Roof Replacement in Bayside, NY

When the patches stop holding and the ceiling stains keep coming back, a Bayside homeowner needs a straight answer about whether it’s time for a new roof. I’m Stavros Latos, I own REVMA Roofing, and we’re based right here in Bayside, so I come out and give you that answer myself.

What happens from the first call to the last nail

First, I look at the roof with you. We go over the material you have, what you want, and the details that drive the price: pitch, dormers, valleys, the chimney, how many layers come off. Then you get one written price for the scope we agree on. No three-prices routine, no “sign tonight” discount.

Before the crew shows up, we plan staging. A lot of Bayside driveways won’t take a full-size container, so we figure out where the dumpster goes and how the old roof comes down without wrecking your hedges. On attached and semi-attached houses near Bell Boulevard, we talk to the neighbor before tear-off.

On the day, we strip it down to the deck, check every sheet of plywood, and replace what’s soft. Three to five sheets are already in your price, and extra sheets are $110 each, so there’s no surprise. Then ice and water shield in the valleys and at the eaves, synthetic underlayment over the whole field, drip edge, starter strip, the shingles, new flashing at every wall and chimney, and a ridge vent. Most shingle roofs in Bayside are done in one day, sometimes two on a big house. Before we leave, we sweep for nails and walk the job with you.

Why we never lay a new roof over the old one

The reality is an overlay hides problems. If there’s rot in the deck, a second layer just traps it. NYC code also prohibits a recover over two or more existing layers, slate, tile or water-soaked roofing. So we rip it off and do it from scratch, every time. It’s the only way to do a roof once, the right way.

Gutters, drip edge and the roof edge

North of Northern Boulevard, Bayside roofs take wind off Little Neck Bay, and shingle damage starts at the edges. That’s why the starter strip and drip edge matter so much. South of the LIE, the big trees pack the valleys with leaves, and the water backs up into the gutters. Gutters come up on almost every replacement, because the hangers get disturbed and the fascia behind them is often where rot starts. We look at all of it and put it in writing.

What it costs and what’s covered

For architectural shingles, figure about $875 to $1,100 a square installed, so most Bayside houses with around 20 squares of roof land near $17,500 to $22,000. My pricing usually runs 25 to 35% less than the big companies because I don’t carry their overhead, and if you have a competitor’s written quote for the same roofing system, we’ll price match it. You get a 10-year workmanship warranty on top of the GAF manufacturer warranty.

How to compare Bayside roof quotes

When you’ve got two or three quotes on the table, don’t compare the bottom line first. Compare what’s in them. Which underlayment, and is it synthetic over the whole field? Where does the ice and water shield go, just the valleys or the eaves and every penetration too? How many sheets of plywood are included, and what’s the price per extra sheet? Is the flashing new at every wall and chimney, or are they reusing the old stuff? Is there a ridge vent? Who’s on the roof, and who do you call if something’s wrong?

If a quote can’t answer those in writing, it’s not a complete quote. And if the price drops because you’ll sign tonight, ask what changed on the roof. Nothing did. That’s a sales tactic, not a better roof.

One Bayside homeowner wanted ice and water shield over the whole roof instead of just the valleys. That was about another thousand dollars in material, and I didn’t add labor on top, because at the end of the day it’s his house and his peace of mind. That’s how we price: tell you what each part does, let you choose, and put it all in writing.