Costa Mesa, CA
Storm damage, and what to do first
Photograph everything before anybody touches the roof. A record made on the day is worth more than any description afterwards.
Describe the storm damage job
Three questions, then the address. Up to three Costa Mesa contractors who do this work.
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.
Before you let anybody on the roof
The things worth pinning down on a storm damage job. A contractor who has not raised them has not looked properly.
- Whether the contractor is licensed and insured in this state
- Photographs of the damage before any work happens
- What the emergency tarp costs, separate from the repair
- A local address you could actually drive to
- A written scope of the work, line by line
Keep every receipt, including the tarp and the emergency call-out. They are part of the record of what happened and what it cost.
A local contractor who inspects and documents properly is more use to you than a fast one who is already on the roof.
Photograph the outside, the inside, and the date. Then get a tarp on it. Photographs of the original damage are a record nobody can argue with; a description of what it looked like before the repair is not.
Locally
Then, less dramatically: shaded slopes that never really dry out. Nothing dramatic happens. A slope stays damp most mornings for thirty years, and eventually that is enough.
About storm damage here
Can I stay in the house while it is done?
Most people do. Expect noise from early morning, dust in the attic, and a day where the driveway belongs to the crew.
How long should a roof last here?
Rated life and real life are different numbers. Here, salt and sun together tend to take the low end of any rated life. Ventilation and the quality of the installation move that more than the brand does.
Do I need a permit?
Yes, in nearly every jurisdiction a re-roof is permitted work. A contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you something useful about how they work.
What should I do to prepare?
Clear the driveway, protect attic storage from falling dust, and plan for two loud days. Agree in advance where the dumpster goes and who sweeps for nails.