You are looking at a roofing estimate because the shingles are worn, but the line above the upstairs windows also seems to dip. Before you choose a color or approve the tear-off, ask what is causing that dip. New shingles cover the roof surface. They do not establish whether the wood below it can carry the roof as intended. A proposal that leaves the shape of the roof unexplained leaves you with a separate decision after the work starts.
Town roofing: establish what is actually sagging
On a Ladue house with several roof sections, start by identifying the particular line that concerns you. Is the ridge low in the middle? Is there a hollow in one roof plane? Does the edge above a window appear lower than the edge beside it? Those observations describe different locations. Tell the roofer which one you see, rather than asking generally whether the roof is in good condition.
Look from ground level at more than one position. A gutter that hangs low can make the roof edge appear crooked. An uneven shingle surface can look different from an actual change in the plane beneath it. Photographs taken from the same positions give the person inspecting the house a useful starting point. They cannot establish the cause by themselves.
An older photograph may also help. If the same dip appears in a photograph from before you bought the house, share it. That history does not prove the condition is harmless. It does help distinguish a longstanding shape from a change you have only just noticed. Avoid assigning a date to the movement solely because this is the first time you have looked closely.
The first inspection should connect the outside to the attic
Ask whether the inspection includes the accessible attic beneath the affected section. The roof covering, the decking beneath it, and the framing that supports the decking are separate parts. An inspection should try to establish which part is changing shape. Replacing deteriorated decking is a different job from correcting movement in the rafters or their supports.
Give the inspector any relevant history you have. That might include a previous leak, an addition, a room renovation, or a change to attic storage. You do not need to decide whether one caused the other. The point is to make the information available before someone attributes the dip to age or writes a price for replacing wood.
Access matters on a house with finished rooms under the roof. A sloped bedroom ceiling may conceal the area that needs inspection. An attic hatch elsewhere in the house may not lead to that section. Ask the person inspecting to state what was visible, what was inaccessible, and whether another visit or an opening is needed. An inaccessible area should remain an identified uncertainty in the estimate.
Stay out of an attic area that appears damaged, and do not climb onto the roof to test whether it feels soft. Photographs and your description are enough to start the conversation. If movement appeared suddenly or you can see a broken supporting member, avoid the affected area and seek prompt professional assessment rather than waiting for an ordinary replacement appointment.
Ask when a structural engineer needs to be involved
A roofer can identify concerns encountered during a roof inspection. When the question involves the adequacy of framing or its supports, ask whether a structural engineer should assess it before replacement is priced. That is especially useful when the proposed answer includes changing framing, adding supports, or trying to straighten a roof whose movement has not been explained.
The useful question is specific: can the existing structure remain as it is, and if not, what repair is needed before the new roofing goes on? You are looking for an assessment that addresses your house and the affected section. A general assurance that older roofs are often uneven does not answer that question.
Do not assume the goal must be to make every old roofline perfectly straight. Ask which work is necessary for support and which work would improve appearance. Those may be different scopes with different costs. Having that distinction in writing lets you decide about appearance without mistaking it for a required structural repair.
What it costs: separate the roof covering from the correction
A standard roof replacement total cannot tell you the cost of an unexplained sag. Until the cause and repair are established, a precise combined price may depend on assumptions you have not seen. Ask for the roofing work and the proposed corrective work to be described separately, even if one contractor coordinates the schedule.
Decking prices need particular attention. A per-sheet allowance for damaged roof sheathing does not explain the price of repairing framing below it. If the estimate includes only decking replacement, ask what happens if the tear-off exposes a problem with a rafter or support. The answer should identify who assesses it, who prices it, and who authorizes the additional work.
Access can create another cost. Opening a finished ceiling, protecting the room, and restoring the interior may involve work outside the roofing proposal. Ask whether those items are included and who is responsible for arranging them. Otherwise, you may approve a repair price that gets the structure addressed but leaves a bedroom ceiling open.
Permit responsibility also needs to follow the actual work. Across greater St. Louis, the applicable municipal desk depends on the property address. For a Ladue project, have the proposed framing work described when confirming requirements with the city. Do not assume an answer obtained for replacing shingles also settles what is required for a structural alteration.
Decide the sequence before the roof is opened
If an assessment is needed, arrange it before committing to a roofing start date that depends on its outcome. The roofing crew needs to know whether it can install over the existing structure or must wait for corrective work. Materials sitting in the driveway do not resolve that dependency.
Some conditions may remain concealed until the covering or decking is removed. Ask for a plan for that possibility before work begins. It should explain when work pauses, how you receive photographs and a proposed repair, and how the open area will be protected while a decision is made. In St. Louis, a forecast window is part of planning the work, but it cannot settle an unknown structural condition.
What to ask at the house
Stand where the uneven line is visible and ask the inspector to identify the same area in the photographs. Then use these questions to establish the next decision:
- Is the uneven line in the gutter, roof surface, decking, or supporting framing?
- What could you inspect from below, and what remains concealed?
- What evidence supports the proposed explanation?
- Does this need a structural engineer before we authorize replacement?
- Which proposed repairs are necessary, and which are for appearance?
- Who arranges any interior access, required approvals, and restoration?
- What happens if opening the roof reveals a different condition?
To discuss roofing at your Ladue home with Keys Roofing, call (314) 220-2333. Describe where you see the dip, whether that section has accessible attic space, and whether you have older photographs showing it. If you already have an engineer's report, have it available when discussing the roofing scope.