Laguna Beach, CA
The tile is fine. The roof might not be.
The most common tile job is not a replacement at all. It is a lift-and-relay: the same tile comes off, new underlayment goes down, the tile goes back.
Or call (949) 730-0369Describe the tile and slate job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Laguna Beach contractors who do this work.
Your request is in.
We are matching it now against roofing contractors working in Laguna Beach 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 tile and slate job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- The condition and age of the underlayment beneath
- Whether battens are being replaced at the same time
- What percentage of tile breakage they expect and how it is priced
- Fastener specification, especially near salt air
- Whether the tile can be salvaged and relaid
Slate wants copper or stainless fasteners and a crew who has done it before. Steel nails on a slate roof is a hundred-year covering held down by a thirty-year fixing.
Walking a tile roof breaks tile. That is not carelessness, it is physics, and any honest contractor will tell you a small percentage will be lost and replaced.
Underlayment life under tile is typically twenty to thirty years. The tile above it is rated for fifty or more. Plan for one relay in the life of the roof.
Locally
The failure that leads here is old houses carrying more layers, and more surprises, than the estimate assumed. Cottages from the 1920s to the 1950s have usually been re-roofed over rather than stripped. What is under the top layer decides the real price, and nobody knows what that is until the tear-off starts.
About tile and slate here
Should I take the cheapest quote?
Only if it is the same roof. Most large gaps between quotes are scope gaps. Ask the cheapest contractor which of the other quotes items they have left out, and why.
I have solar panels. What happens to them?
They come off and go back on, and that is a separate cost, often handled by the solar installer rather than the roofer. If the roof is near the end of its life, do the roof first — removing and refitting panels twice is money wasted.
Is moss on the roof a problem?
It matters more than it looks. The damage is not the moss, it is the permanent damp underneath it. Kill it and brush it off gently; never pressure wash asphalt.
What time of year is best to re-roof in Laguna Beach?
Here, the long dry run from May to October is the easy window. November through March is when the phone rings hardest, which means less flexibility on dates and less room on price.
Ready for a real number?
Three questions, about a minute, and up to three Laguna Beach contractors come back to you.