Roof Replacement in Scottsdale, AZ: Tile Relay, Shingle Tear-Off and Foam Roof Makeovers

Roof replacement means different work on different roofs. On a Scottsdale tile roof it often means keeping the tile and replacing what is under it. On a shingle roof it means stripping to the deck. On a foam roof it usually means no tear-off at all. We are Circle G Roofing, a family run Scottsdale crew, and this page explains what replacement involves for each roof type, what the City of Scottsdale and your HOA will want, and how to tell whether your roof needs it yet.

How to tell a roof is past repair

Age alone does not decide it. What decides it is whether the failure is in one place or everywhere.

Roof type	Still a repair when	Replacement when
Concrete or clay tile	A few tiles are cracked or slipped and the underlayment beneath is sound	The underlayment is brittle across the roof. Under Scottsdale heat that is usually after 13 to 16 years
Asphalt shingle	Shingles are still flexible and the damage is in one area	Shingles are brittle across the surface, edges are curling, or the mat shows through bare patches. Past about 15 years of Arizona sun, look closely
Spray foam	The coating is worn but the foam is dry, or blisters are few	Foam is wet or blistered in many places, or the roof has gone far past its recoat date
Coated flat roof	The coating is chalky or thin and what is under it is dry and firmly attached	The material under the coating is wet or loose. A coating is only as sound as what it is bonded to

If your roof is in the left-hand column, our roofer Scottsdale AZ page covers the repair. The City of Scottsdale’s re-roofing guide gives the same general advice in its own words: re-roof when the roofing material is damaged or shows signs of excessive wear. It names wind as the most damaging element in the southwestern desert.

Tile roofs: relay or new tile

The City’s guide says clay and concrete tile became the roofing material of choice in Scottsdale in the 1990s. Many of those roofs are now at the age where the underlayment has worn out and the tile has not. That gives a tile roof two ways to be replaced.

Underlayment relay with the original tile

If the tile is sound, it can be lifted and stacked, the old underlayment stripped, new underlayment laid, and the same tile set back, with only the broken pieces replaced. This is the middle option between patching and a new roof, and it keeps the look your home and your HOA already have. If only the underlayment has failed, we will tell you that instead of selling you new tile.

New concrete or clay tile

When the tile itself is worn, mismatched from years of patching, or you want a different look, the roof gets new tile. We install both kinds.

	Concrete tile	Clay tile
Color	The surface color fades over time	The color is the material, and it holds for decades
Range	More profiles and colors to choose from	Suits a Spanish or Mediterranean elevation
Weight	Heavier, which matters on an older structure	Lighter than concrete

How a tile replacement runs

1. Strip and check the deck. The old roof comes off and the deck is checked for soft spots and damage.
2. Lay the underlayment. We use a high-temperature underlayment specified for Arizona deck heat, lapped correctly and carried into the valleys and up the walls.
3. Form the valleys and flashing. Flashing and penetrations are tied into the underlayment before a tile is set.
4. Set the tile. Tile is set course by course to a straight line, the hips and ridges are finished and the site is cleared.

A tile replacement takes one to two weeks on a typical Scottsdale home, depending on how complex the roof is. The roof is never left open overnight.

Asphalt shingle roofs: strip to the deck

Shingles were used on sloped roofs in Scottsdale almost exclusively until the 1990s, according to the City’s guide, so a shingle roof here is most likely on a home built before then. A shingle rated for thirty years somewhere mild is doing well to reach twenty here.

1. Strip and check the deck. The old roof is stripped to the deck and any rotten wood is replaced.
2. Drip edge and underlayment. Drip edge goes on, then fresh underlayment over the whole roof, carried into the valleys.
3. Flashing and penetrations. Valleys, step flashing, headwall flashing and vent boots are renewed before the shingles go on.
4. Shingles and ridge. Shingles are nailed to the manufacturer’s pattern and the ridge caps are finished. The site is swept with a magnet for nails.

Nailing matters more than most people expect. Almost every blow-off we are called to had nails placed too high, driven too deep or too few in number. We check attic ventilation at the same visit, because a shingle roof over a poorly vented attic ages years faster.

The City’s guide allows at most one overlay of asphalt shingles over one existing layer. We strip to the deck anyway. A roof laid over old layers traps heat and hides problems.

Foam roofs: a makeover in place of a tear-off

Spray foam roofing is our specialty, and it is the roof that least often needs tearing off. The foam is not the part that wears out. The coating is. A full foam roof makeover renews the roof with the existing closed cell foam left in place.

• The whole roof is power washed.
• Old, blistered and saturated foam is cut out, and air pockets are removed.
• Low areas are filled with new foam so that water runs to the drains and scuppers.
• Penetrations, parapet walls and equipment curbs are resealed.
• The roof is recoated with an elastomeric finish coat, silicone or polyurea, chosen for the roof.

Our full foam roof makeovers carry a 5-year warranty. That warranty applies to full foam roof makeovers only. Because nothing is torn off, the deck is never open to the weather and there is less waste to haul away.

Foam can also replace an older flat roof. The City’s guide notes that foam is replacing rolled roofing in most flat roof systems in Scottsdale. Foam can usually go over an existing roof, and we check the existing surface, the drains and every penetration first, because foam has to bond to something sound. The City’s re-roofing guide says a built-up covering is to be removed completely unless the building official allows it to stay, on conditions that include a sound structure, a covering securely attached to the deck, insulation that is not water soaked and drainage that prevents water from standing.

City of Scottsdale permits for a roof replacement

The City lists re-roofing with the same roofing material among work that needs no permit. Its re-roofing guide says a building permit is required if any part of the roof sheathing or structural framing is repaired or replaced, and that the owner of the property is ultimately responsible for making sure a permit is issued where one applies. Where it does apply, the guide lists inspections of the roof sheathing, the flashing and underlayment, and a final.

Read together, a like-for-like replacement on a sound deck needs no permit, and a replacement that uncovers damaged decking does. A change of material is a question for the City’s One Stop Shop before anything is ordered. Our roofing contractor Scottsdale AZ page goes through the permit rules, licensing and HOA approval in full.

HOA approval, tile color and roof finish

The City tells residents to check with their homeowners association before proceeding and says it does not enforce association rules. In McCormick Ranch, the property owners’ association requires any change that affects the exterior to be approved in advance. A relay with the original tile changes nothing visible. New tile in a different profile or color, or a new coating color on a roof that can be seen from the street, should go to your architectural committee first. We check an association’s rules on tile profile and color before ordering, and our quote names the exact tile and finish so that you have something to submit.

On flat roofs there is also the City’s energy code. Scottsdale’s amendments call for low-sloped roofs on homes to meet a minimum reflectance, except where the Environmentally Sensitive Lands ordinance prohibits it. That overlay covers 134 square miles of desert and mountain land north and east of the Central Arizona Project canal. If your home is in it, confirm with the City which finish is acceptable before the coating is chosen.

Timing a replacement around heat and monsoon

Scottsdale gets little rain. The City puts the average at 7.66 inches a year. The storms that test a roof come with the monsoon, which the National Weather Service dates from June 15 through September 30. In those weeks it matters more than ever that a roof is never left open overnight.

Heat is the other limit. The Weather Service’s 1991 to 2020 figures for Phoenix show an average of 111 days a year at or above 100 degrees. Coating work goes best on a cooler deck, which is why a foam or flat roof often gets its recoat in the fall. If your roof is marginal and the monsoon is coming, have it inspected before the storms and not after the first leak.

What the price depends on

We publish no prices and give none over the phone. A replacement price depends on the size and shape of the roof, whether the tile is relaid or new, the tile chosen, the condition of the deck, how much foam has to come out, and the number of penetrations. You get a fixed price in writing after a free inspection, with the underlayment, flashing and fastening detail written into it.

We work across Scottsdale and in Tempe, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree and Phoenix. To see who we are, read our roofing company Scottsdale AZ page or visit Circle G Roofing.

Common questions