How To: Effectively Manage Your Waste

Waste is a big part of a construction job and effectively managing it can save money, increase productivity, and help with recycling efforts to minimize landfill waste. One way to make sure you get the most benefits from effective waste management is to have a plan in place for getting rid of all the garbage from the roof.

Removing and managing debris from a roof can be a challenge. You don’t want to ruin a homeowner’s yard with lawn tracks or spend time and labor costs gathering the trash that is dropped from the roof. One solution is to use a mobile debris management system. They can fit in a yard or other small spaces that a full-sized truck cannot. The container can be positioned close to the roof for easy material disposal or to help bring materials up to workers already on the roof. The container will usually have a 4,000-lb. jobsite capacity and a 10 ½-foot catch area. A hydraulic tailgate helps you dump all the debris into a larger container and the trailer can be easily hitched and towed with any medium-sized truck. Don’t waste time at the end of the job with cleanup.

Residential Roofing Costs: Shingle Roofs

Shingle roofs remain one of the most affordable and popular options on the market, and while it is close to impossible to make accurate generalizations about costs, it is helpful to understand the various factors that influence shingle roof replacement prices.

Broadly speaking, these factors can be broken down into two categories: those related to your home, and those related to the contractor.

How Much Will My New Shingle Roof Cost?

As always, you should shop around before committing to a contractor, collecting price quotes and factoring in considerations like reputation and experience. It’s important to look at more than just the bottom line, since inferior materials and sloppy workmanship will provide no more than a quick fix, and could diminish the value of your home.

Home-Related Factors that Affect Shingle Roof Costs

Specific physical characteristics of your home will have a pronounced effect on the cost of a shingle roof replacement. To help you anticipate costs, assess the following home-related factors:

How large is your roof? Many contractors quote prices per square foot, so knowing your roof’s surface area will help you generate a much more accurate estimate.

How sloped is your roof? Unusually steep roofs are more difficult to repair, and most contractors will charge premiums if your roof has a sharp, dramatic slope.

How structurally sound is your roof’s base? If your underlying roof deck is in poor condition, or if there are other structural problems like leaks, rotted or unstable rafters, or damaged insulation, you’ll have to address these before completing the repair job.

How accessible is your roof? If property features make it difficult to access your roof, or if you live a long distance from your preferred contractor, your price quote could go up.


Contractor-Related Factors that Affect Shingle Roof Costs

Similarly, some of the factors that drive pricing originate on the contractor end of the equation. Shingle roof replacement costs are affected by things such as:

• Material quality and costs 
• Profit margins 
• Inclusiveness of work-related warranties and guarantees 
• Skill, expertise and experience 
• Market forces (prices may be higher during busy times of year and lower during slower times of year) 

Beware of any contractor that offers you a firm price quote without coming to inspect your home, and remember: if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do your due diligence by researching the company’s history before you commit, and talk to people who worked with the company in the past to determine whether or not they were satisfied.