Look at the roof before you shop materials
Between mature tree canopy in DuPage's older subdivisions and the wind loads from events like the 2024 EF3 tornado and the 2020 derecho, a Naperville roof's fastening, flashing, and drainage usually tell you more than its age alone.
Get every part of the job in writing
- What the inspection turned up
- How the crew protects landscaping and driveways
- Materials suited to wind and storm exposure here
- Permit and disposal steps
- How change orders get handled and priced
Naperville context
Roofline age and storm exposure both matter across Naperville-area housing stock. Homes built through the postwar and 1960s-80s suburban boom carry roofing systems now well past a first replacement cycle, and the March 31-April 1, 2024 tornado that reached EF3 strength in Naperville -- damaging roughly 230 residences -- along with the August 10, 2020 derecho that swept the wider Chicago area, both demonstrated how quickly wind and falling limbs can compromise a roof system. Mature tree canopy in older subdivisions adds debris load and moss and algae exposure that newer, more open subdivisions don't see as much.