Who Removes the Siding When the Roof Meets a Wall?

You have two roof replacement quotes for your St. Louis house. Both include flashing where the garage roof meets the upstairs wall. One roofer says a few siding courses will need to come off. The other says nothing about siding. Before comparing the totals, ask one specific question: who has included opening and restoring that wall? A price for roof flashing does not, by itself, tell you whether the contractor has priced the work needed to reach it.

Roofer comparison

This comparison matters on a house with a dormer, an attached garage, or an addition tucked against an exterior wall. The roof surface ends at the wall, but the work may extend above that line. Depending on the existing assembly and the proposed repair, access to the flashing can involve siding, trim, or both. Ask each bidder to identify the affected wall on a photograph taken at your house.

The useful distinction is between a contractor who has included wall access and one who has excluded it. Either arrangement can be workable. The problem is discovering the exclusion after the shingles are off, when you need another trade and have little time to compare prices. A quote that names new flashing but leaves access unresolved is missing information you need for the decision.

Have both roofers mark the same wall

Do not settle for a general conversation about the siding. Ask each roofer to mark where they expect to lift, loosen, cut, or remove material. Those are different proposals. If one expects to remove several courses and another expects to work through a narrow opening, ask each to explain how that approach provides access for the specified flashing work.

You do not need to choose the installation method yourself. You need an explanation tied to the actual wall and the materials being installed. Ask what can be confirmed during the estimate and what will remain concealed until work begins. A contractor can reasonably identify a hidden condition as unknown without leaving the entire wall portion of the job undefined.

On an older St. Louis house, the garage or rear addition may have a different wall covering from the original building. Have the bidders identify each material separately. A plan for vinyl siding on the garage does not automatically answer what happens to wood siding beside a dormer. If there are two roof-to-wall locations, the proposal should address both.

Separate removal from restoration

A sentence promising to remove siding is only half an answer. Ask who reinstalls it, whether that work is included in the roof price, and what happens if a piece cannot be reused. The person making the estimate should distinguish between an intention to save existing material and a commitment to supply replacement material.

For example, a proposal might include careful removal and reinstallation of existing siding while excluding replacement pieces. Another might include an allowance for replacement. Those offers carry different costs and uncertainties. Neither should be treated as complete until you know how the wall gets finished if the original pieces do not go back.

What it costs

Ask for the wall access and restoration work to be identified in the price, even if the roofer keeps a single contract total. You want to know whether the total includes removal, temporary protection, reinstallation, replacement material, and any painting needed for the agreed finish. An item does not become included simply because it is necessary to complete the appearance of the house.

There is no useful single siding-access price to apply to every roof in greater St. Louis. A short wall beside a garage and a tall dormer reached from a steep roof present different jobs. The amount of siding involved, access to the wall, the condition of the material, and whether another contractor must attend all affect the scope. Compare those facts before deciding that one roofer has charged too much for the same work.

Keep three amounts distinct: work included in the base price, an allowance included for a defined purpose, and work excluded from the contract. If a bidder includes a siding allowance, ask what it buys and how the final charge will be calculated. If siding work is excluded, obtain that separate price before treating the roofing total as the amount you will spend.

Replacement material deserves its own conversation. Ask whether the contractor has identified a source for the existing siding profile or is merely expecting to find one later. If an exact replacement is unavailable, you may face a choice about how much of the wall to redo. Make that choice with an identified product and a written price, rather than a verbal promise that something similar can be found.

Painting can also sit outside both contractors' prices. The roofer may expect the siding contractor to handle it, while the siding contractor quotes only removal and reinstallation. Ask where preparation and finish painting belong, including who supplies the paint. This is especially useful if you are already planning exterior painting and need the trades scheduled in order.

What to ask

Send both bidders the same photograph and the same questions. Written answers make the comparison easier and give each contractor a chance to correct an omission before you sign. Use the location on the house, such as the west garage wall, instead of a vague reference to siding near the roof.

• Which siding and trim pieces do you expect to disturb?
• Does your price include putting those pieces back?
• Who performs the wall work, and who schedules that person?
• What is included if existing pieces cannot be reused?
• Who protects the opened wall if restoration is delayed?
• Does the finished price include painting or other finish work?

Then ask what happens between the roofing crew finishing its work and the wall being restored. In St. Louis, a roof replacement scheduled during spring can still encounter a rainy interval. You need a named person responsible for protection at the opened wall and an explanation of what happens if the siding contractor cannot arrive as scheduled. A roof completion date alone does not answer that question.

Choose a clear division of responsibility

Some homeowners will hire one contractor for the combined work. Others will keep a siding contractor they already know. Compare the arrangements by asking who coordinates the handoff, who checks that the necessary access is available, and who confirms the wall is ready to close. If you are expected to make those arrangements, include that responsibility in your decision.

Ask for photographs before the siding is reinstalled, along with photographs of the completed wall. The concealed work and the finished appearance answer different questions. Agree in advance on who supplies those images, particularly when two companies are involved. Otherwise, each may assume the other documented the portion you can no longer see.

Compare STL Roofers is operated by Keys Roofing. To discuss a roof replacement that meets a sided wall, call (314) 220-2333. Identify the wall location and say whether your existing quotes include siding removal and restoration. Ask for that portion of the proposed work to be addressed in writing before you authorize the roof.