A new roof for a Clay, NY house from the 1970s or 80s: compare tear-offs, not totals

Clay's median house was built in 1978 and most of its homes are detached houses. A house of that age has had time for a first roof to wear out, so you may already be on a second one, perhaps put over the first. That is a proxy for the town, not a fact about your roof.

This is why layers matter more here than age. If the last roof went on over the original, a third covering is not allowed under state code, and the tear-off becomes the largest part of the work. Say what you know about past roofs, and let the roofer confirm it when they lift an edge.

Walk the roofline before the visit. Look at the lowest row of shingles along each eave and at the edges of any porch or garage roof, where the layers sometimes show in section. Photograph each edge. A roofer who compares your photographs with what they find on the roof is better placed to explain a surprise.

Because Clay's houses went up in groups, neighbors are a resource. Ask the people who reroofed down the street which lines their estimate carried and what the tear-off turned up. Their answer is the best local check on yours.

A quote that lays new shingles over old is cheaper than one that tears off to the deck, and it is not the same job. State code asks a replacement to remove old coverings down to the deck, and it bars laying new over old where there are two or more layers or where the deck is soaked or deteriorated.

• Does each estimate say tear-off to the deck, in those words?
• Is there a price for each sheet of deck that has to be replaced?
• Is the ice barrier listed, and does it say how far it runs inside the wall?
• Is the drip edge replaced along the eaves and the edges of the roof?

Lay both estimates on a table and tick the boxes. When a line is missing, call the roofer and ask what the number assumes. You will learn as much from the answer as from the number. Holding two quotes that differ? Say so in the form and ask the roofer to walk through each line.

Ask the roofer for their workers' compensation coverage and look it up in the state's public search. Check that the contract is written and has the three business day cancel notice.

In Clay, building permits come through the town Department of Codes, and its page does not list which work needs one. So ask. A roofer who says it is not needed should say who told them, and you can confirm with the office yourself before you sign.

In the contract, write who applies for the permit if there is one, when the work starts, how the deposit is held and what happens if the deck needs boards. A page with those four items is a better protection than any promise made at the door.

Ask each roofer how the house stays covered if weather turns partway through the tear-off, and how long they expect the roof to be open. You are not asking for a promise on the weather. You are asking whether they have a plan, and a roofer who has one will lay it out plainly.

Houses in the Village of North Syracuse are a separate case with a separate office, so if that is your address use the North Syracuse page instead.