Cedar Roofing near you

The names on a bundle describe manufacturing, not quality, and the differences change how the finished roof looks and how it weathers. The Park Service's chart of available products is the clearest summary a homeowner can work from.

Wood roofing is the one covering whose legality can depend on your address. California's Health and Safety Code sets a floor everywhere in the state and a higher bar in hazardous zones: within a very high fire hazard severity zone the roof covering must be a fire retardant covering that is at least class B, in state responsibility areas other than moderate hazard zones at least class B, and in all other areas at least class C. A further provision raises the requirement in very high fire hazard severity zones to at least class A, unless the jurisdiction has adopted the State Fire Marshal's model ordinance or one substantially conforming to it. Each of those requirements applies not only to new structures but to any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair or replacement of an existing roof, and to the entire roof of an existing structure where more than fifty percent of the total roof area is replaced within any one-year period.

California also regulates the product itself. Its statute provides that no wood roof covering materials may be sold or applied in the state unless the materials have been approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal as complying with the section, and have passed at least five years of the ten-year natural weathering test. That weathering requirement exists because fire retardant treatment applied to the surface of a shingle does not necessarily survive a decade of rain and sun, and the state wanted evidence rather than a label.

There is a paper trail to insist on. The same statute requires the installer of the roof covering to provide certification of the roof covering classification, as provided by the manufacturer or supplier, to the building owner and, when requested, to the agency enforcing the rules, and to install the covering in accordance with the manufacturer's listing. It also preserves the authority of a city, county or fire protection district to impose more restrictive requirements. If you are anywhere in the wildland-urban interface, ask the local fire authority what is permitted before you fall in love with cedar, because a county or district rule can be stricter than the state's.

Coverage comes first. Historically roofers laid three layers of shingles with approximately a third of each shingle exposed to the weather, which is what a three-ply roof means, and the Park Service warns that some modern installers expose more of the shingle and compensate with interwoven building felts, an absorptive material that can hold moisture on the underside of the shingles and accelerate deterioration. Spaces between shingles, roughly an eighth to half an inch depending on the wood type, let them swell when wet, each overlapping shingle is staggered by at least an inch and a half so there is no direct path for water through a joint, and the starter course at the eave is doubled or tripled. Shingle width is generally kept under ten inches, because wider boards cup and curl.

Fasteners are where cheap work shows. The Park Service advises corrosion-resistant nails with barbed or deformed shanks long enough to extend about three-quarters of an inch into the roof decking, and warns that pneumatic staple guns can shoot staples through shingles, crush wood fibers or crack the shingle. One detail is specific to the species: with red cedar, copper nails should not be specified, because a chemical reaction between the wood and the copper reduces the life of the roof, and copper flashing and gutters generally should not be used with red cedar either because staining occurs. Hot-dipped zinc-coated, aluminum or stainless steel nails are the alternatives given, with heavier twenty-ounce flashing holding up better than lighter material that would fail before the shingles do.

Then there is air. The longest-lasting wooden roofs were generally the ones with the best ventilation, and the Park Service cautions that shingles set directly on solid sheathing with insulation packed tightly between rafters, without adequate ventilation, risk condensation-related moisture damage, particularly in air-conditioned buildings. Where insulation is present it recommends ventilation channels between the rafters and the roof decking, avoiding heavy felt building papers, and raising the shingles slightly on sleepers over the deck, a 1920s practice credited with roofs lasting sixty years.

Cedar maintenance is mostly about keeping the roof clean and letting it dry. Sweeping pine needles, leaves and branches off as needed and trimming overhanging limbs does more for the roof than any product, and the Park Service is direct that moss and lichen buildups, however charming, will rot the shingles. Where buildup has to be removed, it describes scraping and removing the residue with diluted bleaching solutions, with caution for surrounding materials and plants.

Pressure is the tempting shortcut and it is a bad one. The same guidance notes that while power washing makes a roof look relatively new, it can put a lot of water under the shingles, the high pressure may crack or otherwise damage them, and the added water may leach out applied coatings. If the roof has been treated with a fungicide, stain or revitalizing oil, that coating needs reapplying every few years, usually every four to five, and the manufacturer is the authority on the effective life of a particular product.

One piece of practical advice pays for itself: order enough shingles at the start to use for periodic repairs. Matching weathered cedar years later is difficult and sometimes impossible, and a small stack in the garage turns a future repair from a compromise into a swap. Keep the specification sheet with them, since the species, length, butt thickness, exposure and any fire retardant treatment are exactly what the next contractor will need to know.

Individual shingles can be swapped without disturbing the roof around them. The Park Service describes removing the old shingle, inserting a new one and holding it in place with a thin metal tab, which reduces disturbance to the sound shingles above, and notes that where a few shingles have cracked or the joints of overlapping shingles have lined up into a passage for water, a metal flashing piece slipped underneath can stop moisture temporarily. Those are real repairs, not patches, and they are the reason a cedar roof with a handful of failures does not need replacing.

The threshold for replacement is stated plainly: if over twenty percent of the shingles on any one surface appear eroded, cracked, cupped or split, or if there is evidence of pervasive moisture damage in the attic, replacement should be considered. Notice that the test is per surface. It is common for one slope to be finished while another is sound, and replacing a single elevation is a legitimate option that spreads the cost.

When the shingles do come off, the sheathing underneath is often still good. The Park Service advises against patching deteriorated shingle lath or sheathing with plywood or composite materials, recommending full size lumber custom-ordered to match the original, and says that where large quantities must be replaced the work should be done in sections to avoid shifting or collapse of the roof structure. That is a carpentry conversation to have with a contractor before the tear-off, not while the deck is open.

There is no national roofing license, so the credential that matters is the one issued in your state, and the range is wide. Illinois licenses the trade directly, making it unlawful for any person to engage in the business of providing professional roofing services, or to act as or hold themselves out as a roofing contractor or qualifying party, without being licensed under its Roofing Industry Licensing Act, and offering a limited license covering residential roofing on properties of eight units or fewer alongside an unlimited license. Every Illinois roofing company must designate a qualifying party in responsible control.

Oregon takes the broader route: anyone who works for compensation in any construction activity involving improvements to real property must be licensed with the Construction Contractors Board, and the board names roofing first in its list of construction activities. Other states license nothing specific to roofing, leaving the building permit, current general liability and workers' compensation coverage and the contractor's local record as your checks.

On a wood roof, add one question that is not about licensing at all. Ask which fire classification the assembly being quoted carries, how that classification is achieved, and for the installer's written certification of the covering's classification, which California requires by statute and which any competent installer anywhere can produce. Ask your building department whether a permit and an inspection are required, and whether your jurisdiction restricts wood roofing at all before ordering material with a long lead time.

Cedar quotes separate on specification more than on labor rate. The variables are the product grade and whether it is sawn, tapersawn, handsplit or custom dressed, the exposure and therefore how many bundles the same roof consumes, whether a fire retardant treatment is required and whether it is pressure-impregnated or surface-applied, the flashing metal chosen and whether it is compatible with red cedar, whether the deck is solid or spaced sheathing and what condition it is in, whether ventilation sleepers or channels are being added, and the complexity of hips, valleys and dormers where shingles have to be cut on site. Two bids that name different products are not comparable until both specifications are on paper.

LokalMatch starts the search rather than doing the work. Describe the roof once, including its age, the current covering, the slope, how much shade it sits under and whether your area restricts wood roofing, and roofing companies serving your area will contact you if they want the job. Pros pay for the requests they receive; homeowners use the service free. LokalMatch performs no roofing, sets no prices and does not vet, rank or recommend any contractor, so checking the license your state issues, the fire classification and the written specification remains your part of the job.