Roofing in Bourne, MA: Costs, Permits and What to Expect

Bourne sits on both sides of the Cape Cod Canal, and its roofs reflect that: mainland-style older houses north of the canal, salt-marsh and harbour houses along Buzzards Bay, Pocasset and Cataumet on the south side. Here is what a roof replacement in Bourne involves from permit to final inspection.

Permits come from the Bourne Building and Inspection Department at Town Hall, 24 Perry Avenue in Buzzards Bay. The town takes every application through its OpenGov portal, and a roof replacement goes in as the "Building - Express Permit, Residential Only", the same application used for siding, windows and doors. On the town's building fee schedule effective January 1, 2023, a residential roof permit is $50, and the same schedule lists a separate $50 historic fee when the structure is over 75 years old. Permit fees are non-refundable.

One thing people miss: a dumpster for the tear-off needs its own permit from the Bourne Fire Department, also filed through OpenGov. We handle both.

Massachusetts treats a roof replacement as permitted work. The residential code (780 CMR, 10th edition) lists what is exempt from a permit, and re-roofing is not on that list. The contractor needs a Construction Supervisor License that covers roofing and, on an owner-occupied home, a Home Improvement Contractor registration, and the HIC number goes on the permit application.

The code also sets the floor for how the roof is built. Ice barrier underlayment is required everywhere in the state, running from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall. A new roof cannot go over two existing layers, or over one that is wet or deteriorated, and drip edge is required at eaves and rakes. Shingles have to carry a wind rating matched to the town's design wind speed.

Bourne's design wind speed in the state code is 129 mph. Shingles have to be labeled ASTM D7158 Class G or H, or D3161 Class A, D or F at that speed. On the bay and canal shoreline, salt is as much of a problem as wind: galvanized nails and flashing corrode, so we use stainless fasteners and coastal-grade flashing metal on the waterfront streets.

What a roof costs comes down to a handful of things you can see in a written estimate: the size of the roof in squares, the pitch, how many layers come off, how much of the deck is soft once it is open, the flashing at chimneys, walls and skylights, ventilation corrections, and the shingle system itself. The permit is a small line next to those. Any estimate worth signing lists them separately, including the price per sheet for deck replacement, so the number does not move once the old roof is off.

Under the Massachusetts home improvement law (MGL c.142A), a contract over $1,000 has to be in writing, with the contractor's registration number on the first page, start and finish dates, the materials, the total price and the payment schedule. The deposit cannot be more than one third of the price, or the cost of special-order materials, and a contract signed at your home comes with three days to cancel.

Who pulls the permit matters. If the registered contractor pulls it, you are covered by the state Guaranty Fund, which pays up to $25,000 on an unpaid judgment against a registered contractor. If the homeowner pulls the permit, that protection is gone. We pull the permit on every roof we do.

Bourne is about 30 minutes from our Hyannis office, so we schedule tear-offs around the weather rather than the drive. Most homes are torn off and roofed in one to three days, and the building department inspects when the work is done.