If you just moved to the Portland area and looking for a new roof, check out these 5 things to know about your roof from Roof Life of Oregon Founder Patrick Morin.
1. What should you know about cedar shingles?
Cedar shingles and shakes are really popular in Portland. Western red cedar contains a natural binding resin that gives you a lot of texture and insulation value. They also have a lot of character, depth, and shadow lines. Shake roofs usually last twenty to thirty years, and thicker ones could go forty to fifty years.
2. Why should you consider a real estate roof inspection?
In Portland, we get 33.3 feet of rain, and sometimes it comes at us with a lot of wind. You want to have your roof inspected to make sure you’re moving into a home with a roof that can stand up to that.
When we do a roof inspection, we provide a five-year certification with an expectation of roof longevity. Plus, we’ll give you the roof value. Maybe the roof is shot and we can’t certify it. That information can be helpful in your negotiations. You may still want the home, but at least you can go back with a number to negotiate the deal.
3. Why can’t your regular home inspector do it?
99% of general inspectors can’t get on the roof. They will do a ground inspection with binoculars and a ladder inspection. A licensed roofing contractor will actually get on the roof.
General inspectors can call out issues they find that are obvious – holes in the roof, vermin entries, and chunks of roofing falling off. Obvious things. But they don’t have the ability to quote a solution, a cost, life expectancy, or do a certification.
4. How much does it cost to replace a typical roof in Portland?
The average household income in Portland is $79,900. But on the coast, it’s $48,000. That’s a pretty big difference.
So when you ask about the cost of replacing a roof, it could be anywhere from $15,000-$100,000, depending on the size and type of home you’re moving into.
For a homeowner buying a $250,000 home with a $15,000 roof, that’s a big hit. Just as a $100,000 roof would be a big ticket for a multi-million dollar home.
Either way, it’s a big investment.
5. How long will your roof last in Portland?
We have three different types of roofs in Portland: cement tile, architectural asphalt shingle, and wood shakes.
If you let Mother Nature have her way, a tile roof will start having problems around the twentieth year. It will have a lot of growth on it, and you’ll start getting leaks. Leaks will prompt maintenance, and sometimes we find that the roof is shot. Other times, we can get the junk off, do some repairs, and help the roof continue on its trail.
Asphalt shingles are available in all sorts of different weight materials. They have shingles that will last twenty to forty years in Portland. If you do no maintenance, they will start looking pretty nasty by ten years. At fifteen, the moss will overgrow your facility and give you problems, possibly even causing you to re-roof prematurely.
Shake roofs will look fabulous for five to eight years, and then the debris and moss will move in. It starts looking pretty bad by the tenth year. If you leave it alone with no maintenance, it will rot out and you’ll be replacing your shake by the fifteenth or seventeenth year. Some homes that don’t have debris or direct sun may get twenty years, without maintenance.
If you have any more questions about moving into the Portland area, don’t hesitate to reach out to Patrick and the team at Roof Life of Oregon.