My florida roofing: The Florida Guide
By Dale Prescott, Roofing contractor, Central Florida. Reviewed by Hal Winstead, Editor, licensed roofing contractor.
Knee-deep in a barrel-tile tear-off in DeLand one August afternoon, I found the the difference between a roof that looks fine and a roof that is fine. The homeowner's ceiling had a stain the size of a dinner plate, but the clay tile above it looked perfect from the street. My knee found the rot before I did: it went throught the decking beside the chimney, and the water had been running hidden for years. When you're shopping among roofing companies in Florida, remember that most of a roof is invisible until somebody opens it up. That's why I want you to be picky abotu who opens yours.
I've run tile and shingle crews between Orlando and the coast for twenty-two years, and I've torn off more storm-damaged roofs than I care to count. I've also watched homeowners trust a smooth talker with their deductible and wind up with a repair that leaks sideways. This is not a scare post. It's a slow down and check post.
Trust is fine. Verification is better.
My Florida roofing, in plain words
What does "my Florida roofing" mean? To me, it means the roof over your house in Central Florida: same sun, same code, same ninety-degree afternoon storms. The visible part is the least interesting part. What matters is the decking under it, the underlayment, the flashings arround the chimney and the walls, and how the whole assembly is tied to the frame. Tile can look new while the felt underneath is dust. Shingles can look tired and still be sound. Looks don't tell you much.
A customer in Sanford once told me his roof was only five years old because that's what the seller said at closing. I pulled the permit history, and the last reroof was seventeen years earlier. People don't usually set out to lie. They just repeat what they heard.
Make any "my Florida roofing contractor" prove it
Any roofer can say "my Florida roofing contractor" in an ad. Fine. Then make them prove it with the state. Florida roofing contractors are licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, or DBPR. A certified contractor holds a license with the DBPR prefix CCC and can work anywhere