Roofs we work on · Deck & Underlayment
What You Are Actually Paying For Is Under the Roof
The visible roof covering gets all the attention. The deck it is fastened to and the underlayment over that are what decide whether the roof stays on and whether water gets in once it does not.
Tell us the age of the roof and whether anything is actually leaking. Those two answers decide what conversation we are having.
2005
A whole region re-roofed in eighteen months, and it is finishing together
No leak
Most people here are replacing a roof that works. We will say so
Our crews
We inspect, we photograph, and our own people do the work
Licensed
A licensed Florida general contractor
A quote that only prices what you can see
Two quotes for the same roof can differ substantially and both look complete, because the difference sits in things you cannot see from the driveway. Whether the deck is being re-nailed to current requirements, what underlayment is specified, whether a secondary water barrier is included, and how much deck replacement is allowed for — those decisions are where the money is, and a quote that stays quiet about all four is not necessarily cheaper.
The four questions that explain a price difference
- Is the deck being re-nailed, and to what fastening schedule?
- What underlayment is specified, by product rather than by category?
- Is a secondary water barrier included or excluded?
- How much deck replacement is allowed for, and at what rate beyond it?
- What happens when more damaged deck is found than expected?
Why these layers matter more than the covering
A roof stays on because it is fastened down properly, and water stays out because there is a competent layer beneath the covering. The covering itself is the sacrificial part — it is what takes the sun and the impact and is expected to be replaced periodically.
That is also why the wind mitigation inspection is interested in deck attachment and secondary water resistance rather than in what the roof looks like. The inspection is asking about the layers underneath, which is a good indication of where the performance actually lives.
How we handle it
- 01Inspect the deck once the covering is off, and photograph it.
- 02Re-nail to the required schedule as part of the work.
- 03Specify underlayment by name rather than by description.
- 04Agree the deck replacement rate up front, before it is needed.
We put the deck replacement rate in the quote before anyone knows how much will be needed, because that is the number a homeowner is most exposed on. Agreeing it while nobody knows the quantity is fair to both sides. Agreeing it once the roof is open and the quantity is known is not.
Said plainly
Where we stop
We cannot tell you how much decking needs replacing until the covering is off. Anyone who gives you a fixed total for that before opening the roof is either padding it or is going to come back to you. What we can do is fix the rate in advance so the number is not a surprise.
FAQ
Common questions
- Why do two quotes differ so much?
- Very often it is deck re-nailing, underlayment specification, whether a secondary water barrier is included, and the deck replacement allowance. Ask both contractors those four questions and the gap usually explains itself.
- What is a secondary water barrier?
- Broadly, a layer intended to keep water out if the covering is lost. It is one of the items a wind mitigation inspection looks at. Whether it is included is worth confirming explicitly rather than assuming.
- How much deck will need replacing?
- Nobody knows until the covering is off, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. What should be agreed in advance is the rate, so that the quantity is the only variable.
Treasure Coast specifics
The 2005 Cohort
Frances and Jeanne put most of this coast under new roofs across 2005 and 2006. Those roofs did not age independently, and they are not going to finish independently either.
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A Roof That Does Not Leak
The usual trigger for a roof replacement on this coast is not water in the house. It is a letter about the age of the roof, which is a genuinely uncomfortable position to be put in.
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Where Roofs Fail
Uplift starts at perimeters and corners. Water gets in at penetrations and flashings. The large open field of the roof, which is what a quote is usually priced by, is the part least likely to be the problem.
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The Two Inspections
These are two different documents produced by different people for different reasons, and owners conflate them constantly. Knowing which one you have, and which one you need, saves a surprising amount of confusion.
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How We Work Here
We are based in Fort Lauderdale and work up the Treasure Coast in scheduled blocks. On a coast where a replacement wave draws companies in from everywhere, being clear about who we are matters more than usual.
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More roofs we work on
Shingle Roofs
Asphalt shingle is what most of this coast was re-roofed with after 2004, which means a very large number of shingle roofs here started their service lives inside the same eighteen months.
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Tile Roofs
On a tile roof the tile is a rain screen and the underlayment is the waterproofing. Tile outlives underlayment comfortably, so most tile roof work here is really underlayment work.
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Metal Roofs
Metal genuinely lasts on this coast when it is specified and detailed properly. What decides that is rarely the panel. It is the fastener system, the coating and what happens at every edge and penetration.
Read more →
Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.