Tearing off and reroofing
The sequence is the same everywhere. What changes in Kalamazoo County is which parts of it matter most, and the answer is the parts nobody sees afterwards.
Before anything, the licence
Michigan requires a licence for roofing work, and the City of Kalamazoo’s own permit application asks for the residential builders licence number and its expiry date alongside a federal employer identification number or a stated reason for exemption. So there is a number, it is on the paperwork, and you can ask for it. Do.
Tear off
Everything off, down to the deck. The permit application asks how many layers are already there, with boxes for one, two and three, which tells you how common multiple layers are on this county’s older housing. Each extra layer is labour and disposal weight.
The deck, and what winter does to it
This is where Michigan roofs differ from dry climate roofs. The decking along the bottom few feet of a roof that has been damming for years is frequently soft, stained or delaminated, even when the shingles above it look serviceable. That is water that came in behind ice, sat on the deck and went nowhere. Expect the eave area to need attention on an older house, and agree a per sheet price in writing before the tear off rather than discussing it on day two.
Ice and water membrane
The single most important specification on a Kalamazoo reroof. A self adhering membrane along the eaves so that water backing up behind a dam meets a sealed surface rather than a seam between two sheets of decking. Ask two questions: whether it is included, and how far up the slope it runs. It is measured from the inside face of the exterior wall, so a low pitch roof or a deep overhang needs it carried much further up than a steep one. Valleys deserve it too.
Ventilation
Intake at the soffits, exhaust at the ridge, balanced. In this climate ventilation is not a finishing detail, it is the thing that keeps the deck cold enough to stop the melt cycle and dry enough to stop condensation rotting it from underneath. While the roof is off, the ridge is open and the soffits are reachable, so it is the cheap moment to correct all of it.
Flashing and edges
New metal at chimneys, sidewalls, valleys and penetrations. Drip edge at eaves and rakes, which matters more here than in a dry state because it directs water into the gutter rather than behind it, and water behind a gutter is what rots fascia.
Shingles and the permit
Architectural asphalt is the sensible default. The city permit is fifty two dollars per structure, handled by Community Planning and Economic Development at 150 East Crosstown Parkway on 311 or 269-337-8000, and the first fifty two dollars is non refundable.
One independent southwest Michigan roofing company takes requests from this site. The cost page has local ranges and ice dams explains why the eave detail matters so much.
Questions people ask
- Can I just go over the old roof?
The permit application has a box for it, so it happens. In this climate it is usually a poor trade. A second layer holds heat against the deck, which feeds the exact melt and refreeze cycle that damages Michigan roofs, and it means nobody inspects the decking. It also makes the next replacement more expensive, because two layers come off instead of one.
- How do I check the licence?
Ask for the number and the name it is held under, and check it against the state register before work starts. The permit application asks the roofer for the same thing, so a company that hesitates over giving it to you is telling you something useful.
- Can a roof be done in winter here?
Emergency repairs happen year round. Full replacement in deep winter is a harder proposition, because asphalt shingles need warmth to seal their adhesive strip and a roof laid cold can sit unsealed until spring. Good companies do winter work carefully with hand sealing where needed. Be cautious about anyone treating a January reroof as routine.