Does the roof replacement cost include removing the old roof?

Second layers are common on Greater Victoria homes built before the 1980s. A 1950s Esquimalt or View Royal bungalow may have had a layer of asphalt laid straight over the original, and some Fernwood and James Bay roofs hide cedar shingles under two layers of asphalt. Each layer changes the disposal weight and the crew time, which is why the quote should state how many layers the estimator found, ideally after looking at the eave edge or inside the attic rather than guessing.

Everything from the core municipalities is trucked to Hartland landfill in Saanich; from Sooke and the West Shore the drive is longer and the bin rental runs a day more. Moss adds to the load: a shaded north-facing roof in the Highlands or under Cordova Bay firs can carry an extra tonne of wet moss and debris compared with a sunny Sidney roof of the same size. Ask whether the disposal line is fixed or 'by weight'.

Ask for three words on the quote: layers, disposal, allowance. 'Tear-off of two layers of asphalt, disposal included, decking allowance $9 per sq ft if required' tells you everything. 'Remove existing roofing' tells you nothing, and it is the phrase most likely to become a change order on day one.

• Number of layers the estimator found and how
• Disposal and bin included, or a fixed extra
• Per-sheet or per-sq-ft decking price if rot is found
• Whether moss removal before tear-off is extra

Some metal roofing systems can be installed over a single flat layer of asphalt shingles, which avoids tear-off and disposal entirely. That saves money and a day of mess, but it hides the decking, adds weight and can void some shingle-to-metal detailing at eaves and valleys. Whether it is allowed can also depend on the building department, so confirm locally before choosing that route. A second layer of asphalt over the first is not something we would recommend on a coastal roof; it traps moisture and shortens the life of both layers.

A good quote handles this before it happens. The crew exposes the decking, photographs any soft or delaminated sheets, and replaces them at the pre-agreed rate ($7 to $10 per square foot in our model, or a per-sheet price). You should get the photos and the count on the final invoice. If the quote had no allowance, this is the moment the 'cheap' roof stops being cheap.