Murfreesboro roofers: a homeowner guide to repair, replacement and storm damage

What roofs go through in Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro grew faster than almost any city its size in the country over the last twenty years, and the roofs show it. Most of the houses in the city were built after 2000, and a huge share of them after 2010: the subdivisions off Blackman Road and Veterans Parkway, the streets south of Barfield toward Christiana, the neighborhoods filling in between Memorial Boulevard and Lascassas Pike. That is thousands of roofs installed quickly, by production crews, with the cheapest shingle the builder could put in the spec.

Those roofs are behind most of the roofing questions homeowners here ask. A builder-grade three-tab or entry-level architectural shingle, nailed four to a shingle over felt, with plastic pipe boots and no membrane in the valleys, starts to have problems at 8–12 years in Middle Tennessee. Not because the house is bad, but because the roof was never meant to last as long as the mortgage.

The older side of town is a different job. The streets around MTSU, the East Main historic district, and the 1960s–80s ranches off Broad Street and Old Fort Parkway have roofs on their second or third layer, real brick chimneys with flashing that was caulked instead of cut in, and hip roofs with valleys that have been worn thin by fifty years of rain. Those roofs leak in the predictable places, and they are the ones most likely to be past 20 years and due for a full replacement.

Then there is the weather. Rutherford County sits in the middle of Tennessee's spring severe-weather season, March through May, with a second run of storms in November and December. The Good Friday tornado in April 2009 crossed the city; most years it is straight-line wind from a squall line that does the damage, lifting shingles on the south and west slopes and dropping hackberry limbs on the ones underneath. Summer runs 90 degrees and humid for three months, which cooks a poorly vented attic and grows the black algae streaks you see on the north side of half the roofs in town.

Roofing in Murfreesboro, TN: the main jobs

Roof repair — leaks at pipe boots, chimney flashing, valleys, skylights and where a roof meets a wall; wind-lifted or missing shingles; soft decking. Most repairs run $300–$1,500 and take one visit. See roof repair.

Roof replacement — full tear-off, decking check, synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water membrane in the valleys and around every penetration, and architectural shingles nailed six per shingle. Typical Murfreesboro homes run $9,000–$22,000. See roof replacement.

Storm and wind damage — tarping, photos from the roof, a written scope your adjuster can follow, and then the repair. See storm damage repair.

Roof inspections — a walked inspection with photos and a written report for buyers, sellers, and anyone with a 2010s roof they are not sure about. See roof inspection.

Metal roofing — standing-seam and exposed-fastener panels for homeowners who want the roof that rides out the next thirty springs. See metal roofing.

If you are not sure which of those you have, a roof inspection sorts it out for $150–$300; ask whether the fee is credited if you hire the same contractor for the work. On a 2010s house the usual finding is a $300–$900 list of details; on a 1975 house it is usually a conversation about the next roof.

How to choose a roofing company in Murfreesboro

Any roofing company Murfreesboro homeowners are considering should be able to answer three questions without hesitating: which Tennessee license they hold, who carries their liability and workers' compensation insurance, and what the written quote includes line by line.

Roofing in Rutherford County is licensed at two levels. Jobs between $3,000 and $24,999 require a home improvement license from the state, and anything $25,000 and up requires a full Tennessee contractor license. You can look any contractor up on the state's license verification site in about a minute. If a roofer at your door can't tell you which license they hold, that is your answer.

The best Murfreesboro roofers are usually the ones who have been through several springs here, have a local address, and will tell you when a $350 boot is all you need. Our guide to choosing among roofing companies covers the checks in more detail, and the post on questions to ask a roofing contractor gives you the list to read from.

How this site works

This is a free local guide, not a Murfreesboro roofing company. Calls and estimate requests go to an independent local contractor partner who inspects, quotes in writing and performs the work. There is no obligation to hire, and the prices on these pages are typical ranges for the area, not a quote.

Areas this guide covers

All of Murfreesboro — Blackman, Barfield, Salem, downtown and the East Main historic district, the neighborhoods around MTSU, Walter Hill, Lascassas — plus Smyrna, La Vergne, Christiana, Rockvale, Eagleville, Shelbyville and Lebanon, and across the county line into Franklin and Nolensville. Whether you are searching for a roofer in Murfreesboro or comparing roofers in Murfreesboro, TN after a storm, the pricing page has real numbers to hold every quote against.