Roof Replacement in Mobile, Alabama

When a Full Replacement Is the Right Call in Mobile

Repairs make sense when the damage is isolated. A handful of lifted field shingles, one failed pipe boot, or a small section of step flashing can usually be corrected without touching the rest of the roof. The question is whether the underlying deck and the water barrier are still sound.

Replacement becomes the honest answer once the failures are systemic. Widespread granule loss, repeated leaks at valleys and roof-to-wall transitions, or a roof deck that has been wet more than once all point past patching. On many older Mobile homes the shingles outlast their fasteners, and by then a tear-off is cheaper than chasing leaks.

We inspect before we recommend. If a repair will genuinely buy you years, we will say so; if it only delays the inevitable, we explain what a replacement costs and why.

The Replacement Process, Step by Step

Every replacement starts with a complete tear-off. We strip the roof down to the sheathing so nothing new is installed over old, brittle material that hides rot or a compromised deck.

Then we inspect and re-nail the deck. Loose or under-fastened panels get deck re-nailing with 8d ring-shank nails on a tightened pattern, and any soft board or delaminated sheathing is replaced. This is also where an unsupported sheathing edge gets corrected before it becomes a leak.

Next comes the water barrier and the trim metal. We build a sealed roof deck by taping the panel seams and covering the field with a synthetic underlayment, then run self-adhered membrane rated to ASTM D1970 in the valleys and along vulnerable edges. Corrosion-resistant drip edge and edge flashing go on before the roof cover, followed by a starter strip, the field shingles, ridge and hip cap, fresh pipe boots, and step and counterflashing at every wall.

We finish with ventilation, dry-in, and inspection. Balanced intake and exhaust protect the assembly from trapped Gulf humidity; the dry-in makes the home weathertight; and we pull the permit and stand for the final inspection so the work is documented, not just claimed.

Four Districts, Four Different Tear-Offs

Historic downtown changes the whole job. In Oakleigh, Old Dauphin Way, and Midtown you find 1890s-to-1940s slate and Spanish clay tile over 1x-plank board decking, so tear-off is slow and deck or sheathing replacement is frequent. Ornate rooflines mean complex valley lining and hand-fit step and counterflashing, and the historic-district material rules shape what can go back on.

Mid-century West Mobile is a different animal. Aging three-tab over questionable OSB or plank sheathing often hides unsupported sheathing edges and under-nailed panels, so deck re-nailing and, in many cases, full re-decking are part of the scope.

Riverside and Dog River add salt to the equation. Homes near the water take constant salt corrosion, so we spec corrosion-resistant aluminum or stainless drip edge, valley lining, and fasteners rather than plain steel that rusts out early. Downtown's CBD low-slope commercial buildings are a separate discipline, and we handle those flat-roof systems on their own terms.

Building for Gulf Coast Wind

Mobile sits in a high-wind design region, so the assembly is engineered, not guessed. The design starts from Vult, the ultimate design wind speed for the site, and the exposure category that reflects how open the surroundings are; those inputs drive the negative uplift pressure the roof must resist.

Uplift is not uniform across the roof. We treat the roof zones separately, because the perimeter and corner zones see far higher suction than the field, and fastening is tightened accordingly. That is why edge metal, starter strip, and corner shingles get extra attention on a coastal reroof.

The roof cover is a tested assembly, not just a shingle. We install products rated to ASTM D3161 Class F or ASTM D7158 Class H for wind, so the resistance is verified by test rather than assumed from a brochure.

The FORTIFIED Reroof Option

FORTIFIED is a stronger, verified way to reroof, and it can lower your premium. The core of it is the sealed-deck method paired with a tightened nailing schedule, which keeps water out even if the cover is torn off in a storm. Carriers in Alabama commonly credit it, but the exact discount is yours to confirm.

Verify the numbers with your carrier. Typical Alabama credits run about 35 to 60 percent off the hurricane portion of your wind premium and roughly 20 to 35 percent off the other-wind portion, but you should confirm your own figure before counting on it. Alabama's Strengthen Alabama Homes program can also provide a grant of up to $10,000 toward a qualifying roof.

FORTIFIED framing claims require verification. We designate at the roof level and document the sealed deck and fastening; any structural framing upgrade is evaluated on the actual home, not promised sight unseen.

Warranty and What to Expect

You get two kinds of coverage. The material warranty comes from the shingle manufacturer, and our separate workmanship and material warranty covers the installation itself. Both are written down before we start.

Insurance work is documented for the adjuster. Where a claim applies, we photograph the deck, the flashing, and the dry-in, and we can speak to ordinance-or-law coverage and recoverable depreciation so the paperwork reflects what was actually built. That documentation is what turns a code-required upgrade into a covered line item.

Expect a clean, communicated job. A typical Mobile home is a one-to-two-day tear-off and install once materials are staged, and we walk the finished roof with you before the final inspection closes it out.