Trying to get a decent roofer in the island,

[aviator]

called four roofers, only two actually went to the property, the other two looked at a satellite image and gave me a quote, one of them I asked him, "Did you notice there are four skylights up there, is that going to make a difference on price? I don't like surprises in the middle of the job", "Oh yeah, that's $2,000 more then", why "We have to replace them" why, they are only four years old. he came in at $37K, the other guy who didn't go wanted $28K, not replacing skylights and when you look at the reviews a big WARNING red sign came on. On to the third who never showed up either $32K, he is not giving me what I want, I said Aluminum, not steel, I'm a couple blocks from the ocean , so he updated the price to $37K, Last one today, great reviews, long time in business $33K with skylights and aluminum, he did go up to look at it. I'm trying to get a few dollars off, he's going to call me back.

The roof is only six years old, heavy duty asphalt and fiberglass shingles but a few of them broke off during the 2022 hurricane that flooded the island, I'm trying to limit my liability should another huge storm hit, I don't have to storm insurance in that house and a standing seam metal will not come off the roof unless the wood on the roof comes up and that's not going to happen as long as doors and windows stay put and they are hurricane proof. I paid $30K for my house in Miami which is bigger a few years ago but this is an island where rich people go in the winter.

[Johnny]

I have some friends who own a vacation home on North Captiva Island in Florida. If that's anywhere near you, I can drop them a line and see how they do it and who they recommend. Captiva is a real island, with no road, so everything has to arrive by boat. I'm sure it's all very expensive.

You're not alone with your contractor frustrations. We live in a very rural and very poor Michigan county. Good contractors generally don't want to work here because there's no money. The only place they'll go is to the wealthy lake properties. Many of the contractors who will service our area are hacks. I honestly don't blame them. If I were a contractor, the last place I'd be looking for business is down a dirt road, like where we live.

How do we handle it in rural Michigan?

1. If we find a good contractor, we're exceedingly patient with his timeline, pay whatever he wants, and don't get fussy with the work. On rare occasions, we'll even pay them extra. We were very pleased with a tree service, electrician, and Amish roofing contractors. Our well drilling contractor was awful.

2. About 90% of the work, we do ourselves. We have to. There are so many hacks out there who will leave you with shoddy work. As I type, I'm in the middle of repairing our 1950's era septic tank drain field. I have about a week into the project and will likely wrap it up today. I've become good with a chainsaw, a tractor, and rough carpentry. My wife has learned all about plumbing and heating. She actually saw the septic tank drain field issue while our tank was getting pumped out. The septic tank contractor just blew it off. One thing that really helped me was hiring a contractor to build a barn on our property a few years ago. As part of the deal, I worked alongside the guy doing a lot of the dirty work. I learned so much. It was like taking a college-level class on carpentry. Forget about hiring locals to do any sort of manual labor. I've found that no amount of money can motivate young people to get their hands dirty.

This is probably more of an answer than you wanted or needed.

[Sanders]

Seems like everything's a grift now days. It gets harder and harder to find an honest business where you can agree on a job with a handshake and know it will be done at the estimated cost on the estimated schedule, barring any unforeseen problems.

[aviator]

I have some friends who own a vacation home on North Captiva Island in Florida. If that's anywhere near you, I can drop them a line and see how they do it and who they recommend. Captiva is a real island, with no road, so everything has to arrive by boat. I'm sure it's all very expensive.

You're not alone with your contractor frustrations. We live in a very rural and very poor Michigan county. Good contractors generally don't want to work here because there's no money. The only place they'll go is to the wealthy lake properties. Many of the contractors who will service our area are hacks. I honestly don't blame them. If I were a contractor, the last place I'd be looking for business is down a dirt road, like where we live.

How do we handle it in rural Michigan?

1. If we find a good contractor, we're exceedingly patient with his timeline, pay whatever he wants, and don't get fussy with the work. On rare occasions, we'll even pay them extra. We were very pleased with a tree service, electrician, and Amish roofing contractors. Our well drilling contractor was awful.

2. About 90% of the work, we do ourselves. We have to. There are so many hacks out there who will leave you with shoddy work. As I type, I'm in the middle of repairing our 1950's era septic tank drain field. I have about a week into the project and will likely wrap it up today. I've become good with a chainsaw, a tractor, and rough carpentry. My wife has learned all about plumbing and heating. She actually saw the septic tank drain field issue while our tank was getting pumped out. The septic tank contractor just blew it off. One thing that really helped me was hiring a contractor to build a barn on our property a few years ago. As part of the deal, I worked alongside the guy doing a lot of the dirty work. I learned so much. It was like taking a college-level class on carpentry. Forget about hiring locals to do any sort of manual labor. I've found that no amount of money can motivate young people to get their hands dirty.

This is probably more of an answer than you wanted or needed.

it's a three island chain, Sanibel and Captiva are joined by a bridge, North Captiva is only accessible by boat or small plane, they have a 2,000 ft grass strip, they went through hell with hurricane Ian too, that area is expensive yes. It's a place where rich folks come to run from the cold from all over the world.

I have this company I'm talking to, he's got good reviews and a good rating with Building Zoom, a company that tracks permits, but it's $32K with a material that supposedly will stand ocean environment for 25 years, Aluminum is good for 40-45, $5K price difference. I won't be here in 25 years but my son and daughter might and they will keep the house, I'm sure, they go there more than I do. So I'm looking at $37K and replacing the skylights included.

Sanders, I know, nobody trusts anybody anymore, forget handshakes, legal contracts. One of the guys that gave me an estimate had a crew used the wrong plywood and a worker crashed through the attic and landed in the kitchen and the company refused to make good on it, they are now in court. I did my homework and even checked court records, licenses, how many jobs done in the area, how long in business etc, even where the owner lives. For almost $40K I will cover my ass.

[Johnny]

Good to hear you may have found a decent contractor. No easy task.

Trading 40K for a roof that will last you a lifetime is money well spent. You've busted ass your whole life and most likely lived frugally. Now's the time to ease up on that financial discipline. My wife and I are the same. In August we purchased an adjoining 16 acres our cabin property. We didn't need it. The only reason we purchased it was to keep someone from doing the same and disturbing our privacy.

The guy I know on North Captiva is very wealthy, but doesn't act it. He started in the trades and moved up rapidly to lead the construction of huge multi million dollar projects; mostly hospitals. He still proudly maintains his trade certifications, even now that he's retired. I think he spends most of his time on the mainland and just visits the island property on occasion.