What is Roof Demolition?

Most residential and commercial roof replacement projects require dismantling the old roof as one of the first steps before completing a professional roof replacement. There are times when roof remodeling is needed for a quick fix (applying new roofing materials’ on top of old material), but not all material can be coated or covered over existing roof material – simply because not all material is the same. For example, foam roof spray can be re-coated over and over as opposed to other material like tile, or clay.

REASONS YOU MAY NEED ROOF DEMOLITION

• If your roof deck is in poor condition
• It has been over 30-years since the last roof replacement
• The wood sheathing and deck have heavy water damage
• You have two or more layers of shingles over your underlayment
• When you walk over the roof, it feels soggy or moist
• The vulnerable areas of the roof have been “fixed” multiple times throughout the years
• DIY roof repairs no longer work

If the reasons above are some of the things you recognize, please call us at and have an insurance claim specialist look at your roof. We may be able to get you a new roof with $0 out of pocket cost to you.

After we inspect your roof, we put together a proposal for you that we also present to your Insurance Company. That way you understand what the costs are and if there are any additional costs later, where that may come from.

THE ROOF DEMOLITION PROCESS

STEP 1

Parking trash cans outside your home/business

We will park trash cans outside the driveway of your home or business. The trash cans are industrial size (think the size of a long-bed truck).

Our roofing contractors will also bring their belongings and place them nearby the house so they can grab food and personal belongings whenever they need to. You might be tempted to put your car in the garage. Only park your car in the garage if you don’t intend to use it and don’t worry about it getting stuck there for a duration of the roof replacement.

Garage roofs are usually not insulated, so shingle grains and nails will fall through the roof when roofers are working.

STEP 2

Removal of old shingles/tiles
1-2 DAY PROCESS: Generally, old shingles and tiles should be removed before installing new roofing material. When replacing shingles, our roofers remove the old shingles and prepare the roof before installing the new shingles.

Replacing shingles requires inserting a lot of nails directly into the framing of your home. Laying new shingles over an existing problem could leave you with a rather unattractive new roof. Also, when roofers remove your old roof, old shingles, nails, and other debris can fall off the roof.

Our contractors use a shovel or pitchfork, slide it between the wood sheathing and underlayment and pull up the old material. Tiles are removed by hand.

It is crucial to let your roofer know about the following:

1 – Has there been a fire/mold issue? If so, there has been damage and there needs to be trusses/rafters, etc. replaced.
2 – Is the roof older than 50-years? If so, there is damage to shingles and wood sheathing that will be invisible to the naked eye. An extensive inspection is needed.

HOW MUCH WILL A NEW ROOF COST?

A typical shingle roof costs between $9,500 and $17,000 for a single family home between 2,000 to 2,500 square feet. Nationwide, a typical roof using asphalt shingles costs between $ 3.50 and $ 5.50 per square foot and includes all demolition, permit, debris, and cleaning costs. Cost of Installing Shingles Installing shingles costs US $ 8,635 for a medium sized roof.

Add on another $10,000 to $50,000 for a tile roof.

WHY SUCH A DRASTIC DIFFERENCE IN PRICING?

The cost depends mostly on material and labor. Insurance Companies will only approve for 15-lb asphalt felt paper for your roof underlayment. It is paper thin material that takes longer to install and does not protect your home as well as newer synthetic underlayment.

We upgrade our customers to Titanium UDL 50 synthetic underlayment. It is stronger than 15-lb felt paper and much lighter making it easier to transport and install. Titanium UDL 50 also has patented technology to help make it easier for roofers to grip, walk on and work with. It may cost a little more, but it saves on labor cost.

The cost of a professional roof demolition also varies on the complexity of the removal process; depending on the region and location of houses, the slope of roofs, number of stories, the total square footage of the roof, layers of old tiles to be removed and disposed of, etc.