A general contractor needs a roof subcontractor who holds a date. The dry-in milestone releases the interior trades, the weather exposure of the whole building rides on it, and the owner's draw schedule often depends on it. We begin with the contractor's schedule, the site logistics plan and the roof drawings, then check truck routes, material storage and the nightly sealing point against the crane, the laydown yard and the other trades. In Lee's Summit, MO, new projects may share I-470, US 50 and MO 291 with working buildings, since commercial, industrial and mixed-use property runs along all three. The roof scope then decides whether our part is a new roof, a commercial roof replacement or a tie-in to an existing one.
The rest of this work is paperwork and sequence, and we treat both as part of the roof.
Early roofing input saves rework. We review the roof drawings and the specification for drainage slopes, penetration locations, curb heights, parapet details and insulation thickness, and we mark conflicts before bids are final. A drain placed in a structural low spot, a curb set too close to a parapet or an insulation stack that clashes with a door threshold are the kind of items we flag.
We also supply budget ranges for options. The contractor can see the cost effect of a different membrane, such as TPO, a thicker insulation package or a tapered system before the design is locked. Code timing goes in too: a submittal filed from October 1, 2026 onward is reviewed under the city's 2024 I-Codes, and anything filed earlier stays under the 2018 set.
Constructability questions come from experience on the roof. Hoist locations that clash with a canopy, a laydown area that cannot take the weight of insulation pallets, and a parapet height that blocks the tie-in of new edge metal are all items a roofer sees on the drawing before they appear in the field. We list each with a suggested fix and let the contractor and the architect decide.
Submittals move the schedule. We prepare product data, shop drawings, flashing details, warranty forms and samples in the format the specification asks for, and we track each through review. A rejected submittal costs weeks, so we check the spec before sending, not after.
Lead times are listed at submission. Membrane, insulation, metal and accessories do not all arrive together, and an item with a long lead may need to be ordered ahead of the full approval. We tell the contractor which items are on the critical path and what the latest order date is, so the roofing start date is not lost to a missing component.
Mock-ups are sometimes required. A sample of a flashing at a wall or a curb, built and approved before production, avoids disputes about workmanship later. We schedule mock-ups ahead of the production start and invite the architect, the owner's representative and the manufacturer's rep when the specification calls for it.
The roof meets other work at many points: mechanical curbs, steel supports, skylights, solar mounts, lightning protection, parapets and wall panels. Each has an owner and a sequence. We confirm who sets the curbs, who flashes them and who is allowed on the roof afterward, and put the answers on a coordination drawing.
For additions, the new roof must meet the old one. The existing roof is surveyed, the transition is detailed and the tie-in is sequenced with the structure so water has a path off both. An occupied building reroofing job adds tenant notice, access routes and hours to the same plan. The contractor sees the dry-in date and every dependency in one document.
Site safety is shared. We submit a fall protection plan for the roof, coordinate with the contractor's safety lead on leading-edge work, and keep our crew inside the contractor's access control rules. Daily huddles on the roof confirm the work area, the crane picks and the weather.
Spring storms are part of the Kansas City schedule. The National Weather Service warned Lee's Summit on April 27, 2024 of gusts to 60 mph and penny-size hail, with roofs on the damage list. A new roof not yet complete is exposed, and a new interior below is at risk. The weather hold rule says no section opens unless it can be closed the same day, and materials for temporary closure are staged on the roof.
We write float into the schedule for weather and tell the contractor where the float sits. If rain days eat the float, we propose recovery options, such as added crews or extended hours, with their cost. The contractor can then decide with real numbers, not guesses.
Wind matters as much as rain on a roof under construction. Insulation boards and membrane rolls act like sails, and a gust can move a stack of material across the deck. Material is stacked in protected areas, tied down and limited to what can be installed that day.
Roofing closes late and has a lot of paper. We deliver the as-built drawing, the manufacturer's warranty forms, test and inspection records, dated photographs by phase and the closed punch list in one turnover package. Items that need the owner's signature are marked. An owner represented by a property management company or a real estate investor receives the same package.
On a large site such as the 1,340-acre intermodal center planned at the former Richards-Gebaur site, now the Port KC Richards-Gebaur business park, or in a growing town like Grain Valley, which went from 5,160 residents in 2000 to 15,627 in 2020, a contractor may run many buildings at once. Our package format repeats from one building to the next, and a roof warranty management record keeps each warranty's conditions in view after the contractor has left.
Warranty start dates need care. The manufacturer's warranty usually begins at substantial completion of the roof, not at the building's turnover, and the two dates can differ by months. We state the roof's completion date in the package and note the notice periods that follow, so the owner's facility team knows what to report and when.
The approved submittals, the site logistics plan, crane and hoist availability, roof access, temporary power and the date the deck is ready. Missing any one of them moves the start.
By unit price where the bid listed one, and by written change order otherwise, with quantities measured and photographed. Wet insulation and deck repair are the usual unknowns.
The contract assigns it, and we recommend walk pads, a roof access log and a sign-in. Damage is photographed and recorded so repairs are charged to the right party.
Yes. The roof schedule follows the renovation calendar, and the dry-in date is passed to the interior trades. Tenant notice and access are handled the same as on any occupied building.
Warranty forms, as-built drawings, inspection records, photographs and the punch list. We deliver them together, in the order the owner's closeout checklist uses.
At design development, if possible, since drainage, curb and insulation choices are cheaper to change on paper than on the deck. A roofer's early review is short and catches conflicts before bids.
Share the project schedule, roof drawings, specification and site logistics plan. We will review them with you and write a dry-in sequence plan before any scope is priced.
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