Roofing quote? - flashing and gutters

[mousey]

Not being massively confident with things like this I'm wondering if anyone on here has a bit more expertise or experience?

My roof is leaking, a recommended builder came round to look and advised replacement of flashing at the dormer windows [currently zinc and corroded with many holes!], he can't do it as it's a 'small' job and he's too busy with larger more lucrative work I'm also wanting to get the guttering replaced.

The property is approx. 14.5m front/back, 5.7m sides, 6.8m high at front, 7,3m at rear with restricted access to one side and faces the north sea and so is quite exposed.

I've had a quote for £800 [seems cheap] for replacing guttering, and another quote for £1,500 [seems pricey] for replacing flashing per dormer window. I've had another quote but can't remember of the top of my head.

I have just about £4,000 set aside for this and some other minor ground level joinery work. Is anyone reading this knowledgeable about roofing and would like to give me an idea of what this type of job could cost?

 

[crosslandkelly]

£1500 seems cheap to me, but I'm in London. The best way is to get 3 independant quotes from reputable roofers. Usually the middle price is near the mark. If you have friends or neighbours who can recommend someone, even better.

 

[Paul_B]

We had a few runs of slates replaced / or back in place above a leak which involved buying new slates and putting in a lead flashing / gutter. While they were up there they replaced the fascia board which a guy we knew had put up in the last year but was a cheap board half the thickness it should be. All that and it was less than £500 with parts and labour.

There's a patch of slate needing sorting out near the boundary with our neighbour A big job because it needs a structure sorting out too. That will cost £5-600 when we get round to it. BTW we've had an informal quote for about £3000 for a whole roof in new tiles or about £5-6000 of it's done out in the same slate it currently has.

To me it sounds like the op has London / southern rates for his quotes.

BTW worth seeking out roofers who are in the better trade bodies. I can't remember what ours was in but it was for the top end of the business a guild of something. Came with a guarantee where the body would put it right through the insurance scheme the roofer had to pay into to join. Something like that I think. Can't remember and never bothered because they were recommended by someone at trust. Personal recommendation from someone in the building trade you know and trust meant we never bothered much checking the roofers credentials. He's now in my contacts under very useful tradesmen list. You need a good list of trades if you're not into DIY.

 

[Toddy]

Your whole roof for 3K ? you're a lucky man. Ours is being done in the next few weeks and it's over five grand, though that includes fascias, rones and the like too.

Mousey? I'm a housewife not a roofer, but your gutters, if it includes the rones, seems on a par with what my neighbours have paid to have theirs renewed.....that was fascia boards too right enough, but their's is a terraced house and not as wide as yours.

The flashing seems steep, but how are they getting access ? it's not just like working round the edges to get to the gutters, and if the flashing has to go under the slates (they should slide enough for access) and maybe they need trueing up again there too.
I think I'd ask just what's involved in fixing the flashing before I said it was too much.

M

 

[mousey]

Thanks for the replies, I do have some trades people, but as they are good it's been a bloody nightmare getting hold of them because they are too busy. That and most of the folks who get recommended to me are larger project builders into multiple houses, seems to be a thing up here at the moment, so good smaller scale people have been hard to find.

I'm inherently distrustful of people, maybe it's just my imagination, but most of the people I talk to about this look at me like they are judging how much they can fleece me for, or purposefully use trade jargon to see if I can tell if they are taking the wee or not. Maybe I am just too cynical.

 

[mousey]

@ Toddy, I think the height and exposure are putting most folks off. The Flashing chap said he'd need to basically strip all the tiles off and replace all the flashing around the entire dormer = sides and top bit. That's what he quoted 1500 for, once I said 'that includes everything, scaffolding, materials, a finished price?' he gave me a look of, 'how much more can I get away with asking for'

For the gutters he wanted to strip three slates per fixing point, I don't have facias they are fixed to roof structure somehow. and put scaffolding round the entire house, he did say he could maybe get away with a cherry picker round the front as there is a road close to the property for access. He however didn't give me a rough quote for that. I've his e-mail address and have schemed out a schedule of work I'm wanting done so I'm going to ping him that to see if he can give a little more detailed cost. I'm also hoping to get a couple of other to quote for the same work. I'm in no particular rush, but getting it done this summer would be the timescale.

 

[Toddy]

Did you ask for written quotes ? That gives you both something you can refer back to if necessary as well as laying out the details of the job.

Your roofer might have not been looking at you to see how much more he could ask, but more that how else was he going to get up there? kind of thing.

M

 

[Paul_B]

Have you asked those big job guys if they allow their ppl to do foreigners? We went to a top roofer round here who did the expensive, high end or difficult roofs as well as housing projects. It was too small a job for him but he sent round one of his senior staff to quote and this guy with another did it as a foreigner but the main roofer guaranteed it. If that makes sense. We got a very good price and two guys got a bit extra for it.

The main roofer saw it as keeping his good reputation for service. A strange setup. It felt like two guys doing a foreigner for themselves but also it was explained as a small customer service for the main business.

Whatever the situation in my case I reckon you might get one of the big roofers to let you borrow one of their guys for a foreigner. Always worth asking the big guys if there's someone they can recommend. I doubt any reputable business will point you to a bad worker if they can't do the work.