So, Larry came out to the property to provide a free bid for removal of an asbestos roof, repairs, removal of a skylight, and installation of a new roof both on the house and garage, as well as an alternative roof for a porch add-on. However, he never actually went on my roof, provided anything in writing, remembered when we wanted to have the work done, took physical measurements, provided a brochure of potential roofing materials, answered my questions, or truly asked or addressed what we wanted to have done with our roof.
Larry seemed more focused on if whether or not we could pay for the work in the end because he asked me several times what my husband and I did for a living. After reassuring Larry we would be able to pay and our arrangement would not result in any sort of lien, Larry then did a quick glancing inspection of the roof from the ground while standing next to me and then informed me we had an asbestos roof.
I almost laughed out loud at him because I had already explained the condition of our roof to him in a phone call the prior day, since we had a professional testing and inspection done before; but instead replied, "Yes, we need to have it removed according to the building/safety/health standards or codes and then a new roof installed. We want this done right and no cutting corners." Larry then said, "Oh, the cost doesn't scare you? You know, other companies are going to tell you it'll cost around $3,000; but I'll charge you $5,000." He never explained what he meant by that comment, why there was a $2,000 gap in his price versus other independent asbestos remover's prices, or really gave any breakdown or itemized list (verbally or written) to explain why and how he came up with those numbers. Best part about this, I later called around and pulled up asbestos building codes online, then called the fire department and City of Turlock. Apparently, it is illegal to perform a visual inspection and then label a roof as having asbestos. you have to collect a sample and test the sample in order to legally determine a roof as having asbestos. Nice one, Larry.
Larry then left and called me about two days later with a total of $15,000.00 as his number. Again, nothing in writing; no explanation or sampling of materials; explanation of the work to be done; he did not address the removal of the skylight, or replacement of our porch roof; and he did not actually measure the property. Larry informed me he uses something called a "satellite measurement"; which I am pretty sure is code for Google earth, to estimate the measurement of our house. Larry overestimated the measurements of our roof to be covered by the standard shingle by over 1,100 square feet and never accounted for the 180 square foot porch roof to be of another roofing material.
When I explained to Larry I was confused as to how he calculated his overall cost since he failed to specifically address our issues and provide anything in writing; his reply to me was that the overall cost would go down in the fall because there is less business then. The funny thing is, I had to remind him, for a fourth time, we were planning on our roof being replaced in September, when work usually slows down.
Ultimately, he was the most unprofessional, unorganized, and disconnected licensed contractor I have met with. Econo Roofing, Dave Drummond, and five other roofing companies or contractors who perform roofing construction services were much more professional in establishing their bids. There are plenty of other vendors with their heads on straight who will provide written itemized descriptions of work, address your needs, communicate clearly with you, take notes, physically measure your roof, and provide a more competitive price. read more
