My worst roofing estimate ever got saved by a guy at the hardware store

I had a day from hell last week. Drove an hour to give a quote on a big roof job in Cedar Rapids, only to have the homeowner look at my number, laugh, and say 'Son, you're about four grand high and your material list is for a barn, not a house.' I felt like a total fool driving back, ready to just call it quits. Stopped at the hardware store for some nails, and I must have looked wrecked because this older guy in line asked what was wrong. I told him the story, and he said, 'You're measuring the pitch, but are you adding for the valley metal? That stuff adds up quick.' I wasn't. I went home, re-did the math on that exact job, and he was totally right. I called the homeowner back, gave him a new, proper estimate, and he hired me on the spot. Has a random piece of advice from a stranger ever completely saved your bacon on a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_gray3mo ago

Hey kelly.robin, I get what you're saying about it being a pro move, but calling it just luck feels off. That guy had no reason to help me out. In my experience, those random bits of help are how a lot of us learn the small stuff they don't teach you. Sure, it was a mistake on my part, but the point is someone chose to help instead of letting me fail. That's more than luck, it's a good lesson in keeping your eyes open for advice anywhere.

kelly.robin3mo agoMost Upvoted

Man, I have to disagree a little. That wasn't just random advice, that was a pro catching a rookie mistake. My take is you got lucky that guy knew valleys from vents. In my world, if you're not pricing the whole job right from the start, you're just setting yourself up to eat the cost later. It's a hard lesson, but better learned in a store than on your own dime.

jade_butler21d ago

Honestly, I gotta ask though - what exactly would you have done differently in that moment? Like if you were the guy behind him in line and saw a rookie making that valley vs vent mistake, would you have just let him walk out with the wrong stuff and figure it out later? Because I feel like the whole "let them learn the hard way" thing works great on paper until you're the one stuck fixing a leaky roof that wasn't priced right from the start. Tbh, I think there's a middle ground between giving free advice and letting someone completely tank their first job.