What scope and product questions should you ask about a roof replacement?
Short answer. Ask exactly what is being torn off and installed: how many layers come off, how decking is handled and priced, which underlayment and leak barrier go where, whether flashing and boots are new, how the attic will be ventilated, and how cleanup and nails are handled. These answers are what make two bids comparable.
Tear-off and deck
- How many layers are on the roof now, and is removing all of them included?
- What is the per-sheet price for decking, and will I get photos of each sheet replaced?
- If the deck is old plank boards with gaps, what is the plan?
The layers under the shingles
- Which underlayment, synthetic or felt, and which product?
- Where does leak barrier go: valleys, chimneys, skylights, pipes, walls, low-slope areas, eaves?
- Is drip edge new at all eaves and rakes, and what color?
Flashing and penetrations
- Is step flashing replaced or reused? What about chimney counterflashing?
- Are all pipe boots new, and what type?
- Will kickout flashing be added where a roof meets a wall above a gutter?
Shingles and ventilation
- Which shingle line and color, and are the starter and ridge cap from the same manufacturer?
- How many nails per shingle?
- Is the attic ventilation adequate, and will you add ridge vent or intake and remove old box vents?
Cleanup and close-out
- How are landscaping, gutters and the driveway protected?
- Do you run magnets for nails, and when?
- Who registers the manufacturer warranty, and when will I get the paperwork?
For questions about the company itself, see how to choose a roofing contractor in Georgia; for the parts named above, roof anatomy explained and roof ventilation basics.