If you have been putting off getting your roof shingles replaced ...

[NNN0LHI]

Some friends stopped by yesterday and mentioned they are having a new roof installed on their home. Last year the job was estimated at $4500.00 and this year the same company needs $6500.00 for the job. And their roofer (who they know well) said that is going to probably double by next year at the current rate of material increases. They were flabbergasted and wished they would have had the job done last year. So this is something I would not put off if I needed one.

http://www.wztv.com/newsroom/top_stories/vid_1800.shtml

Rising Oil Prices Affect Local Roofing Companies - Erika Lathon

Everyone needs a roof over their head, but the cost of installing one is getting higher.

From shingles to asphalt, local roofing companies are paying more for materials. It's all linked to the rising price of crude oils.

It's a tough time to be in the roofing business. D'arcy Porter of Elite Roofing says gas prices and materials are on the rise constantly, so they have to pass that onto the consumer.

Porter says it's not just the cost of fueling his trucks, many of the materials roofers use are made from oil. As the price of crude oil rises, so does the cost of doing business.

"On material it seems every other month or less than a month we get a memo from a supplier of a 15% to 20% increase on materials", says Porter.

From asphalt to shingles to metal and insulation, it all costs more.

[Dr.Phool]

1. A friend in the business did mine last year.

He said business was down over 60% then. It's probably worse now.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Glad I had mine done a couple of years ago.

That will probably also effect the price of new homes.

[Green Mountain Dem]

3. Thanks for this info...

I feel so much better now as I can hear the roofers doing mine now as I post. I was going to wait until next year and after reading this I know now that I made the right decision. My roofer told me the same thing, and even though he is a good friend, I wondered if he was just trying to sell me on doing the job now as prices would be double next year.

[Brazenly Liberal]

4. We're saying screw shingles!

Friends of ours put in an Ondura roof a couple of years ago and they're very happy with it. When a hideous storm took big chunks of shingles off every other house in the area last spring, their Ondura roof held tight.

We're planning to put one in later this summer. Yesterday we saw it at Lowes for $17.50 for a 48" x 79" sheet. The stuff goes on right over whatever is already there - no tear off necessary and no special tools required. For us, it works out cheaper to put in a new Ondura than to repair the old shingle roof.

(No, I don't work for - or know anyone who works for - Ondura. :) )

[NNN0LHI]

5. But if you don't tear off the old roof how would you know that the plywood isn't rotting away?

I wouldn't suggest not tearing the old roof off to check for that before paying for a new roof to be installed which may need to be torn off later due to unseen damage.

Don

[KharmaTrain]

6. A Catch-22

We're having windows replaced and the roof redone this summer...and yes, the estimates for materials are higher this year than they were last year, but the labor costs are lower. The guy who I'm working with is struggling to keep his business afloat. Up to a year ago, he couldn't get a job done fast enough...lots of new construction and McMansion work, but this year he said he's lucky to find jobs like the one I'm offering...and that he is all but eating his labor costs to stay competitive, keep working and pay his bills.

Interesting, the window work this year is cheaper...both labor and materials...those prices have remained stable while paint and tar...both oil-based...have risen. But guess what...it's going on in many areas you may not even know it...this rise in oil prices is affecting everything and will really bite later this summer as this latest price rise kicks in. The construction trade is getting hit real, real hard right now...stuck between the building boom gone bust and an economy that has tightened credit and is even making those who can afford to nest their money away...putting things off until the economy stabilizes.