What You Need to Know BEFORE You Replace Your Roof

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To figure out what you need to know before you replace your roof let’s think about the end game of most roofing companies:

• Finish this job and move on to the next. More complete jobs equals more money.

Now let’s look at the outlook of 95% of homeowners:

• There is a leak and it needs to get fixed. Yesterday.
• How much is this going to cost?
• How long is it going to take?
• THE NOISE?!?!
• There is another problem?!?! How much is THAT going to cost?
• I’m going to sit inside/go to work/run away for the day and not go on the roof to check out what I’m paying for on one of my most expensive days of the year.

So what happens?

An entire industry is based on cost, speed and low accountability.

This blog post isn’t going to change the roofing industry. While I would love it, my more realistic goals are as follows:

1. Give roofers hope that some homeowners appreciate their hard work and give a shit.
2. To educate homeowners why they should give a shit.

So how do you break the mold and get the most from your replacement roof BEFORE the first old shingle is ripped off?

Preparation.

Read on to find out what you need to know before you replace your roof.

Consider the order of repair work on your house before replacing your roof.

If you need  foundation repairs on your house you should complete the foundation fixes before replacing the roof. If, instead, you replace the roof first and then level out the house the leveling process could stretch or buckle the roof.

Likewise, if there are repairs on the inside you probably want to complete the roof before starting on the inside. A replacement roof involves lots of hammering which shakes all the walls. You don’t want to introduce more cracks after starting on drywall repairs. Even worse, if there is a leak in the old roof and you fix the inside before the outside you may have negated all of your repairs if it storms before you’re able to get the roof replaced.

Do your research and know any and all upgrades before calling roofing companies for estimates.

Do you want a nicer skylight? There is a not so subtle difference between the old opaque plastic dome skylight and the new double pane low-E glass skylight shown below. Not only is the beautiful Velux skylight better insulated for both temperature and sound, but you can also check the weather outside. Romance is in the air during a full moon.

I like one of these a heck of a lot better than the other.

Consider ice and water barrier across the entire roof, even if you do not live in a cold wet climate. All places could experience tornado wind speeds during any given storm. Peel and stick underlayment (ice and water barrier) stays in place when wind drives rain *UP* under the shingles. Another benefit of this underlayment material s that is “self-healing” and can seal off around small penetrations from nails or screws during roofing installations.

Do you want a fancier architectural shingle if you have 3-tab shingles? There is something to be said for aesthetics–for your personal enjoyment as well as for curb appeal for the next homeowner.

Do you want metal valleys instead of crossover shingle?

Knowing exactly what you want before you pick up the phone prevents callbacks and extra changes to the bids. Even worse, if you have a change of heart mid-replacement the job may have to go on hold. Second, the price goes up more than it would if you planned the change ahead of time.

Get more than one bid.

We recommend getting at least three bids.

Word of mouth is a great place to start. Check out a few references too.

You can look at online ratings and review as well, but take them all with a grain of salt. Consider the quality of the reviews. Do they just say, “Hey, they were quick and it looks great” or did they go into detail proving they actually went on top to inspect during the work. Likewise, many of the negative reviews skew ratings because people are more likely to write bad reviews than good reviews. How many roofs does the company replace on any given week? There are many silent customers. This is one of those businesses where the customer is not necessarily seeing all aspects unless they are working side by side since the job flies by quickly with a decent size crew.

Make sure all the roofing companies under consideration are licensed, bonded, and insured. Roof replacements after large storm events bring crews from all over the place and they may not have your best interest in mind or desire to provide a top notch roof, much less meet local requirements for code, liability insurance or bonding.

Make a checklist and go over it with every company that gives you a bid.

You want to make sure you are comparing apples to apples when going over the estimates from competing companies.

What kind of warranty does the company offer if there are issues later?

Does your city require a permit? If so, make sure that is included in the list of questions.

Agree on everything you can ahead of time.

Leave nothing to chance.

Define who is buying what materials. For example, in one of our roof replacements we bought all the materials. During another, we were only in charge of buying a skylight.

Go over the manufacturer warranty with the foreman and make sure the crew will be installing the shingles to the specifications. Similarly, whirlybirds are only warrantied if they are installed level (we have had issues with this in two out of two roof replacements).

Make sure the salesman, project manager, and/or crew knows you want ALL nails and staples removed. Non existent nails have a guaranteed zero chance of working their way out of the decking from temperature changes (a real phenomenon that actually happened to one of our houses). Non-existent nails and staples also have a zero chance of getting stepped on and damaging the new roof on top of them.

The foreman on my first reroof thoughtfully apologized for his initial reluctance to pull out all the staples. He noted, “I realized we will be less likely to have unpaid follow up service visits to this house, your warranty will be solid, and you are extending the life of your roof.” We have a convert to goal #1 listed above!!! Given my husband and I had an extra day in there to pull the staples out ourselves, but a win is a win. He not only understood the difference in quality, but also on the longer lifespan and solid warranty.

Advertise what it is that you will be doing during the project. We told our estimating contractors we would be up there looking at the work and wielding a pry bar, helping them remove nails and staples during tear off. If they don’t like the sound of that, you know it is not the team for you.

Where will the roll off or dump trailer be placed during the project? Will it go in your driveway or somewhere else? If it is in your driveway you’ll want to make sure your vehicles are out of the garage and driveway before the roll off shows up. If your driveway is less than ideal–such as it is already cracking or made out of asphalt–perhaps there is a better place before making the cracks larger–or creating a crack as the sheer weight of debris is considerable when it is all piled up in one location.

If you have gutters, what will the company do to protect them? Will they use ladder stand-off stabilizers like this one? You don’t want another expensive project replacing your gutters out of the deal.

Ask how they clean up after the fact. Verify they have a magnetic sweeper like this one. Nails and staples are strewn throughout the yard in all directions. You want to make sure they use a magnetic sweeper, ensuring the safety of your feet and tires well after they are gone.

You might find a few leftover staples like these, but if they didn’t use the metal sweeper at the end of the job there would be thousands more.

Make sure it is in the contract.

Of course, make sure all the agreed upon specifics above are in the contract. Also make sure there are other issues covered, like will the company repair any damages if someone falls through the roof.

Expect problems to appear once they start tearing off the old roof. No one has superman vision, even roofers who have been in the business all their lives. Any number of issues are hidden under the old tar paper and shingles. Failing flashing creating a leak into the decking, rotting it out. Dry rot fascia board, soft spots, sketchy covered up patches from previous work, damage from rodents, etc.

What kind of contingencies are covered in the contract? For instance, the contract we had for the last roof we replaced included up to six- four by eight foot sheets of replacement decking. What is the cost if it is more than six sheets?

Don’t just go with the lowest bid.

Trust your gut. You don’t want to entrust a sketchball with protecting where you sleep. A replacement roof turns into a nightmare if you hire the lowest bidder and have to stop them mid-project. Try to hire the upfront, knowledgeable team who is happy to answer any and all of your questions. Peace of mind is worth it, even if it costs more.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS PLAN ON GETTING INVOLVED

Be on site.

Plan ahead with your workplace to be on “vacation” if that’s what it takes to be there in person when the roofing crew is on site.

Specifically, be on the roof. Do not run away from the noise.

You are the one writing the check. You also should know what is on your roof and that it is a high quality product.

If something looks sketchy–a squishy piece of wood decking or whatever–it probably is! Bring it up. They may be the experts, but they are happy to answer questions too. Roofers are only human and extra pairs of curious eyes can help.

That being said, don’t just be a lookey-loo and hindering pair of eyes. Anyone (that means me and you) can pick up a hammer and start pulling nails and staples. The best part of doing that is the crew will respect and appreciate the help. Now who is motivated to do a better job?

A lady who is definitely showing a baby bump at five months pregnant is pulling nails? You got it. Even better–two of the crew started pulling nails they probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

If the crew is moving too fast during tear off and moving right to laying down the underlayment before pulling all staples and nails speak up and/or start pulling them yourself in the most important areas. Areas most likely to have problems later include the skylight, a roof mounted A/C unit, swamp cooler, along gutters, near the valleys, and the top ridge line. This gives you the peace of mind knowing if someone steps on these areas later they are not going to step on an old nail, rip through the ice and water barrier or tar paper, tear a shingle and start a leak.

If you are scared of heights ask a buddy to go up and check it for you. After their ladder climbing is done for the day hand them a beer (so you’ll also need to plan ahead on the beer too ;-)).

Clean up around the perimeter of the house.

When tear off happens, debris goes everywhere. Roofers lay down tarps or canvas cover over plants and on the ground, however, the nails, staples, bits of tar paper and shingles still manage to roll off as well as fly further than you expect.

Anything you clean up is also less of a hazard if someone falls of the roof.

Find an offsite location for family members and pets.

It will be loud. While I’m advocating your involvement, not everyone has to deal with the noise. Nap time is king. The last thing you want to deal with is a grumpy kiddo at the end of your long day on the roof.

Sometimes you have to get creative. Notice the little foot. I would not have have had the chance to help pull nails without the little body attached to the foot taking a nap in the car.

Similarly, even the best behaved dog might bark all day. Plan on boarding your furry friends or at least finding a refuge elsewhere during the day. That includes your pet hamster too.

Talk to your neighbors.

Let them know you are getting your roof replaced so they expect and have the option of planning around the onslaught of noise early in the morning (and all day). They’ll will appreciate it especially if they have kids, pets and/or work an overnight job.

Expect problems.

Allot some of your budget to go to problems you uncover under the shingles. Decking, fascia board, trusses or any other part of the roof may need some fixing or full replacement after tear off. It is better to expect it and not use the contingency than not expecting it and finding yourself in trouble. Also, call your insurance carrier immediately upon finding issues such as rot for additional payment authorization. Document the additional problems and submit them as soon as possible.

We found rotten trusses and fascia board under the rotten decking working alongside the crew during our last roof replacement, pictured above. While it ended up covered by insurance, we still had to pay the crew on the spot and reimbursed later. Even if it was not covered by insurance we would have gladly paid for the necessary corrections and had some money set aside for this reason.

Now you are prepared.

A roofing company hires a roofing crew and the crew is paid by the square (100 square feet of roof). 95% of homeowners only care about speed and price. They may pay lip service to quality but really, they wouldn’t be caught dead on their roof. Even if they did would they know what to look for?

Does this breed high quality work or set up a bad roofing job?

I get it. So do you.

Remember that 95% we mentioned in beginning? Congrats! You are the 5%.

Want more roofing goodness?

What to Expect the Day of Your Roof Replacement

Lessons Learned from a Replacement Roof Install