Question 1

What does an inspection cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing, and there is no obligation attached to it. We walk the roof, photograph what we find, and leave you the photo set and a written scope whether you hire us or not.

Question 2

What is actually in the written scope?

Accepted Answer

Shingle line and impact class, underlayment type, where ice-and-water shield goes, drip edge, flashing details, pipe boots, ventilation and how much of it, tear-off and haul-away, and decking replacement quoted per sheet so nothing hides under the word materials.

Question 3

Do I have to be there?

Accepted Answer

Only if you want to be. We can inspect while you are at work and walk you through the photos on the phone that evening. For anything involving an insurance claim, we would rather you were home when the adjuster comes.

Question 4

Will you tell me if the roof is fine?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it happens often. Most roofs we are called out to look at need a repair or nothing at all. We would rather do the repair now and the replacement in eight years than sell you the wrong one today.

Question 5

Do I need to be home during the install?

Accepted Answer

No. The crew needs a clear driveway, an open gate and an outside outlet. Plenty of homeowners leave for work and come back to a finished roof and a swept yard.

Question 6

How long will my roof take?

Accepted Answer

One to two days for most homes, three for steep or cut-up rooflines, longer for tile. If a job carries overnight we clean the yard as though we were finished, then clean it again when we actually are.

Question 7

What happens if rain is in the forecast?

Accepted Answer

We never open more roof than the crew can dry in before dark. If the radar looks bad enough that dry-in is at risk, we move the start date. Your deck does not sit exposed overnight on our jobs.

Question 8

Are shingles nailed or stapled?

Accepted Answer

Nailed. Four nails per shingle is the minimum, six on steep pitch, high-wind exposures and anything carrying an enhanced wind warranty. Nails go through the common bond, not high on the shingle where they miss the layer below.

Question 9

Will you go over my old shingles?

Accepted Answer

No. A second layer hides the decking, traps heat, voids most manufacturer warranties and makes the next tear-off twice the work. Everything comes off to bare deck.

Question 10

What happens to the nails and the tear-off?

Accepted Answer

Tear-off goes into a dumpster on the driveway, never on the lawn. Beds and shrubs get covered first. We roll magnets over the yard, beds and drive before we leave, then again the next morning in different light.

Question 11

Why does my roof look wavy?

Accepted Answer

Usually the decking. A lot of Hill Country homes went up over thin plywood or board decking, and years of heat and settling leave it rippled. During tear-off we replace soft or thin sheets with half-inch plywood so the new roof lies flat.

Question 12

Will nails poke through into my attic?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and that is correct. Code requires the fastener to penetrate the decking and show on the underside. Seeing the tips in your attic means the roof was nailed properly rather than shot short.

Question 13

What does underlayment actually do?

Accepted Answer

It is the second line of defense under the shingles. Synthetic underlayment across the field keeps the deck dry between tear-off and dry-in, and catches wind-driven rain that gets past a shingle later. Ice-and-water shield, which is self-adhered, goes at the eaves, in the valleys and around penetrations where water sits longest.

Question 14

Which way does drip edge go?

Accepted Answer

Under the underlayment at the eave, over it at the rake. Get it the other way round at the eave and water runs behind the gutter and rots the fascia, which is one of the most common things we find on a roof under ten years old.

Question 15

Ridge vent or box vents?

Accepted Answer

Ridge vent wherever there is enough continuous ridge to cut, because it exhausts along the whole peak and has nothing to seize or squeak. Box vents where the ridge is short or broken up. The rule we do not break is never mixing the two on one attic space, which short-circuits the airflow and leaves the far end dead.

Question 16

Do I need more vents or more soffit?

Accepted Answer

Usually soffit. Exhaust without intake pulls air from the house instead of from outside, so an attic can look well vented from the street and still run hot. We count both sides before quoting ventilation.

Question 17

Do you handle insurance claims?

Accepted Answer

We do the parts a contractor is allowed to do. We document the damage, meet your adjuster on the roof with our own photo report and measurements, and file supplements for work the first scope missed. We are not public adjusters and we do not negotiate the claim on your behalf.

Question 18

What is ACV and RCV?

Accepted Answer

Actual cash value is the depreciated figure your carrier releases first. Recoverable cash value, or replacement cost, is the rest of it, released once the work is complete and invoiced. On a replacement cost policy your out-of-pocket cost is normally the deductible, which we cannot waive, rebate or absorb.

Question 19

What is a supplement?

Accepted Answer

An addition to an approved scope. Adjusters write from a walk and a template, so items like ridge vent, drip edge, a second layer found at tear-off or code-required upgrades often are not in the first estimate. We photograph and document those and send them through. Whether they are approved is the carrier's call.

Question 20

Can you tarp my roof today?

Accepted Answer

Usually. Call the storm line and we will get a crew out to batten a tarp over the open area, which stops the water while the claim and the repair get sorted out.

Question 21

How do I know if I have hail damage?

Accepted Answer

From the ground: dents in gutters, downspouts, soft metal vents and window screens, and granules piling up at the splash blocks. Do not climb up. A bruise on a shingle is a soft, dark spot that you have to feel to be sure about.

Question 22

Someone knocked on my door after the storm. Should I sign?

Accepted Answer

Not that day, and not an assignment of benefits. Anyone offering to cover your deductible is proposing insurance fraud, which has been a felony-level offence in Texas since 2019. Take the card, check the address is local, and get a second opinion.

Question 23

What does your warranty cover?

Accepted Answer

Ten years on our workmanship, in writing, signed before the tear-off starts. If water gets in because of how we installed something, we come back and fix it and there is no invoice. Materials are covered separately by the manufacturer under their own terms.

Question 24

Does the warranty transfer if I sell?

Accepted Answer

Yes, once, to the next owner of the house. Send us the closing date and we reissue it in their name.

Question 25

Do you register the manufacturer warranty?

Accepted Answer

We do, on every system we install, and you get the certificate. An unregistered system warranty is worth very little at the point you need it, and plenty of homeowners find that out ten years too late.

Question 26

What if I spot a problem afterwards?

Accepted Answer

Call the office. If it traces back to our work it is fixed under warranty at no cost. Either way you will normally see a crew within a couple of days, because the crew that built it still works here.

Common questionsfrom homeowners.

Inspections & scope

During the job

Your roof, explained

Storms & insurance

Warranty & after

Commonly-usedroofing terms.