Quad Cities Home Pros
Why this guide does not quote a price
There is no dollar figure in this guide, and that is deliberate. Published roofing ranges are almost always national averages, and a national average tells you nothing useful about a specific roof on a specific street in Bettendorf. Repeating one here dressed up as local information would make this page look more helpful than it is.
What we can do is explain what actually moves the number, which is the more useful half anyway. If you are holding two quotes that differ, the reason is nearly always somewhere in this guide.
Most roofs here are replaced because of storm damage, not age
The Quad Cities sit in a part of the Midwest that gets severe thunderstorms, hail and straight-line wind through spring and summer. A large share of roof replacements in this metro follow a storm rather than a slow decline, and that changes the whole shape of the job: an insurance claim is usually involved, and the timeline is set by the adjuster rather than by you.
It also changes who knocks on your door. After a significant hail event, out-of-area crews follow the storm, and some of them are excellent while others will be unreachable by the time a problem shows up. The single most useful question is not about price. It is where the company is based and who answers the phone in two years.
Tear-off or an overlay
Whether the old roof comes off is one of the largest differences between two quotes. Going over an existing layer is faster and uses less labour and disposal; taking it off exposes the decking, which is the only way to find out what is underneath.
Codes commonly limit how many layers a roof may carry, and your city building department is the authority on what is allowed at your address. If one quote is markedly lower than another, this is the first place to look — the two contractors may not be quoting the same job at all.
Roof shape matters more than roof size
Two roofs covering the same square footage can be very different jobs. Steep pitch slows everything down and adds safety equipment. Valleys, dormers, chimneys, skylights and changes of direction all need flashing, and flashing is detail work that takes time and is where leaks tend to begin.
The older housing stock across Davenport, Rock Island and Moline includes a lot of complex rooflines. A simple ranch and a cut-up Victorian roof are not comparable on area alone.
What the decking is hiding
Nobody knows the condition of the wood under your shingles until the old roof is off, which is why quotes often carry a per-sheet allowance for replacing bad decking. That is normal and not a warning sign. What matters is that the rate is written down before work starts rather than discovered afterwards.
Ask how decking replacement is priced and how you will be shown what needed replacing. A contractor who expects the question will have a straightforward answer.
The state line changes who is allowed on your roof
Roofing is licensed at state level in Illinois, so a company working in Moline, East Moline or Rock Island answers to a different requirement than one working in Davenport or Bettendorf, where most residential contractors register with the state of Iowa instead. Registration and a trade licence are not the same thing.
This is a five-mile difference in a metro where crews cross the river daily. Ask for the number rather than an assurance — a contractor who holds one will hand it over without friction. There is more on this in our guide to permits and licensing.
Historic districts can restrict what you are allowed to install
Several Quad Cities neighbourhoods sit within locally designated historic districts, and in a designated district the exterior work you can do — including roofing material and sometimes colour — may be subject to review before it goes ahead.
If your house is in or near a district, confirm with your city before choosing a material, not after. A material that has to come back off is the most expensive outcome in this entire guide.
Ice dams are why the edge of the roof fails first
Quad Cities winters cycle across freezing repeatedly rather than staying cold. Heat escaping into an attic melts snow on the upper roof, the water runs down to the cold overhang and refreezes, and the ridge of ice that builds up there backs water underneath the shingles.
That is why damage often appears at the eaves and in the ceiling near an exterior wall rather than in the middle of the roof. It is also why attic insulation and ventilation come up in roofing conversations here: a roof replaced without addressing the cause will dam again next winter.
What to ask before you sign
Ask whether the quote is a tear-off or an overlay, how decking replacement is priced, who is pulling the permit, what the licence or registration number is, and what the warranty covers — separating the manufacturer warranty on the material from the contractor warranty on the workmanship, because they are different promises from different parties.
Get it in writing. A contractor who is comfortable with all five questions is telling you something useful before the work even starts.