When we had a small leak repaired around one of our Solatubes on the roof during the 2023 winter storms, the roof repair guy told me I would be looking at a new roof in the next couple/few years. When I asked when I’d know it was time, he said, “When you develop more leaks.”

Since my current roof is now 24 years old I decided not to wait. It’s my nature to preempt future problems. That’s what this whole website is about.

It took me about a year to research roofers and materials and to start getting bids. My roofing job would be complicated by the 19 solar panels and micro inverters installed on the racking on four different roofs of our house. They and the associated wiring, conduit and junction boxes would all need to be removed, stored and then reinstalled after the new roof was put on.

As I quickly learned, that added roughly $5,000 to what was essentially a $20,000 roof job. The most expensive bid was $6,400 over the least expensive.

When we had a new roof put on in 2000, it went down to the rafters and started with new plywood. It cost less than $7,500 then and included a discount for cash.

Of the six bids I got only two of the companies actually sent a person out to physically get on my roof and inspect it. The others made their bids based solely on satellite views. I did not have much trust or faith in the bids based only on satellite views.

Chris Lennon, co-owner of Ecosystems Roofing and Solar, came out to inspect my roof and immediately impressed me with his low key, fact-based approach. No sales pressure of any kind. It was clear Chris knew his business from both the roofing and solar sides. We chose EcoSystems to do our reroofing.

I was stoked to find out how much more advanced roofing materials had become in the past 24 years. We selected EPA Energy Star certified cool roof shingles in Shara White from Owens Corning with a 50 year warrantee.

The cool roof’s reflective ability would keep our house cooler and more energy efficient in hot weather. And it should get us a $1,200 tax credit. More on that later.

And instead of the organic material black felt paper that generally deteriorates over the years, Titanium synthetic sheets would be used. Designed to last for many years under our shingles without decomposing or tearing, it’s also designed to seal around the nail hole as the shingles are installed. The old black paper simply left a hole and those holes expanded as the house shifted and moved as the seasons went by.  

On the small flat roof covering our laundry area, they would use Polyglass, a “peel & stick” smooth rolled asphalt. It’s used as an additional layer of protection on flat or more gentle slopes. Its backing is peeled off and the polyglass is stuck directly to the wood decking as the base layer.

But before any of that could happen the solar team had to shut down and uninstall our solar PV system .

Within just 4 hours the entire system was off the roof with the 19 panels stored in my garage.

Over the course of the next week our old roof was removed and stripped down to the plywood deck.

 After the roof was down to bare wood, the new roof materials were delivered.

Then they were installed as part of what Owen Cornings calls a Total Protection Roofing system.

It didn’t take long to get everything quickly and safely on the roof and then the real fun began.

Above is a metal valley being installed where two roof parts come together. Our old roof didn’t have any. Metal valleys offer the advantages of better rain and debris drain from the roof while also providing better protection from weathering and high winds. Here’s what it looks like with the shingles.

With the roof in good hands I had a chance to really clean all 19 of our solar panels. The winter rains and damp early spring weather had them sprouting moss at the bottom of each panel.

Having been part of the team that installed the panels in 2015 I already had a personal relationship with these panels. So I enjoyed handling the again on the safety of the ground.

Once again, Arthur led the solar team and they reinstalled the complete system in half a day and it fired up perfectly the first time. This meter is dedicated to our solar production.

And here’s how it all turned out. We’re very happy with the results and the choice we made in Ecosystems who exceeded our expectations.

We’re excited about the difference the new roof, in combination with the insulation of the attic (and the rest of the house), will makes as each summer just keeps getting hotter and hotter.

We’ll be reporting back with the results and updates.