La Palma, CA
Find out what you are actually dealing with
An inspection is the cheapest thing on this site and the one that saves the most money, because it turns a guess into a number.
Describe the inspection job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three La Palma contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in La Palma 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 inspection job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Whether the inspection includes going into the attic
- Photographs of anything they flag
- A written report, not a verbal summary
- Whether the fee comes off the job if you proceed
- An estimated number of years left in the covering
The point of an inspection is not to find a disaster. It is to find the two hundred dollar problem before it becomes a twelve thousand dollar one.
A thorough look covers the covering, the flashings, the penetrations, the gutters, the ventilation and the attic side of the deck. If nobody went into the attic, half the inspection did not happen.
Free inspections are tied to an estimate, which is fine as long as you know that going in. Paid inspections buy you a written report that is not attached to somebody wanting the work.
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 inspection here
Why does ventilation keep coming up?
Because a badly ventilated attic cooks the roof from underneath and takes years off it. Intake at the eaves and exhaust at the ridge, in balance. It is cheap during a re-roof and awkward afterwards.
Should I repair or replace?
It depends almost entirely on how much life is left in the material. Ask any contractor who inspects it to give you a number of years and a reason. If two of them independently say the same thing, believe it.
How quickly will someone call?
Usually within the hour during working hours. If you marked the job as an emergency it goes to the front of the queue and is normally picked up faster than that.
What warranty should I expect?
Ask for both in writing: the material warranty from the manufacturer and the workmanship warranty from the contractor. The second one is the one that matters in year three, and it is only as good as the company behind it.
What is it going to cost?
No cost, no obligation, and never more than three contractors.