Roofing, with solar in mind

What a roof has left is established by an assessment, not by its age — and that assessment is what decides whether the roof should be dealt with before an array goes on it.

Replacement

Full tear-off and replacement, including the flashing details that decide whether a roof leaks in five years: drip edge, step and valley flashing, and ice-and-water shield where the code and the climate call for it.

Repair

Not every roof needs replacing. Isolated damage, failed flashing and storm repair are all worth assessing before committing to a full replacement.

How roofing work actually goes

1. Inspection

   Someone comes and looks at the roof, and at the space beneath it where that can be reached.

2. Findings

   What they actually found, described plainly — including when the answer is that it has years left in it.

3. Repair or replacement

   A recommendation between the two, with the reasoning rather than just the verdict.

4. Scope and quote

   What the work covers and what it costs, written down before anything starts.

5. The work

   Carried out to the scope that was agreed.

6. Final check

   A look over the finished work, and what to do if something is not right.

Who is actually doing the work?

Our solar and roofing installation and service teams are SunnyMac employees across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and our heating and cooling teams across Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania — which is why one company can sequence a roof and a solar system together instead of coordinating two.