Fourteen questions
The questions people
ask on the driveway
Most of these come up while we are still standing by the truck. The answers are the same ones we would give you there, which is the only reason to put them on a website.
Will you put a new roof over the old one?
No. It is the one thing on our list we refuse outright, and the refusal gets printed on the report at $0.00 so it is on the record. An overlay hides the deck, adds weight, sits on an uneven surface and usually voids the shingle warranty. It also makes the deck re-nail impossible, and that is the part the code actually cares about.
How many nails go in a shingle?
Six, in the manufacturer's nailing strip, driven flush and square to the deck. Four is the standard-wind schedule and this is not a standard-wind part of the world. The strip is usually about an inch tall and printed or embossed on the shingle; a nail above it catches one layer instead of two and holds almost nothing, which is the classic way a roof loses shingles in a blow that everyone else's roof survived.
What is deck re-nailing and do I really need it?
8d ring-shank nails at 6″ on center through the existing sheathing into the framing, over the whole roof, with the shingles off. Florida requires it when a roof is replaced, and it is not an upsell — older decks were commonly put down with smooth-shank nails at whatever spacing was quick, and smooth shanks work loose. It is the single cheapest structural improvement available to a house, and it is only available on the day the roof is off.
Why is a roof certification not an inspection?
Because they answer different questions. An inspection asks “what is the condition of this roof?” A certification asks “will a contractor sign a form saying it has N years left?” The first is a survey of what is there. The second is a prediction, usually written for a lender or an insurer, often after a fifteen-minute look, and it carries whatever weight the person signing it has. We will write you a condition report. We will not certify a roof we would not stand behind.
The ceiling is stained. Is that where the leak is?
Almost never. Water comes through a penetration, runs along the underside of the deck until it meets a rafter, runs down the rafter until something interrupts it, and drops there. A stain over the sofa can easily come from a boot ten feet uphill and four feet to one side. That is why we go in the attic first and work backwards to daylight rather than starting on the roof.
What leaks most often?
Plumbing vent boots, by a wide margin. The rubber collar around the pipe is the shortest-lived component on the whole roof — the sun destroys it in eight to twelve years while the shingles are still perfectly good. It is also the cheapest thing on the roof to replace. Second place is a wall intersection with no kick-out flashing, and third is a valley that was cut too tight.
How long does a re-roof take?
A straightforward single-story house is usually two days: tear-off, deck work, re-nail and dry-in on the first, shingle and cleanup on the second. Cut-up roofs with a lot of valleys, dormers and wall intersections take longer, because flashing is slow and it is the part you cannot hurry. We will give you a day count with the scope, and if the deck turns out worse than expected we will tell you the same morning, not at the end.
Do I need to be home?
Not for the work, but be there for two moments if you can: the deck count, so you can see the sheathing while it is open, and the final walk. Move the cars out of the drive, take anything breakable off the walls in the rooms directly under the roof — a tear-off shakes the ceiling — and put the pets somewhere quiet, because it is genuinely loud.
What happens to my landscaping and my gutters?
The beds get tarped and the gutters get cleared of the granules and nails that inevitably end up in them. Cleanup ends with a rolling magnet over the drive, the paths, the beds and the lawn, run twice in two directions, because one pass over grass misses nails that are lying flat. If you find one afterwards, tell us and we will come back and sweep again.
Can you match a few shingles for a repair?
We can usually match the profile. We cannot match the color, and anybody who tells you otherwise has not tried. Shingles fade, color blends change between production runs, and a correctly matched patch on a fifteen-year-old roof still reads as a patch from the street. If the repair is on a slope nobody sees, that does not matter. If it is on the front elevation, you should know before we start.
Should I repair or replace?
Depends on three things, and none of them is the roof's age on its own. Is the damage local or everywhere? Is the deck sound? And is the shingle still flexible enough to lift without cracking the course above? A roof with one bad valley and twelve good years left gets repaired. A roof where the tabs snap when you lift them cannot be repaired without breaking more than you fix, and we will say so rather than take the money.
Do you take a deposit?
Nothing to hold a date. Material is ordered after the scope is signed, and the balance is due when the job is finished and you have walked it. In Florida you should be wary of anyone asking for a large payment before material is on site — and of anyone offering to cover your insurance deductible, which a contractor is not permitted to do here.
Do you do metal roofs?
Not standing seam, no. Doing it properly needs a different set of tools, a brake and a lot of practice, and doing it badly is expensive to undo. If a metal roof is what you want we will tell you honestly that it is not our work, and we would rather say that than learn on your house.
My roof has black streaks. Is it dying?
No, that is algae, and it is cosmetic. It grows on the limestone filler in the shingle and it shows up worst on north-facing slopes and under overhanging branches. It comes off with a low-pressure chemical wash by somebody who does that work. Do not let anyone pressure wash it: the granules are the shingle's sunscreen and a pressure washer takes them off in visible stripes.