I'm starting to collect estimates, and I'm following some of the tips that you gave me. I'll let you know how it goes.
Query the contractor on what they'll do when (not if) they find additional damage. You want to know if they're going to replace the adaptors around the sewage vent pipes and replace the flashing & valley metal. (You definitely don't want them hammering new nails into old flashing.) Check to see if they'll do any work on the soffits, fascia, or screens/vents over the bird holes. (This is especially convenient if rotted sheathing has to come off.) If you have a chimney then you want to have a long conversation about crickets, tucking the mortar, checking the firebrick, and maybe even replacing the rain/animal screen. And maybe you want the chimney cleaners to do their thing before you re-roof.
I think Martha has posted about waterproof membranes to minimize ice dam damage.
If you're not replacing the gutters, then you may want to take pictures of them before the roofers start working around them. Just in case.
The roofing may create amazing amount of dust in your attic. If you have anything stored up there, cover it and be ready to vacuum when the roof is done. Anything bulky in your attics that you want to take out or put in? Want to add more insulation? Skylights? Solar-powered attic exhaust fans? Now's the time to discuss borrowing their lift equipment.
It's worth verifying with the state agency that these guys have workmen's comp insurance.
Like Gumby said, if you're considering photovoltaics then this is a great time to get the roofing guy together with the PV installer. (Is there sunshine in Michigan? I forget.) For example a standing-seam metal roof can be made with built-in clips to hold the PV racks.
I read an entire thread on another board about what color to make your roof. Much of the debate was about reflecting the summer's heat off the roof (light-colored shingles) or about insulating material to keep the attic from heating in the summer and freezing in the winter.
Now, if you can just tell me how to recover my losses in the market, oh, and double my money...?O0
I think you're supposed to fold each dollar bill in half. There-- now it's doubled.
I have some left over in my basement. They have been there now for 9 years. They're too heavy to move. Still in the same spot that my now deceased Scotty once lifted his leg on.
We had some gusty winds take nearly a square off our roof, and I sure wish I'd had the foresight to store some matching shingles. It was a royal pain to find something close.