La Palma, CA
Flat and low-slope roofing in La Palma
Flat sections on an otherwise pitched house are where the leaks are. Additions, porch roofs, and the bit over the garage.
Describe the flat roofing job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three La Palma contractors who do this work.
You are on the list.
No provider in La Palma 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 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
- Drain, scupper and overflow provision
- Which membrane, and how the seams are joined
Look at the flashing where the flat section meets a wall. That transition leaks far more often than the field of the membrane does.
Single-ply membranes — TPO, PVC, EPDM — are heat-welded or taped at the seams. The seams and the terminations are the whole job.
Drains and scuppers need to be checked every season. One blocked drain can hold enough water to matter structurally.
Locally
The second problem is the marine layer keeping the north slope damp. It is why two identical houses on the same street can be ten years apart on the same roof, depending on which way they face.
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.
How long should a roof last here?
Rated life and real life are different numbers. Here, ordinary rated life is a fair guide, provided the attic breathes. Ventilation and the quality of the installation move that more than the brand does.
How many contractors will contact me?
Up to three. That is a hard cap, not a guideline. Three is enough to compare and few enough that your phone stays usable.
Is this really free?
It is free to you. Contractors pay to receive homeowner requests in their area. That is the entire business model, and we would rather say so plainly than pretend otherwise.
What is it going to cost?
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.