Avalon, CA
The tile is fine. The roof might not be.
Tile roofs fail from underneath. The tile you are looking at can be in perfect condition over underlayment that gave up a decade ago.
Describe the tile and slate job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Avalon contractors who do this work.
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.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a tile and slate job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Whether battens are being replaced at the same time
- What percentage of tile breakage they expect and how it is priced
- The condition and age of the underlayment beneath
- Fastener specification, especially near salt air
- Whether the tile can be salvaged and relaid
Walking a tile roof breaks tile. That is not carelessness, it is physics, and any honest contractor will tell you a small percentage will be lost and replaced.
Ask specifically how many tile or slate roofs the crew completed last year. The honest number is often small.
Underlayment life under tile is typically twenty to thirty years. The tile above it is rated for fifty or more. Plan for one relay in the life of the roof.
Locally
Behind it: morning fog that sits on the roof until mid-morning. Nothing dramatic happens. A slope stays damp most mornings for thirty years, and eventually that is enough.
About tile and slate here
Are the contractors licensed and insured?
Contractors have to give us their state licence number and proof of liability and workers compensation cover before they can receive requests. You should still ask to see current certificates yourself before work starts — a licence can lapse between checks.
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.
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.
Are you a roofing company?
No, and it matters that we say so. We are a referral service, not a contractor. The roofing work, the licence, the insurance and the warranty all sit with the independent company you choose.
What is it going to cost?
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.