Every term on an estimate, in plain English.

A laminated asphalt shingle with two or more layers bonded together, giving a thicker profile and a dimensional look. Heavier and longer-lasting than a flat three-tab shingle, and the default on most new residential roofs.

DFW Metro note DFW Metro is hail country, so this comes up on inspections here far more than the national average.

A single-layer asphalt shingle cut into three tabs along the bottom edge so it reads as three small shingles. Lighter and cheaper than an architectural shingle, and the style on most roofs installed a few decades ago.

A shingle built to resist hail and debris, rated by dropping steel balls on it from a set height in a lab test. Some insurers offer a premium discount for a roof that carries the rating.

DFW Metro note DFW Metro is hail country, so this comes up on inspections here far more than the national average.

The crushed mineral coating on the surface of an asphalt shingle. Granules protect the asphalt from sunlight; when they wear off or are knocked loose, the exposed mat ages fast.

DFW Metro note DFW Metro is hail country, so this comes up on inspections here far more than the national average.

The band of adhesive on a shingle that bonds it to the shingle below once the sun warms it. A seal strip that never activated, or let go with age, is why shingles lift in wind.

The water-resistant layer installed over the decking and under the shingles, felt or synthetic. It is the second line of defense when water gets past the shingles.

A self-adhering rubberized membrane laid at the eaves, in valleys, and around penetrations. It seals around nails and stops water that backs up under the shingles from reaching the decking.

The first course of shingle material along the eaves and rakes, installed under the first visible row. It seals the edge of the roof and gives the first row something to bond to.

The shingles that cover the peak where two roof slopes meet. Ridge caps take the most wind and sun, so they are usually the first pieces to crack or blow off.

Roofing made of steel, aluminum, or copper panels, either standing-seam (concealed fasteners) or exposed-fastener panels. Long service life and good in hail and high wind, with a different install and cost profile than shingles.

A metal roof style where the panels join at raised, interlocking seams and the fasteners are hidden. No exposed screws means no screw gaskets to age out and leak.

The unit roofers measure and price by: one square equals 100 square feet of roof surface. A 30-square roof is 3,000 square feet of shingles, not 3,000 square feet of house.

How steep a roof is, written as inches of rise per 12 inches of run. A 4/12 is a gentle walkable slope; a 10/12 is steep and needs staging, which affects both safety and price.

A roof with very little pitch, common on additions, porches, and commercial buildings. Shingles do not shed water on a low slope, so these get a membrane or rolled roofing instead.

The wood sheathing, plywood or oriented strand board, nailed to the rafters that everything else is fastened to. Rotted or delaminated decking is replaced during a re-roof because shingles will not hold nails in soft wood.

The framing that carries the roof. Rafters are individual sloped boards; trusses are factory-built triangles. Sagging along the ridge or a slope means the framing or the decking under it has weakened.

Removing the old roofing down to the decking before installing new. A tear-off lets the roofer inspect and replace bad decking and is required once a roof already carries the maximum number of layers.

Installing new shingles over the existing layer instead of tearing off. Cheaper up front but it hides the decking, adds weight, and shortens the life of the new roof, which is why most roofers recommend against it.

The lower edge of the roof where it overhangs the wall. The eave carries the gutter, the drip edge, and the ice and water shield, and it is where ice dams and fascia rot start.

The sloped edge of a gable roof, running from the eave up to the ridge. Rake edges take wind uplift and are trimmed with drip edge and a rake board.

The vertical board along the eave that the gutter hangs on. Fascia rots when gutters overflow or the drip edge is missing, and a gutter hung on rotten fascia pulls loose.

The underside of the eave overhang, usually vented so air can enter the attic. Blocked or unvented soffits starve the attic of intake air.

The metal or membrane pieces that seal the places where the roof meets something else: a wall, a chimney, a vent, a valley. Most roof leaks start at flashing, not in the middle of a shingle field.

Individual L-shaped metal pieces woven in with each shingle course where a roof meets a wall. Each step overlaps the one below so water is carried out and over the shingles.

A second layer of flashing set into a chimney or wall that laps over the step flashing. It lets the roof and the masonry move independently without opening a gap.

The small angled piece at the bottom of a roof-to-wall joint that throws water into the gutter instead of behind the siding. A missing kickout is a classic cause of hidden wall rot.

The flashing around a plumbing vent pipe, usually a metal base with a rubber collar. The rubber dries out and cracks years before the shingles wear out, making boots one of the most common leak sources.

The channel where two roof slopes meet and drain together. Valleys carry the most water on the roof, so they are lined with metal or membrane and wear out first.

A small peaked structure built on the uphill side of a chimney to split water around it. Without one, water pools against the chimney and works its way in.

The metal strip along the eaves and rakes that guides water off the roof edge and into the gutter. Without it water wicks back under the shingles and rots the fascia.

The manufacturer-matched set of flashing pieces that seals a skylight to the roof. Older skylights often leak at both the kit and the glass seal, which is why replacement beats resealing.

The balanced flow of air into the attic at the eaves and out at the ridge. Good ventilation keeps the attic closer to outdoor temperature, which protects the shingles from below and keeps moisture from building up.

DFW Metro note A large share of DFW Metro homes are decades old, so original roofs and ventilation are still common.

A continuous vent along the peak of the roof, covered by ridge cap shingles, that lets hot air out of the attic. It only works when soffit vents supply intake air.

The intake vent in the underside of the eave. Insulation pushed into the eaves blocks soffit vents, which is one of the most common ventilation problems found on an inspection.

A ridge of ice at the eave formed when attic heat melts snow higher on the roof and the meltwater refreezes at the cold edge. The dam backs water up under the shingles; the fix is insulation and ventilation, not new shingles.

Moisture from inside the house that turns to water on cold roof decking. It looks like a leak but shows up as frost on nail tips, damp insulation, and dark staining on the underside of the deck.

Gutters formed on site from a continuous roll of metal so the only seams are at corners and downspouts. Fewer seams means fewer places to leak.

The vertical pipe that carries water from the gutter to the ground. Undersized or too few downspouts is a common reason gutters overflow in heavy rain.

The slight slope of a gutter toward its downspout. A gutter that has lost its pitch holds standing water, overflows, and pulls on its hangers.

Screens or covers that keep leaves out of the gutter while letting water in. They cut cleaning, not eliminate it, and the wrong type can shed water over the edge in a downpour.

The block or extension at the bottom of a downspout that carries water away from the foundation. Water dumped at the foundation is a soil and slab problem waiting to happen.

A soft spot in a shingle where a hailstone fractured the mat under the granules. It may not be visible from the ground, but a bruised shingle fails early because the exposed mat takes the sun.

DFW Metro note DFW Metro is hail country, so this comes up on inspections here far more than the national average.

Wind getting under the edge of a shingle and lifting it. It breaks the seal strip and creases the shingle; a creased shingle will not reseal and leaks in the next rain.

A marked 10-by-10-foot section of a roof slope where an adjuster or roofer counts hail hits. The count per test square is how storm damage gets judged as repairable or a full replacement.

DFW Metro note DFW Metro is hail country, so this comes up on inspections here far more than the national average.

The person the insurance company sends to inspect the damage and write the estimate. Your roofer can meet the adjuster on the roof so the same damage gets seen by both.

DFW Metro note Most DFW Metro storm claims run through this, so it helps to know the term before the adjuster visit.

The part of a storm claim the homeowner pays. On many policies it is a separate deductible from the one for fire or theft, often set as a percentage of the dwelling coverage rather than a flat amount.

DFW Metro note Most DFW Metro storm claims run through this, so it helps to know the term before the adjuster visit.

A request to the insurer for items the original claim estimate missed, such as decking, flashing, or code-required upgrades found during the work. Common and normal on storm jobs.

DFW Metro note Most DFW Metro storm claims run through this, so it helps to know the term before the adjuster visit.

The value an insurer holds back for the age of the old roof, paid out once the new roof is installed on a replacement-cost policy. On an actual-cash-value policy it is not paid back.

DFW Metro note Most DFW Metro storm claims run through this, so it helps to know the term before the adjuster visit.

A slope-by-slope look at the shingles, flashing, penetrations, gutters, and the attic side of the deck, with photos. It is the starting point for a repair, a replacement estimate, or an insurance claim.

The shingle maker's coverage against defects in the material itself. It does not cover installation mistakes, and it usually requires a full matching system to reach the longer coverage tiers.

The roofer's own promise to fix problems caused by the installation. Its length and what it covers vary by company, so it is worth reading before signing.

The building department's approval for a re-roof, required in most cities. The permit brings an inspection that checks the work meets local code.