Part H · the register

One Roof Line, Two Owners: Shared Roofs in Kirkwood Townhomes

When a Kirkwood townhome or duplex shares a roof line, the association, the bid and the neighbor all have a say before the first nail.

A townhome or duplex in Kirkwood often shares one continuous roof line with the unit next door. The two units may have different owners, different insurers and different ideas about when the roof is due. Before you ask anyone for a number, find out which part of the roof is yours, who decides on the rest, and whether the roof will be bid as one job or two.

Find out who owns the roof line

Start with the paperwork that came with the house. A condominium or townhome association usually has a declaration, sometimes called covenants, that says which parts of the building are common elements and which belong to each unit. Roofs are commonly listed on one side or the other. Some documents assign the roof covering to the association while leaving interior finishes to the owner. Others leave the roof to the unit owner and only require that the exterior look consistent. Nothing here is the same from one subdivision to the next, so read the section that defines common elements and search it for the word roof.

If the documents are unclear, ask the association in writing. A short email asking which party is responsible for repair and replacement of the roof covering, flashing and gutters is enough to start. Keep the reply. A verbal answer at a board meeting is hard to use later when a roofer, an insurer or a neighbor asks who approved the work.

Why one bid can cover two owners

When the roof is a single continuous plane, a roofer may prefer to price the whole run. That is reasonable for the shingles, because the crew will be on the same ladders and the same tear-off pile. It is less simple for the paperwork. Each owner needs a contract, a payment schedule and a written scope that shows which roof area sits over which unit. If one owner wants a different underlayment or a different ridge vent, the two halves of the roof may not match, and the crew cannot change one half without touching the other.

Ask for the bid to show the split. A proposal for a shared roof should list the roof area over each unit, and the shared ridge and any shared valley, on separate lines. If the total is one lump sum, ask the roofer how it will be divided and who signs for each share.

The party wall and the flashing that joins it

The most common trouble on a shared roof sits where the two units meet. A party wall that runs up through the roof has to be flashed on both sides, and the step flashing, counterflashing and cap must be installed so that each side sheds water away from the other. If the wall was flashed years ago by two different contractors, the old pieces may not line up. Replacing one side and leaving the other can leave a gap at the wall that shows up at the first heavy rain.

Ask the roofer whether the wall flashing is in the scope, and where that work starts and stops. Ask whether it will be checked from the attic side, the roof side or both. Attic access matters here, because the neighbor's attic may also need to be looked at.

Access across the shared roof

The crew reaches the roof from the ground, usually at one end of the building, and walks the whole run. That means the neighbor's side of the roof, their gutters and their landscaping are all in the path. Some crews lay boards to protect shingles on the walk, and some do not. Ask each roofer how they will reach the far end of the run, where the ladders will go, and whether any neighbor's patio furniture, hose or grill has to be moved. Put that in writing before the day of the work. A neighbor who was told a week ahead has a much easier conversation than one who finds a crew in the yard at seven in the morning.

The same goes for the dumpster and the magnet sweep. A bin placed to serve one unit still puts debris on the shared drive or lawn, so agree on where it sits for both owners before it arrives.

Gutters, downspouts and the shared join

A continuous gutter may serve two units, with a downspout at each end and a shared trough in the middle. If one owner replaces the gutter and the other does not, the join at the middle is a likely place for a leak. Decide whether the gutter is in the roof bid or in a separate line. Check where each downspout discharges at grade, too, because a downspout that empties onto the shared walk will soak the foundation of one unit or the other.

What the insurance file looks like

If the roof is damaged, each owner deals with their own insurer under their own policy, and the association's master policy may also be involved. Whether any policy responds to a given part of the roof is a question for the insurer and the association, not for the roofer. Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) forbids a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, and it also forbids the contractor from saying anything about paying, waiving or covering a deductible. What Keys can do is document the damage with photographs and measurements, put a written scope in your hands, and attend the job as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer. On a shared roof, both owners should keep their own copies of the scope and the photo set, so each has the same record of the work.

Questions to put to the roofer and the association

• Which document says the roof covering is common or private, and who signed it?
• Does the bid list each unit's roof area, and the shared ridge and valley, on separate lines?
• Who signs the contract for each owner, and who pays the deposit?
• Is the party wall flashing in the scope, and how will it be checked from the attic?
• Where will the crew reach the far end of the run, and what neighbor property is in the path?
• Where does the dumpster sit, and who sweeps the shared drive after the magnets run?
• If the two halves end up with different materials, how is the transition at the shared ridge detailed?

Keys can walk the shared roof with both owners present, so the scope reflects the whole run and not one unit's half. To set that up, call the office at (314) 220-2333. Bring the declaration if you have it, along with a list of any neighbor questions the association has not answered yet.