Roof replacement
Two roof estimates, far apart? Compare what each one tears off
Holding two roof estimates that do not match? The gap is often a line one of them leaves out, and the biggest one is the tear-off. Ask an independent roofer to look at your roof and write down what comes off, what goes on, and what happens to the deck if the wood is bad.
Booking is your choice after you see the price.
What we do
Describe the roof in a few lines, and an independent roofing contractor comes out to look at it, then prices the work for you in writing.
What we promise while you decide
- No charge from us, whether you book or not.
- The roofer's price comes to you on paper first.
- You may ask for a repair price beside the replacement one.
- Credit terms are spelled out on our Terms page.
Workmanship and contract terms belong to the roofer you hire.
Signed Roof Replacement Syracuse, (315) 640-3590
Read the full termsThe layers
What comes off, and what goes on
Shingles
Says every old layer comes off, down to the deck.
A second layer
States how many layers are on now, and that all go.
Underlayment
Names the underlayment and where it is laid.
Ice barrier
Lists an ice barrier and how far it runs from the edge.
Deck
Prices bad deck wood by the sheet or board.
Drip edge
Lists new drip edge at the eaves.
- Second layer Ask the roofer to count the layers at an edge, and to say so in writing.
- Ice barrier It is a sheet, not a coating. Ask for its name and how far it runs.
- Deck This is the line that moves the price most. Get a unit price in writing.
- Drip edge It is metal at the eave. Ask to see it on the list.
Questions
Ask these before you sign for a new roof
Does a roof replacement always take everything off?
In the state code, yes: a replacement means removing the existing layers down to the deck. A membrane already stuck to a sound deck at the edge is the one thing that may stay under a new layer. Ask your roofer to write down which layers come off.
Why is one estimate much lower than the other?
Often it leaves out a line the other carries, such as tear-off, deck wood or the eave detail. Go down the nine-row list on this page for each one. Ask the roofer to add anything missing and re-price it in writing.
How can I tell how many layers my roof has?
The edge of the roof shows them, but the roofer should count them, not you. Stay on the ground. Ask the roofer to state the number in the estimate, because two or more layers rule out roofing over them.
Can I ask for a repair price instead?
Yes. You may ask for the repair price beside the replacement one, and a good roofer will give both. If you get only one number, say what you saw and ask why it is the right one.
Who checks the work when it is done?
That depends on your place. The city, town or village that issues the permit decides whether it inspects the finished roof. Ask your local office, and ask your roofer who files the permit.
What does the estimate not tell me?
It cannot tell you what the deck is like until the old roof is off. That is why you ask for a unit price for bad wood now, so a surprise on the day has a number already attached.
Timing
How the timing of the stain changes the replacement question
Only in a thaw
If the stain shows only in a thaw, ask whether the eave alone needs work before you accept a whole roof. A replacement earns its price when the deck at the edge is wet or soft, and the tear-off is where that shows.
In every rain
A stain in every rain is a different pattern from a thaw stain. A new roof helps only if the roof covering is the cause, so tell the roofer which pattern you have and ask what they found.
After a wind or storm
If a wind started it, ask how much of the roof it touched. A replacement fits damage across several slopes, and it is a stretch for a few lifted tabs.
No leak, old roof
A roof with no stain can still be near the end, but age alone does not settle it. The federal useful-life table lists asphalt shingles at 20 years as a planning number, so ask the roofer what they see on each slope.
Tell-tales
Signs a whole new roof is the right size of job
Bare patches and curled tabs across a slope
Wear that spreads over a whole slope makes a repair a short answer. Photograph it from the yard and ask the roofer about the slope, not the spot.
A second layer already on the roof
Two or more layers rule out roofing over them again. Ask the roofer to count the layers at the edge during the visit.
Soft or sagging wood at the eave
Ask the roofer whether wood that has been wet at the edge still holds nails, and for a price per sheet or board before the old roof comes off.
A repeat stain after a repair
A repeat stain means the first fix missed something. Ask what the roofer found, and where.
A buyer's inspector flagged the roof
That note is a reason to ask a roofer, not a verdict. Ask what they see, and what a sound fix would include.
Scope
What a full replacement takes in
Tear-off to the deck
Every old layer comes off down to the wood, which is what the code means by a replacement. Ask the roofer to say so in the estimate.
Deck repair
Soft or split boards and sheets are replaced while the roof is open. Ask for a unit price so the cost is not a surprise on the day.
Eave protection
An ice barrier goes down at the eaves and a drip edge finishes them. Ask for both by name.
Underlayment and shingles
The new layers go on over a clean deck. Ask which products the proposal names, and where each one goes.
Cleanup and the permit
Debris leaves the property, and a permit is pulled where your place requires one. Ask the roofer who does each.
Sequence
A replacement, from tear-off to last shingle
Describe the roof
Tell us what it is doing and since when. Photos from the yard are enough to start.
A roofer looks
An independent roofing contractor visits, looks at the roof and talks through what they see.
You read the estimate
The roofer writes up the work they would do. Read it against the nine-row list on this page.
You choose
Book only if it fits, and ask for the repair price too if you have not seen one.
What a bare deck tells the roofer
Once the old roof is gone, the wood is in plain sight for the first time. That is why the price of a replacement cannot be fully known from the driveway.
Ask for the deck to be priced in advance. A fair estimate says what a bad sheet or board adds, and who decides it is bad. Ask the roofer to show you any wood they want to replace.
Three lines a low estimate may leave out
When two prices are far apart, look for these three lines first. Each one is easy to omit, and each one changes the work:
- The tear-off to the deck, which a layer on top skips
- A price for bad deck wood, which turns into an extra later
- The ice barrier and the drip edge at the eaves, which are cheap to forget and costly to add
If one estimate names all three and the other names none, you are not comparing like with like. Ask the lower roofer to add them and re-price the job in writing, then compare again.
Checks you can run on any roofer yourself
New York issues no state roofing license and Onondaga County runs no program of its own, so there is no register to look the roofer up in. What you can check is public. Search the state's workers' compensation coverage database for the name on the contract, and ask to see the policy if the name does not come up.
Then read the contract before you pay. New York requires a written one for home improvement work, and it must carry a notice about your right to cancel. Ask where your deposit will be held, because the state says it goes in escrow or is backed by a bond.
Ask for the repair price beside the replacement
A replacement is sometimes the right call, and sometimes the only honest answer is a smaller job. You can ask any roofer for both prices on the same page. A roofer who gives you one number and a reason to hurry is not helping you compare.
If the answer is a repair, our repair page shows what that estimate should name. If the eave is the only problem, the ice dam page explains what that job covers. Pick the one that matches what you see, then ask for a visit.
In writing
What a replacement estimate should spell out
The work, area by area
The eave, each slope and any ridge work on their own lines, so you can see what each part costs.
What comes off
The number of old layers and the tear-off down to the deck, in plain words.
What goes on
Ice barrier, underlayment, drip edge and shingles, each named by product.
The paper around it
The permit, when work starts and ends, how you pay, and the cancel notice.
Cost drivers
What moves the price of a replacement
- The size and pitch of the roof, because steep roofs take more time and care.
- How many old layers must be hauled away.
- How much deck wood proves soft, split or wet once the roof is open.
- How far the ice barrier must run at the eaves, which depends on the slope.
- How hard the roof is to reach, and what the roofer must protect near the house.
- Whether your place requires a permit, and what its office asks for.
- The shingle product the proposal names.
Line by line
Two estimates, line by line
Tear-off to the deck
Says all old layers come off, down to the deck.
Bad deck wood
Prices bad decking by the sheet or board.
Ice barrier
Names an ice barrier at the eaves.
Drip edge
Lists drip edge at the eaves.
Worn flashing
Says worn flashing is replaced, not reused.
Permit
Says who pulls the permit, if one applies.
Workers' comp
Gives a workers' compensation coverage record.
Written contract
Comes as a signed written contract.
Cancel notice
Shows a three business day cancel notice.
Look, estimate, choose
Look, estimate, choose
Three steps, and the last one is yours.
- 01
A roofer looks
An independent roofing contractor visits and looks at the roof.
- 02
They write it up
You get a written estimate for the work they would do.
- 03
You weigh it
Set it beside any other estimate you hold. Decide in your own time.
Places
Roof replacement pages by place
Guides
More on choosing a roof job
Checking a roofing contractor in Onondaga County
The public checks that stand in for a license
Why Syracuse roofs fail at the eaves
How a March thaw builds an ice dam at the eave
Ask a roofer for a full estimate.