Roof Replacement Checklist: 74 Things to Do Before, During & After

Quick answer: Work through this roof replacement checklist in seven stages - confirm you need a replacement, set a budget, collect three itemized bids, review the contract line by line, prep the house, monitor the install, and inspect before you pay the balance. The national average replacement runs about $9,500 with a range of roughly $5,800-$46,000 (NerdWallet). The boxes that save the most money are in the contract stage, not the shopping stage.

Most roof replacement checklists you’ll find online are written by roofing companies and stop at “clear your driveway.” That’s the easy part. The expensive part is everything that happens on paper before anyone climbs a ladder - the decking price per sheet, the underlayment spec, who pulls the permit, what the workmanship warranty actually covers.

This page is the whole thing, in order, in checkbox form. Print it, carry it, and tick the boxes.

Stage 1: Confirm you actually need a replacement

Before you spend $10,000, make sure a $900 repair won’t do. A roof that leaks in one spot is a repair. A roof that leaks in three spots, has lost granules across whole slopes, and is past 80% of its rated life is a replacement.

• Note the roof’s install date from closing documents, a permit record, or the previous owner
• Compare that age against the material’s rated life (see how long a roof lasts)
• Walk the perimeter and photograph every slope from the ground with a zoom lens
• Look for curling, cupping, cracked or missing shingles
• Check gutters and splash blocks for heavy granule accumulation
• Check the attic in daylight with the lights off - any pinholes of daylight are penetrations
• Check attic sheathing for dark staining, mold, or soft spots
• Photograph every interior ceiling or wall stain and date the photo
• Note whether leaks are in one location or several
• Get one independent inspection from someone who is not bidding the job
• Ask the inspector, in writing, “what is the remaining service life?”
• If a storm was involved, photograph everything before any tarp or repair

The NRCIA recommends inspecting a roof at least twice a year and after any major weather event, increasing frequency once a roof passes ten years old. If you’ve never had one done, the inspection report is worth more than the first three sales pitches you’ll hear.

Decision point: if the damage is localized, the roof is under 15 years old, and the rest of the surface is sound, price a repair first. Our repair vs. replace decision guide walks the math.

Stage 2: Set a real budget before anyone quotes you

Walking into bids without a number in your head is how homeowners get sold a roof rather than buy one. Build the range yourself first.

• Measure or estimate your roof area - footprint × pitch factor, or use the roof cost calculator
• Convert to roofing squares (1 square = 100 sq ft)
• Pick a target material and look up its installed range in our materials library
• Add tear-off - This Old House puts removal of old shingles at roughly $1-$5 per sq ft
• Add a steep-pitch allowance if applicable - NerdWallet notes steep roofs commonly add $1,000-$3,000
• Add a permit line - NerdWallet cites permits running up to about $500, but confirm locally
• Set aside a decking contingency of 10-15% of the job
• Decide your absolute ceiling before the first salesperson arrives
• If financing, get pre-approved independently before hearing a contractor’s finance offer
• Check whether an insurance claim applies (see does insurance cover roof replacement)
• Confirm your deductible amount in your policy, not from memory
• Note your timeline - an emergency replacement costs more than a planned one

For reference, NerdWallet’s national numbers by roof size are a useful sanity check: about $8,000-$22,000 for a 2,000 sq ft roof and $12,000-$33,000 at 3,000 sq ft. This Old House puts architectural asphalt on a 2,000 sq ft home at roughly $11,914-$16,436. If a bid lands far outside those bands in either direction, ask why - and get the answer in writing.

Stage 3: Collect three bids that are actually comparable

Three quotes only help if all three price the same job. Hand every contractor the same written scope and the comparison does itself.

• Write a one-page scope sheet and give the identical copy to each bidder
• Specify tear-off (not overlay) and how many existing layers you believe are up there
• Specify the material, product line, and color you want quoted
• Specify the underlayment type you want (synthetic vs. felt, ice-and-water where required)
• Require new flashing at all walls, chimneys, valleys and penetrations - not reused
• Require new drip edge and pipe boots
• Ask each bidder to price ventilation as a separate line
• Ask each bidder for their decking replacement price per sheet
• Require the bid to be itemized, not a single lump sum
• Confirm each bidder physically got on or measured the roof
• Ask each for their manufacturer certification, if any
• Ask each for proof of general liability and workers’ compensation
• Verify licensing with your state board - requirements differ by state, and NASCLA maintains the state-by-state directory
• Collect three references each and actually call one
• Note who returned calls, arrived on time, and answered questions without pressure

IKO’s contractor question list is worth reading in full before these meetings - it includes details most homeowners never think to ask, like nails per shingle, valley installation method, and how far shingles will overhang the drip edge. A contractor who answers those crisply is telling you something real about how they install.

Our hiring checklist goes deeper on vetting, and how to spot a roofing scam covers the pressure tactics to walk away from.

Stage 4: Read the contract line by line

This is where the money is. Everything you were promised verbally is worth nothing unless it appears here.

Identity and legitimacy

• Contractor’s full legal business name - not just a DBA or a logo
• Physical street address, not a P.O. box
• License number (where your state issues one) written on the contract
• Certificates of general liability and workers’ compensation attached or referenced
• Named on-site supervisor for your job

Scope

• Number of existing layers to be removed and hauled away
• Deck inspection and the per-sheet replacement price
• Exact underlayment product, and where ice-and-water shield goes
• Exact shingle or panel product line and color
• Starter strip and ridge cap products named
• All flashing described as new, by location
• Ventilation work described: intake and exhaust, not just “ridge vent”
• Fastener type and nails per shingle
• Whether gutters, skylights, satellite dishes or solar are being removed and reset - and by whom

Money and time

• Total price and what is excluded
• Deposit amount and what it buys
• Payment schedule tied to milestones, not dates
• Final payment due only after your walk-through
• Change-order process in writing, requiring your signature
• Start date and expected completion window
• What happens on weather delays
• Permit responsibility named explicitly

Protection

• Manufacturer material warranty: which one, and what registration it requires
• Contractor workmanship warranty: length, what it covers, and whether it transfers
• Property protection: landscaping, AC unit, siding, windows, driveway
• Cleanup and magnetic nail sweep committed in writing
• Lien waiver provided at final payment
• Your cancellation rights disclosed

On that last box: the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule gives you three business days to cancel a sale of $25 or more made at your home rather than at the seller’s normal place of business, and the seller is required to tell you about that right at the time of sale. A contractor who signed you up on your porch and never mentioned it is a contractor to look at harder. Our warranties guide explains what the two warranty types actually do.

Stage 5: Prepare the house - the day before

Budget two to three hours. Roofing is a demolition job happening directly above your belongings.

Attic

• Cover stored items with plastic sheeting or drop cloths
• Remove anything irreplaceable entirely
• Take a photo of the attic’s current condition, dated

Inside

• Take framed art, mirrors and shelves off walls on upper floors
• Remove or secure ceiling-mounted light fixtures that rattle
• Move fragile items off tall furniture
• Plan for the noise - pets boarded or in the quietest room, and a work-from-home plan
• Warn anyone in the house that the smoke alarm may pick up dust

Outside

• Move all vehicles out of the driveway before the crew arrives
• Move grills, patio furniture and planters at least 10 feet from the walls
• Take down wind chimes, hanging baskets, and porch decor
• Cover the AC condenser and pool equipment, or ask the crew to
• Trim branches overhanging the roof
• Move trash and recycling bins clear of the dumpster spot
• Agree in advance where the dumpster and material drop go
• Unlock gate access, and secure or remove the dog

Neighbors

• Tell adjacent neighbors the dates and expected hours
• Ask them to move cars parked near your property line
• Confirm the crew will not block a shared driveway

Stage 6: What to watch during the install

You are not supervising the crew - you’re documenting the job. Two minutes each morning and evening is enough.

• Confirm the permit is posted where local rules require it
• Meet the on-site lead on day one and save their number
• Photograph the decking once the old roof is off, before underlayment goes down
• Ask for photos of every sheet of decking replaced, with a count
• Confirm any change order is signed by you before the work happens
• Check that ice-and-water shield went where the contract said it would
• Check drip edge is installed at eaves and rakes
• Confirm new flashing at chimney, walls and valleys - not reused metal
• Confirm pipe boots are new
• Watch that the roof is dried in each night if the job spans days
• Note any damage to siding, gutters, windows, or landscaping the same day it happens
• Check the yard for nails each evening, even mid-job
• Keep a simple daily log with photos and times

If your material is metal, tile, or slate, the details differ - thermal movement, battens, and fastening all change. Our materials library covers what “installed correctly” means for each.

Stage 7: Close out before you pay the balance

The final payment is your only remaining leverage. Do not release it until every box below is ticked.

• Walk the full perimeter and sweep with your own magnet
• Check flower beds, mulch, and lawn for nails and shingle scraps
• Look in gutters and downspouts for granules, nails and tear-off debris
• Inspect from the ground with binoculars: straight courses, consistent exposure, clean valleys
• Confirm ridge and vent lines look level from the street
• Confirm all penetrations are flashed and sealed
• Check the attic for daylight, fresh moisture, and any nails driven through
• Confirm the dumpster and all material are gone
• Confirm siding, windows and AC are undamaged
• Confirm the permit inspection passed and get the record
• Get the manufacturer warranty registration confirmation in writing
• Get the workmanship warranty document, signed
• Get a final invoice marked paid in full and a lien waiver
• File all photos, contract, warranties and permit records together
• Note the completion date - it starts your maintenance clock

Then start the roof maintenance checklist. A new roof that gets inspected twice a year and has its gutters kept clear will comfortably outlive one that gets ignored until something drips.

The four boxes homeowners skip and regret

Across the seven stages above, four items are the ones people tell us they wish they’d ticked.

The decking price per sheet. It’s the single most common surprise line on a roofing invoice, because nobody can see under the shingles until the tear-off is done. Agreed in advance, it’s arithmetic. Agreed mid-job, it’s whatever the contractor says it is.

Ventilation quoted separately. Intake and exhaust ventilation is invisible from the curb and easy to leave out of a low bid. Without balanced intake at the soffit, a ridge vent does very little. See the ventilation guide.

Workmanship warranty length in writing. The manufacturer covers the shingle. The installer covers the installation. Most leaks in the first decade are installation, not material - which makes the second document the one that matters.

Photos of the open deck. Sixty seconds of phone photos between tear-off and underlayment is your only permanent record of what was actually under there. Take them yourself.

What this checklist costs you if you skip it

Skipping the bid-comparison stage typically costs the spread between the honest middle bid and whatever you were sold - often thousands on a five-figure job. Skipping the contract stage costs you the change orders you can’t argue with. Skipping the close-out stage costs you a warranty you can’t claim, because registration was never filed.

None of that is dramatic. It’s just money that leaves quietly.

Your next step

Work stages 1 and 2 this week - the inspection and the budget - because they set every number that follows. Then use the scope sheet in stage 3 so your three bids are actually comparable.

• Right now: run your roof through the roof cost calculator to get your own range
• This week: book one independent inspection from someone who isn’t bidding
• Before you sign: read the contract against stage 4, box by box

When you’re ready for real numbers, get a free estimate and compare written quotes from local roofers - every one of them screened before they reach your shortlist.