Replacing a Camillus roof: a 1960s ranch and a village cottage need different questions

In the Village of Camillus the median house dates to the late 1950s, and nearly one in three homes predates 1940. The Town of Camillus around it has a median in the mid 1960s and far fewer pre-war houses. These are ACS estimates and proxies for age, not measurements of any roof.

What they suggest is this. A village house is more likely to have had its roof replaced more than once, and an older one may have plank decking under the shingles. A town ranch is more likely to be on its first or second roof, and many of its neighbors are the same age.

Tell the roofer which one you have, and say how many roofs you know of. That one fact changes the work, and it changes the estimate.

If you bought recently, the seller's papers or the permit records at the village or town office may show when the last roof went on.

The county is not part of this, because Onondaga County issues no building permits. In Camillus the permit comes from the village or the town, and each keeps its own code office. The Town takes applications online and allows up to 10 business days for review, and its list does not name roofing. The Village has separate forms.

Ask the roofer to confirm the office, to say whether the job needs a permit, and to say who pays any fee. Put the answer in the written estimate. If no one can say, call the village or town office yourself before the tear-off starts.

Ask before the tear-off starts, not after the shingles are off.

The state residential code asks a replacement to take the old covering down to the deck. A new layer over two existing layers, or over a soaked roof, is not allowed. Some quotes leave this out, and the lower number is why.

Ask each roofer in writing whether the price includes tear-off, deck boards replaced by the sheet, an ice barrier along the eave and a drip edge. Write the answers next to each total. If one answer is no, the two quotes are not the same job.

Get the chosen estimate as a written contract. It must carry a three business day cancel notice, and your deposit belongs in escrow. You can check workers' compensation coverage in the state's public search.