5 Common Roofing Questions

Monday, 4 June 2018 -

Published in Roofing Insurance, Roofing Tips

The roofing industry is riddled with questions that homeowners want to know before selecting a roofing contractor. As such, we compiled some of the ones we’re most often asked. Here are 5 common roofing questions that we get asked:

1. How soon can my new roof get installed?

There are several factors to weigh in this question including weather (primarily) and even your insurance carrier.

For instance, during a hail storm most roofing companies will be slammed so you may wait between several weeks up to a few months to get on the schedule. Likewise, uncooperative weather can really delay progress if there are consecutive rain days, sub-40 temperatures, or other inclement conditions.

As it relates to insurance carriers, Mutual Roofing will often supplement claims. This can be a tedious, back-and-forth process so it helps to have a insurance carrier who is communicative with your roofing company. Supplementing claims with your carrier can take anywhere from days to weeks.

Assuming perfect weather, no insurance roadblocks, and we’re not in peak season, Mutual Roofing can typically install your roof within a week of signing a contract. We only need time to order materials and coordinate our team.

2. How much will a new roof cost?

We wrote an article discussing this subject at length, however, the short answer is that it depends. The age of the roof, the size of your roof, and the market cost of materials are strong factors. In general, you can expect to pay between $7,000-$15,000 if you’re paying out-of-pocket.

If you have an ACV Insurance policy you may pay around $3,000-$5,000 out-of-pocket. In contrast, if you have an RCV insurance policy you might only have to pay for the deductible (usually $1,000). To under more of the differences, check out our article on the differences between an RCV and ACV policy.

3. Can you roof over existing shingles?

Technically, yes. However, at Mutual Roofing, we strongly advise against it. Here’s why.

It’s Not Best Practice– Very few roofing companies in Omaha (if any) will actually re-roof over an existing roof. It’s not the industry standard and we would be leery of roofing contractors who prefer this method.
Void Manufacturer’s Warranty– Depending on the shingle manufacturer and their installation guidelines, you may disqualify yourself from a warranty. Very few homeowners realize this if blindly trust their roofer.
Uncover More Damage- Part of the process of demolition in replacing your roof isn’t simply to tear off the old. Oftentimes, we’re also inspecting for damaged sheathing/decking and other failing roof components. It would be hard to find these issues if we simply re-roofed over your existing shingles.
Your Roof May Not Support It– Roofing material is quite heavy and your deck may not tolerate the extra weight. The only way to be certain, however, is by tearing off the roof and inspecting it.

While some sources will advise to you on the benefits of re-roofing, we believe that it can be seen as another way to cut corners.

4. When is the best time to install a roof?

We addressed this question in full detail here, but generally, around the Fall. This is because we’ve moved past hail season, there is low humidity for better installation, and it’s our off season. If your house can wait and weather through Spring and Summer, then Fall is the ideal time.

5. Can you install a roof in the winter?

To piggyback off our last question, the answer is yes. Most roofing contractors prefer not to work in the Winter because of hazardous conditions and temperatures, however, it is doable. For example, we once had a client call us in January after an ice storm. The ice was beginning to melt and seep into their interiors wall and ceiling. As such, there was an urgency to address this issue.

We took a look at the roof and interior walls and were able to adapt our strategy. There were two days in January that the weather was above 40 degrees (which is the minimum temperature required to roof). We capitalized on that “warm weather” and suggested to the homeowner an Alaskan shingle. Our crew was able to successfully install a roof in January and the homeowner has not had a water leak issue since.