Guide
Tile roof underlayment replacement in Arizona: lift and relay
Updated
The most common serious roofing job in Arizona is not replacing tile. It is replacing what is under the tile, while keeping the tile you already own.
What a lift and relay actually is
Concrete and clay tile are the weather shell, but they are not the waterproof layer. The waterproofing is the underlayment stapled to the deck beneath them. In Arizona's combination of sustained heat, ultraviolet exposure and short violent monsoon rain, the underlayment is normally what reaches the end of its life first, while the tile itself is still perfectly serviceable.
- The tile is lifted and stacked on the roof in sections, or lowered and stored.
- The old underlayment is stripped to the sheathing and the deck is inspected.
- Damaged sheathing, fascia and battens are replaced (this is the classic change order, so get a per-sheet price first).
- New underlayment goes down, with flashings, valleys and penetrations redone.
- The original tile is reset, with new tile bought only to cover breakage.
Where the money is on this job
- Underlayment grade
- This is the whole point of the job, and it is where cheap bids get cheap. Get the product name and weight in writing, plus the manufacturer's warranty document, not a verbal promise of "heavy duty felt".
- Breakage allowance
- Handling old tile breaks some of it. A bid should say how breakage is priced and whether matching replacement tile is included. Discontinued profiles and colors cost real money to match.
- Deck condition
- Unknowable until the tile is off. Insist on a written per-sheet rate for decking and per-foot rate for fascia before anything is lifted.
- Flashing and penetrations
- Valleys, headwalls, skylights, vents and swamp cooler curbs. Reusing tired flashing is the most common corner cut and the most common source of a leak in the same place two years later.
- The flat sections
- Most Arizona homes carry some low slope area. It is a separate system, separate price and separate warranty. See flat and low slope roofs in Arizona.
Questions that separate the bids
- Are you resetting my tile or selling me new tile? If new, why?
- What exact underlayment product and weight, and what is its warranty in Arizona sun?
- What is the per-sheet decking rate and the per-foot fascia rate if you find damage?
- Are all flashings, valley metal and pipe boots new, or reused?
- Who pulls the permit, and when does the city inspection happen?
Prices for this work are not published anywhere in Arizona and vary with roof area, pitch, tile profile, story height and access. Make the bids comparable with the cost-driver table, then collect at least three of them from ROC-licensed roofers.