Man, I’ve seen that play out too many times—someone brings in bargain stuff and then blames us when it goes sideways. I get wanting to save, but roofs aren’t the place to gamble. About the quotes, 30 days feels about right, but sometimes even that’s tight when suppliers jack up prices overnight. Does anyone actually spell out in their contracts how weather delays or material hikes get handled? Or is it just a “we’ll see” kind of thing? Feels like a minefield either way.
- Agree, 30 days is about all you can promise lately. Last year, I had a quote jump 12% in two weeks because of a supplier hiccup.
- We started adding a clause about “material cost escalation” after getting burned—clients don’t love it, but it’s honest.
- Weather delays are trickier... sometimes it’s spelled out, sometimes not. Feels like you’re rolling the dice either way.
- Honestly, I wish more folks understood that going cheap on roofing materials is just asking for headaches down the line.
- 30 days seems fair, but as a buyer, I’ll admit it’s frustrating when the price jumps before you even get started. Had a quote for gutters go up $600 because “aluminum costs spiked.” Not much you can do.
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— I get why you do it, but as a first-timer, it’s tough to budget when stuff changes last minute.“We started adding a clause about ‘material cost escalation’ after getting burned—clients don’t love it, but it’s honest.”
- Weather delays are just part of the deal. Our roofers got rained out twice and the schedule kept slipping. Wish there was more transparency on how that’s handled.
- Totally agree on materials. We almost went with the cheapest shingles... glad we didn’t after hearing neighbor horror stories.
Thirty days is pretty standard, but honestly, I’ve seen quotes turn over in less than two weeks when things get volatile. It’s not just aluminum—last year, shingle prices went up mid-project on a few jobs I was on. Frustrating for everyone, especially if you’re trying to stick to a budget. The escalation clauses protect both sides, but I do think some contractors could be clearer upfront about how big the swings might be.
Weather delays are the worst. We had a job rained out three times last spring, and the customer was totally in the dark about rescheduling. A simple text or call would’ve gone a long way... Communication matters more than people realize.
And yeah, cheap shingles are tempting until you see them curling after one hard winter. Not worth it in the long run.
Had a similar situation last fall—quote was good for 30 days, but by the time we got permits sorted, supplier bumped up shingle prices by almost 15%. The contractor gave me a heads-up, but I still felt blindsided. I get that they can’t eat those costs, but clearer warnings about possible increases would’ve helped me plan better.
On the cheap shingles—totally agree. Tried to save money once with a “budget” brand on my shed roof. Two winters later, half of them were curling and brittle. Lesson learned... sometimes you really do get what you pay for.