Unlike your kitchen pantry, it isn’t necessary to replace your roof every other week. Replacing the roof of your home is an investment. And if chosen carefully, can last you many years to come. Whether you’re replacing due to storm damage or simply upgrading for aesthetic, Universal Roof & Contracting is here to help you make an informed decision on the matter.

Before you start your roofing project, you may have a few questions. How long will it take? Will I need to be home? Our team aims to keep you in the loop, explaining everything involved in the process. From the moment you call to the unveiling of your beautiful new roof, here are 8 things to expect during a roof replacement.

Initial Call

So, you’ve made the jump from consideration to action. When you call us, we’ll discuss the scope of your project and schedule a time to conduct your roof estimate.

Additionally, we’ll send you a Certified Contractors Network checklist, which provides guides on what to ask your estimator and other considerations when hiring a contractor. As we mentioned before, our goal is keeping you involved and informed. In order to do this, we want you to feel comfortable and prepared before we even visit.

Initial Visit

Now that you’ve been provided the groundwork, it’s time for the initial visit. Our estimator will visit your property and conduct an exterior evaluation. During this evaluation, they’ll take detailed measurements of your roof and inspect for storm damage. This is the perfect to ask questions. Our estimator is there to give special attention to your needs and point out any problem areas.

Estimate

Next, we’ll process all the information we collected from the visit and contact you within a week with our recommendations. Our estimate will include the scope of work, pictures of the areas and damage, as well as the full breakdown of charges.

Documents

When you’ve taken the time to look over the estimate, sign to begin work on your roofing project. From there, we’ll provide you with samples, material descriptions and colors for your new roof. (This is the fun part!)

Once you’ve made these decisions, we’ll require a deposit to start the project. If it’s being paid with homeowners insurance, we’ll work with the adjusters to coordinate the collections.

Permits and Materials

Once we have the paperwork out of the way, it’s time to get the ball rolling! After we’ve acquired the proper permits and ordered your materials, we’ll schedule your job. Our operations manager will give you a call and discuss project details, timelines and preparations.

Supplements and Changes

A supplement is defined as a discrepancy between the insurance company’s repair cost breakdown and our estimate. Sometimes this may occur during the initial insurance request or even after work has begun. If hidden damages are revealed, you’ll be informed of all supplements and be asked to approve any changes made to the contract before proceeding.

A change order, an addition the initial estimate, will occur when hidden damage requires additional work. But, don’t worry. You will be informed of any and all change orders and be asked for approval before proceeding.

For clarification purposes, here are some examples of potential hidden damage scenarios:

• Rotted wood
• Siding
• Chimney work
• Painting

Here are some examples of change orders that may occur:

• Gutters
• Waterproofing
• Siding
• Insulation

Construction

Once everything has been lined out and approved, it’s time to begin work on your project. A project timeline varies on the size and complexity of the roof. Most standard jobs take 3-5 days, but will heavily rely on weather conditions.

Completion and Feedback

Once our Universal Roofing team has completed the project, our estimator will contact you to go over any final details. You’ll be presented with your warranty packet and final payment upon completion will be due.

We do our best to ensure each project runs as smoothly as possible. We know you have a lot on our plate, which is why we do our best to keep you informed. If you’re satisfied with your new roof, we love receiving feedback in our customer survey. We’re continually striving to better serve our customer and your recommendations help us tremendously.

That’s a wrap!

We hope this blog puts your mind at ease. A new roof is an investment and five years down the road, we want you to be happy that you chose Universal Roofing. If you have any questions regarding our replacement process, we encourage you to give us a call at (407) 295-7403.