What to Expect During a Roof Replacement

1. The inspection

Every replacement starts with an inspection, and it is free. We look at the roof itself, the attic underneath it, the gutters and the flashing, and we photograph what we find. Sometimes the answer is that the roof does not need replacing at all; if that is the case, we will say so. See roof inspection.

2. The written estimate

You get an estimate that names everything: the shingle by manufacturer and product line, the underlayment, the ice barrier, the flashing being replaced, the drip edge, ventilation, how rotted decking is handled if we find it, disposal and the permit. If you are comparing roofers, that is how you compare them. See how to choose a roofer.

3. The contract

Connecticut’s Home Improvement Act requires a written contract signed by both of us, with our registration number, the start and completion dates, and a notice of your right to cancel within three business days. Ours is HIC.0705614.

4. The permit

A roof replacement in Connecticut needs a building permit from your town, and we pull it. That means the town’s building inspector checks the work, and the job is on record when you come to sell.

5. Getting the house ready

• Move the cars out of the driveway and away from the house.
• Take pictures and mirrors off the walls on the top floor. A tear-off shakes the house.
• Cover what is in the attic. Old roofing dust and grit come through the boards.
• Keep children and pets inside or away from the work area.
• Tell us about anything fragile near the house — plantings, a patio, a hot tub — so it can be protected.

Satellite dishes, solar panels and other things on the roof

Anything mounted on the roof has to come off for the shingles underneath it to be replaced. A satellite dish usually needs to be removed and remounted, and the provider may need to re-aim it afterwards. Solar panels are a bigger job: they have to be taken down and reinstalled, the mounts have to be flashed into the new roof properly, and the solar company or its warranty may need to be involved. If you have panels, or are thinking about adding them, tell us at the inspection so the timing can be planned around them. Exhaust fans and vents are reflashed into the new roof as part of the job.

6. The tear-off

The old roof comes off down to the deck (IRC R908.3). This is the loud part. Only as much is opened as can be closed the same day; the house is never left open overnight, and if the weather turns, the crew stops and makes it weathertight.

7. The deck

With the old roof off, the deck can finally be seen. Rotted or soft sheathing is replaced — and we will show you before we do, because nobody should pay for deck work they did not see. This is one of the main reasons a tear-off beats laying new shingles over old: a layover hides the deck, and the code never allows it over two existing layers anyway (R908.3.1.1).

8. The parts of the roof you never see

This is where a roof is really made, and none of it is visible once the shingles are on:

• Ice barrier at every eave — required in every Connecticut town (R905.1.2). It is what keeps an ice dam from becoming a leak. See ice dams.
• A membrane strip over every joint in the deck — a Connecticut amendment to R905.1.1 that goes beyond the national code.
• Underlayment over the rest of the roof.
• Drip edge at every eave and rake (R905.2.8.5).
• Flashing at chimneys, walls, valleys and vents — replaced where it is rusted, damaged or worn, never reused (R908.5). See chimney flashing and skylights.

9. The shingles

Shingles go on to the manufacturer’s printed instructions, with no fewer than four nails per strip shingle (R905.2.6), rated for your town’s design wind speed (R905.2.4.1). In cold weather they are hand-sealed rather than left to seal on their own. See asphalt shingle roofs and winter roof replacement.

10. Ventilation and the ridge

The ridge and any vents go on last. A roof is only as good as the attic under it, and Connecticut requires vented attics to have cross ventilation (R806.1). See how long a roof lasts.

11. Cleanup

Old roofing, wrappers and scrap go in the dumpster, the gutters are cleared of debris, and the yard, driveway and beds are swept with a magnet for nails — the part of a roof job nobody wants to step on later.

12. The final inspection and your warranty

The town’s building inspector signs off the permit, and you get the paperwork for the manufacturer’s warranty on the materials and our 25-year workmanship warranty on the installation.

Common questions about the roof replacement process