Lower Merion Elite Roofing has completed roof replacement in Lower Merion, PA for more than 20 years, serving surrounding cities including Plymouth Township, Milford Township, Yeadon, Richland Township and West Norriton. We tear off and replace asphalt shingle, metal and flat roofs, and we restore or replace slate where the slate itself has worn out.
A new roof is a large purchase, so we treat it as one. Before we quote a replacement, we tell you honestly whether your roof could be repaired instead. When replacement is the right answer, the estimate itemizes the tear-off, decking, underlayment, flashing, ventilation and gutters separately, so you can compare our price with anyone else’s line by line.
Every replacement estimate is also checked against the permit rules where the house is. In Lower Merion Township that means the roofing addendum, which decides whether the job must be a full tear-off; in Narberth, Philadelphia and the surrounding townships it means each municipality’s own process.
Planning a Roof Replacement
Permits, the Addendum and the Two-Layer Limit
Lower Merion requires a roofing permit and a roofing addendum for every re-roof. The addendum allows a maximum of two layers of shingles and forbids a new roof over slate, wood shake, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile. We count the layers and identify what is under the shingles on the first visit, so if the law requires a tear-off, the estimate already includes it.
Historic Districts and Older Houses
In Lower Merion’s local historic districts, a roof replacement counts as an alteration under Chapter 88 and goes to the Historical Architectural Review Board for a Certificate of Appropriateness. We check the address before scheduling any work. For a house in a district, we plan the material choice and timeline around that review rather than starting a job that has to stop.
Solar Panels, Twins and Shared Roofs
If there are solar panels on the roof, we coordinate their removal and reinstallation as part of the project, not as an afterthought on the first day. On a twin, the new roof has to tie into the neighbor’s roof at the party wall, so we plan that seam carefully and let the neighbor know before work begins.
Choosing Materials for Your New Roof
Architectural Shingles
Most of the roofs we replace get architectural shingles, which are laminated for depth and much more wind resistance than old three-tab shingles. We install lines such as GAF Timberline HDZ, Owens Corning Duration and CertainTeed Landmark, each with its manufacturer’s starter strip, ridge cap and nailing pattern so the warranty stays valid. Look for wind ratings such as ASTM D3161 Class F or D7158 Class H and a UL 790 Class A fire rating.
Impact-Rated and Designer Shingles
Impact-rated shingles tested to UL 2218 Class 4 resist hail better and are a sensible upgrade on exposed roofs. Designer shingles imitate slate or cedar shake at a lower weight and cost than the real thing, which can suit a house whose neighbors have slate. We bring full-size samples so you can see them against your stone, brick or siding in daylight.
Metal and Low-Slope Sections
Many houses have a porch, bay or rear addition with a roof too shallow for shingles. During a replacement we roof those sections with materials suited to the pitch, such as standing seam metal, modified bitumen or a single-ply membrane, rather than stretching shingles onto a slope where they will leak.
What Goes Under the Shingles
Decking Inspection and Replacement
Once the old roofing is off, every sheet of decking is checked for rot, delamination and soft spots. Any damage is photographed and shown to you before it is replaced, and the price per sheet is already set in the contract. That way you are never asked to approve a surprise charge while the roof is open.
Ice Barrier and Synthetic Underlayment
We install self-adhering ice and water barrier meeting ASTM D1970 along the eaves, as IRC R905.1.2 calls for, and in valleys and around penetrations. The rest of the deck gets a synthetic underlayment meeting ASTM D8257, which lies flatter and resists tearing better than old felt paper.
New Flashing, Drip Edge and Ventilation
We replace step, counter and chimney flashing with every new roof rather than reusing old metal under new shingles. Drip edge goes on at the eaves and rakes, kick-out flashing at the base of sidewalls, and the ventilation is balanced, with soffit intake matched to ridge vent by net free area, so the new roof is not baked from below.
Estimates, Contracts and Paying for a New Roof
An Itemized Estimate You Can Compare
Our replacement estimates list the tear-off, decking allowance, ice barrier, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, shingles, gutters, permit and dumpster as separate lines. When a second contractor gives you a single lump sum, you can ask them to price the same items and see where the difference really comes from. Most of the time the cheaper bid has left out new flashing, ventilation or a realistic decking allowance.
What Your Contract Has to Say
Pennsylvania’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a written contract with the contractor’s Attorney General registration number, a description of the work, the total price, the approximate start and completion dates, and notice of your right to cancel within three business days. Our replacement contracts include all of it, plus the per-sheet price for any decking that has to be replaced.
Why There Is No Sales Tax Line
In Pennsylvania, a contractor installing a roof pays sales tax when buying the materials, so the tax is already built into the price. You will not see a separate tax line on our estimate. If an estimate adds sales tax on top of the total for a roof replacement, it is worth asking why.
Insurance-Paid Replacements
When a storm has damaged the roof badly enough that your insurer is paying for a replacement, we work from the scope in your claim and point out anything the code or the township addendum requires that the scope missed, such as a forced tear-off or ice barrier. You file the claim and settle it with your insurer; we give you the photos and documentation and build the roof.
Help Paying for a Roof
Income-qualified homeowners in Lower Merion Township can apply to the township’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, which offers zero-percent deferred loans for repairs and names roofs among them. In Philadelphia, the Basic Systems Repair Program covers a roof only in narrow circumstances. We provide written scopes in whatever form a program asks for.
How a Replacement Day Runs
Protecting the House and Yard
Before the first shingle comes off, we cover shrubs, air-conditioning units and patios, and place the dumpster where the township’s dumpster permit allows. Gutters are protected so debris does not pile up in them during the tear-off.
Tear-Off and Dry-In
The crew tears off only as much roof as it can dry in the same day, so the house is never left open overnight. Decking repairs, ice barrier and underlayment go down immediately behind the tear-off, then flashing and shingles follow.
Daily Cleanup and Final Inspection
At the end of each day, the crew cleans the gutters, rakes the beds and runs a magnetic sweeper over the driveway, lawn and walkways to pick up nails. When the roof is finished, we walk it with you, pass the municipal inspection and give you the warranty paperwork.
- 20+ Years Roofing
- Itemized Written Scopes
- Slate Repair Specialists