Roofing guides
Roofing Guides for California Homeowners
Roofing guides for California homeowners: plain answers to the questions that decide what goes on your roof, from the rules to the materials and the timing.
These roofing guides answer the California-specific questions homeowners ask before a re-roof: whether the Title 24 cool-roof rule applies, when a Class A fire-rated roof is required, what a permit involves, how tile underlayment is replaced, how metal compares with shingles, and whether to replace the roof before solar. Each one cites the code or public source it relies on, with the date it was read.
- Planning any re-roof: do you need a roofing permit?
- Replacing more than half a roof in climate zones 4 or 8 to 15, or a flat roof in zones 4 or 6 to 15: cool roof requirements.
- In a mapped fire hazard zone: Class A fire-rated roofing.
- Tile roof leaking with the tiles intact: tile underlayment replacement.
- Choosing a material for the long run: metal roof vs shingle.
- Solar on the way: replace the roof before solar?
Rules and permits
What California requires when a roof is replaced, and how to check it for your address. The work itself: roof replacement and cool roofing.
Cool Roof Requirements in California: What Title 24 Asks of a Re-Roof
Which re-roofs it covers, the values, and the exceptions.
Read the guide
What Is a Class A Fire Rated Roof, and When Does California Require One?
The rating, the roofs that qualify, and when it applies.
Read the guide
Do You Need a Roofing Permit in California?
Yes for a re-roof. What it checks and who pulls it.
Read the guideMaterials and planning
How the options compare, what wears out first, and the order to do things in. The work itself: metal roofing and tile roofing.
Metal Roof vs Shingle: Which Is Right for Your Home?
Cost, life, weight, fire, heat and solar, side by side.
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Tile Roof Underlayment Replacement: How a Lift and Relay Works
The signs, the steps, and which tiles go back on.
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Should You Replace Your Roof Before Solar? How to Decide
Roof life against panel life, and what a later removal involves.
Read the guideRather talk it through?
An on-site assessment answers these questions for your roof and address, with a written proposal before anything is decided.
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Let's talk roofs
Tell us what is going on with your roof. We will schedule an on-site assessment and send a written proposal before anything is decided.