TL;DR
A tear-off is the complete removal of existing roofing down to the bare deck before new material goes on, as opposed to overlaying a second shingle layer. It exposes rotten sheathing, bad flashing, and previous patchwork that an overlay would bury, and it resets the roof to a single layer, which most codes cap at two.
What it means
A tear-off is the complete removal of existing roofing down to the bare deck before new material goes on, as opposed to overlaying a second shingle layer. It exposes rotten sheathing, bad flashing, and previous patchwork that an overlay would bury, and it resets the roof to a single layer, which most codes cap at two. Bids price it per square plus disposal, and the dumpster, magnet sweep for nails, and deck re-nailing line items are the tells of a contractor doing it properly.
Where it sits in the glossary
Tear-off is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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