made. Secondly they have found in our area that a lighter color roof can actually create mold on the underside of the membrane.
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/roofing/ ... ngs-Considerations--6285#

Torch down roofing in Jersey City is like smoking a cigarette at a gas station. Torch down is a great roof for an open warehouse but for these small tight walkups, I recommend to the JC fire Department that they ban the product. It is too dangerous

Mark Nejmeh
732-995-3914
www.jerseycityroofrepair.com

Dear Casting agent,

I find it hilarious that you compare me to Vincent Gardenia. We must have been watching Moonstruck at the same time on PBS. As far as my quote to you, I have no idea who you are but you are pretty funny. I am happy I have some character to myself. I can assure you that I am in the roofing business to make money and to do the job properly. I might have priced the job high because I did not like you, not really sure but maybe my gut was right.

Sincerely,
Mark Nejmeh
732-995-3914
www.jerseycityroofrepair.com

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I'm going to hold off referring them until the job is done.

Also used Elite Roofers out of Bayonne.
Showed up on time and gave an estimate that day.
On the scheduled work day arrived promptly, but unfortunately, it started snowing.
Had to wait a full month until snow went away and things dried out. Did not have to call them. They called me on the first dry day. Came over and sorted my roof. Leaks have stopped and bone dry ever since. Recommended.

Brewster, who are you using? I just read about an exterior building company in North Bergen called Hansen Brothers. They do roofs, windows and siding. They're PSE & G certified --whatever that means. But I haven't heard any reviews of them...just stumbled upon their website...Anyone out there have experiences to share?

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His quote to me was shockingly high. He also gave me a spiel about there being 4 inches of roofing material to remove, I didn't buy it. Maybe he's right and I'll regret it, but for 1/3 his cost I was willing to roll the dice. His pitch reminded me of Vincent Gardenia in Moonstruck. Permit apps are in, we'll see...

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I just used Mark Nejmeh on a small roofing job. He also did a quality job for me. Recommended.

Elite Roofers--they pointed out several leakage issues other roofing estimates ignored, replaced a skylight and two windows and vents and installed a ten-year white silicone on a shed-roof, and some siding, and some gutter repair, all for what seemed to be a reasonable rate. In fact, some of the estimates were higher for less work.

Thanks Christine.
I don't see anyone else reviewing them here, though. I really wish Malory Towers would relate her recent roofing experience. Would love to update the roof now because as they say on "Game of Thrones"
"Winter is coming"
and it's supposed to be worse than last year.

I highly recommend ALL CITY ROOFING.

They use superior materials, guarantee their work, and their price is reasonable.

Best of luck.

Heh. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who got the cheerful pleasant "Yes, Of course, I'll have them call you" followed by nothing. I called them back a lot more than 3 times in several months and each time I called I said "You told 3 months ago that they would call me right back" and then again, "You told me 4 months ago, 5 months ago, 6 months ago, 7 months ago, 8 months ago, 9 months 10 months ago, 11 months ago, and then Finally "I'm coming to your office in person to discuss the signed one year old contract and I'm going to call an attorney if you aren't on my porch roof within 2 weeks. One week and half later they showed up and were here 2 hours....I'm getting mad again thinking about it. And she was so sweet as pie on the phone! I think she must have been enjoying it on some level. Does anyone recommend anyone besides Capital?

I also have had a very bad experience with trying to get a price from Capitol. They came, measured, and were pleasant, then crickets. I tried calling 3 times over 2 months, and was always promised I would get a call back, nothing. Finally they admitted that they thought for some reason, in error, I wanted a repair rather than replace, a job they were not interested in, but simply wouldn't even call me to tell me so. That's extremely rude and unprofessional. It's fortunate I was not in an emergency situation.

I had Capital and another highly recommend roofing company to come out to look at my roof for a replacement. Both of them failed to give me an estimate dispite my repeated calls to ask for one.

Why bother to come out if you are not going to give me the estimate? If you dont want to take on the work, how hard is it to tell me so over the phone? Can't even spare the 5 seconds?

Unbelievable.

You can call the manufacturer of the roofing material you want installed for a list of certified roofers in your area. The manufacturers train and certify roofers to install their products and as such they'll warrant the workmanship even if the roofer goes out of business. The cost of the roofing material remains the same no matter who you use, as that's set by the manufacturer. It's the labor cost that causes the swing in estimates.
No matter who you pick, make sure they show you a certificate of insurance that names you, the homeowner, as the insured. They should also provide you with proof of workman's comp insurance for their workers. If one of the workers falls off your roof and breaks their neck. you're sh#* out of luck because homeowners insurance doesn't cover workers hurt on your premises. If they can't provide the proofs of insurance, they shouldn't be on your roof.

I'm reaching out to MaloryTowers to hear about her experience. If I had to choose a roofer it would be Capitol but I fear they won't work for me again because it took an very unpleasant telephone exchange to get them to finish the job they started..a small porch roof...over a year...You ask why would I want to use them again? Because they have a stellar reputation and I don't trust anyone up there on what is between $5,000 to $10,000 job depending on layers etc...The porch was so small and it happened after storm Sandy so I know they were swamped but still--a year later they finally got it down after I totally lost it with them. Eh, contractor--getting them to show up is half the battle and those are the good ones.

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Hi--we just had a partial flat roof done that encompassed two+ rooms by Elite in Bayonne. We had more than the roof done but including a new skylight, two small windows, a small amount of siding, a new white membrane, new flashing and stacks, the entire price was $5000--because we had a couple of extras, as I mentioned, yours probably would be cheaper. They came highly recommended on Angie's List and were the middle of three quotes. They took a while to get here but when they did the work it was fast and excellent. You are welcome to contact me and I can share the specific quote with you.

Can any of you post your per sq ft pricing for a flat roof? It would be nice to get an idea of what a fair price is, going in I really have no idea. I know there's a lot of variables, but excluding things like skylights, it should be possible to compare some figures.

S&S just completed a completed removal (4 layers!) and replacement of my flat roof and did a really incredible job. They worked with tremendous attention to detail and their price was 25% less than capitol. I'm not easy to work for but he was great. Highly recommended.

I referenced this thread when we were having leaking (stemming from an ice dam) over the winter, so I wanted to share our experiences in working with S&S Roofing.

Based on the most recent recommendations, we contacted S&S—who came promptly the next day. While they couldn’t fix the immediate problem (this was when it was snowing constantly and temperatures were at record lows), they did shovel the roof and diagnose the problem. We were told to get in touch with them once the weather got nicer.

A few weeks (months?) later, we asked them to fix the previously discussed problem as well as address a recent issue with some (seemingly) minor leaking that resulted in a few water spots inside the house. S&S determined it was due to some improperly installed flashing and other normal roof issues. We had the work completed. We paid them. It turns out the “fixes” prescribed by S&S did not resolve the problem, water was still leaking in, and a little more forcefully than during the previous rains. We contacted S&S again, and they felt that it was because we did not have part of his suggested work completed. Fair enough, we did not exactly follow his advice, and were paying the price. We asked him to do that additional work before the next rain. We weren’t able to schedule that work immediately, but he suggested a stopgap solution: place a tarp around the brickwork, and we would be able to weather the storm, so to speak.

Needless to say, things did not go according to plan. The next day, we had one of those crazy spring thunderstorms, which culminated in a major water explosion. Water was pouring out of the ceiling, through the heating/cooling vents, light fixtures and through the walls. The leaking continued through the building, ruining rooms on the fourth and third floors. We called S&S that night to let them know what was happening (we had been in touch with Seymond that day—we agreed to keep him updated on the status during the rainstorm). He didn’t answer our call and never returned our messages. To date, we never heard back. For all they know, the tarp is still there!

There were a number of red flags that I wish we had paid attention to—I was pregnant at the time and my due date was during this time period, and I admit we were not as on top of things as we could (should) have been. Things like—they were ALWAYS late. Like, HOURS late. Multiple calls following up LATE. One time, they committed to being at our house on a Tuesday and NEVER SHOWED UP or called with an explanation. We constantly were following up with them, chasing them down. It was frustrating. Additionally, the quote provided was verbal and we had to press him to get a written one—my husband eventually wrote it up.

The only time they were prompt was when it came time to pick up a check.

Before we had the communication/completion issues, we found Seymond to be nice and knowledgeable. The solution (which was identified by a different roofer) was difficult, but he was (likely) juggling too many jobs and maybe wasn’t the most qualified to deal with our immediate problem. At the end of the day, our job was probably much smaller compared to others, and he deprioritized our project, and eventually stopped returning our calls, but not before several thousand dollars of damage to the building occurred. While S&S might generally be a good roofer, he was clearly not the right fit for our project.

We eventually used Mark Nejmeh of Jersey City Roof Repair / Real Roofers and the differences between the two were night and day. Mark was on top of things from the moment we started the process, communicated at early hours during an emergency and was committed to completing the job in a QUALITY fashion.

Thanks Chris. Your comments are encouraging. The contractor who went out this morning said he doesn't think I actually need a new roof. It will be interesting to see what the folks at Capital have to say.

I had my old roof torn off and a new one put on in September 2011 by Capitol. I got a white PVC reflective roof and they fixed an improperly done skylight + removed old chimney and rebuilt new one (from roofline up - not relining). I believe it was $9600 + permits. There was a per square foot charge to remove rotted wood but they waived this as there was not too much and I was not there to verify.

Of the 3 roofers that I met they inspired the most confidence and did a great job. I had a home inspection this week and inspector noted the roof/chimney are in great shape.

Also, the longer warranties don't inspire me much. What good is a ten year warranty if these guys aren't in business at that time.

Thank you. I'm meeting with the folks from Capital today.

I'm gathering three quotes and three references from each contractor.

S&S walked me to a neighbor's house where he did the work and rang the door bell. It was the middle of the day and the neighbor wasn't home. Still S&S hasn't provided me with the names and numbers of references. I won't retain anyone without references.

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I wonder how they make prices... Capital came in higher when I priced. I guess luck of the draw. Either way both are known to do real good work. Just make sure they rip off all the old stuff. Otherwise you will continue to have problems.

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That's the one.

We used Capital and are very happy. Our roof was substantially cheaper per sq ft than the quote you got even though it was a 'tear off' (all old layers removed) but it did not involve replacing roofing deck (ply wood) / beams.

Price depends in the roofing material and guarantee though. Some roofs have 10 year warranty and others 25 years, so ensure to compare apples to apples.

Two tips:
a) have the roof painted with silver roofing color when you put down the roof to increase comfort and reduce A/C cost. Under circumstances a cheap add-on.
b) in the quote, specify the cost per sq ft should they need to replace any part of the underlying roofing deck That way you both know the parameters / cost for any additional work.

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I have used S&S... and replaced the roof 2.5 years ago so due to inflation, it could cost a bit more. It cost between 11-12.5k The would was completely removed and replace... my roof was about 800 square feet although the apartments are about 670 square feet... if your apartment is 600 square feet, your roof square footage will be around 850 square feet.

S&S did a real good job. See my web review below... Feel free to ask any questions.