Guide
The maintenance that actually matters
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 Avalon contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Avalon 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.
Clear the gutters before the wet season
Blocked gutters back water up under the bottom course of shingles and rot the fascia behind them. This is the highest-value hour of maintenance there is, and here it wants doing before November through March.
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.
Deal with growth properly
Moss and algae hold water against the surface. Treat and brush gently, or fit zinc or copper strip near the ridge. Never pressure wash an asphalt roof — it strips the granules and takes years off it in an afternoon.
Keep the penetrations honest
Rubber pipe boots are the single most common source of leaks on an otherwise sound roof, and they are cheap to replace before they fail.
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.
Twice a year, from the ground
You do not need to be on the roof to find most problems. A slow lap of the house at a low angle finds nearly all of them.
In short
Put two dates in the calendar, one either side of November through March. That is the whole programme.
Related questions
What if the decking is rotten underneath?
Some of it usually is. The important thing is that the price per sheet is agreed in writing before the tear-off, so the conversation on day two is about quantity rather than rate.
Do you cover the whole Los Angeles County area?
We match across Avalon and the neighbouring communities in Los Angeles County. Put the ZIP of the property in and it will route to whoever actually covers it.
What happens to my information?
Your details are passed to up to three local roofing contractors so they can quote. That is the only use. You can ask us to delete them at any time, and there is a do-not-sell page for exactly that.
What is it going to cost?
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.