What Happens After You Sign a Roofing Contract? A Behind-the-Scenes Guide

When you need a new pair of shoes, you choose your size, style, and brand. When you need a new roof, you’re trusting a contractor to make those decisions for you. After signing a contract with a roofing contractor, it isn’t obvious what’s happening behind the scenes.

We receive a lot of questions about what happens behind the scenes after a contract is signed, so this article attempts to open that black box. Our practices are not representative of every roofing contractor, or even most roofing contractors. But, as a company that completes well over 1,000 jobs a year, this is how we ensure that we complete your project as promised.

Firewall Review Process

You had an inspection, received an estimate, and signed a contract.

Now what?

Before your project is scheduled, every detail of your project is checked by multiple departments. This prevents the wrong materials from arriving at your house, or the right materials from arriving at the wrong house.

Every roof replacement or repair we complete goes through a multi-step review before materials are even ordered or a crew is scheduled. Each element of your project is contained in your project’s Firewall, which is your project’s master file. It’s a single document that holds key information needed before your roof is replaced and during its replacement, from materials and measurements to special instructions for the crew and scheduling notes. Keeping everything in one place ensures that each department sees the same information and can confirm the previous review step was completed correctly.

If an error is found at any stage in a Firewall’s review process, it is sent back to the Project Coordinator to correct, and the review process restarts. If your Project Coordinator requests to revisit the property to get additional measurements, it’s likely because a department requested them while reviewing the Firewall.

Typically, Firewalls are approved by each department within two-to-three business days. However, in a storm environment with increased Firewall volume and myriad insurance claims, the Firewall review process may take a week or more.

A screenshot from a Firewall that summarizes the project’s colors and how material will be loaded. Firewalls contain 11 sections, and each section contains the customer’s name and address. Even the best roof system is ineffective if it’s delivered to the wrong house. 

Below is an overview of what each Firewall review step looks like. While this list isn’t exhaustive, it will tell you who is looking for what during the review process.

Project Coordinator

Your project coordinator builds the initial Firewall. This includes:

• Contract details and scope of work for the crews.
• Material and color selections.
• Attic ventilation calculations.
• Special instructions you shared during the appointment.
• Diagrams from aerial imagery are annotated for the crew and foremen during installation.

Nothing moves forward unless what you agreed to is accurately represented here.

Head of Sales

The Head of Sales reviews the Firewall for technical accuracy and to ensure the roof will perform well. Their review confirms that:

• Roof measurements and quantities (e.g., the number of penetrations, soffit vents, and chimneys) are correct.
• The selected materials are sufficient and appropriate.
• Photos were taken of the attic space to confirm the roof deck’s condition.
• Attic ventilation meets code requirements.
• All contract information is accurately represented in the Firewall.

This step ensures that the roof system is correct and meets our performance standards before the Firewall proceeds further downstream.

Claims Team (if insurance is involved)

If an insurance claim was filed, our Claims Team verifies that the project aligns with your carrier’s documentation. Their responsibilities include:

• Reviewing all insurer paperwork.
• Beginning pre-supplementation or supplementation (supplementation is the process of identifying undervalued or missing items from your loss statement.)
• Corresponding with your adjustor.
• Verifying that previous attic ventilation calculations are correct and meet code requirements.
• Creating a checklist of photos needed for supplementation during the roof’s installation.

Insurance carriers require documentation after a project’s completion, so many of the Claims Team’s responsibilities are completed later in the process.

A tile roof system with a unique, custom-fabricated metal piece that doubles as heater flue flashing and a chimney cricket. Measurements for a precise single piece like this are checked at multiple stops in the Firewall review process to ensure everything is correct. 

Production and Scheduling

This stage is what turns your project from a single document into a new roof. Production and Scheduling will:

• Review the full scope of work and installation step-by-step.
• Coordinate all necessary subcontracted work to your home’s gutters, fascia, solar panels, and structural members.
• Pull all necessary permits.
• Schedule the use of any required equipment, such as telehandlers.
• Verify and finalize crew instructions.
• Provide you with schedule updates and timelines.

You’ll hear from our scheduler as this stage wraps up to discuss project timing. Later in the article, we’ll break down many of Production and Scheduling’s responsibilities in more detail.

Accounting

Accounting logs all invoices and deposits, along with any upgrades that were selected. All invoices are cross-referenced with the signed contract, even your name and spelling, to guarantee all information up to this point is correct.

By the time your project moves beyond this stage, every department has confirmed that the roof system you selected is accurately captured in the Firewall and ready to be built. 

Monitoring Weather

Before we schedule your roof replacement or repair, we monitor the weather closely. There are two weather conditions that prevent us from installing a roof: temperatures below 40 degrees and rain.

• Temperatures below 40 degrees: Shingles have an adhesive strip that keeps them flush against the roof’s surface. The adhesive on shingles doesn’t stick properly below approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and nails alone can’t prevent shingle uplift with moderate to high winds. If you’ve staked a tent to the ground, you’ve probably noticed that unstaked runs flutter in the wind. This is fine for a tent, but shingles need to remain taut to the roof at all times, not fluttering in the wind. Most manufacturers and the NRCA recommend installing a roof when the temperature is “40 degrees and rising” to guarantee proper adhesion and prevent wind uplift. This means that we install fewer roofs in the winter than in warmer months. We typically install between 10-25 roofs a week in the summer; however, we installed 10 roofs from the beginning of January through the end of February in 2025 due to prohibitively cold temperatures.
• Rain: Rain is the more obvious limiting factor. During tear-off, your roof deck is briefly exposed. Consequently, we won’t start a job if widespread rain is expected. In the spring and summer, forecasts can shift quickly, so the final scheduling decision is often made the morning of installation. If the forecast suggests scattered storms with a 30 percent chance of rain, our scheduler makes the call early that morning and will communicate directly with you. Roofs smaller than roughly 2,000 square feet may be completed before afternoon rain, and our crews are prepared to dry-in your roof if the weather shifts unexpectedly.

We will not schedule a roof replacement if it may expose your roof to rain or shingle adhesion issues. Careful, attentive scheduling protects both your home and the integrity of the roof system. 

Coordinating with Subcontractors

We refer to the roof and its related components as the “roof system.” Most people think of “the roof” as the shingles, but a well-performing roof depends on myriad roof components, gutters, fascia, attic ventilation, and sound structural members — all of which support the roof system, and all of which are corrected in a particular order. Exterior work often has a correct sequence, like the order of operations in math (PEMDAS). When the work is performed out of order, it can create confusion, void warranties, or double the labor.

In many cases, our job is to coordinate these moving parts. Below is a list of those moving parts, along with when they move: before, during, or after your roof replacement.

• Gutters & Downspouts: Roof and gutter replacements are performed by different crews. If you’re replacing both, the existing gutters can be removed before or after we install the new roof, and the new gutters are always installed after the roof. Debris slides down quickly on steep-pitched roofs and can dent the gutters. This order prevents damage to new gutters while the roof is being torn off. New gutters are usually installed within two weeks of the new roof.
• Gutter Guards: Roof tear-offs are controlled chaos. Thousands of nails and tons of debris are removed from your roof, and gutter guards may get damaged in the process. To protect your gutter guard warranty, we recommend removing them before we begin tear-off. Warrantied gutter guards may require removal by the company that installed them to maintain the warranty.
• Fascia Repairs: Gutters fasten directly into the fascia boards. Nails fastened to rotted fascia will back out, so any rotted fascia needs to be replaced before we install new gutters. Fascia repairs are scheduled after the existing gutters are removed, but don’t usually influence the roof’s replacement timeline.
• Damaged Structural Members: We always inspect the attic space during our initial roof inspections to assess the condition of the roof deck. Occasionally, this reveals structural issues like rotted rafters resulting from roof leaks. Structural repairs are outside the scope of roofing and should be assessed by a structural professional. If corrective work is needed (such as “sistering,” or joining a new rafter with the damaged section,) it can often be performed after the new roof is installed, unless the rafter no longer supports the roof or the structural contractor advises otherwise. We will coordinate any necessary structural repairs for you.
• Siding and painting: If you’re planning to update your home’s paint color, it’s best scheduled after the existing gutters are removed (if gutters are also being replaced) and any fascia repairs are complete. This prevents repainting after the fascia is replaced and allows the entire fascia board to be painted without the gutters in the way. Choosing your shingle color before painting the house also lets you coordinate your color palette; we can provide shingle sample boards to help you compare.
• Custom–Fabricated Metal Flashing: All roofs with chimneys, pans, and headwalls require custom-fabricated metal flashings. These are made to fit your home and are measured and fabricated before installation. On especially steep roofs (10:12 or greater), safety equipment (e.g., arresting harnesses and roof jacks) may be required to take measurements, so we may not be able to measure until the day we begin the reroof. In those cases, we coordinate with our metal fabricator to produce the components same-day to avoid delays. Otherwise, we will send someone out a few weeks before tear-off to safely obtain measurements.
• Specialized Equipment: We use hydraulic lift trailers to collect debris for nearly all roofing projects. Some equipment, like telehandlers (forklift-style loaders with a greater boom arm reach), are only required on projects that require material loading on difficult to reach roof sections. Projects that require specialized equipment may only be scheduled when the equipment is available, which may delay the project by a few days.
• Electrical Work: Some rooftop elements, such as powered attic fans or bathroom fans, require a licensed electrician to activate. This is typically noted early in the project so that we can coordinate with a licensed electrician after the powered components are installed.
• Solar Panels: If you have solar panels, they must be removed before we begin tear-off. Most systems are warrantied by the original installer, so they need to perform the removal to retain the warranty. If you’re adding solar panels after your new roof is installed, we will coordinate with your selected company to ensure the roof is ready for panel integration.

We installed OSB decking over the inactive, removed chimney’s location and integrated it into the roof system.

• Chimney Demolition: Some older homes have vestigial brick chimneys that the homeowner would like removed. While we can remove most sided chimneys during a roof replacement, brick or stone chimneys need to be removed by a separate contractor before or during the roof installation.
• Lightning Rods: Lightning rods are uncommon on residential properties. While we are capable of removing lightning rod systems during tear-off, we do not reinstall them. We recommend contacting a specialized contractor to reinstall your lightning rod systems if you would like them reset on your new roof system.

During tear-off for this asphalt shingle roof, we coordinated the detachment of the existing solar panels. We do not reinstall solar panels, and the homeowner wanted additional panels installed, so their existing solar panels remain in the driveway until the installing company reinstalls them. 

Warehouse Inventory

If shirt sizes didn’t exist, every shirt would need to be custom-made. Fortunately, shirt sizes have been standardized. Some roof components have the same advantage, like pipe boots (from 1 1/4” diameter to 4” diameter, measuring from the inside), heater flue flashings (base flashing, storm collars, and caps all come in standard sizes), and some step flashings on asphalt shingle roofs. If it comes in standard sizes, we likely source it from our existing warehouse inventory. Knowing what must be custom-ordered or produced, however, helps set accurate expectations for scheduling. 

Supplier Availability

Most of the material used on your roof is ordered from our local suppliers, who typically deliver it to your property on the day of the installation. If you’ve driven by a house with roofing materials loaded on the ridge of the roof with no crews present, it’s likely because the suppliers are busy and delivered the materials a day or two early. We will notify you in advance if your project requires material delivery a few days in advance. Busy suppliers may have reduced inventory, although some materials, like GAF’s FeltBuster synthetic underlayment, are consistently available.

Appalachian Sky, an uncommon shingle color, may present delays if insufficient material was ordered. This image was taken at a customer’s home to document the shingles installed on the roof system, and higher quantities were ordered to prevent potential delays. 

How Your Roof’s Material Affects Project Timelines

Uncommon material selections can require suppliers to place special orders. For example, GAF’s shingle colorway Appalachian Sky is not usually carried by our suppliers. Projects using this color or another unconventional shingle color may have longer timelines or marginally higher prices so that a surplus can be ordered to prevent shortages, which would cause extended delays. Our Project Coordinators will let you know if your color selection is likely to cause delays. Specialty shingles produced by DaVinci and Ludowici are generally unavailable off-the-shelf from suppliers, extending project timelines.

A rule of thumb: uncommon shingle a) colors, and b) manufacturers are likely to extend the project timeline.

A second rule of thumb: choosing an uncommon color or manufacturer may increase project costs slightly. This is partially due to the supplier’s effort to obtain the material, but there’s another reason: when a customer chooses a material or color that is not carried by our local supplier, we order one to two percent extra. That way, if we’re short on material, you are not stuck waiting weeks for your roof to be complete.

Work Volume

After a weather event like hail or extended periods of heavy rain, lead times increase across the industry. When this happens, we touch base with homeowners regularly even if nothing has changed. Some projects are prioritized due to urgent needs like insurance-imposed deadlines, active interior leaks, or real-estate transaction deadlines.

• Insurance-Imposed Deadlines: Some homeowners’ insurance carriers may impose coverage restrictions for roofs of a certain age. RCV restrictions often apply to roofs over 10 years old and some carriers do not extend coverage if a roof is over 20 years old. More commonly, roofs with insurable damage may begin to approach the anniversary of their date of loss, or the date that the insurable damage occurred. Your window to use any allotted funds from the date of loss may vary between insurance carriers, but the result of exceeding it is the same: insurance will no longer provide funds for the project. If a homeowner’s coverage is about to drop because of their roof’s age or they have nearly exceeded their insurable damage’s date of loss, we do our best to help them by completing their project quickly.
• Active Interior Leaks: Our job and the job of your roof is to keep water out of your home. If rain causes water to drip from the ceiling or ceiling stains to expand, let us know immediately. You may see water damage on the ceiling, but continued leaks may also cause damage to the roof deck and structural members in the attic. We can often perform temporary repairs, or “dry-ins,” using underlayment to prevent water from entering your home in the interim.
  To learn how to perform emergency roof repairs, read this article walking through the process.
• Real Estate Transactions: Real estate transactions can progress quickly. If your home is on the market or you have a buyer, let us know and we will attempt to move just as quick.

During periods of high demand, communication is paramount. The goal is to keep you informed so that unexpected delays never feel unexplained. 

Crew Instructions

Because a roof may have unique elements and needs, it’s our job to prepare our crews by providing them with information they will need to complete the project effectively and expediently.

We meet with our crews in-office weekly to plan for upcoming projects and collaborate to assess how long projects will take. Most roofs under 50 squares (5,000 square feet) will be completed in one day. Complex roofs and roofs larger than 50 squares may take longer than one day.

To determine how long a project will take, we review imagery taken from aircraft at oblique angles. We acquire this imagery from Eagleview (check out our article about Pitch Multipliers to learn more about Eagleviews and how aerial imagery is used). This provides the size, slope, and assesses the complexity of a roof system.

A diagrammed Eagleview of a property with special instructions for the crew. The numbers represent lineal feet (LF) of a run or section, and the colored sections instruct the crew where specialty materials or cuts will be made.

Below are a few questions we discuss with our crews that may influence how long a roofing project will take.

• Does the project involve re-flashing a skylight or installing a new skylight? If so, where is the new skylight going and which flashing kits will be used on which skylights?
• Which areas on the property will require additional protection? Sometimes this is clear to the crew without special instructions, such as a deck, backyard playset, and pool. Other areas require a detailed briefing or diagram, such as septic tank lines, a garden, recently repaved driveway, and irrigation systems – even garden gnomes that were inherited by the homeowner. It’s our responsibility to consult with the homeowner to learn what matters most so that we can protect it.
• Where on the roof will ice and water shield be used? Ice and water shield is a self-adhering waterproof membrane that is placed directly on the roof deck. It provides a layer of redundancy that protects potentially vulnerable areas, like those around rooftop penetrations (e.g., chimneys and pipe boots) or around the roof’s perimeter (i.e., eaves and rakes). These areas are clearly noted for the crew, and our foremen document its placement to guarantee we install the roof we promised.
• Will the roof system be altered in any way? Changes to the roof system can be minor like removing a satellite dish or significant like adding a slope. Even minor changes need to be explicitly communicated to the crew. Overcommunication outperforms assumptions.
• Is the roof cut up? “Cut up” does not mean that it’s been through a paper shredder — it essentially means that the roof is complicated. Cut up roofs may have an abundance of hips, pitch changes, turrets, tie-ins, or pans. The more complicated the roof, the more time we are likely to allot to the project.

Pulling Permits

In construction, permits are a contractor’s way of acknowledging that they will comply with local building codes, safety standards, and that they are claiming responsibility for the completed work. We pull permits before completing any work, and some counties require that the work is completed within 30 days of pulling the permit.

Permits ensure that every step of the installation follows your local building codes. It’s another safeguard for the homeowner, confirming your project is built correctly and documented properly.

What You Can Do Before Your Roof Is Replaced

If you are a current Rhoden Roofing customer and you have questions about your roofing project, call us at (316) 927-2233 — let us walk you through any questions you may have. You may also be interested in our “What to Expect” series below. 

If you are not a current Rhoden Roofing customer and have questions about the roofing process, check out our “What to Expect” series below or schedule a free inspection. Our Project Coordinators will walk you through the process start-to-finish and answer any questions about our process.