About half the homes in Northridge were built before 1970, and all of them went through the 1994 earthquake.
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If the roof still has good years left, the report tells you.
Roof replacement and free written roof inspections across Northridge. The median home in ZIP codes 91324 and 91325 was built in 1970. These roofs have been through the earthquake that carries the neighborhood’s name, and through every repair since.
Deck, underlayment, then shingles or tile. The underlayment keeps the water out, and you can only check it from up on the roof.
What we check on a Northridge roof
Some damage from 1994 is easier to see from the attic than from the street.
Framing that moved
In 1994 the ground here shook harder than any city in North America had recorded. We look at rafters, ridge boards and sheathing from the attic side, not just the shingles.
Rebuilt and capped chimneys
Chimneys fell all over the Valley that morning. Where one was rebuilt or taken down to the roofline, the patch around it is often the oldest weak spot on the roof.
Ranch tracts reaching the same age
Whole streets near Cal State Northridge went up in the same few years. When the roofs were replaced together, they tend to wear out together, and the neighbors’ roofs tell us a lot about yours.
Before the rain in Northridge
Older tract roofs, rebuilt chimneys and runoff from the hills to the north. A strong El Niño winter tests all three.
Chimney crickets and flashing
Rebuilt chimneys often have flashing that was never quite right. Water running down the roof hits the chimney first, so that is where a long storm gets in.
Runoff from the north
Streets toward Porter Ranch and Granada Hills sit below the hills, and heavy rain arrives fast. Gutters and downspouts should carry it away from the foundation, not toward it.
Original decking under new shingles
Some roofs here were reshingled over the original boards without a tear-off. Soft decking shows up as sagging or stains on the ceiling after the first big rain.
Before the first big storm: book the free roof check, or read our winter storm roof guide.
From our roofs
Recent MAMOS roofing work: shingle re-roofs, flat ADU roofs and tile.
What the city requires on a Northridge re-roof
Northridge is a City of Los Angeles neighborhood. LADBS and the LAFD set these rules.
Residential re-roofs here can go through an LADBS express permit. The inspector signs off on the finished roof.
Repairs that add up to more than 10 percent of the roof covering within a year mean the whole roof has to meet current code.
When more than half the roof is replaced, the new covering must be a cool roof product certified by the CRRC.
We get on the roof, photograph what we find and write it up.
Get my free reportWas your roof checked after the earthquake, or just patched?
A roof patched after 1994 can look sound for decades. A written report with dated photographs shows what was fixed properly and what was only covered over.
the year the Northridge earthquake struck at 4:31 in the morning. Caltech’s earthquake data center calls its ground motion the strongest ever recorded in a North American city.
Roof questions in Northridge
Repair or replace?
Usually the underlayment decides it, and you have to get on the roof to check that. The report gives you the answer, with photos.
What does a new roof change for my insurer?
Most letters name roof age. The permit and completion papers show the new roof’s date; what the carrier does with them is its decision.
My house survived 1994 fine. Why look at the framing now?
Most homes did come through with little structural damage. But chimneys, ridge lines and roof-to-wall connections took the brunt, and a small crack or a shifted rafter is easy to miss from the street. The report checks from the attic and tells you what it found, good or bad.
Get the framing, flashing and roof age checked.
The report covers framing, chimney flashing, roof age and remaining life in writing. If the roof has years left, it says so.
“Joe was extremely helpful and went above and beyond what a good contractor would do for his customer. … Joe is an honest and trustworthy contractor whom I would hire again for any future project.”
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Request your report
Framing, chimney and flashing condition, and remaining roof life, in writing. We call back within 15 minutes: 8am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 2pm Friday.
Got it.
Rather talk? Call (818) 934-0075.
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Northridge · Granada Hills · Porter Ranch · Reseda
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