A homeowner's guide to Scottsdale roofers, tile and foam roofs

Tile roofing in Scottsdale: why roofs fail from the inside out

Most roofs in Scottsdale are concrete or clay tile, and the tile is not the problem. A concrete tile will sit in the sun for 50 years and still shed water. The thing that fails is the underlayment beneath it — the felt or membrane nailed to the deck that actually keeps the house dry. In this heat, with attics pushing 150°F on a 115°F afternoon, the original 30-pound felt under most 1990s and 2000s tile roofs dries out, cracks and turns to powder somewhere between 15 and 25 years. The tile above it looks perfect. Then the monsoon arrives.

July through September is when most leaks show up. A microburst drives rain sideways under the tile, the dead underlayment does nothing, and water shows up on a ceiling in McCormick Ranch or Scottsdale Ranch that has never leaked before. That is the pattern: a roof that looks fine from the street, a house that is dry for nine months, and a $300 to $1,500 leak repair that turns into an $8,000 to $15,000 underlayment replacement because the felt is gone everywhere, not just at the leak.

The second roof type here is foam. Sprayed polyurethane foam on flat and low-slope roofs — the Santa Fe and territorial-style homes all over Paradise Valley, Gainey Ranch and the older parts of town — is a good system, but the acrylic coating on top is sacrificial. UV eats it. It needs a fresh coat every 5 to 7 years, and a foam roof that has gone gray and pitted has been unprotected for a while.

Shingle roofs are the minority, mostly in South Scottsdale between McDowell and Indian School and on 1960s–70s ranch homes near Old Town. The UV here shortens their life; an architectural shingle rated for 30 years elsewhere is doing well to make 18 to 22 here.

Whether to repair or replace comes down to the felt: if it is still pliable, a repair holds; if it powders when a tile is lifted, the money belongs in new underlayment. Repair vs. replacement in Scottsdale walks through that decision.

Roofing services in Scottsdale, explained

Roof repair. Leaks at valleys, chimney and wall flashing, pipe jacks, skylights and cracked tile; slipped or broken tiles; spot underlayment repair where the rest of the roof still has life. Most repairs are $300–$1,500 and done in a day.

Tile roof underlayment replacement. Scottsdale's signature big roofing job: the crew lifts and stacks your existing tile, tears off the dead felt, installs a modern SBS or synthetic underlayment, new flashings and bird stops, and relays the tile. $8,000–$15,000 on most homes, and it resets the roof for another 25–30 years without paying for new tile.

Roof replacement. Full tear-off and new roof when the tile itself is broken or discontinued, when a shingle roof is done, or when a foam roof has been neglected past recoating. Shingle replacements run $9,000–$22,000; tile and metal more.

Monsoon and storm damage repair. Wind-lifted tile, hail-cracked tile, debris-choked valleys and scuppers, blown-off shingles: tarping, repair, and what to photograph for your insurer.

Roof inspection. A walked inspection with a written report and photos. For buying a home, deciding whether the underlayment has another five years, or getting a second opinion when someone says you need a new roof.

Foam and flat roofs are covered on the repair page; metal is on the replacement page.

Areas this guide covers

All of Scottsdale, from South Scottsdale and Old Town north through McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale Ranch, Kierland, DC Ranch, Grayhawk, McDowell Mountain Ranch, Troon and Desert Mountain. The same roofs, and the same advice, carry into Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree and Rio Verde. Roof repair in Cave Creek and Carefree tends to mean the same felt and foam questions on newer custom homes, and choosing a roofing company in Cave Creek or Carefree works the same way it does in Scottsdale. Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills have their own pages because their roofs have a story of their own.

How to check a Scottsdale roofer's license

Arizona requires roofing contractors to be licensed by the Registrar of Contractors (ROC). Before you hire anyone for roofing in Scottsdale, AZ, ask for their ROC number and check a roofer's license with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) license lookup. It takes two minutes and shows the license status, classification and complaint history. For questions about what a license covers, bonds, deposits or what happens if a job goes wrong, check with the ROC or an attorney.

This site is a guide, not a roofing contractor. When you are finding a roofer in Scottsdale through it, your request goes to an independent local roofing contractor partner who inspects the roof, prices it in writing and performs the work. We only use roofers licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors — ask for their ROC number.

HOA color rules

Most of Scottsdale north of Shea and nearly all of the master-planned communities have HOA architectural rules on roof color and material. A tile relay keeps your existing tile so there is usually nothing to approve. A replacement or a foam recoat in a new color usually needs an architectural submittal first, and a good roofer will tell you what the HOA needs before ordering anything. Permits are a separate question: check with the City of Scottsdale whether your job needs a permit and an inspection; most roofers pull it as part of the job. The questions to ask before a job starts are worth reading first.

If you are reading this in a wet week, the monsoon damage checklist is the walk-around to do before you call anyone.