Help with a Roofing Dispute!

[Sarahd]

 

Hello everyone.

I am in dispute with a French roofing company over some minor repairs to our old slate roof.

Basically I live in an old house and every year I have to get running repairs performed on the roof to keep it in a fit state. The nails have corroded and a few slates come lose each winter........normal story.

A local roofing company came up with an outrageously high devis based upon assumption if they started working on the roof they would dislodge more tiles and this would entail much more work to put things right again - including the use of scaffolding.

This was the first time I had ever had any work done on the roof a year after arriving in France.

The understanding was that the devis amount was based on the worst case scenario of a lot of work being involved and scaffolding having to go up etc. etc.

If the repair work turned out to be straightforward and simple the quoted amount would significantly reduce to a sensible level reflecting the small amount of work involved.

Anyway, repairs went ahead and it only entailed a small amount of work and repairs and hardly any other tiles were dislodged. No scaffolding was need!

In total a roofing team comprising two men work one and a half days on the job.

I am now being faced with a high bill for a small amount of work. Surprise, surprise!

Could someone please provide some guidance on the going rate (hourly or daily) for roofing work per individual roofer involved.

- obviously I had two men working a day & a half on the job so I would need to double the normal man-hour rate for building work.

Materials involved were negligible as they were only using old reclaimed slate tiles - this should not cost that much.

I am not after a rock bottom budget rate here but a sensible & just hourly/daily rate that I can use in trying to make the builder see sense & to help me to negotiate a sensible price for the work.

HELP!

Also I heard TVA on building work is due to go up next year - does anyone know what the increased percentage amount will be?

Many thanks in advance!

Sarah

[Val_2]

The minimum going rate for an artisan is currently 30€ per hour and slightly less for a labourer. Current TVA of 5,5% on renovation work will continue until 31.12.05 and if the powers that be decided to revert back, it will be the normal 19,6% rate. We continue to lobby through CAPEB for the scheme to carry on.

Please also be aware that just repairs on roof work where the work does not consist of complete renewal of beams,joists and all tiles replaced with new ones does not normally come under the ten year guarantee and any complaints would be dealt with at the discretion of the artisan and you would not get much joy from his insurer should you try to pursue the matter because it is not a complete new roof.  Just replacing a few tiles each year is false economy and I suggest you get the whole roof re-done as soon as you can afford to or you will continue to pay out again and again and it will be expensive,we do not work for peanuts here due to the high social charges and restricted working hours.

[Weedon]

I agree with Val2 about the false economy in replacing a few slates at a time if its the nails that are rusty and causing the problem and I do sympathise if its a huge roof and you would rather not have a huge bill all at once.

In the worst case scenario if your house is exposed and more than a few get dislodged the next time it blows hard you could end up with a horrendous bill to replace slates and to rectify water damage ( its being so cheerfull that keeps me going!).

I have been in a similar position to you back in the UK and I had to get all the slates removed in the end and re-battened and felted.

Perhaps you could get an estimate for the whole roof to be done as it may not be as expensive as you fear.

I must say that the method of using clips to hold the slates on here is a good idea.

Weedon(53)

 

[Sarahd]

Thank you both very much for your replies.

Val2, your guidance on the going hourly rate for building/roofing work is much appreciated. This will greatly assist me in calculating a realistic price for the work and hopefully will help me resolve my problem with the roofing company.

It would seem they are trying to charge Euros 60 per man-hour for their work!! Say no more.......................................................

On question as to whether I should, in the near future, call it quits and have the whole roof redone........would explain the roof is actually a large one and this has put me off seeking quotes, so far, as generally it seems to be in good nick but for a few lose tiles each winter. Majority of roof seems fine, or at least it looks fine at present time prior to the winter winds..............................

I fully understand where you are both coming from, however, in terms of false economy and plan to obtain some quotes next spring for redoing the whole roof. Just to guage properly where I stand with this.

 

Anyway thanks again for the replies.

 

 

 

 

 

[Weedon]

Don't forget though that the lead in time for work is measured in many months, if my experience is anything to go by, and if you were thinking of getting the work done next summer now would be a good time to get an estimate.

Just as an example we got an estimate for our barn roof to have the corrugated sheets removed and replaced with slate and was quoted the equivalent of £15,000. This is a barn of 30 metres long and about 7 metres wide.

Weedon(53)

[Russethouse]

Might you get a better deal for the work you have had done if your roofer knows you will want him to quote for the bigger job ?

Just a thought................