Guide
A year of roof maintenance
A roof that gets looked at twice a year lasts appreciably longer than one that gets looked at when it leaks. The work involved is small.
Get it looked at
Three questions, and up to three Los Alamitos contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Los Alamitos is taking requests through this service yet. We are lining them up, and yours is kept until one can.
- Nobody gets your details yet. Your request stays with us and is not passed to any company.
- One email when someone can help. When a provider covering your area can take it on, we email you once and ask whether you want that company, by name, to contact you.
- Deleted after 90 days. If nobody can take it on, or you do not say yes, your contact details are deleted 90 days after your request.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
Nobody will call you about this request unless you say yes to a company by name.
Keep the penetrations honest
Pipe boots crack, sealant shrinks, and satellite mounts get screwed straight through the covering. Every penetration is a hole somebody decided to make watertight, and each is worth a look.
Clear the gutters before the wet season
Gutters full of grit are not just a drainage problem — the grit is your roof, and its presence tells you something about how far along the covering is.
Twice a year, from the ground
Walk the perimeter with binoculars if you have them. You are looking for missing or lifted material, dark patches, sagging lines, and anything growing where it should not be. Ten minutes, twice a year.
Look in the attic after heavy weather
Check after the first real weather of the season rather than at the end of it. A small stain found in autumn is a cheap repair; the same stain found in spring is not.
Deal with growth properly
Cleaning a roof aggressively does more damage than the growth was doing. Gentle treatment, patience, and a strip at the ridge to stop it returning.
Cut back anything touching the roof
Overhanging limbs cause three problems at once: abrasion, permanent shade that keeps a slope damp, and a highway for rodents into the attic.
In short
Put two dates in the calendar, one either side of November through March. That is the whole programme.
Related questions
What should I do to prepare?
Move the cars out, take pictures off the top-floor walls, cover anything stored in the attic, and put pets somewhere else for the loud days. Expect nails in the driveway however careful the crew is — ask whether they run a magnet at the end.
What does a new roof cost in Los Alamitos?
Most quotes here for a standard asphalt replacement come in around $13,000 to $27,000. That assumes one layer to remove and sound decking. Every quote you get should say in writing what happens if the decking is not sound.
Do I need a permit?
Yes, in nearly every jurisdiction a re-roof is permitted work. A contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something useful about how they work.
Find out what it costs
No cost. We email you once when a provider near you can take it on.