Roof ReplacementBased in Rockwall, TX

The Difference

The parts you do not see.

Once the roof is coming off, it comes off all the way. A tear-off down to the decking is the only way to see what the old shingles were hiding. Plywood or OSB that has taken water for a season goes soft around chimneys, vents and valleys, and a new roof nailed into soft decking starts loosening almost immediately. Bad boards are cut out and replaced before anything new goes on, so the new roof has something solid to hold.

The layers that go back on matter more than the shingle that shows. Synthetic underlayment covers the whole deck and keeps water off the wood if a shingle ever lifts. Leak barrier goes into the valleys and around penetrations, which is where water concentrates in a hard rain. Drip edge finishes the eaves and rakes so runoff lands in the gutter instead of wicking back under the first course. Flashing at walls and chimneys, pipe boots and ridge cap complete it. Old flashing reused on a new roof is one of the most common reasons a brand-new roof leaks in the same place the old one did.

On the shingle itself, architectural shingles are the standard choice on homes in Rockwall County now. They are thicker and heavier than the old flat three-tab style and hold up better in wind. The option worth thinking about here is an impact-resistant shingle with a Class 4 rating under the UL 2218 test. They cost more up front, they take hail better, and many Texas insurance carriers give a premium discount for a Class 4 roof. Ask your agent what yours offers before you choose, since the discount varies a great deal from carrier to carrier.

Cost comes down to the size of the roof, how steep it is, how many layers are coming off, how much decking has to be replaced and which shingle you pick. As a rough market range, an architectural shingle replacement on a typical North Texas home tends to land somewhere around $9,000 to $18,000, with large, steep or two-story roofs above that. Your number comes in writing after the inspection, measured off your roof.

On the day, move cars out of the driveway and the garage if the dump trailer needs the space, bring pets inside, and take pictures off walls that share the attic. A tear-off is loud and it throws nails, so the yard and beds get cleaned when the crew is finished. Most single-family roofs are done in a day or two of dry weather. If rain is forecast, the start moves rather than leaving your house open.

Rockwall Roofing & Gutters was founded by Johnny Rasco, who learned the trade as a project manager in a friend’s roofing business before starting his own company in Rockwall. We are available seven days a week, and the inspection that starts all of this costs nothing.