The Short Answer
During a roof replacement, the old roofing material comes off, the deck gets checked, new underlayment goes down, and the new shingles are laid course by course to the GAF standard. That is the whole job in one sentence. Below, we walk through what each step means for your home, so nothing about the process comes as a surprise.
Step One: The Old Roofing Comes Off
A full replacement starts with a tear-off. The existing roofing material is removed so the crew can see what is really underneath, instead of building a new roof on top of a problem. This is the difference between a repair and a replacement. A repair fixes the specific spot that is failing, such as a leak, a few missing shingles, or flashing pulled loose around a chimney or vent. A replacement is the right call when the trouble is spread across the whole roof and fixing one area at a time would no longer make sense. You can read about both on our roofing page.
Step Two: The Deck Gets Checked
Once the old material is gone, the wood deck is exposed. This is the layer everything else rests on, and it is the one you cannot see once the roof is finished. We check the deck before anything new goes on, because a new roof is only as sound as what it is fastened to. Looking at the deck while it is open is one of the main reasons a full tear-off is worth doing when a roof has reached the point where repairs are not enough.
Step Three: New Underlayment
With the deck checked, new underlayment goes down. It sits between the wood deck and the shingles, and it is the second of the three layers in every roof we install. Homeowners rarely think about it, since it is covered up as soon as the shingles arrive, but it is a real part of the build-up and it is installed fresh on a replacement rather than reused.
Step Four: Shingles, Course by Course
The last layer is the shingle course on top. The new shingles are laid course by course to the GAF standard, working across the roof in order. Our crew is GAF certified, and this is the step where that certification matters most. When the last course is finished, the roof is built up the way every roof we do is built up: wood deck, underlayment, shingle course, in that order.
The three layers at a glance
- The wood deck, checked before anything new goes on.
- New underlayment over the deck.
- The shingle course on top, laid to the GAF standard.
Repair or Replacement: How to Tell
Many roof calls do not end in a full replacement. A single leak or a small patch of storm damage can often be handled as a repair by the same crew that installs full roofs. Wind and hail can lift shingle tabs and strip granules without leaving an obvious hole, so a roof can look fine from the driveway and still need attention. If you are not sure which one you are dealing with, call and describe what you are seeing, and we will talk it through with you. If you are reading this in the fall, our fall roof check before winter post covers what to look for from the ground and from inside your home.
What About Cost and Financing?
We do not quote prices in a blog post, because every roof is different and we would rather talk about yours directly. What we can tell you is that financing is available through Enhancify for qualified roofing projects, and you can find the link on our roofing page. If the size of a project is what has been holding you back, that is worth a look.
Who Does the Work
Stanley Custom Builders is a family owned, local roofing crew based in Herndon, Kentucky. The crew has installed roofs since 1998, and the company is GAF certified and licensed in both Kentucky and Tennessee. Our work is backed by a 60-month workmanship warranty. Roofing is the only service we offer, so it is the only thing this crew spends its day on. You can learn more on our about page.
Where We Work
We serve Herndon and the surrounding Kentucky and Tennessee zip codes, including Clarksville, TN, Mayfield, KY and Paducah, KY. The full list of zip codes we cover is on our service area page.
Talk to Us About Your Roof
We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call (270) 703-9177 or get in touch online, and tell us what is going on with your roof.