Roof Replacement in LaPlace, LA
In the weeks after Ida, St. John Parish allowed shingle work to proceed without a building permit. Replacing that roof is the first chance to put the deck beneath it on record.
In October 2021, St. John the Baptist Parish told residents that shingle work did not need a building permit. A permit was required only when repairs reached the framing or the roof structure, and fees for hurricane repairs were waived until the end of February 2022. With the whole parish rebuilding at once, the rule made sense. It also means many LaPlace roofs from that stretch may have no inspection on file.
When that roof comes off, the deck underneath gets its first documented look since before the storm. The job ends with a permitted, inspected roof and photos of the wood beneath it.
Shingles Without Permits, Over Decks From the 1970s Onward
By mid-October that year, St. John had logged 18,349 FEMA registrations, and at that scale the exemption kept repairs moving. What it left behind is a paperwork gap over how the current roof was attached.
The houses under those roofs are older than their shingles. Nearly half of LaPlace's homes were built between 1970 and 1989, about a fifth during the 2000s, and only about 2 percent since 2010, for a median build year of 1985. On many of them, much of the deck, the rafters, and the roof edges can date from the original construction, apart from any sheets a storm repair replaced. A LaPlace reroof scope has to cover that older structure along with the shingles, and the written estimate lists drip edge, flashing, and ventilation as their own lines.
Since August 1, 2025, state law has made St. John Parish permit and inspect reroofs on one- and two-family homes, so the replacement leaves an official record that the last roof may lack.
What the Tear-Off Puts on Record
Once the old shingles and underlayment are off, the crew photographs the bare roof before anything new covers it. That crew is Epic's own, sent from Mandeville by a company its founder still runs. Three things go into that record.
Deck sheets, original and patched:
Sheets replaced after the storm can often be told apart from the older plywood around them. We photograph each one, check that its edges align with the rafters, and mark any soft, delaminated, or water-stained sheet for replacement.
How the sheets are held down:
We look at the nail type, the spacing along each rafter and at the eaves, and any nails that missed wood entirely. Weak spots are re-nailed before underlayment goes down, and the photos show the condition and the fix.
Edges, walls and vents:
Drip edge, wall flashing and roof vents come off with the old roof. We photograph the wood behind them, where slow leaks like to hide, then set new edge metal and flashing, and the parish inspection closes out the job.
The full photo set comes to you with the inspection result. If you sell, it shows a buyer what sits under the new roof, a record the roof you are replacing may not come with.
Older LaPlace Decks and the Reroof Price
Reroofing a LaPlace house of 2,000–2,500 square feet comes to $13,000–$23,000. Pitch and a cut-up roof both play a part, but on a LaPlace house the deck is the unknown. The estimate sets a price for each deck sheet that might need replacing, which tells you up front what a worn or patched deck could add. If you want impact-rated Class 4 shingles or a FORTIFIED build, we can quote them alongside the standard roof, and financing is available.
Shingle lines, metal, and the reroof sequence are the same as on any roof replacement.
Post-Ida Roofs in LaPlace: Common Questions
Our roof was replaced right after Ida. Why would we replace it again so soon?
You may not need to. An inspection shows whether the roof is failing across the board or needs work in one or two spots, and a LaPlace roof repair is often enough. We recommend a replacement only when the photos make the case.
How can we find out whether our current roof was permitted?
Ask St. John the Baptist Parish permit staff what was filed for your address. If nothing was, that fits the 2021 exemption for shingle work and says nothing bad about the roof by itself. A permit on file for structural work suggests some framing or decking was replaced then, and the tear-off photos can show where.
Do we have to deal with the parish permit office ourselves?
No. We pull the permit and schedule the parish inspection, and the result is added to your file next to the photos.
Our LaPlace house went up in the 2000s. Is the deck likely to be original?
Probably, outside any sheets swapped after a storm. Newer plywood can look lighter and carry different stamps, and the attic sometimes shows that before the tear-off.
What if the tear-off shows the post-Ida work was done well?
Then the photos say so, which is worth having. A sound deck keeps the decking line on your bill small, and the record shows an insurer that the wood under the new roof checked out.
Who do we call if something goes wrong with the new roof after the crew leaves?
Our Mandeville office. A replacement carries our 5-year workmanship warranty in writing, and a buyer inherits it if you move. Call the number you booked with; the tear-off photos are in the CompanyCam album you keep.
Insurance Evidence and a FORTIFIED Option in St. John Parish
If a storm claim is behind the reroof, our part is the evidence: drone and attic photos, the tear-off record, and a written scope. Louisiana RS 22:1684 bars roofers from serving as public adjusters, so we do not negotiate or settle claims, and we meet your adjuster at the house when you ask. No contractor may legally cover or waive a deductible in Louisiana. Policies on the claims we document have included State Farm, Allstate, National General, Louisiana Citizens, and USAA.
With the deck bare, the new roof can be built to the FORTIFIED Roof standard from IBHS, which includes its own deck-nailing schedule and photo checklist. The state lists Epic among its approved Fortify Homes contractors; Joey holds three IBHS FORTIFIED credentials. Our FORTIFIED roofing work follows that standard.
St. John the Baptist was on the eligible-parish list for Round 9 of the state's Fortify Homes lottery, which awards up to $10,000 for a certified roof. Later rounds are announced at fortifyhomes.la.gov, and each round names its parishes. A selected homeowner needs approval before roof work begins, so settle the grant question before you pick a start date. The FORTIFIED build itself does not depend on the draw.
Book the Inspection That Starts the Record
The record starts with a free inspection, booked at 225-396-8122. Within 2–5 business days, you get a written estimate with photos and per-sheet deck pricing, and the consultation requires no deposit. Every reroof in our roofing in LaPlace work starts with that inspection, and a house on the East Bank of Jefferson Parish gets the same first step through roof replacement in Kenner.
137 Girod Street, Suite 3, Mandeville, LA 70448