ROOFING IN GREAT KILLS

Great Kills' housing stock — much of it built in the 1970s and 80s — is now on its second or third roof. The neighborhood's mix of colonials, capes, and semi-attached homes means plenty of straightforward gable roofs where an honest, well-installed architectural shingle system is the right answer.

Wherever your home sits, the fundamentals of an honest roof assessment don't change: the attic tells the truth, photos beat promises, and a verdict of "your roof is fine" has to be on the table for any inspection to mean anything.

Start with the guides

• 7 signs your roof is failing
• What a replacement really costs on Staten Island
• 8 questions that expose a bad roofer