Recently I sold a bright young couple their very first home, and as usual, I accompanied them on their home inspection. This Inspector has been the choice of many of my clients over the years, and I always feel confident that he'll do an excellent job. On this particular home, we were aware when we submitted the offer that there was a portion of the roof that looked a little worn. I've seen it many times before...a low pitched, southerly exposed section of roof, looking a lot older then the rest of the roof. As explained to me in the past, this is the precise combination (pitch and exposure) that will cause early wear on shingles, and if the shingles are black, it's even worse.

The Inspector felt that the section may have to be replaced immediately, and at the same time, the roof on the garage was in rough shape. He was kind enough to call a roofing company to see what kind of money we would be looking at, and within 20 minutes, a representative arrived. Upon careful examination he wrote out a quote for $6,000.00 . With my jaw dragging on the driveway pavement, wondering if he was looking at the same little house I was, and my clients in shock, I chirped in quickly to let him know that they'd only want the bad section on the house replaced plus the whole single car garage. It didn't take him long to inform me that it was "All or Nothing" with his company and I found his explanation brilliant!  His company stands behind their work...and if they only do the bad section, they cannot guarantee the structural integrity of the roof and they guarantee all of their work...so...who wouldn't want their guarantee...and who wouldn't replace their whole roof?

Now what the heck are they doing up there to compromise the structural integrity??? !!!! This raised a few concerns for me. First of all, I know a good roof when I see one, and I have a pretty good idea as to the price to get a roof done. I would have guessed this house and garage, stripped down and re-shingled, in the neighborhood of $3,000 to $4,000 depending on shingle quality. Furthermore, I've had many clients get the front, back or side of their roof done independently of the rest of the roof and figured that the cost would be $1000 for the garage and $500.00 for the small section on the house.

I asked the roofing guy a question..."Why in heavens name would your company have this policy, insisting homeowners strip a perfectly good roof...filling up landfill sites with asphalt shingles and costing a homeowner thousands of dollars...when only a little separate area needs replacement? This is when he got mad!

Thankfully I wasn't in the mood for an environmental showdown in the driveway, so I thanked him for his time and quote and told him that I would be giving my clients the name of another reputable roofing contractor because asking the sellers for a price adjustment for a whole brand new roof was out of the question. He paced around the house long after we went back inside, and then sped off in his truck, obviously unhappy about the outcome of his visit.

Personally, I do believe companies have a responsibility to provide clients with the "Greenest" and most cost affective options available. Reduce, reuse and recycle. When the general public calls in a professional, they shouldn't have to worry about getting bad advise. "Structural Integrity" is an area that scares anyone! No one wants to compromise that!

As it turns out, Roofing contractor # 2 went to the property and reported that the bad section is still good for a few years, however he'll replace that and the roof on the garage, do some flashing and fascia for $1,400. The main roof has at least 10-12 years of life in it.  It's a one day job.

So, lesson learned? NEVER EVER agree to anything until you have a second opinion. Ask a neighbor, ask a friend or do some homework. Get some references if need be. Research what it is that you need done and learn something about it. An uneducated consumer is the most delicious meal for unscrupulous contractors...so be informed and keep your hard earned cash in your pocket....and big chunks of your house out of the landfill!