There are many different roof types. Choosing the right one for you depends on many factors

1 what type of roof do you have now?
2 how much do I have to spend ?
3 Where do I live ?
4 Do I need an insulating factor ?

This is best addresed with your roofing contractor.
You should be sure to ask questions.
i.e
what types can I put on?
Whats the difference between them?
How long will it last?
Dose it have an insulation value and if it dose what is it?
How long is my warranty? What dose it cover? Is it Your Warranty? Is it a manufactures warranty?
Is a roof maintenence program included?
Who will cover my warranty if you go out of buissness?

The cost of a new roof can vary. It’s dependent on market conditions .ie materials cost.
Do I need a complete tear off of the old roof? You can expect to pay from a $2.00sqft to $7.00sqft or even a fixed price (usually reserved for smaller jobs) depending on the roof type you select.
Where you live i.e. do you live in a rural aera There are many other factors in determing price.

The best practice is to get several bids.

Dose a higher bid mean better quality? Not Necessarily
Dose a low bid mean worse quality? Not Necessarily (you should be very through with the details of the contract and pay close attention to the salesman is he “evasive” or dose he speak with confidence about all the details.)
A safe assumption is the middle bid.

You should also ask “are you the company thats going to do the work?”
Sometimes roofing companys will advertise that they do “all roof types” but instead sub-contract out roofs they don’t actually do to other roofing contractors. This is not always a bad thing, it just means that you are potentially not getting the best price. The exception to this rule is the roofing contractor has a sister company.

Most of the time if you have a licenced contractor install your new roof you can be sure that it was installed correctly.

However there are times where this is not the case. One reason can be he may have inexperienced roofers installing the roof.

One way to make sure you are getting the job done right is to hire a roof consultant prior to the start of the job. This dose not mean you need to hire a roof consultant and then ask him to refer you to a “good roofing company”. This leads to a conflict of intrest

Instead you should do all of the hiring of all involved parties yourself.

1. Tell him if you have any leaks and show him where they are if possible. Not all roof leaks are “roof leaks”. i.e Stucco cracks in the parapit walls are not in his scope of work and they can and most often leak. If you have a leak after having your new roof installed and it is found that the source of the leak is deemed to be something other than the roof that he installed he will likely charge you a trip charge. And your leak will still not be fixed. This is very frustating to both the homeowner and contractor.

2. Tell him if you are planning to have a new satelite dish or cable t.v. installation, or any other kind of work on the roof done after the completion of the new roof. Ask him if he would come out and inspect their work after their done (he will probably do this for free). Most of the time cable installers don’t seal their holes correctly and they eventually fail. Not all sealing and patching compounds are compatable to all roof surfaces.

3. Tell him about any animals in the yard friendly or otherwise. He will most likely need to do clean up all around the perimeter of the house (it’s probably best to keep your animals inside while you have your roof work done it protects them from potential problems i.e objects falling .)

4. Tell him about any potential unsafe areas you may have around the parimeter of your house.

Side Note:

It has been my Personal experience that 9 out of 10 “roof leaks” after a new roof installation is due to a prexsiting condition not related to the roof at all i.e. stucco cracks , concrete cracks, satalite installations, A/C pans, A/C ductwork.

An inproper roof installation can and often reduces the serviceable life of a roof.
Poor material quality can also reduce the roofs serviceable life.
There are many factors that can reduce the serviceable life of a roof.

Things you can do to be sure not only a good roof installation but ensure that you really need that new roof.

1. Walk the roof with the salesman. If you are unable to walk the roof ask him take pictures of all areas of your roof. Have him explain the pictures and why you need a new roof. Remember some times it’s obvious and sometimes it’s not.

2. If possible have him show you a sample of the new roofing material and compare it to whats on your roof.

3. Get a second Opinion.

4. Hire a roof consultant and or get an independent written roof inspection/evaluation

It’s recommened that you re-coat every 5-7 years. But is determied by other factors as well.

Is my roof shaded from the sun.
Do I live in a cooler climate.
Do I have ponding water on my roof.
Do I have alot of tree litter on my roof.
Did my roof contractor use a quality roof coating.

Can I just get up there with a 5 gallon bucket of roof coating from my local hardware store and roll it on myself? This is NOT a reccommended practice. Roof coating is the most important part of a properly installed foam roof. The life cycle of an elastomeric roof coating is that it is applied at a minimum of between 25-30 dry mils and over time the sun beats down and the rain washes it away. The coating becomes thinner and near the end of it’s life cycle is when you need to re-apply a new coat to start the process again add new protection to the foam.

Can these roof re-coats be skiped.

No if the coating is allowed get to thin the suns UV’s will destroy your roof.
If money is an issue this would be the time I would say if you are able. Buy some roof coating and roll it on yourself. It’s better than letting your roof be destroyed. But make sure the coating you buy has a UV protectant in it and apply it as recommended by the manufacturers directions.
Make sure you clean the roof from all dirt wash it with a hose, broom heavy dirt areas. If you don’t the coating will peal off and you have wasted your time and money.

Can I recoat my roof more often?

No. This is not recommended either. More is not better. The coating has a life cycle see above.
Adding to much coating or coating to often can and will result in to the roof coating to “mud crack” and then the foam is expossed to the suns UV’s and eventually leads to roof failures.

These are known as “blisters” and they are caused by a Variety of reasons.

1. Moisture in underlaying roofing layers.
2. Moisture in the air can sometimes cause this (when the foam is being applied)
3. Moisture in application equiptment.
4. Off ratio foam being sprayed.
5. To thin of a pass.
6. Multiple Passes.
7. Grease on roof deck or some other uncompatible material.

The list goes on but you get the idea

Are they bad ? not Necessarily. But there not good either.
But they are not uncommon.

Should I have them fixed right away?

As long as they are not busted there is no rush to have them fixed.
they will get fixed with a good maintenece agreement, or at the time of your next re-coat.

Most commonly you will only see a hand full on a roof they are mostly the size of a softball and smaller. If you have alot of them or they are really big you should probably have your roof inspected.

This depends on how old your tile is. If you have really old tile it is sometimes really hard to find tile to match. Roof tiles are like floor tiles they make a style for a while and then they discontinue it. Making it hard to find replacements. Keep in mind no matter how good the tile guys are they will break tile there is no way around this. There is some good news alot of times it dosen’t cost much more to replace the tile as well. Reason is because the bid includes removing and replacing the tile so the replacement might as well be for the new tile so you will be looking at the cost of new tile and a disposal fee for the old.

One thing you should consider is the under layment you are putting on. You should opt for the best you can afford a 30# (pound) felt is used as a cheaper measure while 90# cap sheet or Polyglass is used for more expensive installations.

Trac homes under layments are almost always a 15 or 30# which is at the bottom variety.