New Construction Roofing in Raleigh, NC
Red Letter Roofing installs roof systems on new construction across the Triangle for general contractors, developers and builders. We hit the dry-in date, keep the deck clear for the trades behind us, and hand the owner a warranty package that actually gets registered with the manufacturer.
We have been doing this in Wake, Durham and Orange counties for years, with a team that brings years of collective management experience, and roughly 85 percent of our volume is commercial. Office, retail shell, warehouse, medical office, school addition, church, multifamily or custom home, we can price it and schedule it.
Who We Work With
- General contractors on ground-up commercial and institutional projects
- Developers building multifamily, mixed-use and build-to-suit
- Production and custom home builders
- Design-build firms that need a roofing scope priced early
- Owners acting as their own GC
We bid from plans, attend preconstruction meetings, and give budget numbers during design. Bringing a roofer in before the drawings are final saves money, because most roofing overruns come from details drawn without a roofer looking at them: parapet heights that will not accept counterflashing, drains off the low point, curbs too close together to flash, and slopes that cannot be built.
Dry-In Is the Date That Matters
On almost every job the roof is the schedule. Nothing inside starts until the structure is weathertight, so dry-in is the hinge everything else swings on.
We treat dry-in as its own deliverable, separate from the finished roof. On low-slope work that means insulation and a temporary or base ply installed as decking is completed, section by section, so interior trades can start in finished areas while we work overhead elsewhere. On steep-slope work it means underlayment and edge metal on within days of sheathing, not weeks.
What we hold ourselves to:
- A dry-in date at contract, not a range
- Phasing by building section or pour sequence so you are not waiting on a whole roof
- Temporary drainage so a hard rain does not load the deck or flood the slab
- Deck deficiencies flagged in writing the day we see them, because a deck problem found at underlayment is cheap and the same one found at final inspection is not
Systems We Install
|
Low-slope commercial |
TPO and PVC single ply (mechanically attached, induction welded or fully adhered), EPDM, modified bitumen and built-up roofing, with tapered polyisocyanurate packages designed to actual drain locations. |
|
Steep-slope commercial and residential |
architectural asphalt shingle, standing seam and exposed fastener metal, synthetic slate and shake, and specialty assemblies the architect has called for. |
|
Everything that goes with it |
perimeter edge metal tested to ANSI/SPRI standards, coping, counterflashing, curbs and curb adapters, pipe penetrations, roof hatches, skylights, and the gutter and downspout package. See gutter installation and repair. |
We install and source from the manufacturers that show up most often in a roofing spec here: Carlisle, Johns Manville, FiberTite, Siplast, Soprema and Sika Sarnafil on low-slope assemblies, and CertainTeed and GAF on shingle work. If your specification names a system, we install it to that manufacturer’s published details so the warranty the owner was promised is the warranty the owner gets. If the assembly is still open, we will tell you which manufacturers we would put on that building and what each one requires of the installation.
Coordinating With the Other Trades
Roofing is the trade everyone else works around, and jobs that go badly are almost always coordination failures rather than installation failures.
Mechanical and electrical
Every curb, pipe, conduit stand and unit gets flashed. We want the final rooftop equipment layout before we build the tapered package, because a unit that moves after the insulation is cut creates a ponding condition nobody wants to own later. If equipment lands after the membrane is on, we set flashing details first and coordinate the pick.
Framing and structural
We need the deck flat, fastened to spec, and free of standing water and debris.
Masonry and exterior skin
Through-wall flashing, reglets and counterflashing have to be sequenced with the wall. We would rather sit in a coordination meeting than cut a reglet into finished stone.
Solar
On solar-ready buildings we set the attachment method and manufacturer approval before the membrane goes down, so the array does not void the roof warranty.
Site logistics
We schedule loading around your other picks, stage material where it will not overload a deck or block access, and run a magnet daily so nobody gets a flat tire in your parking lot.
Code Compliance and Inspections
We build to the North Carolina State Building Code as adopted, plus whatever the local jurisdiction adds. The items most often flagged here:
- Wind uplift resistance, including enhanced fastening at perimeters and corners, documented against site design pressures
- Edge metal secured and tested to the referenced standard, one of the most common failure points in a wind event
- Insulation R-value and continuity for the energy code
- Positive drainage to drains or scuppers, with secondary overflow
- Ice and water shield at eaves, valleys and penetrations on steep slope
- Attic ventilation ratios on steep-slope assemblies
- Fire classification for the assembly as specified
We pull the roofing permit when the scope calls for it, meet the inspector, and keep the approved submittal package on site so there is no debate about what was specified versus what was installed.
Warranty Documentation for the Building Owner
Warranty paperwork is where a lot of new construction roofs quietly fail the owner. The specified manufacturer warranty never gets registered, the inspection never happens, and the owner finds out years in that they have a workmanship letter and nothing else.
What we deliver at closeout:
- The manufacturer’s system warranty in the term specified, registered in the building owner’s name
- Manufacturer field inspection sign-off where the term requires it
- Our workmanship warranty in writing
- As-built roof plan showing the assembly, drain and scupper locations, and all penetrations
- Product data and material certifications
- Wind uplift and edge metal documentation
- Maintenance requirements in plain language, including what keeps the warranty in force
That last one matters more than people expect. Most manufacturer warranties require periodic inspection and prompt repair, and most denials come from an owner who never knew.
Our New Construction Process
1. Plan review and bid
We take off from your drawings, flag anything in the detail set that will not build as drawn, and return a line item proposal.
2. Preconstruction
Submittals, product data, shop drawings for edge metal and tapered insulation, and a schedule tied to your dry-in milestone
3. Material procurement
Long lead items ordered early so a membrane color or panel run does not become your critical path.
4. Deck acceptance
We walk the deck with your superintendent and document its condition before covering anything.
5. Dry-in
Phased to your schedule so interior work can start.
6. Final installation
Insulation, membrane or panels, flashings, penetrations, edge metal and accessories.
7. Inspection and punch
Manufacturer inspection, code inspection, and our punch walk with your super.
9. Closeout
Warranty and documentation package to the owner.
Why Builders Use Red Letter
We are a local company with a permanent address in Garner, not a storm chaser. Our crews are ours, and we answer the phone during the job and after it, which matters when a tenant calls you about a leak two years past final. We carry the insurance and bonding capacity your contract requires. For existing buildings being reroofed, see roof replacement. For service on completed buildings, see commercial roofing.
Service Areas
Raleigh, Garner, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Wake Forest, Carrboro, Morrisville, and 20+ North Carolina counties.
New Construction Roofing FAQ
How far in advance do you need to be scheduled?
As early as you can. Contracting the roof scope well ahead of dry-in lets us order long lead material and protect your date. We can work into a tighter window, but then the risk shifts to material availability.
Can you provide a budget number before the drawings are complete?
Yes. We give square foot budget ranges during design based on assembly type, height and access, then firm them up as details develop. Commercial roofing costs in this market span a wide band depending on system and insulation package, so an early conversation about the assembly is the fastest way to control the number.
Who is responsible if another trade damages the new roof?
Whoever damaged it. We photograph the completed roof at turnover and can install walk pads at access points and around equipment. If a trade cuts a membrane we repair it, invoice the responsible party through you, and document it.
Do you install the gutters and sheet metal too?
Yes. Edge metal, coping, counterflashing, gutters, downspouts, scuppers and collector heads can all sit in our scope, which removes the seam where responsibility usually gets lost.
What warranty terms are available?
Manufacturer system warranties on commercial single ply are commonly available in 10, 15, 20 and up to 30 year terms depending on the assembly. Residential shingle systems have their own enhanced tiers. We lay out what each one requires from the installation.
Get Your Project Priced
Send the plans and the schedule. You get a line item proposal, a dry-in date we intend to hold, and a clear picture of what the owner receives at closeout.
Call (919) 977-5318 or send your drawings for a bid.