Florence, SC Roofing
When a repair no longer makes sense, the crew replaces your roof with materials built for the Carolina climate, then cleans up so thoroughly you would never know they were there.
Call (854) 204-4005Roof replacement means taking your roof down to the wood deck and rebuilding the whole waterproofing system from there — not patching a slope or laying new shingles over the old ones. For a Florence home, you're usually here because an asphalt roof has run out its life in a climate that's hard on it, or because a summer storm or tropical system did enough damage that another repair no longer makes sense.
The clearest signs are on the roof and in the attic. Shingles that curl, cup, or shed granules across a whole slope — not just one patch — mean the asphalt has dried out and can't seal anymore. Granules collecting in your gutters, bald spots facing the afternoon sun, and water stains or daylight in the attic all point the same way. So does a roof that has simply passed 20-plus years down here, where heat ages shingles faster than the label promises.
Not every tired-looking roof needs replacing, though. Black streaks are usually algae, not failure, and a roof with real life left often just needs a targeted repair. The roofer climbs it, photographs what he finds, and tells you plainly whether you're out of time or have a few good years left before he ever brings up a start date.
The crew strips everything off — old shingles, felt, and any layers a previous crew left behind — until they're standing on bare plywood. Going over an existing roof traps the heat and moisture that killed the first one and hides the soft spots you're paying them to find. In Florence's humidity, a second layer bakes and holds water against the deck, and it shortens the life of whatever they put on top.
With the roof open, the contractor walks every square foot and checks for rot, delamination, and boards that flex underfoot. Years of trapped attic moisture and old leaks around chimneys and valleys leave plywood that's soft and won't hold a nail. They replace those sections with new sheathing before anything else goes down, and they show you what came out so the charge for it isn't a surprise on the invoice.
They lay synthetic underlayment across the whole deck and self-adhering ice-and-water membrane in the valleys and around every penetration — the spots where Florence's heavy summer downpours actually drive water in. All flashing at chimneys, pipes, and walls gets replaced, not reused. Bent, rusted flashing that has already leaked once is not worth saving under a new roof you expect to last for decades.
The crew installs architectural asphalt shingles rated for the wind speeds this part of the Pee Dee sees, sealed and nailed to the manufacturer's spec so the warranty holds. They also check that your attic actually breathes — intake at the soffits, exhaust at the ridge. Poor ventilation cooks shingles from below and is the quiet reason a lot of Florence roofs fail years earlier than they should.
A tear-off throws nails and debris everywhere. The crew tarps the ground and shrubs before they start, hauls off every scrap of old roofing, and runs magnets over the yard, driveway, and flower beds — usually more than once. If you've got kids, pets, or bare feet in summer, stray nails are the thing that ruins an otherwise good job, so they take that part seriously.
The contractor starts on the roof and in the attic, takes photos of what they find, and gives you a written estimate that breaks out labor, materials, and any decking they expect to replace. If a repair makes more sense than a full replacement, we'll say so. You get a clear scope in writing before anyone talks about a start date or a deposit.
Florence County and the City of Florence require a permit for a roof replacement, and the contractor pulls it. They order your shingles and set a start date around the weather — no point tearing off ahead of an afternoon storm line. Materials are delivered before the crew arrives so nothing sits exposed on your roof longer than it has to.
Most Florence homes come off and go back on in one to two days. The crew tears down to the deck, replaces bad sheathing, then builds back up — underlayment, flashing, shingles, ridge cap. They work one section at a time and keep the open deck covered so a surprise shower doesn't find its way into your house.
When the roof's done, the crew walks it to check every seal, valley, and flashing line, then cleans the site and runs the magnets. The county sends an inspector to sign off on the permit, and they handle that visit. You get your workmanship warranty in writing and the manufacturer's coverage registered in your name.
Florence sits in the Pee Dee, far enough inland to dodge the worst coastal storm surge but not the wind — remnants of tropical systems and the hard thunderstorm lines that roll through most summer afternoons still punish roofs here. The bigger everyday enemy is heat and humidity. Long, brutal summers dry out asphalt and drive the black algae streaks you see on half the roofs in town. Moisture trapped in a poorly vented attic quietly rots decking from underneath long before the shingles look finished.
A lot of Florence's housing is brick ranch and single-story homes from the 1960s through the '80s, plus newer subdivisions out west. The older homes often carry their original decking and undersized ventilation, so the roofers find more soft plywood on those tear-offs than on newer builds. Whatever the age, a replacement here needs a Florence County or City of Florence permit and a final inspection, and if you're filing an insurance claim for storm damage, that inspection and their documentation matter to how the claim gets paid.
For a typical single-story Florence home with architectural asphalt shingles, most replacements land somewhere in the $9,000 to $18,000 range. What moves the number is size, roof pitch, how many layers have to come off, and how much rotten decking turns up once they open it. Steeper roofs, multiple valleys, and extra chimneys or skylights all add labor. Metal costs more up front but lasts far longer. The crew puts the real drivers in your written estimate so you can see what you're paying for.
Most Florence roofs are a one- to two-day job once the crew is on site. A larger home, a steep or complex roof, or a lot of decking that needs replacing can push it to three. Weather is the biggest variable — they won't tear off with a storm line coming, because an open deck and a Pee Dee downpour don't mix. If a job runs long, they keep the roof dried-in at the end of each day.
It depends on why the roof is failing. Damage from a specific storm — wind that tore shingles or hail that bruised them — is usually a claim, and the contractor will document it with photos and meet your adjuster on the roof. Wear from age and sun is not covered; that's a normal replacement you pay for. Be aware that many South Carolina insurers now limit or drop coverage on roofs past 15 to 20 years, which is often the nudge homeowners get to replace before a claim is even in the picture.
For most Florence homes, architectural asphalt shingles are the sensible choice — they handle our heat and wind well and cost the least to install. In this climate, expect roughly 20 to 25 years of real service from them, less if the attic ventilation is poor. Standing-seam metal costs more up front but can run 40-plus years and sheds our heavy rain fast. We'll tell you which we'd put on our own house given your roof's pitch, your budget, and how long you plan to stay.
There are two warranties, and they're different. The manufacturer's warranty covers defects in the shingles themselves — it does not cover a bad install. The contractor's workmanship warranty covers the labor: if water gets in because of how they flashed or nailed something, they fix it. That's the one that matters most, because most leaks come from installation, not the shingle. They register the manufacturer's coverage in your name and put their workmanship terms in writing, with a real length, not a vague promise.
Usually not. Those black streaks are algae — Gloeocapsa magma — feeding on the limestone filler in shingles, and it thrives in Florence's humidity. It's ugly but it isn't structural, and a roof covered in it can still have years left. What actually ends a roof is granule loss, curling, and brittle shingles that won't seal. When it's time to replace, the roofer can install algae-resistant shingles with copper granules that keep the streaking from coming back nearly as fast.
Free, no-pressure inspection and a written estimate.
Call (854) 204-4005