Trades & Subcontractors
How roofing gets handled on your project
Short version: it gets done, by someone licensed for it, sequenced so it lands before interior finish.
We don't self-perform roofing. On a project we're building it is subcontracted to a licensed roofer and sequenced and supervised by us — you are not chasing a separate contractor for it.
How it works on our projects
Roofing is a specialty trade with its own license classification in California. Like most general contractors we don't self-perform it — we bring in a licensed roofer, carry them under our contract, and sequence them so the roof is on before anything interior gets finished. That sequencing is most of the value: a roof that lands late is how new drywall and flooring get ruined.
- You deal with us, not them. Scheduling, coordination and the punch list stay ours.
- We check the sub before they set foot on your job. Current license, certificate of insurance direct from the carrier, and — where a manufacturer warranty is involved — certified-applicator status for that specific system.
- Hidden conditions go through the same process as anywhere else. Bad sheathing under an old roof is the classic one, and it becomes a written, priced change order before the work happens.
Manufacturer system warranties on coatings and membranes generally require installation by a certified applicator for that system. Work done by someone who isn't one may carry no warranty at all, however well it was installed. Ask about it by name.
If a roof is the only thing you need
Go to a roofing contractor directly. There is no general-contractor coordination to do on a single-trade job, so adding one adds cost without adding much. We would rather tell you that than take the work.
How to vet a roofer
Check the license classification covers roofing
On the CSLB registry — active status, right classification, bond in place.
Ask about certified-applicator status if a warranty matters
For the specific system going on your roof. It is the detail that gets skipped and the one that decides whether your warranty is real.
Get workers' compensation confirmation from the carrier
Not a PDF from the contractor. Roofing is among the highest-risk trades there is.
Ask what happens if the deck underneath is bad
Rotten or undersized sheathing is the standard hidden condition on a re-roof. Know how it gets priced and approved before anyone is up there.
Common questions
Does Elusive Construction handle roofing?
Can I hire you for just a roof replacement?
Why does a certified applicator matter for a roof coating?
What happens if the roof deck is rotten underneath?
Where to go next
Written by the team at Elusive Construction, a licensed California general contractor (B #1112902) building in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. General information about how residential construction works — not legal advice. For your specific contract, talk to an attorney.
Also Worth Reading
The rest of what we publish
Cost guides
What an ADU, an addition, a kitchen or a whole house actually costs here, and what moves each number.
Our own projects
Two jobs written up start to finish, including what we found once the walls were open.
Paying for it
Renovation lenders we work with. We take no referral fee, and we never quote you a rate.
Where we build
Sixteen cities across two counties, and what genuinely changes at each city line.
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