Roof replacement, done the way it has to be done under the shingles
A new roof is mostly work you never see. The old roof comes off, the deck gets fixed, the underlayment and the membrane go down, and only then does the shingle or the metal go on. The owner quotes it, runs it, and walks the finished roof himself.
Most roofs in York County and on the south side of Charlotte are architectural asphalt shingle, and most replacements are shingle for shingle. Some houses are better off with standing seam metal, and you will be told which one yours is before anything is quoted.
If the roof is being replaced because of a storm, the replacement and the insurance claim are handled together: the inspection report, the estimate and the claim package come from the same person who will be on the roof the day the new one goes on.
How a replacement goes
Step 1
Tear-off to the deck
The old roof comes off. Layering new shingles over old buries every problem the tear-off would have found, and it is the fastest way for a bid to look cheaper than it is.
Step 2
The deck gets inspected and repaired
Soft or rotten plywood is replaced before anything goes over it. Nobody can price this from the driveway, which is why an honest quote says what happens if the deck is bad rather than pretending it will not be.
Step 3
Underlayment, then ice and water membrane where roofs leak
Synthetic underlayment goes down over the bare deck. Then the chimney, the valleys, the vents and the wall transitions get ice and water membrane, a self-sealing waterproof layer, before a shingle goes near them. Roofs leak at those details, not in the middle of a slope.
Step 4
Shingle or metal goes on
Owens Corning is the preferred shingle here, and the owner will install any product based on what you want and need. For metal, standing seam is what we lead with: the panels are cut to the length of the runs on your roof, so nothing is ordered until the measurements are done and you have picked a color.
Step 5
Site cleaned, owner inspects
The property gets cleaned up, and the owner walks the finished roof himself before the job is called done. Same name on the quote, the install and the final walk. Not somebody who has never seen the house.
Tear-off, underlayment, finished roof
Our own photographs from replacements across York County and the Charlotte area, in the order the work happens. Not stock, not somebody else’s roof.
The same person, start to finish
The owner worked for the big companies. They trained him. They also hand your job and your claim to whoever happens to be free that week, and that is usually a new hire.
Here, the guy with 20+ years of hands-on experience is the one handling your job from start to finish. Not the new guy.
He quotes it, orders the material, schedules the crew, shows up the day of install, and inspects the finished roof himself. If it is a claim, he builds the package and meets your adjuster on the roof. Licensed and insured in South Carolina.
Questions about roof replacement
How long does a roof replacement take?
Most residential shingle replacements are done in a day or two once the material is on site. A metal roof takes longer, because standing seam panels are cut for your roof and the install is less forgiving. The owner gives you the schedule with the quote, and he is on site the day the work happens.
Do you tear off the old roof or go over it?
We tear off. The old roof comes off to the deck on every replacement, because laying new shingles over old hides the rotten plywood and the failed flashing the tear-off would have found. A bid that skips the tear-off looks cheaper for exactly that reason.
What happens if the decking is bad?
Soft or rotten plywood gets replaced before anything goes over it. Nobody can see the deck from the driveway, so the quote says plainly what happens if the deck needs work rather than pretending it will not.
Should I replace with shingle or metal?
Shingle is the right answer on most houses here, and metal is worth asking about if you plan to stay in the house a long time. The owner looks at the house first and tells you which one makes sense on yours, and sometimes the answer is that metal is not worth it on your home.
Will my insurance pay for the replacement?
Only if the roof has storm damage the carrier agrees is covered, and the first answer is often no. If the roof is going on because of hail or wind, the owner documents the damage, builds the claim package and meets your adjuster on the roof. How that goes is laid out on the storm damage page.
More questions answered on the FAQ page.
Roof replacement in Lake Wylie, SC, Fort Mill, SC, Charlotte, NC, Clover, SC and Rock Hill, SC, and the rest of York County.
Also: Roof repair · Free roof inspection · Architectural shingles · Metal roofing · Storm damage and claims. Or get in touch.