Roof Repair in the Los Angeles area is typically a simple job – which is rarely needed – due to the mellow weather in the area. In the past year there have been a few wind storms through Pasadena, ripping up roofs. But this is the exception, not the rule…
Repairing a typical roof leak can take as little as thirty minutes. Roof maintenance usually takes at least an hour or so, and can include things such as: re-sealing all vent pipes, cleaning out gutters, removing any debris, clearing away tree branches and checking roof for random penetrations, cracks, damage, etc.
The first thing any homeowner should do is learn how to correctly identify the name for the roofing material they have. This isn’t terribly difficult and can be done be searching the various terms on the internet and simply matching the photos.
The most common roof type is a composition shingle, known variously as dimensional shingle, 3-tab shingle, comp, shingle, and comp-shingle. This is your typical, flat, asphalt shingle and the word “composition” refers to the fact that some time ago manufactures introduced fiberglass into the asphalt shingles to make them stiffer, more durable, and fire resistant and hence they are a asphalt-fiberglass composite.
Ordinarily comp shingle roofs need little maintenance and take care of themselves. The most common problem we find is the need to reseal vent pipes.
If your roof has become damaged and needs repair, with a comp shingle roof it’s usually simple. If a tree branch managed to work a few shingles loose, repairs can be done within an hour. It’s good to have an extra bundle of your kind of shingles stored somewhere (in the garage or the shed) so that you always have the correct type and color on hand. Sometimes shingles are discontinued and in any case, any roofer is going to give you a break if he doesn’t have to go to the supplier to buy material.
If you have a leak on a comp shingle roof and lack the confidence to chase it down, or don’t like going up on your roof, call your local roofing professional and get a quote. Roofing is one of the few service industries that will still offer free quotes – even on a small repair. Roofers are interested in building relationships. They want to be your roofer for a long time so even though they may make very little money coming out, doing an estimate, then coming back and doing a repair maybe a week later (all for maybe $250 – 300), they want you to call them every year or two to maintain your roof.
A few roofing companies avoid repairs and are primarily interested in re-roofing. If you call a company and tell them you want to have a leak fixed and they are not eager to handle it for you, call someone else. Also note that these companies are usually not too interested in building relationships and it’s best to have a roofer that will be willing to repair your roof.