One sequence
Solar-ready reroof
Replace the roof, then attach the array to a system that was designed to hold it.
The expensive mistake on this corridor is a new array on an old roof. Removing and reinstalling panels later costs more than planning the attachment the first time, and it risks the new roof’s flashings.
The order
- Decide the cover: 3-tab asphalt, architectural shingle, tile, or standing seam
- Replace underlayment, flashings, and damaged deck
- Locate the array on planes that face the right way and stay out of the shade
- Use the attachment the cover was meant to receive
- Permit the roof and the solar so the inspections tell one story
A standing-seam roof can often take clamps. A tile roof needs a tile-specific attachment and a membrane that is new. A shingle roof needs the array on the new cover, not on the cover you meant to replace in 2028.
The money
Run the roof calculator and the solar calculator as two numbers, then add them. The federal homeowner credit is not a third number in 2026 unless your system was actually placed in service in 2025 or earlier. The calculator has a switch for that case, off by default, because most people reading this are planning forward.
Cities where this conversation happens every week: Deltona, Brandon, Orlando, Tampa, and Sarasota.