We have a roofer.... whew!

I tell you, it's been hell finding a roofer who will work with this specified metal--AND who will return your phone calls.

We currently have a metal roof which has seen the last of its days... all 150 years of them. Not bad for a roof lifetime, eh? Also a darn good reason to put another one on, especially now that we've found good and cheap ($160/sq) metal roofing through Modern Builders. They have American Building Components Residential Metal Roofing 26 gauge SL-16 AND it is approved by the City of Covington (CVG) Historic Preservation Officer(s).

We're picking the light stone color, which also got the thumbs up from CVG, as it's pretty close to what we have currently.











We've just been waiting for someone to return a call.

We've contacted more than 20 roofers, some of them just don't do metal roofs, and that's fine. Some of them say they'll get back with you, and then they never do. We've talked to a Lot of them. Maybe it's that it's mid-winter, I don't know. It's a relatively mild winter this year. (Good for us, btw). I'm thinking they just don't want the cash. Oh well.

So here's the deal.... if you are using HUD money to do a rehab in CVG, your contractors MUST be licensed in CVG (not just the state) and be insured, and whatever other hoops CVG wants. I think that cut a lot of roofers out of the loop right away, and I understand that.

But the two that rose to the top were WrightSide Roofing and Benchmark Roofing. They both are licensed and insured, both do metal roofs, and seem like professional operations. Nice guys, too and know what they're doing. If you're looking for a metal roof, I'd give them both a call if you're in the NKY or Southern Ohio area.

We decided to go with Matt Maynard of Benchmark Roofing.
Here's basically what we were quoted:

"Remove all existing metal roofing panels from entire house. Renail all decking. Inspect decking, and if necessary replace any deficient decking at an additional charge of 25.00 per sheet if plywood, and 2.70 per linear ft if 1" pine decking. Install ice guard at gutterlines. Install #30 felt underlayment over remaining exposure. Install new 16" wide, 26GA, prefinished metal roof panels in customer's choice of color. Install factory drip edge and eave closure trim. Install sidewall flashing along rear knee wall and sides of front chimney. Install new apron flashing on front of front chimney. Install new counter flashing into rear wall and chimney flashing(grind/tuck lip in mortar joints in bricks, and seal). Install factory ridge cap metal. Install new valley metal as needed on rear. Install a new soil pipe flashing. Clean up and haul away all job related debris. *Contract includes minor wood replacement on rear shed roof (up to 3 sheets of plywood or 30 ft of 1X) 15 Year Warranty on all workmanship."Price: $4350.00The box gutters will be an additional $1800.

The other thing the City of CVG wants your contractors to do is to sign a six page contract outlining the scope of the work, the bid, payments, a statement of liability insurance, saying they won't eat the lead paint chips, and won't break the law. You have to have that signed if you want Rehab funds from CVG. It's a good thing to look over, even if you're not working with the City. It's a decent back-up contract. Take a look for yourself here. (Adobe PDF Reader Required.)

Anyway, we're making progress, which is what this thing is all about.