Lindon, UT · Serving Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Summit and Wasatch counties
(385) 438-3591
Lindon, UT · Serving Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Summit and Wasatch counties
(385) 438-3591
When you replace the roof, the flashing and vents mostly need replacing too, and that is not an upsell. Vents, pipe boots, skylight flashing and valley metal should be new every time. Sound wall flashing behind stucco or rock can sometimes stay. If you can afford it, I'd replace the gutters too, and about 30% of our customers do.
Expect new vents, pipe boots, skylight flashing and valley metal on every new roof.
Those parts seal every hole and seam in the roof, so old ones can leak under brand-new shingles.
Ask the roofer which flashing they plan to reuse, and why.
On a new Utah roof, the vents, pipe boots, skylight flashing and valley metal should be new every time. Gutters are your call.
Mattie Tueller, Master Roofing
Some roof parts should be new with every replacement, because they seal the holes and seams that water looks for. Expect these on every estimate:
Everything on the roof should be new except the pipes that come through it. Old vents and boots can leak under brand-new shingles, so these parts are not upsells. Why so many skylights leak has its own answer.
Old flashing can be reused on a new roof only in a narrow case. Utah's code says flashing on a re-roof must be rebuilt to the shingle maker's instructions. So reuse is an option only where those instructions allow it. Even then, all of these should be true:
Then a good roofer can layer the new shingles back into it. If the flashing sits behind siding, or can be changed without tearing into the wall, it should be changed. If the roof has been leaking, the flashing near the leak should be replaced.
Deciding which flashing stays takes a real inspection, which is why the inspection comes before the estimate.
Replacing gutters with a new roof is optional, but it is often a good time to do it. The aluminum lasts. The seals at the corners and downspouts usually stop working well after 20 to 30 years. That is about the same life as the roof.
Three reasons to do both at once:
About 30% of Master Roofing's customers get new gutters with a new roof, usually because the old ones were already giving them trouble. If you want guards on the new gutters, whether gutter guards are worth it has its own answer.
To tell a needed roof item from an upsell, ask the roofer to sort the estimate into two groups. One is what the new roof needs to keep water out. The other is what is optional. A good roofer can explain every line in plain words.
| Needed every time | Your call |
|---|---|
| Vents and pipe boots | New gutters and downspouts |
| Skylight flashing and valley metal | Gutter guards |
| Ventilation to code, and drip edge at the eaves and rakes | Upgraded shingles |
If a roofer insists on replacing something from the right column, ask why. There may be a good reason, like rust or an old leak. Whether a full replacement is an upsell is its own question.
As a roofing contractor in Utah, I get this question a lot. It's a fair one, because a homeowner can't see any of this from the ground. The answer depends on what's on your house now. Every pipe flashing gets replaced with a new roof. So do the vents, the skylight flashing and the valley metal.
Wall flashing is different. When it's tucked behind stucco or rock, pulling it out is really expensive. If it's been working and it isn't rusted, I'd consider reusing it and layering the new shingles back in. That's because flashing done right the first time can keep working. At Master Roofing, a Utah roofing company, we only reuse it when there's no leak in that area.
Gutters are your call, though a re-roof is a good time to replace them if you can afford it. Vents and pipe flashings are not where you save on a new roof. You end up with a new roof that stays dry around every opening.
This article is general information about Utah roofs, not an assessment of yours. Every roof is different, and no article can tell you what is actually happening on your specific house. Have a licensed roofing contractor look at it in person before you act on anything here.
You need drip edge with a new roof, because Utah's residential code requires it at the eaves and rake edges of a shingle roof. On roofs steeper than 9/12, drip edge bent to the roof's pitch works best. Stock 90-degree drip edge on a steep roof can push water sideways and rot the bottom edge.
The roofer should replace every pipe boot with a new roof. Pipe boots seal around the plumbing pipes that come through the roof, and an old one can leak under brand-new shingles. Everything on the roof except the pipes themselves should be new.
You can keep your gutters and replace them later, but doing it with the roof is easier. Re-roofing tends to damage gutters, and new gutters let the roofer seal the roof's lowest edge better. If yours are working and the budget is tight, keeping them is a fair choice.
Skylights are worth replacing with a new roof, and Master Roofing recommends it. At the very least, the skylight flashing should be new. Old flashing around a skylight can leak under brand-new shingles, and redoing it later means opening the new roof.
We're here to see what's going on with your roof. A real assessment starts with your history and your attic, not a number from the driveway. You'll get a straight answer about what's up there, what it needs, and what it costs. Sometimes the honest answer is: your roof looks great.