Minnesota Roofing

tekwrytr

I am trying to re-start a commercial contracting business in the Twin Cities (after dropping out for five years to get a Master's degree in management), and some of the laws here (among other things) have me stumped. Any advice from anyone familiar with the area will be deeply appreciated.

1) MN excludes commercial roofing from license requirements, but some local cities have their own license requirements that INCLUDE commercial roofing. Aside from Blaine, do other local jurisdictions in the Twin Cities area have similar requirements?

2) I have been approached by several contractors who want to sub tearoffs and re-shingles in Minneapolis and suburbs. The prices seem low, and any information on appropriate rates for such work would be helpful.

3) Because most of my experience is in commercial repair and maintenance, I am curious what the most prevalent commercial flat roof coverings are in the Twin Cities, not just currently, but in the last 10-15 years. MB? EPDM? BU? T&G?

4) Winter is coming fast. What do you roofers do when the snow starts? That may seem like a stupid question, but bear in mind that I just came from Arizona. The idea of crawling around an ice-covered roof sounds like a horror story.

5) What kind of "typical rates" would be normal for flat roof installations (modified bitumen torch-down APP, for example)? Assume a two-story overlay on a typical apartment building, no tear-off, no gravel, base sheet plus single-ply APP).

6) What kind of "typical rates" would be normal for flat roof repair work? I understand that every roof is different, and material costs vary, but I am getting offers from various "subcontractors" that they will perform repairs for what seems to me to be absurdly low prices. Like something on the order of $20-30 an hour.

I have done enough roofing to know that prices like that are either desperation (need the money to get out of town) or foolishness (don't know how to do the work, so fake it and hope to milk it for a week or so).

Any other insights into the realities of commercial roofing in the Twin Cities will be greatly appreciated.
tekwrytr