Irvine, CA
Replacing a roof in Irvine: what it takes
Replacing a roof is four days of noise and one decision that lasts thirty years. It is worth an afternoon of comparing.
Describe the replacement job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Irvine contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Irvine 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 replacement job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Ventilation: what is there now, what it should be
- A written per-sheet price for replacing bad decking
- How the site is protected, and who cleans up the nails
- Who pulls the permit, and what the inspection schedule looks like
- Tear-off or overlay, and what the local code allows
Insist on knowing what happens to decking that turns out to be rotten. The good answer is a per-sheet price agreed in writing before the job starts.
Warranties come in two halves that get deliberately confused. The manufacturer covers the material, and only if it was installed to specification. The contractor covers the workmanship, and only for as long as they stay in business.
The covering is the part you can see and the part everybody quotes on. The parts that decide whether the roof lasts are underlayment, ventilation, drip edge and how the valleys are handled.
Locally
Behind it: morning fog that sits on the roof until mid-morning. The north side of a house here ages years faster than the south side, and almost every roof gets replaced because of it.
About replacement here
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.
How much deposit is normal?
A third at most, and never the full amount. Pay the balance when the job is finished and you have walked it. Some states cap the deposit by law.
I rent. Can I use this?
You can submit it, but the owner has to authorise any work, so the useful move is to get the landlord to make the request or to give you permission in writing first. Contractors will not start work for a tenant.
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 is it going to cost?
No cost, no obligation, and never more than three contractors.