Whittier, CA
Replacing a roof in Whittier: what it takes
The price gap between the cheapest and the most expensive quote on the same roof is routinely forty per cent. That gap is not always quality, and it is never obvious from the paperwork.
Describe the replacement job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Whittier contractors who do this work.
You are on the list.
No provider in Whittier 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 replacement job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- A written per-sheet price for replacing bad decking
- Who pulls the permit, and what the inspection schedule looks like
- Tear-off or overlay, and what the local code allows
- Which underlayment, and whether ice-and-water goes on the eaves and valleys
- Ventilation: what is there now, what it should be
Two quotes at the same price can be very different roofs. Compare the layers, not the brand name on the shingle.
Ask how long the crew has been together. Roofing is a trade where the same company name can mean an entirely different set of hands from one season to the next.
A proper replacement is a tear-off, not an overlay. Going over the top of the old roof saves money on day one and costs it back at the next replacement, when there are two layers to remove and no way to inspect the deck.
Locally
Then, less dramatically: the marine layer keeping the north slope damp. Slopes that never get direct sun stay wet for hours after the fog burns off, and that is where moss, lifted shingles and soft decking start.
About replacement here
Can I just put a new roof over the old one?
Often you legally can, and it is usually a poor idea. Overlaying hides the condition of the decking, adds weight, shortens the life of the new shingles by trapping heat, and doubles the cost of the next tear-off.
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.
Are gutters included in a re-roof?
Usually not, unless the quote says so. If they are near the end of their life, replacing them during the re-roof is meaningfully cheaper than doing it later, because the crew and the staging are already there.
Are you a roofing company?
No. Redline Roof Pros is a free matching service. We do not hold a roofing licence, we do not employ crews, and we never come to your house. We pass your request to independent local contractors who do the work and who you hire directly.
Get the roof looked at
Free, no obligation, and your details go to no company until you say yes.