No new wood roofs
The Town Council ended new wood roofs in January 2022, per the town's news page, though at least 84 homes still have them. If you own one of those, your roof is an aging asset, not a safe default. Shake dries out, splits and ignites more easily than most coverings. A written inspection will tell you whether a repair is worth the money.
What goes on instead
Choose a non-wood covering with a Class A rating, and look at the whole assembly. Underlayment, deck and vents all affect fire performance. Ask the estimate to name each layer. On a hillside lot, we also plan access and debris before the first day.
- Roof Repair
An old wood roof may take a patch, but only if the surrounding shakes are still sound. We probe the field around the leak and tell you in writing when patching is a short-term fix.
- Roof Replacement
A new covering must be a non-wood material under the town's ban, and the fire rating matters. The estimate names the covering, its fire class and the underlayment beneath it.
- Gutters
Wooded lots shed needles and leaves, and clear gutters matter on a fire-aware property. We clear valleys with the gutters and look at the fascia and eave vents while we are up there.
- Emergency Roof Repair
This is our longest drive in the batch, so urgent response depends on crews and traffic. Photograph the leak and call early, and we will say honestly what the day allows.
- Attic Venting Repair
Exterior vents are a known ember path on fire-aware lots. Fine-mesh, ember-resistant vents can be priced with a reroof or as a stand-alone repair, and each location goes in the estimate.
- Roof Inspection
At least 84 homes here still have wood roofs, per the town. A written inspection tells those owners whether a repair is worth the money or the roof is at the end of its life.
On the fault line
The San Andreas Fault runs through the middle of town, per Wikipedia. That is a structural matter. For a roofer, it means flashing around chimneys deserves care, and heavy materials call for an engineer's opinion before you order.
Fire districts and gutters
The Woodside Fire Protection District covers Portola Valley and has a station in town. Debris-free gutters and roof valleys are an easy habit that cuts ember fuel. Alameda customers have reported gutter work included in a reroof.
Open space, old buildings and one-acre lots
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve covers much of the southwest side, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve borders the north, and the 235-acre Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve is set aside by agreement with the town, per Wikipedia. Open land on several sides is why fire class and clean vents carry weight here. About 81% of the housing is single-family, many on an acre or more, so roofs run long and a leak can travel far before it shows. The 1909 Portola Valley School and the 1912 Our Lady of the Wayside Church show how old some structures are. Ask your inspection to say which parts of your roof are original.
The drive to Portola Valley
The drive is about 56 minutes, the longest of our hill towns. We cannot promise an arrival time. Planned work is easy to book, since Wayne or Pedro often does the inspection, then a written estimate with photos follows. The Town of Portola Valley handles permits, and the estimate states who pulls one; confirm it.