Question 1

Do I really have to replace my roof every 15 years in Florida?

Accepted Answer

No. No Florida law says a roof has to come off at 15 years. That number comes from insurance underwriting. Since 2022, Florida law (s. 627.7011(5)) says an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old. Once a roof is 15 or older, an inspection showing at least five years of useful life left blocks a refusal based solely on its age. Past that, each insurer sets its own limits. Citizens is widely reported to use 25 years for shingle and 50 years for tile and metal, but read your own policy rather than a forum post. What the underwriter really wants is evidence of condition. Our free roof inspection gives you a written condition report with photos, the kind of document insurers ask for. If the roof has years left, the report says so. If it does not, we will tell you that too and quote a replacement instead of a patch that will not pass.

Question 2

What is the 25% rule, and does it still apply?

Accepted Answer

The old rule said that if 25% or more of a roof was repaired or replaced within 12 months, the whole roof had to be brought up to current code, which in practice meant a full replacement. Senate Bill 4-D, effective May 26, 2022, changed that for newer roofs. If your roof was built or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later, only the area being repaired has to meet current code. Roofs that went on before the 2007 code still fall under the old rule, and that matters here. Many roofs in Palm Coast's original sections, and plenty of the older roofs in the Hammock, were installed before 2007. On those homes a large repair can tip into a full replacement, and an insurer that measures damage close to 25% knows it. Before you approve a big roof repair on an older house, have us measure it. We will show you where the line is and whether repairing or replacing makes more sense over the next ten years.

Question 3

Tile, metal or shingle on the coast?

Accepted Answer

There is no single right answer, and anyone who says "go metal" without looking at your house is guessing. We install every roof type, including flat, copper and custom work, so we have no reason to steer you toward one. On the coast, three things decide how long a roof lasts: salt air, how it is fastened, and what is underneath it. Metal roofing does well near the ocean when the panels, fasteners and trim are rated for salt exposure. Tile roofing lasts for decades when it is set correctly over a good underlayment, and insurers generally allow tile and metal longer age limits than shingle. Shingle roofing is still the right call for plenty of homes: it is the lowest up-front cost of the three, it suits a lot of Palm Coast's houses, and a well-installed shingle roof on the right underlayment handles our weather. HOA review counts too, since several communities restrict what you can install. And replacing a sound tile roof will not lower your premium. Our longer comparison is in tile vs metal vs shingle on the Florida coast.

Question 4

How do I know a roofer is legit and not a storm chaser?

Accepted Answer

Start with the license. Look the company up on the Florida DBPR license search; ours is Certified Roofing Contractor CCC057958. Then ask whose license the permit will be pulled under. It should be the company you are signing with, not a subcontractor you have never met. Ask who will actually be on your roof. Reddit has plenty of stories from homeowners who hired a licensed company and got an unlicensed, uninsured crew. Ours is the same core crew that has worked together for more than 30 years, and Mark or Nicholas is on site for nearly every job. Ask for a certificate of insurance. Never pay the full price before the work starts. Be careful with anyone who knocks on your door after a storm offering a roof through your insurance. Read what past customers wrote. And get more than one bid, so you can compare the scope of work and not only the bottom line.

Question 5

Should I file an insurance claim for my roof?

Accepted Answer

We are roofers, not public adjusters or lawyers, so we will not tell you to file. What we do is document the roof: photos, measurements, and a written description of the damage we find and, where we can tell, what caused it. You and your insurer decide from there. Two things trip people up. First, age is not a claim. Insurance covers sudden damage, like a storm tearing off shingles, not a roof wearing out. A roofer who promises a free roof for a worn-out one is setting you up for a denial. Second, time. Florida shortened the claim-filing deadline to one year in December 2022, so if a storm damaged your roof, have it looked at soon rather than next season. We make no promises about your deductible or what your policy will pay; that is between you and your insurer. If you do file, we work with your adjuster and show them exactly what we found.

Question 6

Who are the good roofing contractors in Palm Coast?

Accepted Answer

Honestly, Reddit is not where Palm Coast asks this. The local "who is a good roofer" posts mostly happen in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Facebook groups. Wherever you ask, run every name you get through the checklist above, including ours. Here is what we are. The family has roofed in Palm Coast since 1989 and is on its third generation of roofers; owners Mark and Nicholas are the second and third. We have built two roofing companies, and the same core crew has been together for more than 30 years. We are a Florida Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC057958), fully insured, and manufacturer-certified Atlas installers, and we guarantee to beat any competitor's warranty. We have roofed most of Sea Colony, a large share of Sugar Mill Plantation, and hundreds of squares of tile in Hammock Dunes, and we work across Flagler County and six more counties. Inspections and quotes are free, and when you reach out we call back within one business day.

What Reddit asks about Florida roofers. Our straight answers.