It can be scary to look up and see that unsightly brown spot on your ceiling. Not many people budget properly for a new roof and with the quarterly price increases in materials, they are astronomically expensive at the moment. Often when learning of the price to replace a roof people are astounded. Depending upon the size of the problem, the reason for the leak, and its location it may not need to be replaced in full. This is when working with a reputable contractor is very important so you are not being “sold” into a new roof by an unscrupulous contractor. Or worse, file an insurance claim blindly believing a soliciting salesperson. Here are some things to look for when determining between a full repair, a replacement, or possibly a defect in the manufacturer materials or previous companies workmanship:

What is the age of the roof? Many 3-tab shingles were manufactured to be a 20-year warrantied roof and at 15 years the roofing system's integrity begins to decline rapidly. If you fall into this category it may be 50/50 if you will need a full replacement based upon the conditions above of size, location, and reason for the leak. If you have an architectural shingled roof they are known to last an average of 23 years +/- in Florida so if your roof is not older than 17 or 18 years it would be more likely the issue is isolated; unless there was a weather event that caused more widespread system damages.

Walk around your home, do you see curled shingles, missing shingles, plant life growing through the shingles, are a lot of granules on the ground or where the water has exited your gutter downspout? If the answer is yes you may likely need a full replacement. If no, then it could be an isolated circumstance. 

Search for a reputable contractor to help you with this situation to ensure the information you are receiving is accurate, complete, and provided with your best interest in mind.

Many people are under the false impression that you have to have leaks in your home to qualify for their insurance company to assist in replacing the roof. It’s actually the opposite in our experience. Many carriers hope you do not have damage as that is more money they have to pay to bring your home back to livable condition. 

A customer can have damage to their roof and qualify to file an insurance claim with no other damages. You may have hail damage, you may have missing shingles or shingle tabs, you may have lifted or curled shingles, or maybe you have scrape marks and gouges where flying debris from high wind damaged the roof system. In any of these cases, a claim could be filed because your roof incurred damage during a weather event. 

Ah, one of the classic questions and a good one to be honest. The simple answer, no. In the State of Florida all homeowners are required to have a licensed roofing contractor perform all roof replacements. Many homeowners want to do the work themselves to save money. Not only is that illegal, but it is not worth the “savings” a homeowner things they will have. Let’s explain: 

If you try to do the work yourself you may seriously compromise the roofing system. Roofing is not easy contrary to popular belief and should mistakes occur they may escalate the damage and when a licensed contractor is needed it cost more than it would of in the first place. 

If a repair is made and it violates the manufacturer specifications of the entire system, it could void the entire roof warranty from the manufacturer. The assumption in this scenario is the workmanship warranty from the original installer has expired. 

If a homeowner decides to replace a roof himself or herself no permit can be pulled due to it not being performed by a licensed contractor. If the home is sold in the future and no permit can be found to prove the age of the roof there may be complications for the potential buyers to obtain homeowners insurance. A deconstruction permit may be requested, which costs money in penalties to the municipality, area(s) of the roof may need to be removed and put back with new materials. If the installation was not to code no permit would be granted and the entire roof would need to be removed and replaced to current building codes. If it was installed to code and the area removed is replaced with brand new materials it likely will not be a perfect match and this could be an eyesore to the buyers who may not want the home anymore with the loss of curb appeal. 

These are just a few of the reasons performing roofing services are not be performed by anyone other than a reputable roofing contractor. These scenarios occur more often than people would believe.

No. That is fraud and we ask that you visit the Insurance Claims section of our Education Center to ensure you do not enter into felonious activity knowing or not. This is likely the #1 question with at SEC Roofing get and it can be challenging to explain. Here is the easiest way to explain this scenario and we welcome that you reach out to further discuss this. 

When a homeowner purchases homeowner’s insurance they are agreeing to specific terms with the carrier in case of damage. That policy states that if damage occurs and you file a claim, the carrier is only responsible for X amount based upon the agreement you share. So if your policy says they will cover everything but the deductible, they pay the full amount of the damages and you pay your deductible to the contractor. So if the damage is found to be $20,000 and your deductible, when all is completed they will have paid $19,000. 

Using this same example, if the work was supposed to cost $20,000 but the contractor was able to do it for $19,000, they will only pay $18,000 and you would still be responsible for your $1,000 deductible to equal the $19,000 total cost. It is illegal for a homeowner to “make” money on an insurance claim. 

Now there are ways that a homeowner can retain money on a claim but those circumstances widely vary and a consultation would be best suited to discuss every one of them. But, if a contractor simply says he will refund, rebate, not collect, or let you keep it for any reason RUN as he’s likely bringing you into a criminal situation and you can be held responsible whether you knew it was a felony or not.

People who ask this usually fall into one of two categories: they are either trying to save money by reducing the scope of work or don’t know that not all homes contrary to popular belief qualify for two layers. The easiest answer is, maybe.

In the first scenario, most homeowners are shocked to find out they do not save much money simply adding another layer and the reason is simple, the only savings is in the labor to remove the existing layer of shingles, and the savings in dump fees to dispose of the materials. Most of the other aspects of the roof remain the same. We always advise homeowners not to simply add another level as it cannot be known if any wood is rotted, if any structural issues are present, and what types of manufacturer warranties are dramatically reduced or voided in full by this. It’s always best to remove all existing materials and rebuild the system from the sub-surface. 

While adding a second layer of roofing materials is legal in Florida, it is only allowed if no violations of the Florida Building Code would be present. Some single-layer roofs are not allowed to have another layer installed. You can find a link to Florida Building Codes in this Education Center so if you would like to see if you meet the criteria you can either reach out and we’ll help you answer that question directly, or visit the Florida Building Codes and perform your research. 

Lastly, only two layers are allowed in Florida. There are no exceptions to any layers past two being installed on any roofing system.

While this is a good question, it’s too complex to answer here. The best example would be like shopping for a car. The variables are endless when performing a roofing project, the materials used, the “bells and whistles,” and secondary factors like the steepness of the roof, how many stories, size of the project, and what type of materials are being installed. For example, are you wanting metal panels, laminated shingles, concrete or clay tiles, and what color or texture are you wanting in each type? 

Lastly, each contractor may carry different labor burdens when performing the work so a customer needs to take into account are the companies themselves of the same caliber? The biggest factors present when receiving quotes are the quality of the company and the quality of the materials being quoted. When receiving quotes it’s best to obtain all estimates and then look beyond just the price as the old saying is so true, you get what you pay for!

In most circumstances, you really won’t know unless problems begin to arise. That is why we highly discourage allowing solicitors onto your roof or into your home and “selling” you on damage being present. We also highly encourage homeowners to get a second opinion before signing any documents and why SEC Roofing offers free consultations, not “inspections” that everyone else does. With every consultation comes the automatic inspection, but our goal is to provide forecasting information even if you do not have damage at that time.

The only way you will be able to determine if you have damage is if you see hail falling and striking your home, if you find roofing material on the ground outside, or you look up and see damage to your roof.

We are SEC Roofing hate to hear when someone has been “sold” on a 50-year shingle, or “lifetime” shingle system. Let’s be honest, no roofing material is full proof for 50 years in Florida and if you believe that we also sell oceanfront property in Arizona (cited: George Strait; Song Title: Oceanfront Property, 1987). If you read the fine print for any manufacturer there are several “conditions” for this situation, we’ll leave it at that and let you read them for comical relief. Another reason you should not buy into a shingle being 50-years before you would need to replace it is because you may want to refinance at some point, try and sell your home, or shop your policy when renewal times approaches in the future. An insurance company does not care that you have a “50-year or lifetime” shingle. They go by their own rules and likely at about year 25-years you will be required to replace your roof to secure homeowner's insurance. So there are plenty of reasons why you should not buy into the extended warranties, except as a sales pitch by contractors to earn your business.

There are so many variables to manufacturer warranties that we always tell our customers that these warranties are not subject to just Florida. In Florida the typical materials will last on average the following: 

The typical 20/25 year warrantied 3-tab shingle will last 15-17 years. 

The typical architectural shingle will last 23-25 years. 

Metal will vary but it’s typically 35 years +/- depending upon the location, thickness, and type of panel, both in shape and metallic compound. 

Concrete and Clay tile will typically outlast all of the others and have been known to last 40+ years or more. 

Modified bitumen, TPO, and other flat roofing various widely with modified bitumen and TPO averaging 14-17 years.

The timeline of a roofing project will vary greatly. Size of the project, the type of material, the steepness of the roof, the location and whether the roof is accessible to material loading or the materials having to be carried to the rooftop manually, unforeseen issues once the existing roofing materials are removed, and even if the inspections are handled efficiently and timely by the governing municipality all can affect the timeline of a project. SEC Roofing can forecast a general timeline to each customer, but there are so many factors that can speed up and/or slow down a project. 

We are often asked “can I get a metal roof? I’ve always wanted one!” Every time we tell the customer that you absolutely can get a metal roof and we do in-fact install them. That being said, the majority of the time the customer is under the impression that metal roofs are less costly than shingles. It’s actually the opposite. Metal roofs can be double and even triple the cost of a shingle roof! Raw metal prices have increased dramatically over the past few years for an assortment of reasons so by default so have the cost of metal roofs, and roofs in general no matter the type as every roof utilizes metal products. 

Additionally, the type of metal and the thickness can have a significant effect on the cost difference between a shingle roof and a metal roof. For example, metal comes in an assortment of profiles and thicknesses, but for this answer, we’ll remain basic. 

Rib-panel metal is a type of system that the fasteners (screws) can be seen on the roof. 

A more expensive panel is the standing seam panel. This is an interlocking panel whereas the fasteners are hidden and appear more contemporary in appearance. 

The standard metal panel is a galvalume metal comprised of multiple types of metal. 

The more expensive of the standard metals is aluminum which is more rust prohibitive. Aluminum is typically required in areas close to the ocean or brackish water due to the resistant properties. 

The standard gauge of a metal panel is 26-gauge, but 29-gauge is allowed (29-gauge is less thick and not the same quality as the 26-gauge for longevity in our experience – but it’s less costly).

Using these basic facts as an example, if the homeowner is near the ocean, wants a standing seam panel that is required to be aluminum, and the panel is thicker, the cost will be dramatically more than a shingle roof. If a contractor tells you that metal is less expensive than shingles and can prove it without compromising the quality, integrity, and manufacturer warranty (if there is one at all), we want to know about it!

As you can see, roofing is not as easy as many think. Most of our customers say “we would have never realized replacing a roof would have been so complex and in-depth. The depth of knowledge needed to properly provide information, options, installation methods, and to accurately navigate both a roof repair or roof replacement keeping both short and long-term awareness is quite complex. This is why we implore customers to reach out to us and let us consult with you based upon your specific needs and wants. Even if you do not want to work with us, please locate a reputable contractor and meet with them. 

We hope that you found some of our answers useful and we welcome all follow-up questions, concerns, or if you have a specific need that may not have been addressed here. The only promise we can make if you have a question we are not sure of is we’ll find the answer and back it with evidence to assure you we are providing real-time and factual data so you can make the best decisions available. We look forward to hearing from you whether you have an immediate need or just are planning for the future.