Island Roof Replacement Cost

jazzman · 08-01-2011, 05:27 PM

Can anyone give me a clue how much you might have paid to have a cottage roof replaced on one of the islands?

We're still house hunting and one of our favorites needs a new roof before too long. It's a 28x32 cabin with a simple roof.

Bear Island South · 08-01-2011, 08:40 PM

Grab a couble of buddies, a keg of beer and do it yourself, roofing is not that difficult, especially on a simple roof. Use a tarp and several large trash barrels to remove the old roof. If you have to pay a barge service to come in and remove the shingles it will cost you.
Good Luck!

DickR · 08-02-2011, 08:31 AM

That's around 10 squares, 30 bundles of shingles, not likely to fit in a couple of trash barrels. Still, straight roofing is fairly straightforward, if mean work in summer heat, and something that you could do yourself. With 3 buddies helping, with the aid of that keg, you can cut at least 30% off that time.

Slickcraft · 08-02-2011, 09:26 AM

My wife and I did ours on Welch nine years ago, about 11 square. Quite a bit of work but also quite doable. Some friends to help would be great as long as they are reasonably handy and comfortable working on a roof.

There is a lot of good info on-line about how to lay out and install shingles. You really need to plan it out first if you don't have prior experience. It was three boat trips to get the new shingles out there. We borrowed two roofing shovels to remove the old shingles.
http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore...el-614132.aspx
As disposal of the old shingles from the island was an issue, a friend suggested that we carefully remove the old from top down trying to keep the old shingles mostly intact. We bundled them on the roof using lots of duck tape (many large rolls) and dropped the bundles down for stacking and later transport.

We did one side at a time and had large blue tarps along with strapping to nail down and cover in case of rain.

jazzman · 08-02-2011, 09:46 AM

I really like the island DIY ethic, but in this case I'm looking to get the current owner to do it on his dime (or knock enough off the price so I can get it done). I might be tempted to redo it in metal so it's never a concern again (at least for me).

There are of course many potential work projects for this potential purchase. I like DIY projects, but I'm a little leary of the logistics of schleping material to the island and even worse, getting rid of demo debris. I clearly need a beater boat.

Slickcraft · 08-02-2011, 10:29 AM

OK, you did ask for an estimate. Much of the cost of a new roof is labor and doing a job like this on an island really ups the labor cost. Material has to be transported out, the debris brought back and disposed of, and the crew has to be transported out and back with the time clock running.

If you want a very rough estimate for negotiating purposes and you don't get a better answer, start with an easy access mainland roof replacement estimate and double that.

codeman671 · 08-02-2011, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzman

I clearly need a beater boat.

With island properties, our boats are used like floating wheelbarrows, station wagons, pickups, etc. One does not want a nice, clean boat as their only means of transportation as it will not stay that way for long.

Belmont Resident · 08-02-2011, 12:41 PM

In most cases you can lay a metal roof over the existing one. You can easily do it yourself and it will last longer if you have lots of trees around. Depending on the pitch it will shed snow much better so you won’t be wondering if it’s going to succumb to snow weight.

Rattlesnake Guy · 08-02-2011, 06:40 PM

I know that when I pay for my property insurance, the policy anticipates that the replacement cost will be higher on the island than on the mainland. It might have been a bargain for the owner to build it himself with his buddies the first time around but the insurance company knows they will pay a premium to pay a contractor to go out by boat and replace it.

Kamper · 08-03-2011, 11:53 AM

If there's only one layer of shingles and the wood is good, you can lay another course over the existing roof.

I replaced my roof (non-island) with sheets of material called "Ondura" that I special orderred from Lowe's because I felt they would be easier for me to handle than regular shingles. I got the corrugated version and would not recomend it or use it again but they now have a flat sheet version which I may consider when I do my sheds.

Sheets are aprx 9x4 feet. Purchase in bulk is comparable to regular shingles. Your local Lowe's may not be an authorised dealer and/or you might find better prices at another retailer.

http://www.ondura.com/

Good luck!

Brad · 08-06-2011, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzman

Can anyone give me a clue how much you might have paid to have a cottage roof replaced on one of the islands?

We're still house hunting and one of our favorites needs a new roof before too long. It's a 28x32 cabin with a simple roof.

I can do a metal go over for about $6000.00. It helps to see the house and the layout of the land.

08-01-2011, 05:27 PM	#1
jazzman Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Mont Vernon NH & Big Barndoor Island Posts: 321 Thanks: 4 Thanked 184 Times in 62 Posts	Island Roof Replacement Cost Can anyone give me a clue how much you might have paid to have a cottage roof replaced on one of the islands? We're still house hunting and one of our favorites needs a new roof before too long. It's a 28x32 cabin with a simple roof.

08-01-2011, 08:40 PM	#2
Bear Island South Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Southboro, MA Posts: 579 Thanks: 75 Thanked 384 Times in 170 Posts	Diy Grab a couble of buddies, a keg of beer and do it yourself, roofing is not that difficult, especially on a simple roof. Use a tarp and several large trash barrels to remove the old roof. If you have to pay a barge service to come in and remove the shingles it will cost you. Good Luck!

08-02-2011, 12:41 PM	#8
Belmont Resident Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Belmont NH but prefer Jackman Maine Posts: 1,857 Thanks: 491 Thanked 410 Times in 251 Posts	what about metal In most cases you can lay a metal roof over the existing one. You can easily do it yourself and it will last longer if you have lots of trees around. Depending on the pitch it will shed snow much better so you won’t be wondering if it’s going to succumb to snow weight.

08-02-2011, 08:31 AM	#3
DickR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 749 Thanks: 4 Thanked 259 Times in 171 Posts	That's around 10 squares, 30 bundles of shingles, not likely to fit in a couple of trash barrels. Still, straight roofing is fairly straightforward, if mean work in summer heat, and something that you could do yourself. With 3 buddies helping, with the aid of that keg, you can cut at least 30% off that time.

08-02-2011, 09:26 AM	#4
Slickcraft Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Welch Island and The Taylor Community Posts: 3,296 Thanks: 1,222 Thanked 2,080 Times in 952 Posts	My wife and I did ours on Welch nine years ago, about 11 square. Quite a bit of work but also quite doable. Some friends to help would be great as long as they are reasonably handy and comfortable working on a roof. There is a lot of good info on-line about how to lay out and install shingles. You really need to plan it out first if you don't have prior experience. It was three boat trips to get the new shingles out there. We borrowed two roofing shovels to remove the old shingles. http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore...el-614132.aspx As disposal of the old shingles from the island was an issue, a friend suggested that we carefully remove the old from top down trying to keep the old shingles mostly intact. We bundled them on the roof using lots of duck tape (many large rolls) and dropped the bundles down for stacking and later transport. We did one side at a time and had large blue tarps along with strapping to nail down and cover in case of rain.

08-02-2011, 09:46 AM	#5
jazzman Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Mont Vernon NH & Big Barndoor Island Posts: 321 Thanks: 4 Thanked 184 Times in 62 Posts	I really like the island DIY ethic, but in this case I'm looking to get the current owner to do it on his dime (or knock enough off the price so I can get it done). I might be tempted to redo it in metal so it's never a concern again (at least for me). There are of course many potential work projects for this potential purchase. I like DIY projects, but I'm a little leary of the logistics of schleping material to the island and even worse, getting rid of demo debris. I clearly need a beater boat.

08-02-2011, 10:29 AM	#6
Slickcraft Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Welch Island and The Taylor Community Posts: 3,296 Thanks: 1,222 Thanked 2,080 Times in 952 Posts	OK, you did ask for an estimate. Much of the cost of a new roof is labor and doing a job like this on an island really ups the labor cost. Material has to be transported out, the debris brought back and disposed of, and the crew has to be transported out and back with the time clock running. If you want a very rough estimate for negotiating purposes and you don't get a better answer, start with an easy access mainland roof replacement estimate and double that.

08-02-2011, 06:40 PM	#9
Rattlesnake Guy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,254 Thanks: 423 Thanked 366 Times in 175 Posts	I know that when I pay for my property insurance, the policy anticipates that the replacement cost will be higher on the island than on the mainland. It might have been a bargain for the owner to build it himself with his buddies the first time around but the insurance company knows they will pay a premium to pay a contractor to go out by boat and replace it.

08-03-2011, 11:53 AM	#10
Kamper Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Thornton's Ferry Posts: 1,302 Thanks: 67 Thanked 171 Times in 127 Posts	If there's only one layer of shingles and the wood is good, you can lay another course over the existing roof. I replaced my roof (non-island) with sheets of material called "Ondura" that I special orderred from Lowe's because I felt they would be easier for me to handle than regular shingles. I got the corrugated version and would not recomend it or use it again but they now have a flat sheet version which I may consider when I do my sheds. Sheets are aprx 9x4 feet. Purchase in bulk is comparable to regular shingles. Your local Lowe's may not be an authorised dealer and/or you might find better prices at another retailer. http://www.ondura.com/ Good luck!