repair estimate

[John Dirks Jr]

Consider the subject a mid 90's two story colonial.

The seller had agreed to fix the items listed in the report. However, now the roof is covered with snow and it could be a while until it all melts off.

The buyer (my client) called me and asked for a $ figure. He said the seller agreed to give him money instead to move the deal along.

Here are the items needing repair.

1. replace cracked rubber plumbing boot.
2. seal up open nail heads on kickout flashings and caps
3. replace two torn shingles. (tabs torn away)
4. seal small tear in kickout flashing
5. attach loose J- channel (10 foot section)


Can any of you shoot a rough estimate for the cost that I can pass along?

Thanks.

[Bruce Breedlove]

If you provide a repair estimate you very well may be held to that figure if the actual repair costs exceed your estimate. If I were you I would recommend the client contact a qualified, licensed roofer for an estimate.

[Dom D'Agostino]

Labor rates vary widely from one area to another. In my area that list of repairs would be about $700.

Dom.

[Ron Bibler]

Look like a days worth of work for a roofer.

About $ 1,500 Labor and materials. List your items out make a note: any additional repairs required will be billed out at $ 90. per HR. Open contract.

Best

Ron

[chris mcintyre]

Look like a days worth of work for a roofer.

About $ 1,500 Labor and materials. List your items out make a note: any additional repairs required will be billed out at $ 90. per HR. Open contract.


Time for me to head west!!:D

John, I was thinking 500.00 materials and labor before I read the other posts. I guess there is a very wide regional differences is cost.

[Dan Harris]

John.. I'm thinking your really sticking your neck out giving an apx price for a couple reasons.

#1. After a long winter there are going to be a lot of hungry contractors that are going to attempt to sell everything they can.
#2. After the winter there may be additional damage due to ice, attempted snow removal ect.

I agree with contacting a contractor and let him give them the bid.

[Jerry Peck]

The buyer (my client) called me and asked for a $ figure. He said the seller agreed to give him money instead to move the deal along.

Here are the items needing repair.

1. replace cracked rubber plumbing boot.
2. seal up open nail heads on kickout flashings and caps
3. replace two torn shingles. (tabs torn away)
4. seal small tear in kickout flashing
5. attach loose J- channel (10 foot section)


John,

Your best response would be to recommend the buyer give that list to a roofing contractor and ask for "a high estimate" of the cost as, we all know, it will actually be higher than that ... but at least that came from a roofing contractor and not from you.

On the other hand, I always and routinely gave guesstimates for repairs on my reports as no one ever fixed anything, it was simply 'I give you this much money to accept responsibility for those repairs when we close', and that is the way it was in South Florida - repairs were not made, money changed hands. Very few inspectors did not give guesstimates down there and the few who tried had to go back to giving guesstimates to keep work coming in.

Once you start giving guesstimates it really becomes second nature as you get accustomed to what the approximate charges are for the most often found work, and you make sure that all know that your prices are simply "guesstimates" and the work can always be done ... cheaper ... and ... for more ... than your guesstimates - all depending on the contractor one selects and that is outside what you are pricing.

[John Kogel]

The only thing I can add to all that is this:
Your client has the list, and he can guesstimate as well as you can, or he can take the list to Uncle Otis for pricing.
When the roofer arrives next spring, he will be ten times smarter than you, and he will find all kinds of things to fix that you missed, because you are blind and stupid and a waste of time and money.
If you give this guy a price off the top of your head, someone else will want the same and it will snowball, as it did for JP.
I would refer him back to his realtor, or his uncle, or better, talk to a roofer. But that is what I do, thanks to the hanging judge of North Vancouver.
Now back to Canadian hockey massacre # 3. :D

[Jerry Peck]

If you give this guy a price off the top of your head, someone else will want the same and it will snowball, as it did for JP.


It didn't "snowball" for us down there, it simply was the way we did business, after all, is the intent really "to fix things" or to advise the client what is not right and let them and the seller "work things out"?

It was a system which worked out well for all as it made the deals go quicker and smoother ... no dickering around with a contractor to fix something only to have it done wrong, the buyer now has money, and the buyer, not the seller, controls what they have repaired and by whom.

Try it, you will like it.

[John Kogel]

It didn't "snowball" for us down there, it simply was the way we did business, after all, is the intent really "to fix things" or to advise the client what is not right and let them and the seller "work things out"?

It was a system which worked out well for all as it made the deals go quicker and smoother ... no dickering around with a contractor to fix something only to have it done wrong, the buyer now has money, and the buyer, not the seller, controls what they have repaired and by whom.

Try it, you will like it.No offence intended, Jerry. That worked for you then.
But for me after that fiasco in North Van where good intentions and a cost estimate cost an inspector and his insurance provider 190G's, ah, no thanks, I'll pass on the estimating.
The parties will still find a happy solution, it simply will not include any cost estimates from me.
That was then, this is now.

[John Dirks Jr]

Thanks everyone. Thus far I have never given a cost estimate. It is something I don't want to be wrong about.

Maybe I should help them track down a reputable roofer instead.

These guys look good. Thomas Roofing :: Welcome (http://www.thomasroofing.net)

[Ron Bibler]

Thanks everyone. Thus far I have never given a cost estimate. It is something I don't want to be wrong about.

Maybe I should help them track down a reputable roofer instead.

These guys look good. Thomas Roofing :: Welcome (http://www.thomasroofing.net)

OK $ 3,500 For the day plus cost... :D

Best

Ron

[Scott Patterson]

Thanks everyone. Thus far I have never given a cost estimate. It is something I don't want to be wrong about.

Maybe I should help them track down a reputable roofer instead.

These guys look good. Thomas Roofing :: Welcome (http://www.thomasroofing.net)

The best thing you can do is to give them the names of 2,3 or 4 contractors that you would use on your personal home. I have done this for 15+ years with no problems and my clients have been happy or they have not said anything to me about it.

Just looking at the work that you have listed I can see several issues that might "pop up" while the work is being done. A small tear in some "kick-out or diverter" flashing could lead to a rotted out wall. You just really never know what will be found when repairs are being made.

[A.D. Miller]

I suggest that all clients purchase a membership at Consumer Reports, Customer Reviews, Ratings on Contractors and Doctors (http://www.angieslist.com) to find their own contractors. No matter how many you may refer, you may be held responsible (at least in the eyes of your client) if something goes awry. At the very least, each time they think of the sorry-ass contractor you suggested, they will remember you in the same light.

[Markus Keller]

+/- $1000.00
This is where it is helpful to know contractors in your area. They could get a local handyguy 'roofer' and he'll slap it together for a few hundred. They could also get a roofing company that wants to sell them much much more and pay a few thousand. I give people estimates all the time, it's just a matter of knowing you local market.
They sound like pretty easy repairs. 1/2 a day for two guys.

[David OKeefe]

Just on this board we have estimates from $500 to $1500. I threw out the $3500. So there you go, would giving an estimate of $500-$1500 help your client? Let the experts do it. Refer them to a roofer. And as Scott said, there could be more repairs not seen.

[A.D. Miller]

I give people estimates all the time, it's just a matter of knowing you local market.

MK: Actually, it is just a matter of time before this puts your tit in a wringer.:D

There are entirely too many variables involved in any repair work for one individual to have all of the information required at his beck and call. You, of course, may well have an eidetic and photographic memory, replete with instant recall abilities. Most of us do not.

I could not always quote a price to a prospective customer off the cuff, even when I was a general contractor. Some things require not only the day-to-day hands-on experience with material and labor costs, but also a bit of research. In my opinion, arbitrarily pulling a number out of a dark place does not serve the client or the inspector well.

But, to each his own.

[Markus Keller]

AD, that has happened more times than I can count. I've had people be very happy and tell me that they got it done a lot cheaper. I've also had people be mad because it cost a lot more. Sometimes when it cost more it's because of things found inside of X once conditions were fully assessed. Usually though when costs are higher it's because the client makes changes or additions that increase the amount of work.
I explain to people that the costs will vary depending on many conditions, most understand the concept. Those that don't you can't help anyway. For HI I don't put cost estimates in writing anymore.
On the other hand, I do cost analysis regularly. I'm spending all last week and this week putting together rehab costs for a 40 unit and 72 unit. Both trashed, full rehab needed, all systems. Most are smaller than these though. I'm in conversation with contractors regularly so I guess I view it easier than others because of that.

[A.D. Miller]

MK: Do you utilize estimation software for your work? If so, which one, if you don't mind my asking?

[Markus Keller]

I've tried using estimation software and bought the various national standards cost books, forget the names of them. Over the years I've never been able to make any of those work in our market. I've given the books away to contractors and guys I know and none of them have been able to either make money or get jobs using the cost factors in those books.
I've put together my own Excel sheets for cost estimates. I've been in the trades all my life so I know the costs pretty well. Anything I'm not sure about I can call people and find out. I'm actually waiting to hear back from Otis on elevator cost for one of the buildings.
As I've mentioned before, I also have trade specific estimate sheets that I hand out to new and old contractors during the year. Fill it out, send it back and I send you a check for $75. Guys I know don't want the check, buy me lunch, bring me a few saw blades, that sort of thing.
I realize this method may sound a bit laborious but it makes my numbers much better. I've gone up against guys who use software. Their numbers are generally much lower and less detailed.
The stuff I'm doing now uses Davis-Bacon wage rates so the costs are a bit insane.

[Aldo Marcozzi]

John,

Your best response would be to recommend the buyer give that list to a roofing contractor and ask for "a high estimate" of the cost as, we all know, it will actually be higher than that ... but at least that came from a roofing contractor and not from you.

On the other hand, I always and routinely gave guesstimates for repairs on my reports as no one ever fixed anything, it was simply 'I give you this much money to accept responsibility for those repairs when we close', and that is the way it was in South Florida - repairs were not made, money changed hands. Very few inspectors did not give guesstimates down there and the few who tried had to go back to giving guesstimates to keep work coming in.

Once you start giving guesstimates it really becomes second nature as you get accustomed to what the approximate charges are for the most often found work, and you make sure that all know that your prices are simply "guesstimates" and the work can always be done ... cheaper ... and ... for more ... than your guesstimates - all depending on the contractor one selects and that is outside what you are pricing.

Jerry'
You are correct, when my clients want an estimate price for repairs, I am ready to please them. YOU MUST HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE COST OF LABOR AND MATERIAL IN YOUR AREA (Background in construction industry will help). If help, this is what I have in my report:
"Neither Aldo Marcozzi of Integrity Real Estate Inspection LLC, nor its Inspectors will be responsible or liable for the cost, repairs or replacements with regard the approximate cost given to this property

The estimate price is an approximate cost in accordance with my 30 years of experience and knowledge of the construction industry. the client or seller should contact a professional licensed contractor to provide an accurate price".
I wouldn't say will save your ass, but is better than nothing at all.

Aldo Marcozzi
Integrity Real Estate Inspections
Consulting, Court expert


Knowledge will save you.....AM