Roofing questions, answered in plain English

Most asphalt shingle replacements on Knoxville-area homes of about 2,000 square feet land around $15,000 to $30,000. Size and pitch, a second layer to tear off, rotted decking and the shingle line you pick all move the number. Your free inspection gets you a written price, line by line, so you can see where the money goes.

Because they often aren't pricing the same roof. One quote includes full tear-off, ice-and-water membrane in the valleys, and fresh pipe boots and flashing. Another reuses the flashing, skips the membrane and bills rotted decking later. Ask each roofer for a line-by-line price and compare line to line.

We don't have a lender program to offer yet. If paying over time matters to you, say so when you book. You'll get a written price you can take to your bank or credit union. Before signing with any lender, ask about dealer fees, what the rate does after a promo ends, and early payoff.

Only for one thing nobody can see until the old roof is off: rotted decking. Your written price lists a cost per sheet up front, and only boards that are actually soft get replaced. Everything else on the price is fixed. If anything else came up, you'd decide before any work on it went ahead.

Up front, usually yes. Metal costs noticeably more to install than architectural shingles, and standing seam costs more than exposed-fastener panels. In return you get a longer life and less upkeep, which matters on steep cabin roofs and for owners who plan to stay. Ask for both prices at your free inspection and compare them on paper.

Ask us. We don't offer a lender program today, so tell us when you book that you'd like to spread out the cost. You'll get a written price for your bank or credit union. Common choices are a home improvement loan, a credit union personal loan, or a home equity line of credit.

Yes. There's no charge and nothing to sign. We check the shingles, the flashing, the pipe boots and valleys, and the gutters and roof edge, then tell you what we found in plain English. If the roof needs work, you get a written price. If it's fine, we'll say so.

Not for the outside check, as long as we can get into the yard. If you'd like the attic checked for water stains, daylight or poor airflow, someone has to let us in. If you can't be there, you'll still hear what we found, plus a written price if the roof needs work.

Please do. Text a photo of the problem (the ceiling stain, the shingles in your yard, the spot you can see from the street) to (865) 830-8126 with your address. We'll text back what it looks like and whether someone needs to come out. It's the fastest way to find out if a problem is small.

It shows your own roof from above, so you can point to the spot you're worried about when you call. Satellite photos can be years old and too blurry to show damage, so they don't replace an inspection. Your address goes to Google to draw the map; we only get it if you send the form.

Get a free inspection first. It tells you whether there's damage worth a claim. If there is, you file it with your insurer, since it's your claim, and we can document the damage, write a scope and meet the adjuster at the house. If there isn't, you've spent an hour and nothing else.

It depends on your policy and what caused the damage. Insurance generally covers sudden damage like hail or wind, and usually leaves out wear and age. Your insurer makes that call. What we can give your adjuster is clear, dated photos of the damage and a written scope, so the decision rests on good evidence.

You do. Your deductible is your share of the claim, and we never waive it, cover it, or rebate it. A roofer who offers to "take care of your deductible" is putting your claim at risk, so walk away. Some policies carry a separate wind or hail deductible. Check your declarations page so the number isn't a surprise.

Yes, whichever company covers your home. We document the damage with dated photos, write an itemized repair estimate, and meet the adjuster on the roof if you'd like us there. Your insurer decides coverage, and the claim stays in your name. We don't represent you in the claim. We give you and your adjuster the evidence to decide on.

Ask your insurer to put the reasons in writing. Then compare them to the photos. If something was missed, we can re-inspect, photograph the specific areas, and help you understand what a re-inspection request should include. Sometimes the denial holds up, and a repair is the right next step.

Yes. Under Tennessee law, if your roofing contract depends on an insurance claim and your insurer says in writing that the damage isn't covered, you can cancel by midnight of the third business day after that notice (T.C.A. § 62-6-602 and § 62-6-603). Money you paid, except for emergency repairs already done, comes back within 10 business days.

No. Your insurer may send you a list of roofers it works with, and you can call one of them if you like. You can also hire your own. The roofer you hire works for you, not for the insurance company, and the claim stays in your name either way. Pick the one whose written price and straight answers you trust.

When the old roof comes off, it sometimes shows damage nobody could see from the top: soft decking, rusted flashing, a second layer of shingles. A supplement is the request that goes back to your insurer for that work. We write it and send it with additional photos and an itemized estimate for what the first estimate missed. Your insurer decides whether it's covered.

It depends on your insurer and how hard the storm hit. After a big hailstorm, adjusters and roofers are booked up for weeks. The parts you control: get the inspection early, file promptly, and keep the photos and the estimate together. Most of the waiting sits between filing and the adjuster's visit, and between the adjuster's report and the first check.

One to three days for a typical house once the materials arrive. Size, pitch, decking and the weather all change that, and rain can push the start date. You'll have the schedule in writing before work begins, and anything opened up gets closed or tarped before the crew leaves each night.

It gets replaced, and only the boards that are actually soft. Rotted decking won't hold nails, and shingles over soft wood fail early. Your written price already lists the cost per sheet, so you know the number before anything turns up, and you'll know how many sheets went in.

We tear it off. Going over an old roof hides rotted decking, adds weight and can shorten the life of the new shingles. In Knoxville city limits, an overlay skips the permit only if the first layer is intact. Tear-off costs a little more and shows you what's under there.

Tarps go over the flower beds and anything close to the house, debris goes straight into the dumpster, and a magnet sweep runs over the yard and driveway at the end. When the job is done, the dumpster goes too. If you find a nail later, call us and we'll come back for it.

Yes. Inside Knoxville city limits a re-roof needs a city building permit and an inspection after tear-off. Farragut, Maryville, Oak Ridge and the counties set their own rules; Farragut, for example, says a plain re-roof usually doesn't need one. We check the rule for your address and pull the permit when one is needed.

Mostly architectural shingles, which are thicker than the old flat 3-tab kind and hold up better in wind, with ridge caps from the same line so the colors match. We install lines from the major makers, including impact-resistant shingles for hail and algae-resistant ones for shady slopes. If you'd rather have metal, we price that too.

Usually, yes. Most leaks start at a handful of spots: cracked pipe boots, flashing at a wall or chimney, a few wind-lifted shingles, or a skylight. Each can usually be fixed on its own, and if a repair will stop the leak, that's what we quote. We'll also tell you when patching has become throwing money away.

Put a bucket under the drip and move anything valuable. If the ceiling is bulging, poke a small hole at the lowest point so the water drains into the bucket instead of bringing the drywall down. Take photos, and stay off the roof in the rain. Then call or text (865) 830-8126. Emergency calls are answered around the clock.

Usually it's the joint between them. Flashing runs under the shingles where the chimney comes through, and counterflashing set into the brick laps over it. When either pulls loose or rusts, rain runs down into your ceiling. We fix flashing, add crickets and seal crowns. If the brick itself is crumbling, you need a mason, and we'll say so.

Most skylight leaks come from the flashing around the frame, not the glass. If the unit is sound, we reseal or reflash it, lifting the shingles around it and putting in fresh flashing. If the glass has fogged between the panes or the frame is cracked, replacing the unit makes more sense. Text us a photo to start.

Yes, and most of the time that's the right call. A cracked pipe boot, a few missing shingles or a loose piece of flashing can be fixed on its own. The hard part is matching: shingle colors get discontinued and old ones fade, so ask to see a sample before it goes on. If the roof is worn out across whole slopes, a single repair buys little time, and we'll tell you so.

Look at the whole roof, not just the leak. If the shingles lie flat, still have their granules and the roof has good years left, fix the spot. If leaks keep showing up in other places, shingles are curling or cracking across whole slopes, or the roof is 20 years old or more, replacement is usually the better money. When it's close, ask for both prices in writing and compare.

In a lot of Knoxville-area subdivisions, yes. Many covenants set rules on shingle color and sometimes material, and the HOA wants its review form signed off before work starts. We'll fill in the manufacturer, line and color for the form, and material gets ordered only after the HOA says yes in writing.

That's almost always algae. Knoxville gets about 52 inches of rain a year and stays humid all summer, and algae grows on shady, north-facing slopes. It's mostly cosmetic. Pressure washing strips granules and shortens the roof's life, so don't. When you replace, an algae-resistant shingle keeps it away longer.

Yes. Cabins and rental homes are welcome, and they often have steep pitches and metal roofs, both of which we work on. A property manager can book an inspection for a place they don't live at; just give us the address and how to reach the yard. If you look after more than one property, each gets its own written price.

It happens a lot, because colors get discontinued and old shingles fade. For a repair, we find the closest match we can, and you can see a sample before it goes on. After a storm claim, ask your insurer in writing how your policy treats a roof that won't match.

If big trees hang over your roof, usually yes. Leaves and pine needles clog gutters every fall and send water over the edge toward your foundation. If your roof is open to the sky, guards often aren't worth the money. We'll tell you which you are and price the gutters with and without them.

Yes: vinyl, fiber cement and engineered wood. Vinyl is the most common around Knoxville and the cheapest to keep up. Fiber cement is heavier and holds paint well. Engineered wood looks like real lap siding at less weight. We tie it into the roof and gutters, since water off the roof is what usually ruins siding.

Yes, replacement windows and entry doors, and they can go in alongside siding so the trim and flashing get done once. For energy ratings, read the sticker. The U-factor shows how well a window holds heat in over winter, and lower is better. The solar heat gain number shows how much summer sun gets through as heat.

Yes. We build decks, front and back porches, screened porches and covered patios around Knoxville. Where a cover ties into the house, a roofer is the right builder: the porch roof gets flashed into the main roof and shingled to match. The frame is pressure-treated lumber, and the boards are composite or wood, your choice. Book a free estimate for a written price.

Usually. Most cities and counties around here want a building permit for a deck, and a covered porch almost always needs one. The rules differ between the City of Knoxville, Farragut, the county codes offices and the other towns, so we check for your address, draw what the permit office asks for and pull the permit. An HOA may want its own review on top of that.

Yes. We work on low-slope roofs over stores, offices, warehouses and church halls, with TPO and EPDM membranes, coatings and metal. Flat roofs usually leak at seams, drains, wall flashing and anything that pokes through, so that's where we look first. Property managers get a written scope and price they can put in front of an owner.

Yes. Tell us what's on the calendar (Sunday services, weddings, funerals, Vacation Bible School) and the loud work gets planned around it. Many churches have a steep sanctuary roof and a flat fellowship hall roof, and we price both. A building committee gets a written scope with each part of the job and its cost.

You'll have one public number, (865) 830-8126, that you can call or text with questions. You'll have a written price, line by line, before any work is done. And you'll have the name of a person to ask for while the job is underway, so you know who to talk to when something comes up.

All of East Tennessee. We work across Knox, Blount, Loudon, Anderson, Roane, Sevier, Jefferson, Hamblen, Grainger, Union, Monroe and Cocke counties, from Knoxville and Farragut out to Maryville, Sevierville, Oak Ridge, Lenoir City and Morristown. Not sure we reach you? Text your address to (865) 830-8126 and you'll get a straight answer.