Roof replacement and installation

What 35 Years of Replacing Roofs Across the Midwest Has Taught Us

from the HANSONS Home Improvement Team

Over 35 years and more than 300,000 customers across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota, you learn things about roofing that no product brochure will ever tell you.

You learn that the real test of a roofing system isn’t the warranty language — it’s the first major hail storm. It’s the February ice dam that backs up under the flashing of a roof that was installed fast and cheap three years ago. It’s a Colorado hailstone the size of a golf ball landing on an asphalt shingle rated for something half its size. It’s the freeze-thaw cycle that works its way under a South Dakota roof every single spring, year after year, until the decking gives.

Here’s what decades of working in these conditions have shaped about how we approach every roofing job.

The Midwest and Mountain states are among the harshest roofing environments in the country

Iowa and Nebraska sit squarely in hail alley — two of the most hail-impacted states in the nation, year after year. Colorado gets significant hail and some of the most intense UV radiation in the lower 48 due to altitude. South Dakota faces extreme wind events that standard asphalt shingles simply aren’t engineered to handle reliably. Michigan and Ohio deal with heavy snow loads, ice dam formation, and freeze-thaw stress that tests every seal and flashing joint on a roof.

This is why we offer Class 4 impact-rated shingles on our Smart Choice and Premium Series — not as an upsell, but because the alternative is watching asphalt shingles fail in the exact conditions our customers deal with every single year. A standard asphalt shingle rated to 90 MPH wind installed in a market that regularly sees 100+ MPH gusts isn’t a value — it’s a liability.

What the tear-off tells you that the estimate never shows

The condition of your decking only becomes fully visible once the old roofing material is off. In 35 years, we’ve seen everything underneath: rotted decking from years of slow leaks that never showed inside the home, improperly installed flashings from previous jobs that were never right, ice dam damage that had been working silently for a decade. This is one of the reasons we don’t cut corners on the inspection after tear-off — finding and fixing what’s underneath is what separates a roof that lasts from one that fails before the warranty runs out.

Weather-dependent work in weather-dependent states

Roofing is fundamentally outdoor work, and every state we serve can throw conditions that make it unsafe to install — or unsafe for your home to be open to the elements. High winds create safety hazards for crews and can compromise the installation itself. Rain on open decking is a real problem. This is why we make the call to postpone on the morning of your installation when conditions require it, rather than push through and create problems that outlast the inconvenience of a reschedule. In 35 years across some of the most variable weather in the country, that discipline is part of how we stand behind a Lifetime Guarantee without reservation.

What Happens When We Replace Your Roof

Most homeowners replace their roof once or twice in their lifetime. Here is exactly what the process looks like from estimate to final cleanup.

Step 1 — Your free in-home estimate

A Certified Home Improvement Expert comes to your home, inspects the roof, assesses the condition of your current system, and walks you through our three roofing product lines. You’ll receive a complete written estimate before we leave. No pressure, no expiring-today tactics.

Step 2 — Materials delivered to your home

Before installation begins, your roofing materials will be delivered — typically placed directly on the roof when possible. If our supplier is unable to place them on the roof, they’ll be positioned in the driveway or yard as out of the way as possible. You won’t always know the exact delivery window in advance, so be aware materials may arrive any time between your purchase date and installation day.

Step 3 — Confirmation and day-of communication

You’ll receive a confirmation call or text the day before your installation begins. The morning of your appointment, your Project Coordinator will contact you to walk through what to expect that day and answer any questions.

Before installation day, here’s what to prepare:

• A dumpster will be delivered for project debris — typically the morning your project starts. Move all cars from the driveway and garage the night before to avoid being blocked in. If you’d prefer the dumpster placed somewhere other than the driveway, let us know in advance.
• Remove items from interior walls that may fall due to vibrations from the installation.
• Move patio furniture, grills, and anything close to the home’s exterior to prevent damage from falling debris.
• If you use your attic or garage for storage, cover or remove valuables — dust and debris will fall during installation.
• Our crews will need access to a power source. If you have no exterior outlets, leave a porch light on and our team can use an adapter.
• If you have a functioning satellite dish, we’ll attempt to reinstall it to the best of our ability. You may still need your satellite provider to realign it afterward.
• If you have gutter protection attached to the shingled section of your roof, we strongly recommend having your gutter installer remove it before roofing day. We cannot reinstall gutter protection after your new roof is installed due to liability and warranty issues.

Step 4 — Tear-off, inspection, and installation

Our crew removes your existing roofing material completely — we handle full tear-off on every job. Once the decking is exposed, we inspect it before laying any new material. If we find damaged or rotted decking, we’ll communicate that to you before proceeding. Installation then follows: HansonsGuard underlayment, ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, then your chosen shingle system installed to manufacturer specifications.

A moderately-sized roofing job typically takes 3 to 4 days to complete. The timeline depends on the complexity of the roof, weather conditions, and crew size. We won’t rush a job to hit an artificial deadline — the quality of the installation is what backs the Lifetime Guarantee.

All installations are weather-dependent. Wind, rain, snow, or severe temperatures create real safety risks for your home and our crews. If conditions require a postponement, we make that call on the morning of your installation and contact you as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience — protecting the quality of the work is always the right call.

Step 5 — Final cleanup and walkthrough

When installation is complete, we do a full cleanup of the work site — including a magnetic sweep of the yard and driveway for nails and debris. The dumpster is removed after cleanup is complete. Before we leave, your Project Coordinator walks you through the completed work and your Lifetime Guarantee coverage.

How Much Does a New Roof Cost? What Homeowners in Our Service Area Actually Pay

Roof replacement is one of the larger home investments most homeowners make. The honest answer to ‘how much does a new roof cost?‘ is: it depends — but not in a way that should leave you completely in the dark. Here is how the cost breaks down.

What drives the cost of a roof replacement

Roof size and complexity. Roofing is priced by the square (100 square feet of roof surface). A straightforward ranch home costs less per square than a multi-pitch roof with dormers, valleys, and multiple penetrations that require extra flashing and labor time.

Product series. Our Classic, Smart Choice, and Premium Series represent meaningfully different levels of shingle performance, impact resistance, and warranty protection. The right choice depends on your climate, your risk tolerance, and how long you plan to stay in the home.

Decking condition. If our crew finds damaged or rotted decking after tear-off, repairs are necessary before the new roof goes on. We assess this during installation and communicate any issues before proceeding.

Additional components. Ridge vents, pipe boot replacements, chimney flashing, and skylight flashing are assessed at the estimate and priced into your proposal.

Ballpark investment by product series

These ranges reflect typical whole-home projects across our service area. Your free estimate will give you an exact number.

Financing options available

We offer financing including 12-month no-interest, no-payment plans for qualified applicants. Your estimator will walk you through every financing option at your free in-home appointment.

Roof Replacement Across Seven States — Find Your Local HANSONS Team

We understand what your roof is up against — whether that’s hail in Nebraska, ice dams in Michigan, high-altitude UV in Colorado, or the relentless freeze-thaw cycles that test every roofing system in Ohio and Indiana every single year. Our product lines are engineered for these conditions. Our installation teams are trained on them.

Not sure which location serves your area? Call us 24/7 at 1-800-426-7667 or get a free estimate online.

Find your HANSONS location:

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Saginaw, Michigan

Toledo, Ohio

Evansville, Indiana

South Bend, Indiana

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Omaha, Nebraska

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Denver, Colorado

South Dakota