Roof Repair ??? (Phoenix: house, tile, casino) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

cjs123 · 03-03-2010, 02:31 AM

Anyone have recommendations regarding roofing companies in the Phoenix Metro area? Live in the East Valley.

Have a minor repair job [a few cracked tiles]; no leaking per home inspector, but want it fixed as preventive maintenance. It has been challenging, to say the least, to get anyone to keep an appointment or return a call.

Prefer a roofer to a handyman since a "jack of all trades" tends to be a master of none--and nobody at this house will be up on the roof to see what kind of job they did.

Thanks for any info!

wit-nit · 03-03-2010, 07:08 AM

The recent winds and rains are taxing all the roofers right now.
I've used ABCO roofers for several homes and never had a problem with them. 602-348-5207 They're licensed and registered with the ROC.

Ponderosa · 03-03-2010, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjs123

Anyone have recommendations regarding roofing companies in the Phoenix Metro area? Live in the East Valley.

Have a minor repair job [a few cracked tiles]; no leaking per home inspector, but want it fixed as preventive maintenance. It has been challenging, to say the least, to get anyone to keep an appointment or return a call.

Prefer a roofer to a handyman since a "jack of all trades" tends to be a master of none--and nobody at this house will be up on the roof to see what kind of job they did.

Thanks for any info!

Cracked tiles are not going to make the roof leak. Everyone has cracked tiles on their roofs. They break from thermal expansion and contraction and from people walking on them (including fixing cracked ones). It is a bread and butter item for inspectors. I wouldn't be surprised if the inspector is the one who cracked them walking on it (most of them do not go on the roof - just peak over the eaves).

The underlayment (tar paper) and flashing that is under the tiles is what does the work in keeping you dry. So unless the break exposes the underlayment to sunlight that will dry and crack it or is more of a missing piece that lets a good deal of runoff get to the underlayment it is not a big deal. Replacing tiles with minor cracks and missing corners is something that can be put off for some time. By late April, the roofers will be looking for work.

BTW. People are often told that tile roofs will last 50 years or more. Don't believe them. The underlayment dries out from heat and exposure in as little as 20 years requiring a very, very expensive removal and replacement process. The tile craze started about 30 years ago around here. We had asphalt shingles before that. So R&R'ing tile roofs might be a very good business to get into.

PhoenixDude · 03-03-2010, 10:23 AM

Wow Ponderosa! You really seem to know what you are talking about when it comes to roofs and roofing. Certainly much more than I know, thats for sure=)

I would recommend that IF the original poster wants to get an estimate that they call at least 3-4 companies and let them all know that you are calling around. This will hopefully keep prices down. You can look for roofing companies online with google or by using a local yellow pages.

I think that Ponderosa's advice is good however. If your roof is not leaking then exactly why would you want to pay money to get it fixed?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Cracked tiles are not going to make the roof leak. Everyone has cracked tiles on their roofs. They break from thermal expansion and contraction and from people walking on them (including fixing cracked ones). It is a bread and butter item for inspectors. I wouldn't be surprised if the inspector is the one who cracked them walking on it (most of them do not go on the roof - just peak over the eaves).

The underlayment (tar paper) and flashing that is under the tiles is what does the work in keeping you dry. So unless the break exposes the underlayment to sunlight that will dry and crack it or is more of a missing piece that lets a good deal of runoff get to the underlayment it is not a big deal. Replacing tiles with minor cracks and missing corners is something that can be put off for some time. By late April, the roofers will be looking for work.

BTW. People are often told that tile roofs will last 50 years or more. Don't believe them. The underlayment dries out from heat and exposure in as little as 20 years requiring a very, very expensive removal and replacement process. The tile craze started about 30 years ago around here. We had asphalt shingles before that. So R&R'ing tile roofs might be a very good business to get into.

Ponderosa · 03-03-2010, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixDude

Wow Ponderosa! You really seem to know what you are talking about when it comes to roofs and roofing. Certainly much more than I know, thats for sure=)

I would recommend that IF the original poster wants to get an estimate that they call at least 3-4 companies and let them all know that you are calling around. This will hopefully keep prices down. You can look for roofing companies online with google or by using a local yellow pages.

I think that Ponderosa's advice is good however. If your roof is not leaking then exactly why would you want to pay money to get it fixed?

LOL. One of the jobs I did in a previous life. I got a refresher fixing my own roof a few weeks ago after storm damage.

I meant to say that there is no big hurry with all the roofers busy now. If water is getting under the tiles, the felt will stop it from coming through. But there are strips of wood laid horizontally along the roof to hold the tile and, given enough time they may rot, the nails loosen and small leaks develop. So it is good to fix things up. OP says he wants to do preventive maintenance and I think that is the best term for it.

When I was up there doing mine, I noticed that the pointing - the mortar that seals the ridge line and intersections was loose and missing in several places. This can let water in near where a lot of "stuff" comes together and if it not OK then it is probably more of a concern than minor cracks and chips in the field are. It was a little scary hanging over the end of the roof replacing that stuff - and I have a one story , but I got 'er done and lived to tell about it.

observer53 · 03-03-2010, 03:36 PM

I have a flat roof on the garage, and tile everywhere else. Maybe 10 or 12 years ago (house built 1986) we had someone out to work on the flat roof, he did an inspection of the tile roof. He took some pictures and came down to show us. Along the long main ridge of the roof that runs half the length of the house, the top rows of tiles had not been fastened down, so they had slid down and the felt underneath, of course, mostly rotted away. No damage done, beyond that, but of course this roofer wanted to completely redo the roof. even though only part of it was affected. We called another guy, who came out and redid just the damaged part, lapping over the felt on both sides. Roof's been good ever since. Well, except the garage...

ButI would have had NO idea that the top rows wouldn't get fastened down so that gravity wouldn't make them slip on each other like that. You could not see the problem from the ground.

Ponderosa · 03-03-2010, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by observer53

I have a flat roof on the garage, and tile everywhere else. Maybe 10 or 12 years ago (house built 1986) we had someone out to work on the flat roof, he did an inspection of the tile roof. He took some pictures and came down to show us. Along the long main ridge of the roof that runs half the length of the house, the top rows of tiles had not been fastened down, so they had slid down and the felt underneath, of course, mostly rotted away. No damage done, beyond that, but of course this roofer wanted to completely redo the roof. even though only part of it was affected. We called another guy, who came out and redid just the damaged part, lapping over the felt on both sides. Roof's been good ever since. Well, except the garage...

ButI would have had NO idea that the top rows wouldn't get fastened down so that gravity wouldn't make them slip on each other like that. You could not see the problem from the ground.

It seems like everything is like that nowadays. You go in for an oil change and they try to sell you 2000 dollars worth of repairs. It's always best to get a couple of guys out if just to see if the stories all agree.

cjs123 · 03-03-2010, 11:02 PM

Thanks for the info--have been doing a lot of looking on line and on the ROC site and [as stated originally] getting any follow-through has been the tough part [realize this has been one rainy season, with more on the way].

The inspector [who charges a flat rate regardless of any/no problem] did state this was not an emergency and specified the tiles were not separated, but I wondered at what point a minor defect could become a problem should the tiles eventually separate and expose the material underneath.

Will keep the ABCO name on file and any others people post here. Always like to get recommendations [or warnings!].

Captain Bill · 03-04-2010, 06:06 AM

Here is a roofer that I've used on my properties:
Jason Bowers - JLC Roofing - 623-764-0349

roosevelt · 03-04-2010, 08:44 AM

I have a house with 5,000 square feet of roof with thick wooden shake shingles. Every inside corner and outside corner was not wrapped with felt paper, only the flat areas, I couldn't believe it. Too many roofing companies have an owner that comes out for the estimate and then drops off a bunch of inexperienced idiots to do the roof. The owner never supervises the job because he heads straight for a strip joint, sports bar or casino.