Before a single shingle comes off
We walk the attic first, not the roof. A flashlight pass across the underside of the decking shows soft spots, old nail rust and daylight coming through anywhere the deck has failed, which tells us how much replacement wood to price before the crew climbs a ladder.
Materials get staged in the driveway the day before, sorted by course, so the crew is not waiting on deliveries mid tear-off with an open roof overhead.
Tear-off and the decking question
Old shingles come off in sections rather than all at once, so no more roof sits open than the crew can dry in before the light goes. Every sheet of decking gets stepped on and checked by hand. Sound plywood stays. Anything that flexes or shows rot gets cut out and replaced first.
This is the part a cheaper bid usually skips, and it decides whether the roof holds up the next time hail meets it.
Underlayment and flashing for this climate
Synthetic underlayment goes over the whole deck, with ice and water shield along the eaves and valleys where wind-driven rain tends to push under a standard lap. New step flashing goes in anywhere the roof meets a wall or chimney rather than reusing old pieces, since bent flashing is one of the most common repeat leak calls we get.
Pipe boots are replaced every time, because the rubber collar is usually the first thing to crack after ten years of sun.
Shingles, ridge caps and venting
Architectural shingles go on in a pattern that keeps the cutouts staggered so wind cannot find a straight seam to lift. Ridge vent gets cut into the peak and paired with soffit intake so the attic actually breathes, since a hot, poorly vented attic bakes shingles from underneath and shortens their life.
Ridge caps go on last and get hand nailed rather than gunned, since a nail gun set too hot will blow through a cap shingle.
The last hour on site
Tarps go down around the foundation before tear-off starts to catch debris, and those tarps get pulled and shaken out at the end of each day. A magnetic roller goes over the yard and driveway looking for stray nails, and we clear the gutters so the first hard rain does not wash grit into a downspout.
Photos of the finished roof and cleaned yard go to the homeowner the same day, so there is a record beyond a receipt.
When weather pushes the schedule
Middle Tennessee throws afternoon storms into a forecast that looked clear that morning, and a roof only half dried in when the sky turns is the situation we plan around hardest. If rain is closing in before a section is watertight, the crew stops tearing off new area and finishes sealing what is already open.