Your Roof Quote Is Incomplete Until the Solar Panels Are Counted

A roof replacement under solar panels is two connected jobs. The roofing crew needs clear access to the shingles, flashing and deck. The solar equipment then has to go back in the correct position with new or approved mounting components. If your roofing proposal does not identify who removes and reinstalls the array, you do not yet have the full price or a workable schedule.

Start by counting more than panels. Photograph the array, inverter, conduit, roof penetrations, disconnects and any equipment mounted beside the house. Write down the solar installer's name if it appears on a label. Find the purchase, lease or power agreement if one exists. Ownership matters because equipment you bought outright may be handled differently from equipment controlled by a solar company under a contract.

Town roofing

Solar arrays are now present on houses throughout St. Charles, St. Peters, O'Fallon, Lake Saint Louis and nearby communities. They appear on simple subdivision roofs, steep two story houses and roofs broken up by dormers, valleys and lower additions. The number of panels alone does not describe the roofing problem. Their location does.

An array mounted across one broad rear slope may be reasonably direct to remove. Panels split between several slopes require more handling and more time. Panels close to a valley, plumbing vent or wall can restrict access to details that the roofer needs to replace. If rails cross over a suspected deck problem, the roofer may not know the extent of that problem until the array and shingles are gone.

The normal sequence is straightforward:

1. The solar contractor safely shuts down the system and removes the panels and any equipment that must leave the roof.
2. The roofing contractor tears off the existing roofing and examines the exposed deck.
3. Unsound decking is replaced under the written unit price in the roofing agreement.
4. The new underlayment, flashing, shingles and ventilation components are installed.
5. The solar contractor returns, reinstalls the mounting system and panels, reconnects the equipment and confirms that the system operates.

Do not assume the roofing crew will remove electrical equipment. Do not assume the solar company will repair shingles or decking. Put a name beside each part of the sequence. That prevents the common scheduling problem in which the roof is ready to start but nobody has arranged for the panels to come down.

The old mounting holes also need a written plan. Removing a rail can expose penetrations that should not simply disappear beneath new shingles without inspection. The roofing scope should state how the roof surface and deck will be handled after the old mounts are removed. The solar proposal should state whether mounts, flashing, seals and related hardware will be reused or replaced.

St. Charles weather makes that detail important. Summer heat moves roofing materials. Winter freeze and thaw cycles work on small openings. Wind driven rain can reach beneath a poorly placed flashing component. Ice damming at an eave can hold water where the lower edge of an array already makes observation and maintenance more difficult. A dry roof on installation day still depends on every penetration remaining watertight through those cycles.

Ventilation deserves attention before the panels go back. Intake normally occurs near the eaves, while exhaust is placed higher on the roof. An array can limit the practical locations available for vents, particularly on a compact roof with hips and valleys. Ask the roofer to show the proposed ventilation layout on a roof diagram. The answer should account for the attic, not merely replace each visible vent in its old position.

Shingle selection also belongs in the discussion. Keys Roofing installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles. The written proposal should identify the exact product rather than naming only a manufacturer or color. Panels can remain in place through much of the new roof's service life, so the covered portion should receive the same complete roofing assembly as the exposed portion.

What it costs

The added cost is not just a per panel lifting charge. It can include shutdown, removal, protected storage, replacement mounting hardware, a return trip, reinstallation, testing and coordination between two schedules. A steep roof or an array divided among several elevations generally requires more labor than one rectangular group on a low, open slope.

Ask for the solar work as a written number, even if it comes from a separate company. A roofing quote that excludes panel work may appear lower than another quote that includes coordination and roof preparation. Put both jobs on one sheet before comparing totals.

The roof itself can also produce costs that are hidden until tear off. Solar mounts may cover soft or damaged decking. An older roof may have more than one shingle layer. Flashing details may have been altered during the original panel installation. The roofing agreement should give a unit price for deck replacement and explain how additional work is approved and documented.

Roof age should affect the decision. If a three tab roof is well into its later years, paying to remove and reinstall an array for a small repair may not make sense. The repaired shingles may not seal or blend well, and another aging area can fail after the panels are back. That does not mean every older roof requires replacement. It means the homeowner should compare the cost of accessing one repair against the likely remaining usefulness of the whole roof.

A newer architectural shingle roof with an isolated flashing defect presents a different calculation. If the surrounding shingles remain flexible and the deck is sound, a defined repair may be practical. The estimate should still include every solar cost required to reach the defect. A cheap roof repair is not cheap if the panel work was omitted.

There may also be municipal steps for the solar portion, the roofing portion or both. Permit administration varies among the municipal desks across St. Charles County and the greater St. Louis area. Ask each contractor to identify the permit connected to that contractor's work and include any fee in writing. Do not treat an old solar approval as automatic approval for new mounting work.

What to ask

Before signing the roofing agreement, ask the roofer and solar contractor the same scheduling questions. Their answers should fit together:

• Who owns the responsibility for shutting down the system?
• Who removes and stores the panels, rails and related roof equipment?
• Where will the panels be stored, and how will they be protected?
• Will the old mounts and flashing be reused, or will new components be installed?
• Who closes or repairs penetrations left by removed mounts?
• How long can the roof remain clear before the solar contractor returns?
• What happens if damaged decking is found beneath a mount?
• Who verifies that the system is operating after reinstallation?
• What workmanship responsibility applies to the new roof penetrations?
• Which permits or inspections are included?

Also ask whether the solar contract restricts who may touch the equipment. A lease, financing agreement or system warranty may require an approved company. Read that document before choosing a removal crew. The roofer cannot settle that contractual question for you.

Have both contractors photograph their work. Before removal, keep wide photographs showing the original panel layout and close photographs of mounts and conduit. During roofing, keep photographs of the exposed deck, repaired penetrations, underlayment and finished shingle surface before the panels return. After reinstallation, keep photographs of the new mounts and the operating confirmation supplied by the solar contractor.

Keys Roofing can inspect the accessible roof, measure it and provide a written roofing scope with photographs. Call (314) 220-2333 before the solar removal is scheduled so the roofing work, deck allowances, material delivery and clear roof window can be put in the right order.