Planning your roof
Roofing glossary: understand your roof proposal
A homeowner guide from TBAR Roofing. Updated .
Plain-language roofing terms and questions that help you compare the actual scope of two estimates.
Start with the layers
Decking is the structural surface beneath the roof covering. Underlayment sits between that surface and the shingles as an additional water-shedding layer. Flashing helps keep water out where roofing meets walls, openings or other interruptions. A drip edge directs water at the roof perimeter.
Starter strips begin the shingle system along roof edges. Ridge caps cover hips and ridges. A ridge vent provides an attic-air outlet near the roof peak; ventilation also needs an appropriate intake arrangement.
The shape and the measurement
An eave is the lower roof overhang. A valley is the inward junction between sloping roof planes. Slope describes rise compared with horizontal distance: 4:12 means four inches of rise over twelve inches of run. A roofing square is 100 square feet of roof area.
Turn terminology into a useful question
When a proposal says flashing, ask which locations and components it covers. When it includes decking work, ask how damaged areas will be documented and how additional work will be approved. A named component is more useful when its location, product and intended work are clear.
Keep a copy of each estimate and mark any term that you cannot connect to a particular part of the roof. Bring that list to the proposal conversation. Two documents can use the same vocabulary while covering different work.
Compare scope before comparing totals
Create three columns on a sheet of paper: included work, allowances or assumptions, and exclusions. Put removal, disposal, decking, flashing, ventilation and cleanup into those columns for each proposal. Ask the contractor to resolve blank or ambiguous entries in writing.
This glossary helps with the conversation; it does not diagnose a roof or specify an installation. Your roof's condition and the selected system determine the details. TBAR Roofing can discuss a roof replacement or inspection request using the information about your property.