Sharp Pencil › Guides
Tear-Off vs Recover on a Commercial Roofing Takeoff: Which Quantities Change and What to Ask First
Disclosure: Sharp Pencil sells commercial roofing takeoffs, so we have a stake in this topic.
This is a takeoff checklist, not a code ruling. The adopted code, the project specs, and the manufacturer decide which path is allowed.
Last updated: 2026-10-29. Live facts checked on 2026-10-29.
Short answer
Both paths carry the same new roof system lines. A tear-off adds removal by layer, disposal, deck repair, and thicker insulation where the energy code requires it. A recover adds wet insulation cut-out and replacement, a recover board or separator, and longer fasteners, and it depends on a moisture survey, layer count, and the manufacturer's approval. If the set does not answer those, put them on the Questions tab before pricing either path.
Why send your takeoffs to Sharp Pencil
A recover price that never asked the layer count or the moisture survey is not a price yet. Send the set and the existing conditions exhibits, and the open items come back on the Questions tab.
- Usually within one business day. Delivered within 48 hours*. A takeoff that arrives after the bid is due does you no good.
- Send the full set. Architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing, existing-conditions exhibits, and the spec book if you have it.
- Every quantity names its sheet. Every quantity carries its source sheet and its basis, so you can check it against the drawings.
- Questions instead of guesses. If the set leaves something open, it goes on the Questions tab in Takeoff.xlsx, not into the number as a guess.
- Checked before it goes out. Every paid takeoff is checked before delivery.
- Four files, one package. START HERE, marked-up drawings PDF, Takeoff.xlsx with a Questions tab, and the material order list.
- Your plans stay yours. A plan set you send us will never be used to compete with you, and plan sets are deleted whenever you ask. See what happens to your plans.
- First takeoff free, one per contractor, on a job you're bidding or quoting. After that, $395 per new set of drawings, or monthly plans. See what a takeoff costs and how it works.
Commercial roofing takeoffs for low-slope (TPO, EPDM, PVC, mod bit and BUR), standing seam and shingle roofs. Residential is not our focus today, but ask if you have a job in mind. See our commercial roofing takeoff services and where every number comes from.
Get your first takeoff free · See full pricing and plan terms · Or email [email protected]
*Clock starts once any questions we send you are answered.
Tear-off vs recover in one paragraph
A tear-off removes the existing roof down to the deck and builds a new assembly. A recover leaves the existing roof in place and installs a new roof over a prepared surface. In the 2021 IBC, roof replacement means removing all existing layers of roof assembly materials down to the roof deck (Section 1512.2), and roof recover means installing a new roof covering over a prepared existing roof covering without removing it (Chapter 2 definition). Codes are adopted and amended locally, and some jurisdictions apply the existing building code (IEBC) instead.
Coating restoration is a third path with its own lines. See the roof coating restoration takeoff. For everything else that changes on a re-roof set, see the commercial re-roof takeoff.
Which takeoff lines change on each path
Start from the lines both paths share, then add the lines only one path has. Keep every path specific line separate so each price can stand by itself.
| Line | Tear-off | Recover | If the set is silent |
|---|---|---|---|
| New membrane field, flashings, edge metal, penetrations | Yes | Yes | Measure from the new roof plan and details |
| Removal SF, by layer and by area | Yes | No, except wet cut-outs | Questions tab: layer count and which areas |
| Disposal basis (SQ and layers removed) | Yes. See bid lines not on the roof plan. | Wet board only | Questions tab, with no invented tonnage |
| Deck repair or replacement | Unit price, since the quantity is unknown until the deck is open. See alternates and unit prices. | Only where cut-outs or tests expose it. | Questions tab: unit price basis |
| Wet insulation cut-out and replace (SF from the survey) | Rarely separate, since it all comes off | Yes, from the moisture survey keys | Questions tab: survey status and wet SF |
| Recover board or separator sheet SF | No | Yes, when specified | Questions tab: recover board type and attachment |
| New insulation thickness | May increase if the energy code applies to the replacement | May stay the same | Questions tab: required R-value on this project |
| Fastener length and count | Deck plus new assembly | Longer, to reach the deck through the existing roof | Questions tab: fastener length basis and pull test results |
| Curb, wall flashing, and edge heights and nailers | Change when insulation gets thicker | Change when the recover board and new layers raise the surface | See edge metal and tapered insulation |
| Drains (extensions, sumps, reset) | Reset to the new deck and taper | Drain extension or rework where the surface rises. | Questions tab |
| Temporary dry-in and night seal | Yes, the deck is open | As specified | Only when specified and measurable |
| Tests and approvals (pull tests, adhesion tests, manufacturer visits) | May be specified | Often required for warranty | Carry as specified lines or a Questions tab item |
| Warranty term available | Per spec. See warranty requirements. | May be limited on recovered roofs (manufacturer specific) | Questions tab: confirm the term is available on a recover |
The questions that decide whether recover is even allowed
If the set does not answer these, they go on the Questions tab before you price the recover.
Under the 2021 IBC (Section 1512.2.1.1), a recover is not permitted where the existing roof is water soaked or deteriorated so it is not an adequate base, where the existing covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos cement tile, or where the existing roof already has two or more applications of any type of roof covering. That is the code text, not our rule, and local amendments vary. The same section lets a new protective coating go over certain existing roofs without a tear-off, and lets a complete separate system, such as standing seam panels that carry loads directly to the structure, go on without removing the existing covering.
| Question | Why it changes the takeoff | Questions tab wording (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| How many roof coverings are on each area now? | Two or more takes recover off the table under that code text. | "Confirm existing roof layers by area and whether recover is permitted on this project." |
| Is there a moisture survey and core data? Where is the wet area? | Wet SF becomes cut-out and replace lines. Widespread wet changes the path. | "Provide moisture survey and core results, or confirm wet insulation quantity and replacement basis." |
| What is the deck, and has it been checked? | Attachment, pull tests, and the deck repair unit price | "Confirm deck type and condition by area. Are fastener pull test results available?" |
| Has the manufacturer approved a recover in writing, and for what term? | Recover board, attachment, accessories, inspections, and term | "Confirm manufacturer recover approval and the warranty term available on a recover." |
| Does the energy code apply to this replacement? | Insulation thickness, layers, and edge and curb heights | "Confirm the required roof insulation R-value if the roof is replaced. Is the recover exempt on this project?" |
| Who decides the path if the set is silent? | Measure both paths or one | "Tear-off vs recover for [area]? Base bid or alternate?" |
| What is the asbestos survey status? | Hazard rules belong to the survey and the re-roof page | See the roofing RFI register. |
Tear-off path: lines to add
A tear-off brings back every line a new roof has, plus removal, disposal, and whatever the open deck shows.
- Removal SF by layer and by area. One line per layer type where the set says so. Do not blend BUR with gravel and a single ply into one line.
- Disposal basis from removed SQ and layers. Chutes, dumpsters, and hoisting live on bid lines not on the roof plan. No tonnage invented.
- Insulation. On a replacement, the energy code can require the new assembly to meet current R-value tables (2021 IECC C503.2.1, per the PIMA 2021 reroofing checklist). Thicker insulation raises curb, wall flashing, edge, and drain heights. See tapered insulation R-value.
Recover path: lines to add
A recover drops removal and most disposal, but adds the lines that make the recover legal and warrantable.
- Wet insulation cut-out and replace, SF from the survey keys. Carry replacement insulation and patch to match. No wet percent invented. Wet insulation unit prices are on alternates and unit prices.
- Recover board or separator SF and its attachment, when specified. Some manufacturers say a fleece back membrane can remove the need for a slip sheet or recover board over an existing asphalt roof. Follow the spec.
- Fasteners. Fastener length has to reach the required embedment in the deck through the existing roof, per the spec or the manufacturer's attachment table. Count comes from the spec or attachment table. See wind uplift zones. No pattern invented.
- Tests and approvals. Fastener withdrawal (pull) tests are run with roofing material removed above the deck at each test spot, and the ANSI/SPRI FX-1 (2021 edition) field procedure calls for a minimum of 10 pullouts up to 50,000 SF, 5 more for each added 50,000 SF or portion, with half in corners and perimeter. Carry tests only as specified lines or a Questions tab item. Adhesion tests for adhered recovers are manufacturer specific.
- Warranty. One manufacturer's single ply coverage matrix makes only new and complete tear-off systems eligible for coverage longer than 20 years. See warranty requirements.
Steep slope re-roofs: shingle and standing seam on both paths
Steep slope re-roofs get the same two-path treatment and the full linear list on either path.
- Shingle. Tear-off is SQ removed by layer, then the full new shingle takeoff: field, starter, ridge, hip, valley, dead valley, rake, eave, drip edge, endwall and sidewall flashing, transitions, and gutters. The layer count question applies the same way, since the code text says any type of roof covering. On buildings under the residential code, the same limit sits in IRC R908.3.1.1. Measure what the set shows and ask the layer count. See asphalt shingle roof takeoff.
- Standing seam. The code text lets a complete separate system, such as standing seam panels that carry loads directly to the structure, go on without removing the existing covering. On the takeoff that means the panel field plus any sub framing the set shows, plus the full steep slope linear list: ridge, hip, valley, dead valley, rake, eave, endwall and sidewall flashing, transitions, and gutters. See standing seam metal roof takeoff.
When the bid asks for both paths
Take off the base path first, then the other path as its own alternate with its own complete line list. As the alternates and unit prices page puts it: "A tear-off alternate, a thicker membrane alternate, or an added cover board alternate each changes a different list of lines."
When one area is a recover and another is a tear-off, carry the transition between them. See mixed system takeoff. If an addendum switches the path after you measured, re-measure the affected lines.
Worked example: one made-up wing, both paths
This is an example, not a real job, not a Sharp Pencil job, and not a price.
Assumptions (invented): one low slope wing, 150 ft by 100 ft, which is 15,000 SF or 150 SQ. One existing roof covering per the set. The moisture survey exhibit keys 600 SF wet on this wing. New TPO field over the full wing either way. The spec names a recover board for the recover path. No asbestos survey sheet in the set. Perimeter is 2 × (150 + 100) = 500 LF.
| Line | Tear-off path | Recover path | Source sheet and basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New TPO field | 15,000 SF | 15,000 SF | Roof plan rectangle, 150 × 100 |
| Removal | 15,000 SF, one layer | 600 SF wet cut-out only | Demo note and survey key |
| Replacement insulation at wet areas | Not separate, all new | 600 SF | Survey key |
| New insulation | Per spec, R-value on the Questions tab | Per spec | Spec and Questions tab |
| Recover board | None | 15,000 SF | Spec section (invented) |
| Edge metal | 500 LF | 500 LF, height on the Questions tab | Perimeter arithmetic |
| Deck repair | Unit price | Unit price where cut-outs expose deck | Bid form |
| Layer count, manufacturer recover approval, pull test results, asbestos survey status | Questions tab | Questions tab | Not in set |
Common misses
- One blended removal line across different layers or areas
- Short fasteners: recover fastener length that stops in the old roof
- Missing the insulation upgrade a replacement can trigger, and the curb and edge heights that follow
- Dropping steep slope linear items when the re-roof includes shingle or standing seam
- Carrying both paths in one blended number when the bid form asks for an alternate
FAQ
How does a commercial roofing takeoff change for tear-off vs recover?
The new membrane, flashings, and edge lines stay. Tear-off adds removal square feet by layer, disposal, deck repair, and any added insulation the energy code can require on a replacement. Recover adds wet insulation cut-out and replacement from the moisture survey, recover board, and longer fasteners. Before you price either path, confirm the layer count, the survey, the deck, and the manufacturer's written approval.
When is a roof recover not allowed?
Under the 2021 IBC text, a recover is not permitted where the existing roof is water soaked or deteriorated so it is not an adequate base, where the existing covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos cement tile, or where the roof already has two or more applications of any roof covering. Local codes and amendments vary, so confirm on the Questions tab.
What should go on the Questions tab before I price a recover?
Existing layer count by area, moisture survey and core results, deck type and condition, fastener pull test results, the manufacturer's recover approval and warranty term, the required insulation R-value, and who decides the path if the set is silent. See the roofing RFI register.
Do I need a separate takeoff for each path?
When the bid form asks for both, yes. Take off the base path, then the other path as its own alternate with its own complete line list. See roofing bid alternates and unit prices.
Does tear-off vs recover apply to shingle and standing seam roofs?
Yes. Shingle re-roofs carry the same layer count question and the full linear list on either path. Standing seam panel systems that carry loads directly to the structure can go on without removing the existing covering under the same code text. See asphalt shingle roof takeoff and standing seam metal roof takeoff.
What does Sharp Pencil send back on a re-roof takeoff?
Four files: START HERE, marked-up drawings PDF, Takeoff.xlsx with a Questions tab, and the material order list. Every quantity carries its source sheet and its basis. First takeoff free, one per contractor, on a job you're bidding or quoting. After that, $395 per new set of drawings, or monthly plans. Usually within one business day. Delivered within 48 hours*.
*Clock starts once any questions we send you are answered.
Try it free on a live bid
Your first commercial roofing takeoff is free, one per contractor, on a job you're bidding or quoting. After that, $395 per new set of drawings.
Get your first takeoff free · Download the sample package · See full pricing and plan terms · Or email [email protected]
The Sharp Pencil team