Brea, CA
Flat roofs do not shed water. They hold it back.
A pitched roof sheds water. A flat roof is a shallow tray that has to be watertight everywhere at once, which is a much harder thing to build.
Describe the flat roofing job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Brea contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Brea and the surrounding area.
- Today, usually within the hour. The first contractor calls or texts the number you gave us. ASAP requests go out first.
- Up to three of them, no more. We cap it at three so you can compare without your phone melting.
- They come and look. Estimates are given after somebody has been on the roof, not over the phone.
- You decide, or you do not. There is nothing to cancel and nothing to pay us.
If you do not hear anything today, check your voicemail and spam folder — contractors often call from a mobile number.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a flat roofing job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Whether a coating is being sold as a repair
- How the flat section is flashed into adjoining walls and pitched roofs
- Whether water ponds anywhere after rain
- Which membrane, and how the seams are joined
- Drain, scupper and overflow provision
Modified bitumen is the rolled, torched or self-adhered system you see on older flat additions. Cheaper, and shorter-lived.
Ponding water is the enemy. Anything still sitting there forty-eight hours after rain is a design problem, and tapered insulation is usually the answer.
Coatings can buy a sound roof several years. Coating a failed roof buys you a wet roof with a fresh top coat on it.
Locally
Close behind that: shaded slopes that never really dry out. Damp that arrives every morning and leaves by lunchtime is worse for a roof than rain, because nothing ever fully dries between one and the next.
About flat roofing here
What should I do to prepare?
Clear the driveway, protect attic storage from falling dust, and plan for two loud days. Agree in advance where the dumpster goes and who sweeps for nails.
What does a new roof cost in Brea?
For a typical Brea home of about 24 squares, an architectural asphalt re-roof usually lands between $12,500 and $27,000. Tile, slate and standing-seam metal run well above that. The number moves on how many old layers come off, how much decking is soft underneath, and how easily a truck can get to the house.
What time of year is best to re-roof in Brea?
Here, the long dry run from May to October is the easy window. November through March is when the phone rings hardest, which means less flexibility on dates and less room on price.
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.