Guide
When patching stops being worth it
A roof that needs replacing usually shows four or five separate small symptoms before it shows one large one.
Get it looked at
Three questions, and up to three Costa Mesa contractors. Free either way.
You are on the list.
No provider in Costa Mesa 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.
Sagging along a line
Straight lines going wavy means something underneath has softened. That is no longer a roofing question with a cheap answer.
The age on the paperwork
Age alone is not a reason to replace. Age plus any one of the symptoms above usually is.
Repeated repairs in different places
When the leaks stop clustering and start appearing anywhere, you are not fixing a fault any more. You are paying for a replacement in instalments, at a worse rate.
Shingles that curl, cup or go brittle
A roof near the end goes hard. Shingles that were pliable enough to seal down in the sun no longer bond, and the first serious wind takes them.
Daylight or damp in the attic
The attic tells the truth earlier than the ceiling does. Staining on the underside of the deck predates any stain you will see downstairs by a long way.
Granules in the gutter
The granules are the sunscreen. Losing them in volume means the asphalt beneath is being cooked directly, and from that point the roof ages in years rather than decades.
In short
If two or more of these apply, get somebody to look at it and give you a remaining-life number in years. That single number turns the decision from a worry into arithmetic.
Related questions
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.
Do you cover the whole Orange County area?
Yes. The contractors we match on cover Costa Mesa and the surrounding towns, so if you are just outside the city limits it still works.
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.