If you have booked an estimate, this is what the visit is and is not. It is not a sales presentation. It is a look at your roof and a conversation about whether metal makes sense on it, and if so, which system.

What we do on the roof

Walk it, or ladder it where walking is not safe. Measure every plane. Look at the pitch, the valleys, the penetrations, the sidewalls and chimneys — the details are where roofs fail, so the details are what we spend time on. Check the deck from the attic where we can: sagging, staining, ventilation, how many layers are up there.

This matters because the answers decide the system. A 3/12 roof with a lot of valleys rules some systems out. A roof with two layers of asphalt means a tear-off whether anyone likes it or not.

What we will tell you

Whether metal is a good fit for the house at all. Which systems the pitch and the details allow, and which I would not put on it. Roughly what drives the price on your roof — size, pitch, complexity, tear-off, finish — before a number is on paper. The warranty, in writing, including what it does not cover.

If the roof is sound and the leak is one bad detail, we will say that, and point you to a repair contractor. We do not take standalone repair work. If the roof is an aging screw-down system losing washers across the whole field, or asphalt at the end of its life, that is a replacement conversation and we will have it honestly.

What I hope you will ask

Which seam are you quoting — snap-lock or mechanically seamed — and why on this roof?
What is the finish, and what are the fade and chalk numbers on its warranty?
What happens at the valleys, the sidewalls, the chimney?
What would make you tell me not to do this?

That last one is the useful one. A contractor who cannot answer it has not thought about your roof, only about the sale.

What to have ready

Nothing you do not already have. If you have a recent insurance inspection, old quotes, or photos of a leak, those help. If the attic access is through a closet, clearing a path saves ten minutes.

What you will not get

Pressure. There is no discount for signing that day, because the price does not depend on the day. If you want to think about it for a month, the quote will still be the quote. The roofs we install last a long time; the decision can take a little while too.

Now you know what the visit is for.

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