Older homes in Ladue often carry something on top of the roof that is not part of the shingles: a cupola over a garage, a copper finial at the peak, a weathervane on an outbuilding, or a run of decorative iron along the ridge. Each one sits on a base that was fastened through the roofing, the sheathing and sometimes the rafters. When the crew strips the old shingles, that base has to come off, and when the new roof goes on, it has to go back on, sealed. A quote that does not name the piece is a quote that will leave it out, and then someone has to decide on the day what happens to it.
Why the base is a roof penetration
A cupola usually sits on a curb or a set of legs that pass through the roof deck. A weathervane usually sits on a pipe or rod that runs down through the sheathing into a bracket fixed to the framing. Those fasteners are part of the roof system, not decoration. Once the shingles are off, the base is exposed, and the flashing around it has to be rebuilt. A pipe through the roof with no proper flashing is a leak waiting for the next wind-driven rain, so the rebuild is not an optional extra.
The reason this matters for the quote is that the flashing is layered. The base flashing sits under the shingles on the uphill side and lies over them on the downhill side, and a counter flashing covers the top edge. Each layer has to be cut to the actual curb or pipe size. A roofer who has not looked at the base will price a generic pipe boot and find a larger curb on the day, and that difference shows up as a change order.
What a roof quote should name
Write the piece down by name in the scope. A line such as cupola over the garage: detach, protect, store, reset on new curb with new flashing is something a homeowner can read and check. A line such as miscellaneous roof accessories is not. Ask whether the price includes removing the piece, where it will be stored during the job, who handles the lift, and who sets it back. Ask whether the existing base is being reused or replaced.
The reuse question matters more than most people expect. A weathered wood curb can split when it is lifted. A finial base that has rusted through at the seam will not hold a new roof seal even if it looks sound from the ground. If the base is in poor shape, the honest answer is a new curb, and the quote should show it as its own line with its own price, not buried in the roof total.
Lifting it and where it waits
A small finial can come off by hand. A cupola with a copper roof and a wood frame is a different job. Heavy pieces usually need a lift or a crane, and that depends on how the crew can reach the roof. Many Ladue lots have mature trees, tight side yards and driveways that do not take a truck with a boom. The access plan from the first walk-through is where this gets settled. If the crane needs a street permit or a closed lane, that is a line on the bid, not a surprise on the morning of the tear-off.
Ask where the piece will wait. It should not sit on the lawn under the dumpster drop, and it should not be leaned against a wall where a roofer's shoe or a falling shingle bundle can dent it. A cupola in a garage bay or a covered spot on a driveway apron is common. Ask who is responsible if it is damaged while stored, and get the answer in writing.
Protection during the tear-off is part of the same plan. Old shingles, nails and flashing scraps fall around the base as the crew works, and a copper or painted metal piece that is left in place can be scratched by the magnet sweep or the debris chute. If the piece stays on the roof for the reroof, the scope should say how it will be wrapped, and who checks it before the crew leaves each day.
The new base, the flashing and the shingle cut
When the new curb or pipe base goes in, the shingles have to be cut around it, not simply butted up to it. The cut is where most of the leak risk is. Keys installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles only, and the cuts at a curb are made to the shingle manufacturer's installation approach, with the upslope shingles lapping over the base flashing and the downslope edge tucked under the counter flashing. The scope should say that the cut work is included, and it should say what is used under the flashing as a secondary water barrier in the valley-like pockets that a curb creates.
Ice and water shield around a curb is a line item, not a free extra. In St. Louis the freeze and thaw cycle pushes water under any edge that is not sealed, and a cupola on a north-facing slope sees more ice than one on the south side. If the quote lists the membrane for the eaves and valleys but not for the curb, ask why. The answer should be a specific reason, not a shrug.
Ladue homes where this comes up
The pieces show up most often on older colonial and revival-style houses, on carriage-house roofs above a detached garage, and on barn-style outbuildings that were added later. A cupola over a garage is a common one. A cresting along the ridge of a porch roof is less common and usually bolts to the ridge board, which means the ridge cap and the cresting fasteners need to be coordinated in the same scope. The same question applies: where is each fastener going, and does the new ridge cap cover or interfere with the mounting?
On a larger roof with several slopes, a cupola can sit on a slope that is being replaced in a different season. If the house is getting a partial reroof, the piece needs a clear answer about which slope it is on and whether that slope is in this year's work. Do not let that question stay open because it sounds minor.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is each decorative piece named in the scope, with its location on the roof?
- Is the removal, storage and reset included, and who does each step?
- Is the existing curb or base being reused, or replaced, and what is the price for each choice?
- What lift or crane is needed, and does it need a street closure or a permit?
- Where will the piece be stored, and who is responsible for it while it waits?
- Is the flashing and counter flashing listed, and is the membrane around the base included?
- Who checks the reset piece before the crew leaves, and when?
What Keys documents
On a job with a cupola, finial or weathervane, Keys photographs the piece and its base before anything is removed, measures the base and the curb, and records the condition of the wood, the metal and the fasteners. Those photos and measurements go into the written scope in the homeowner's hands, so the homeowner can compare the bid against what the crew actually saw. The scope names the piece, the storage location and the reset method, and the flashing detail is shown with the same care as the field shingles.
If you have a decorative piece on your roof and you want the base looked at before you choose a roofer, call the office at (314) 220-2333 and ask for the walk-through. Bring the age of the piece if you know it, any old invoices for repairs, and a note about which side of the roof it sits on. A specific list from the start will make every bid easier to compare.