Roofing questions, answered plainly

Call the leak line at (337) 555-0100, any hour. While you wait, move what you can out of the water's way, set a bucket, and text us a photo from inside or from the ground. Stay off the roof. If a light fixture is wet, turn off that circuit at the panel.

When it is safe to be on the roof. Lightning, high wind and standing water on slick shingles keep the crew on the ground. If we can't go yet, we tell you why and when we expect to.

Yes. Nights, weekends and holidays add a trip charge, and we tell you what it is on the phone before the truck leaves. The tarp itself is priced by roof size and written on its own line, never folded into the repair.

Architectural shingles run about 25 to 30 years in many places. On the Gulf coast, heat, humidity and storms can shorten that, so a roof's age is a starting point, not a verdict. We look before we recommend anything.

It depends on the roof's size in squares, its pitch, the layers to tear off, the deck's condition and the shingle. Example prices by roof size are on the Estimates page; your written estimate sets the real number once we have measured.

Most houses take one to three days of work. Weather can move the dates, and we only tear off what we can dry in the same day.

For a full replacement, almost always. We pull it and list the fee on your estimate. Ask us which office issues it for your address.

A roof near the end of its life, curling or missing shingles, granules in the gutters, stains on the attic or ceiling, sagging, and flashing that has pulled loose.

Two parts: the shingle maker's material warranty, and our own workmanship warranty. Their lengths and exclusions are written in your estimate and the warranty papers.

Your estimate says what is due and when. Ask us about deposits before you sign, and ask for any financing terms in writing: the rate, the term and the lender.

Louisiana licenses residential roofing through the State Licensing Board for Contractors. Ask any roofer for the number and look it up on the board's site before you sign.

Stay off the roof, photograph the damage from the ground, tell your insurer yourself, and keep further water out with a tarp. If you want us there when the adjuster comes, ask.

No. We don't advertise or promise to pay, waive or absorb a deductible, and Louisiana law doesn't allow it. The deductible is yours to pay.

Insurance pays only for covered damage, and you still owe the deductible. Ask for a license number and a local address, and don't sign over your rights to anyone. We don't go door to door after storms.

Creased, lifted or missing shingles, exposed nail heads and torn flashing point to wind. Even granule loss across a slope points to age. A photo report from the roof shows which.

FORTIFIED Roof is a standard from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) for high wind and wind-driven rain: a sealed roof deck, ring-shank nails and tighter edge details. A third-party evaluator checks the work and issues the certificate. We build to it; we don't certify ourselves.

Louisiana runs the Fortify Homes program through the Louisiana Department of Insurance. You apply, and the state decides who qualifies, how much and when. We can give you a written price and tell you what the evaluator needs. We can't apply for you or promise a grant.

Some insurers discount a FORTIFIED roof. Each company decides, so ask yours before you decide. We can't promise a discount.